Synth

You've never seen an inventory planner for CPG & eComm brands integrated so deeply with marketing until now... Get started at https://heysynth.com

Are You Ready for the Next 6-Figure Roles ?? ? Picture this: It’s 2026. You’re scrolling through LinkedIn job postings and start seeing… ?? Chief Agent Officer (CAO) ?? AI Workforce Manager Not to manage human teams—but for AI employees. Heysynth.com is preparing for this future with WorkforceIQ. Brands will be able to create, manage, and optimize Human-to-Agent (H2A) and agent-to-agent (A2A) tasks with agents like: ? Email Order Analyst – Automating order intake & processing. ? EDI Order Assistant – Managing EDI workflows effortlessly. ? Marketing Campaign Assistant – Aligning marketing spend with inventory. ? Many more being developed... Case-in-point: A fast-growing brand with wholesale and retail distribution will have the EDI Order Assistant automatically process bulk orders from retailers and collaborate with human employees for fulfillment. Meanwhile, the Marketing Campaign Assistant would align active promotions with real-time inventory data, preventing stockouts and excess production. At the same time, the Email Order Analyst would parse and structure manual orders into the system instantly, eliminating errors and manual data entry. Using Synth's AI workforce, the CAO ensures that human teams focus on strategy and growth while AI teammates handle repetitive, time-sensitive tasks. This results in faster decision-making, lower costs, and a more resilient supply chain. In the near future, org charts will not only include department leads but also autonomous AI agents handling operations, sales, forecasting, and supply chain management, working seamlessly with human teams. As AI agents become critical to businesses, roles will emerge whose sole responsibility is managing, fine-tuning, and optimizing AI workers. This will give forward-thinking businesses a competitive advantage. The Chief Agent Officer (CAO) is a multidisciplinary role well suited for generalists with deep knowledge of AI technology and who are great people managers. The CAO will orchestrate people and AI-powered workforces to scale operations, enhance efficiency, and drive business growth. The future of AI workforce management is here—are you ready to lead it?

Last Christmas… Grandpa couldn’t make the 7,000-mile trip to spend the holidays with his grandkids. So, he wrote a note to Santa to get a gift for one of his grandkids—a Mercedes Benz G Wagon G63 AMG. Well… sort of. After my last “S&OP Is MIA” post (https://lnkd.in/gsKd-HsQ), a few brands reached out to me differently but with a similar question: Are we too early to start implementing S&OP processes? Instead of giving a generic answer, I asked two questions: 1. Do you sell products? 2. Do you buy finished goods or raw materials from suppliers/vendors? If their answer was yes to either, they had already implemented some form of S&OP process, albeit unstructured and unintentional in many cases. Just like my toddler’s car isn’t an actual Mercedes he’ll drive someday (hopefully as a Mercedes F1 race car driver), your S&OP processes don’t need to be complicated when starting. You can start with simple spreadsheets and switch to software as your revenue grows and operations become complex. When Does S&OP Move Beyond Spreadsheets? Based on what we see from our customers: - If you’re generating more than $500k in annual sales - Selling more than 5 SKUs - Operating across multiple sales channels (Ecomm or omnichannel) - Managing multiple distinct brands as part of a HoldCo/Roll-up/Aggregator - Losing sales due to frequent stockouts - Experience frequent low cash flow due to tied-up inventory This is where Synth comes in. Synth makes it easy to kick off your S&OP journey with minimal friction, scaling with you as your business grows. Think of S&OP as the foundation for your brand’s long-term success. Starting early ensures fewer growing pains later. So, to answer the question: Can a brand be too early for S&OP? Absolutely not. Start simple, scale intelligently, and let Synth be your Copilot. Unlike my toddler’s G63, Synth is built to take your business the distance. Schedule a demo with me to learn more - https://lnkd.in/g97Y3Kkq

“I focus on the little things. Little things add up to big things.” - Michael Jordan. During my morning workout, I listened to a Founders podcast episode, “Michael Jordan in His Own Words,” and it got me thinking about the many “little” and scalable processes e-commerce and CPG brands fail to adopt because: - “We aren’t at scale yet.” - “Our operations are simple.” - “[first name] in operations does everything.” - “We’re swamped with backorders.” While these may be true, the reality is that the “little” inefficiencies—data entry errors, missed forecasts, delayed customer responses, inadequate production plans, etc., snowball into much bigger issues. - Tied up cash in inventory - Missed sales opportunities - Disappointed customers - Overwhelmed employees Case-in-point: Here’s the typical flow for processing one Purchase Order from Email and/or Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) channels at an omnichannel (selling direct to customer and wholesale) brand: Email: 1. Sales receive orders via email ?? 2. Parse order details manually ?? 3. Check with Operations on inventory availability for each SKU ???? 4. Create sales orders in the system ?????? 5. Communicate stockouts or delays to customers ???? 6. Coordinate with the warehouse/3PL for order fulfillment ?????? 7. Send order confirmation emails ??? 8. Manually track order progress and status ????? EDI 1. Receive new PO email notification ???? 2. Log into the EDI platform ???? 3. Download EDI files ???? 4. Parse and validate EDI order details ??? 5. Check inventory availability for each SKU ???? 6. Flag stockouts or delays for internal review ???? 7. Create sales orders in the system ?????? 8. Upload order acknowledgment files to the EDI platform ???? 9. Coordinate with the warehouse/3PL for fulfillment ?????? 10. Send EDI shipping and invoice files to the customer ?????? 11. Ensure adherence to EDI response timelines ??? Can you imagine processing five orders per day or twenty per week ?? ? A ‘little’ automation can reduce response time, lost sales, and data entry errors by more than 100%. You (hopefully) eat healthy meals, drink in moderation and work out, not because you’re on the Olympics team but because small, consistent habits today set you up for a longer, healthier life. The same principle applies to your brand: implementing intelligent, proactive, and consistent processes sets your business up for sustainable growth and resilience in the future. That’s why proactive processes aren’t just beneficial; they’re absolutely necessary! E-commerce/CPG brand? Learn how to automate your email and EDI orders on Synth: https://lnkd.in/g97Y3Kkq #cpg #ecommerce #inventory #ai #edi #orders

