We’re back at the cookie manufacturer. Things are going well. We have a distributor who’s gotten our product into Targets nationwide. But our procurement team is feeling strained. First, it’s composed of a former business analyst and electrical engineer…they’re good at their job but unaware of ore strategic thinking for procurement. They are also responsible…

What was once open fields of rolling hills became a refuge for pioneers. Eventually the settlement transformed into a bustling hub for trade and transportation. Only to find itself years later in the wake of the Civil War.

Not a civil engineer, not an electrical engineer, a tariff engineer. This isn’t about designing bridges or circuits; it’s about structuring imports to minimize duties. Dolls without heads are shipped from Mexico to the U.S. to avoid being classified as a finished product. Shrimp from Thailand—imported raw, then cooked domestically to avoid duties on processed…

What’s more important than what is said? How you say it. That’s why we A/B test.

I was aware of it in the moment. That I had a choice to be who I wanted to be. I rather that then realizing after the fact. It’s a much less sweet reprieve.