Simplifying
eCommerce
through better
business operations
The problem in eCommerce is that most businesses are disorganised and under-resourced. And this is because they don’t plan properly from the start.
So how do you fix it?
Leverage the experience of Tom Jones, former GM and CFO of global eComm brand, Archies Footwear, and current
Business Coach at Daily Mentor, to learn how.
HI, I’M TOM. FOUNDING MEMBER & FORMER & CFO OF GLOBAL ECOM BRAND:
ARCHIES FOOTWEAR
AND CURRENT BUSINESS COACH AT:
DAILY MENTOR
I grew up in the small country town of Echuca / Moama, before moving to Melbourne, VIC, to become an industrial property valuer. During this time my brother designed Archies Arch Support Thongs and in 2013 founded the company Archies Footwear.
As the GM and CFO of Archies Footwear for 10 years (between 2013-2023), I helped take the company from a start-up, selling at humble local markets, to an eCommerce and wholesale powerhouse, selling well over 3 million pairs, and ultimately, a mature business with over 4,500 retail outlets. The brand is still growing strong today.
I now work with other like-minded entrepreneurs, helping them to build their businesses in effective and sustainable ways, and at Daily Mentor, I have coached more than 100+ founders to find solutions to myriad business issues using tried and tested methods that I have developed and synthesised as a result of my extensive experience in building a multi-million dollar, global business.
Archies first ever day of sales at the Moama Market… a well organised unit as you can see!
We evolved fast enough, with national multi channel marketing campaigns… some featuring AFL legend, Dustin Martin!
Eventually having our own space at some of Australia’s largest Shopping Centres.
WORK WITH ME
WORKING WITH TOM
1) WHERE YOU ARE AT?
What is the current state of play - I will have you answer a lot of questions so I can get to know you and understand your business. Questions around;
Manufacturing and your supply chain,
Financials including unit economics (profit per unit / order),
Debt/funding options,
Cash in the bank, and more!
2) WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE?
Dream big and aim high, and always remember that without a goal to strive for, your business will be aimless. Look at short, medium and long term goals, starting with:
What do you want out of life?
While this might sound lofty, the answer to this will impact the rest of your goals and, therefore, the direction of your business. This will then lead to other questions like:
Do you want to sell, if so, for how much?
How much money do you need?
How do you fund the growth; are you open to bank loans, will you sell equity? etc.
All of these questions have an impact on the strategy and direction of your business.
3) WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO GET IT DONE?
Work together to develop strategic and tactical plans to achieve your goals.
We will create action points to:
Look at your product release pipeline.
Have the hard chats with your suppliers or customers.
Open new or, optimise existing, sales channels.
Analyse your data to help guide decisions.
Prioritise and allocate resources; who’s doing what, do you need consulting, my team contracting, or both?
4) GET TO WORK!
Systematically work through the plan together to bring it to life.
You have the opportunity to utilise:
Me.
My team.
My contacts.
My experience.
How To Grow A Multi-Million Dollar Ecommerce Store with Tom Jones
UNDER RESOURCED?
You cross one job off and 3 more take its place. It seems impossible.
NO TIME?
You need less jobs, more resources, and more time to focus on your business.
LACK STRATEGIC DIRECTION?
You need to get out of the trenches and look further ahead. If you don't, who will?
OUTLAW CONSULTING
Tom Jones founded Outlaw Consulting to provide hands-on Operations and Finance services to eComm business owners looking to build a successful business that doesn’t just rely on you - the business owner.
Outlaw will help to simplify your business, bringing order to the chaos, and providing structured operations that will allow you and your people to work on your business, not just in it.
With Tom, you will work closely to develop both the strategic and tactical plans for your business, and if desired, the Outlaw team can also help to implement those plans.
Tom’s goal is to help entrepreneurs grow in confidence as business owners, enjoy more time freedom, and ultimately, scale their business through better resource allocation to increase profits and unlock cash flow.
OUTLAW CONSULTING SERVICES PROVIDED
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High level business strategy
Business Audit
Business objectives and resource allocation
Insights, analysis and recommendations
Business advocate (holding partners, agencies and suppliers or senior leaders to account)
Ongoing management of strategy and scale
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Profitability management
Optimise general ledger
Financials (P&L, Balance Sheet, Cashflow)
Budgets and Forecasting
Bookkeeping and monthly reconciliations.
Payables (including payroll)
Receivables and debtor management
Fractional CFO
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Supply chain management and optimisation
Demand planning and sensitivity analysis
Wholesale acquisition strategy and operations
HR development
Fractional COO
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Website analysis (UX Analysis) and optimisation
Website development and maintenance (specialising in Shopify)
Content and marketing strategy
eCommerce Channel management and optimisation
What makes someone good at ‘Business’?
I think people often overcomplicate things when it comes to business. To me there is no real magic (of course, there are factors that help i.e. a great product, IP protection, etc.) but the following formula can be applied 99% of the time:
Someone who is good at business = Logic + Hard Work + Experience
Someone has the potential to be ‘good’ at business if they have logic and hard work, as no one starts out with experience. Experience and knowledge come gradually.
If you don’t have experience, find someone who does…
Do you know anyone with 10 years of experience in eCommerce?
FAQs
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The Product team will say 'the product'... and they are right, without the product, the business can't sell anything. But…
The Marketing team will say 'marketing'... as without it, you might have the best product, but unless people know about it, you won’t make any sales. But…
The Operations team will, of course, say 'operations'... as without good operations, the great product that was brilliantly marketed is out of stock, or doesn’t get delivered on time, and it undoes all the previous hard work.
Everyone has a bias towards their own strength. The reality is that they are all critically important and to say one is more important than another is misguided. A successful business is a synergy of all of these parts.
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Please see the Services section for more detail, but to summarise, anything other than running the ads myself. This job is frequently outsourced in many small businesses. Outlaw specialises in the financial and operational functions of a business.
If I may, a compliment I have received many times is that I have a talent for breaking down and simplifying problems. I credit a combination of logic and general business acumen (knowledge and experience).
See my LinkedIn Profile for more on my background and past experience. -
As a former GM for a small business, I have been on the other side of the fence so I really understand what small businesses need to get things done. And more often than not, once the direction has been established, it’s the actual workload itself that presents the biggest challenge.
When I created Outlaw, my goal was to make it as business friendly as possible, which is why there are multiple options when working with Outlaw; perhaps you want to engage me as a consultant, or my team and I as contractors, or both.
And the beauty of this business model is that work can be scaled up or down as necessary. I’m a strong believer in paying only for the hours worked, with the flexibility to pivot when, and where needed.
Lastly, working on a B2B basis means there is no onus on you as a business to provide extra benefits like sick leave, annual leave, or superannuation.
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Any. No matter what stage, I've been there.
Businesses will get the most out of my time once they have been operating for at least a year or if they have a turnover of approximately $500k to a $1m (or more).
If you’re unsure whether I can help, feel free to book a Free Consultation and I’m always happy to have a chat. -
Easy answer - each business is different and they are at different stages!
The most common themes I see are that businesses:1) Don’t have a plan
2) Are under resourced from the start (mostly due to not having a plan)
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One of my pet peeves is when someone says, "because that’s how it’s always been done..."
Sometimes, a different perspective is needed. In addition to the better-known definition, an ‘Outlaw’ can also mean someone who does something unconventionally, or outside of the general rulebook. This resonated with me as I have a natural curiosity for, not only the ‘what’ and ‘how’, but the ‘why’. I like to get ‘under the hood’ of a business, understand what makes it tick, ask the right questions, and ultimately, apply my expertise to make a positive impact.