We're rolling with it in 2025 ;)

This is one of the most exciting capabilities of Synth (Techstars '24). The time savings are extraordinary; from 24 - 48 hrs to 2 mins per email sales order! ?? Synth's AI Sales Operations Assistant manages B2B email orders for brands. It analyzes email orders, matches them to inventory, and replies to brands’ customers, saving more than 100% of order processing time. The sales operations assistant will soon be able to collaborate with other Synth agents to?create and run production plans?or?purchase orders?for SKUs with low inventory. Book time with me to learn how you can use our AI Email Order Analyst for your sales operations: https://lnkd.in/g97Y3Kkq #salesoperations #inventory #cpg #ai #supplychain

This is one of the most exciting capabilities of Synth (Techstars '24). The time savings are extraordinary; from 24 - 48 hrs to 2 mins per email sales order! ?? Synth's AI Sales Operations Assistant manages B2B email orders for brands. It analyzes email orders, matches them to inventory, and replies to brands’ customers, saving more than 100% of order processing time. The sales operations assistant will soon be able to collaborate with other Synth agents to?create and run production plans?or?purchase orders?for SKUs with low inventory. Book time with me to learn how you can use our AI Email Order Analyst for your sales operations: https://lnkd.in/g97Y3Kkq #salesoperations #inventory #cpg #ai #supplychain

It’s a Bird… It’s a Drone… It’s a... Balloon? ?? This past weekend was my daughter’s birthday. She was pretty excited to have a shiny, oversized #6 balloon, which we took to the lawn for photos. We first took some photos without the balloon, and then I gave her a straightforward instruction: ‘Hold on tight, it’s windy!’ She giggled, but seconds later… the balloon was gone. We chased after it across the lawn, but no luck. My baby girl stood still, teary-eyed and heartbroken, staring at the sky as her balloon disappeared. At that moment, I wasn’t thinking about supply chain visibility! But, when thinking about what to write this week, my daughter’s balloon seemed like a good metaphor. Managing supply chain feels a lot like holding onto a balloon. One moment, you think you have it under control; the next, one unexpected gust—a supplier disruption, a delayed shipment, or unanticipated demand— sends your plans in disarray. Add external complexities, like the US President-elect’s proposed tariff changes, and the stakes get even higher. For CPG and e-commerce brands, losing control of your supply chain isn’t just heartbreaking—it’s expensive and damaging. ???????? But what if you had a stronger grip on your balloon? What if you could see potential disruptions before they happen or act confidently when they happen? Synth (Techstars '24) empowers brands with supply chain visibility: ? Demand Forecasting ???? – Anticipate trends and plan ahead. ? Supplier Management ???? – Reduce risks before they escalate. ? Inventory & PO Tracking ?????♂? – Know exactly what’s where. ? Shipment & Production Planning ???? – Stay on schedule and in control. We make supply chain visibility accessible for brands of all sizes—because no brand can afford to let their balloon slip away. In 2025, supply chain visibility will be essential for survival. Don’t let supply chain surprises blow your plans away. ?? Book a short demo here to learn how Synth would work for your brand in the New Year: https://lnkd.in/g97Y3Kkq The winds of change are coming—Synth will help you hold on tight. ??????? #cpg #ecommerce #inventory #supplychain #visibility #AI

Christmas came early! ?? ?? Finally, an all-in-one platform for demand forecasting, inventory, and production management. And, many more ?? IYKYK. Watch Lloyd M. demo our Production Management feature for DTC & Wholesale CPG brands. Some benefits: - Production Forecasting for accurate, demand-driven forecasts to avoid overstocking and stockouts. - Batch Processing for organized production batching with lot tracking for track and trace activities. - Production Planner for visualizing and managing schedules with ease. - Work Order Management to simplify and automate work order creation. - Low Stock Alerts & Auto PO Generation will help you avoid shortages with proactive alerts and automated purchase orders. - Production Reports for comprehensive reporting on output, yield, and losses. - Inventory Updates Post-Production enables real-time inventory adjustments after production. - Yield and Loss Calculations?monitor efficiency and minimize waste. Set your brand up for success going into 2025; book a demo to learn more about Synth... https://lnkd.in/g29m7373

Hoan-My Huynh and I had a great time at SKU's Fall '24 Showcase last night. We're looking forward to partnering with some amazing companies that graduated yesterday. Congratulations Long Table Bala Enzyme Foraged & Found Kif & co Modica Peace Love Hormones The Bloody Buddy ?? ?? ?? Find Synth (Techstars '24) in the Shopify App Store and start improving your demand forecasts, inventory, and production management ahead of the New Year: https://lnkd.in/gtfkVHiw