I was honored to be invited back as a guest speaker for the 14th Annual Global Supply Chain Excellence Summit at USC Marshall School of Business.

This year’s theme, BEYOND BOUNDARIES: Designing the Future of Global Supply Chain Networks, could not have been more relevant. As founders, operators, and business leaders, we are all navigating a world where the way products are discovered, purchased, fulfilled, and delivered is changing faster than ever.

I had the opportunity to join the E-Commerce panel, where we discussed how rapidly shifting buying channels — from Amazon and Shopify to social commerce and emerging AI platforms — are creating new layers of complexity across fulfillment and supply-chain operations.

From my perspective as the founder of Wynn’s Kitchen, I shared what that complexity looks like in real life.

Wynn’s Kitchen started small, and over time, I’ve had to learn how to scale a food brand across manufacturing, fulfillment, wholesale, retail, e-commerce, and distribution. Growth is exciting, but every new channel also introduces new decisions, new costs, and new operational challenges.

We talked about issues that founders and growing brands face every day: manufacturing capacity, tariffs, transportation, fulfillment costs, retailer requirements, inventory planning, and deciding which sales channels are actually worth pursuing.

One of the most important lessons from the conversation was that more channels do not necessarily mean better business.

It can be tempting to believe that your product needs to be everywhere — every marketplace, every retailer, every social platform, every new commerce channel. But growth without understanding the true cost of serving those channels can quickly become expensive and unsustainable.

The panel reinforced several ideas that I believe are especially important for entrepreneurs:

Know your true fulfillment costs.
Revenue is only one part of the picture. Freight, warehousing, pick-and-pack fees, distributor margins, retailer requirements, returns, promotions, and inventory carrying costs can dramatically change the economics of a channel.

Build strong partnerships.
No company can navigate today’s supply-chain environment alone. Reliable manufacturing, logistics, transportation, distribution, and retail partners become increasingly important as a business grows.

Stay agile.
Costs, regulations, consumer behavior, and logistics conditions can change quickly. The businesses that can adapt without losing sight of their core strategy are often the ones that are best positioned to keep growing.

Use AI strategically.
AI offers incredible opportunities to improve forecasting, planning, communication, analysis, and decision-making. But like any tool, it works best when it solves a real business problem rather than simply being adopted because it is the newest thing.

And perhaps the biggest takeaway: focus on the channels that create the most value for your business instead of chasing every opportunity at once.

One of my favorite parts of participating in events like this is that I always walk away having learned something myself. I love hearing how other leaders approach problems, learning from their experiences, and meeting people who see the world through a completely different lens.

Building a business can sometimes feel incredibly isolating, which makes opportunities to exchange ideas and make new friends even more meaningful.

A huge thank you to USC Marshall for inviting me back, and to my fellow panelists for such a thoughtful conversation:

• Kate Jostworth, Head of First Mile, A.P. Moller - Maersk
• Robert Khachatryan, CEO, Freight Right
• Maia Benson, Chief Commercial Officer, GCG Companies
• Wynn Austin, Founder & CEO, Wynn’s Kitchen

I’m grateful for the opportunity to share a founder’s perspective alongside leaders who bring such deep expertise in transportation, logistics, fulfillment, and global supply chains.

Every time I participate in a conversation like this, I’m reminded that no matter how much we grow, there is always more to learn.

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