Supply chain excellence has never been more important than right now. Prior to the pandemic, the discipline was starting to gain more clout as companies realized that instead of a back-office cost center, the supply chain organization could be a strategic asset for how ideas and ambitions intersect with reality. The chatter these days is that a Master's degree in Supply Chain is more valuable than a finance MBA! The trade war with China and the pandemic have completely altered most previous assumptions and the market is rewarding creativity, responsiveness, and companies who can think proactively. There has never been a better time to be in supply chain!
Aaron started Izba 5 years ago for part-time consulting while still spending time in both a fortune 500 (Unilever) and then in several startup supply chains. 3 years ago he leaned in with Izba full time and after building or rebuilding a few startups and securing their growth trajectories, he recognized a few key principles 1) Operational expertise is in desperately short supply 2) Most startups don't need a COO caliber resource full time 3) The type of expertise that companies need or think they need changes pretty frequently. Aaron started out as a solo consultant and has grown a full-time remote team to over 20 people spread out all across the country, while also expanding internationally.
Izba believes that everyone deserves the right to follow their entrepreneurial spirit. The firm augments teams and capabilities by providing traditional consulting services, strategic outsourcing, and technology solutions. Typically, clients start out with a specific question or project they are trying to implement, and this relationship generally manifests into more responsibility. With growing operations, taking the reins can help solve underlying structural or process concerns, and Izba is able to look under the hood, diagnose, and set a plan in motion to optimize and scale the operations. Once set, Izba can then help in hiring full-time operations employees for the organization, train, and hand back responsibilities while shifting back into strategic priorities. This model allows brands to be more cash and equity efficient than otherwise hiring full-time employees, while retaining maximum skill set flexibility to rotate experts and maintaining consistent leadership and oversight. Izba also partners with the best providers, technology, and experts to support clients and when those solutions don't exist, have even taken on the task of developing resources themselves. They are currently working on solutions expected to be released in the next year.
Izba has worked with some amazing companies across a wide range of industries and of all shapes and sizes. Several clients have begun their supply chain journey with Izba in a pre-revenue round, and have stayed through launch, subsequent funding, or sale. Personally, Aaron feels incredibly energized to work with and help passionate founders connect the dots on their companies. Some current and former clients include household names such as Kind and Mirror- the latter who they joined just after launch and have scaled and built through explosive growth and an acquisition by Lululemon.
Izba is a remote first company full of exceptional people who are hand picked based on their experience but more importantly attitude and drive to succeed. Many have spent time in Fortune 500 companies, startups, or both. Others have spent years in specialty development such as in Logistics, or working for a particular provider. At Izba, a balanced work environment and culture are what matters most. Check out Izba: www.izba.co/