Veteran entrepreneurs can offer some very helpful advice on running a business. And if that military businessman has earned $14 million within five years, other savvy entrepreneurs will stop and listen.
In her article about exactly this kind of skyrocket business venture, Kaleigh Moore explains where Nine Line Apparel came from and how they got into the upper listing of the Inc. 5000 so quickly. According to the company founder, Tyler Merritt, the right set of tools has been crucial. You might expect advice like that from an active duty military man, since in a crisis situation, having the right gear can make all the difference. For his business, the right gear for Tyler included these three core technology solutions:
1. Inventory Management Solution — Quick growth brought fast challenges for keeping track of their products. And this struggle was amplified by working in the apparel industry because returned goods and varying sizes of the same item all had to be accounted for. Once they found a product that could keep pace with their rapid growth, the time spent addressing emergencies was transformed into time to focus on more important tasks.
2. Shipping Solution — Tyler quickly recognized that out-sourcing order fulfillment was the best way to keep up with the accelerating demand, not to mention the extremely variable time he had to run the business — as an active duty soldier, he even had to leave the company for his wife to manage alone while he was deployed. They found a shipping tool that facilitated their outsourcing requirements and things quickly became less stressful.
3. Online Retail Platform — Flexibility was a key aspect for Nine Line Apparel’s online sales tool. Because of the company’s booming success, Tyler had to retire his home-grown selling platform fairly soon. In its place, they implemented an eCommerce solution that allows them to easily create custom integrations for their store. These customizations make it possible to refine their business processes for increased efficiency.
Of course it takes more than a few tech purchases to create a steep growth curve. And to be precise, Nine Line Apparel’s tech upgrades were in reaction to the growth, not necessarily a cause for that growth. But once the convoy was rolling, they needed the new tools to help make sure it could continue. The company’s astonishing success arises just as much from Tyler’s company mission — apparel branded to reflect a strong patriotism and donations to military charities and disaster relief initiatives — and his staff, who are extremely talented and insistent on turning every assignment and challenge into a successful mission.
So even though it’s clear that buying the same tools as Nine Line Apparel won’t magically transform other SMBs, it doesn’t diminish the fact that your own growing business will need reliable, capable technology in these three areas.
When you’re searching for software to support and boost your business, review sites like Capterra can be an efficient starting point. The collected user reviews on accounting, CRM, ERP, and other solutions provides a simple way to find options you can pursue. Our five-star rating at Capterra is something we’re proud of at aACE Software. So if your company is ready for the cross-platform tools to accelerate your business velocity, check out our reviews and browse our site to learn more about our business management software for Mac and PC.
“I had done my research about aACE and the references were consistent: aACE had the experience and know-how to get this done.” ~ Wendy Donenfield, CPA and Controller, M & R International
