Hey, thanks for tuning in to another Partner Interview at EcomBalance. At EcomBalance, we’re all about creating win-win partnerships where we are able to grow with other companies in the eCommerce space.
In this exclusive interview, we interview Ryan Culver from Lessgistics, a logistics company based out Indianapolis, Indiana.
Ryan Culver is the Founder and CEO of Lessgistics, a logistics company that focuses on customized fulfillment and shipping solutions. With over 20 years of experience in E-Commerce & Logistics, Ryan brings to the table a wealth of knowledge to help SMBs succeed strategically and operationally. His latest venture is Lessgistics, a 3PL Fulfillment center out of Indianapolis. Offering unparalleled communication and inventory accuracy for 40+ brands, Ryan and his team aim to be extensions of your brand. Lessgistics cares deeply about the customer experience. In his spare time, Ryan likes football, football, and football (in that order).
We hope that you enjoy the interview and that it brings value to you as an eCommerce business owner.
Connor: Hey Ryan, thanks for taking the time to chat with us here. We love getting to know our partners better so that our community can benefit from what our partners are offering and doing in the industry. To get started, can you give us a high level overview of Lessgistics and how it got started?
Ryan: Certainly! Appreciate you taking the time for the interview!
I have worked in logistics for 20 years and have been fortunate enough to have helped some Fortune 500 companies with supply chain design and carrier optimizations. Having experience working both with and for 3PLs, I understood there were some big gaps that needed to be improved. Some examples of common issues I witnessed firsthand were communication breakdowns, inconsistencies with inventory, and unclear billings. We aimed to improve those areas for SMBs and have been successful thus far!
Connor: That’s awesome! Can you dive a bit more into the products and services that you offer ? I’m sure our audience would love to know exactly what problems you could solve for them.
Ryan: Lessgistics really tailors to 3 Core Focuses:
- Ecommerce Direct-To-Consumer Fulfillment – If you are selling on Shopify, BigCommerce, Amazon, WalMart, eBay, etc., we have a direct connection that automates and syncs everything continuously. We can connect to over 100 different marketplaces, OEMs, and shipping partners with our WMS.
- 2. Subscription Box Kitting – Lessgistics is one of the few 3PLs across the U.S. that focuses in this area. I have personally started two subscription boxes with a great partner (one sold last year, Hemp Crate Co , and the current one, Platterful, is starting to scale nicely. By having contacts in the space and owning Lessgistics it has really helped put the structure in place. We REALLY know subscription boxes.
- 3. Amazon Services – Lessgistics does FBA Prep, Shipping Plan Management, and other value-added services like making sets.
Connor: Jumping off of that…if there was one problem you’d say that Lessgistics solves best for your clients, what would it be? Why?
Ryan: Being an extension of your brand. A lot of 3PLs will sell you the moon during the prospecting process. Then, when it switches over to the Operational Team it can quickly become a black hole. It’s difficult for business owners to ‘let go of their baby’ so we ensure top level communication every day at Lessgistics. It’s at the center of everything we do.
Connor: As the company continues to grow over the next year, what are your plans for expansion? Any new products or offerings or enhancements to your current products?
Ryan: I am currently looking for additional space and have been for a few months. Warehouse space is pretty tight in the current market, but is expected to soften in the next 6-12 months. We will likely stay in the Indy market as it is where all our employees are located and it is very central for shipping rates. With that expansion, I could certainly see us adding more B2B service offerings.
Connor: And how specifically would you say that Lessgistics and your team is different from other similar businesses in the industry?
Ryan: Seamless availability and communication, Clear & Transparent Billing, and Accuracy – 99.8% on Receiving and 99.9% on Picking/Packing YTD.
Connor: What made you decide to get involved in the logistics space? What’s your starting eCommerce story? From what we’ve found, a lot of business owners in the space have fun stories of how they first started…
Ryan: Honestly, it was mostly becoming tiresome with the corporate businesses and cultures that I had worked for for a couple of decades. Big corporations are often wildly slow to adapt to what employees want and need. I worked with some incredible individuals and enjoyed those experiences immensely, but I knew it was time to spread my wings and go out on my own. I love ‘new’ and all challenges so this has been a perfect match. I also like being in control of the culture. That is super satisfying.
Connor: Love it! Talking more about the eCommerce industry, where do you see it going in the next 1-2 years? Any unique predictions that you could share?
Ryan: It is tough sledding right now in the eCommerce industry. Obviously, the lingering effects of Apple’s privacy changes that took place last April continue to wreak havoc on advertising spend and reporting. I haven’t talked with anyone that is happy where that current marketing budget and results are. Customer acquisition costs are up with Facebook and Google.
Tik Tok is interesting if you can nail down what works. Their cost of advertising is lower since they are still in the infancy stage. I did read that a growing, significant group of individuals now go to Tik Tok to search for things other than Google which is mind bending. There are a lot of people watching Tik Tok right now as it is growing revenue faster than any social media platform in history.
I think the changes with advertising which leads to huge customer acquisition costs may have a lot of DTC brands turn back to retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target. They have the audiences; it’s just a matter of sacrificing control and margin. It’s kind of coming full circle in a weird way.
Lastly, I think Buy with Amazon has the potential to really disrupt the market in the next few years. A lot of SMBs are just going to default to using the service on the backend of their website as you just can’t compete with Amazon’s reach and cheaper shipping costs. No one can.
Connor: Giving you an open mic for a minute, what is something you’d want the EcomBalance audience to hear?
Ryan: I think a lot of your audience is Founders &/or Owners. Having been a multiple business owner in the space, I can’t stress enough the importance of outsourcing functions early so you can focus on growing the business. Let experts handle your needs. You will grow exponentially quicker.
Connor: Changing gears a little bit…When it comes to bookkeeping and accounting, what do you think the biggest pain points for business owners are? Feel free to speak from personal experience as well.
Ryan: From speaking with some of our clients over the years, it really is just the know-how that is missing. It isn’t something that anyone can just pick up. You usually need a background with some classes or at minimum have to understand how to digest and take actions based on your P&L & Balance Sheet, results month-to-month.
I do see a lot of people just letting things go to the end of year before truing up everything. I strongly suggest doing this monthly as you can quickly tell the health of your business with key reporting.
Connor: As we close this out, I just have one more question. Where is the best place to find and follow you and the company online? Also, if you have one, is there any special offer that you’ll be offering to the community today?
Ryan: Absolutely! You can visit us at the following:
Website: lessgistics.com
Personal email address: [email protected]
