#328 - The Mastermind Behind Seed’s Supply Chain & How to Design DTC Ops for Hypergrowth
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John Morgan is the founder of Pelagic, a unique agency of top tier operators that helps brands tackle supply chain, logistics & operations. Prior to starting Pelagic, he served as VP of Ops at Seed Health where he built the infrastructure behind one of the fastest growing modern health brands. Before getting into DTC he worked on the Falcon 9 rocket team at SpaceX. His expertise spans across optimizing supply chains for efficiency, sustainability, and growth, especially for early-stage companies.

In this episode of DTC Pod, John talks about the iterative nature of supply chain management and the need for startups to continuously adapt and refine their processes. He highlights the use of technology to streamline operations, the significance of understanding the complexities of global supply chains, especially under the strain of events like the COVID-19 pandemic, and shares a framework for setting up supply chains with a strong foundation in operational details and supplier partnerships.

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**On this episode of DTC Pod, we cover:**1. Iterative Supply Chain Management2. Third-Party Logistics Partnerships3. Fractional Operations and Technology4. Profitability and Cost Optimization6. Impact of COVID-19 on Supply Chain7. Future Tech in Operations8. Building and Scaling Supply Chains

Timestamps02:09 John Morgan’s background and experience working on SpaceX 06:39 Leading the operations at Seed Health09:37 The effect of COVID on global manufacturing, supply chain, and operations11:46 Pelagic as a supply chain service provider13:15 How to get supply chain right from the get-go; mistakes to avoid18:56 Adapting supply chains to growth and change23:41 Hiring for supply chain, considerations for early-stage founders26:35 Optimizing for profits vs quality, financial optimization of supply chains30:26 What founders need to know before importing33:55 Common mistakes to avoid in supply chain management

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Past guests & brands on DTC Pod include Gilt, PopSugar, Glossier, MadeIN, Prose, Bala, P.volve, Ritual, Bite, Oura, Levels, General Mills, Mid Day Squares, Prose, Arrae, Olipop, Ghia, Rosaluna, Form, Uncle Studios & many more.  

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John Morgan)** - Founder of **Pelagic)Blaine Bolus) - Co-Founder of Castmagic)Ramon Berrios) - Co-Founder of Castmagic)