Mitch Sanders

President @ | Co-Owner @ | Principal Consultant @ - Blending Services & Software

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

The 48 Laws of Power was recommended to me recently. I've been intrigued and conflicted.

On one hand we have laws that I disagree with:

1. Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim
2. Stir up waters to catch fish
3. Pose as a friend, work as a spy.

Then on the other there are laws I do agree with:

1. Plan all the way to the end.
2. Guard your reputation with your life.
3. Enter action with boldness.

The historical anecdotes shared about Napoleon, Bismarck, and others are fascinating. To me, it's an unfiltered look at how power has been gained and lost throughout history rather than a model to pattern one's life after.

How do others feel about The 48 Laws of Power?

#48LawsOfPower

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

Not a single man dead. No mutiny. Just unreal leadership and teamwork.

"Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing is the greatest of nonfiction survival stories.

The story of a crew of 28 getting stuck in the Antarctic for two years with limited food and water, rowing from island to island in freezing seas, hauling lifeboats across ice floes, and then climbing over a mountain range with zero climbing gear to reach help.

Yeah, life isn't too bad and the stress of work is bearable. Excel sheets, meetings, and even tariffs aren't going to kill us.

#HappyMonday

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

@MehtabKarta Harmons is luxury

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

@iamshackelford The only attractive business model is the one you aren’t in!

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

https://t.co/PqlOKXTYCx

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

Walmart and Target giving factories the go-ahead to continue production post visits to the White House per Freight Waves.

That’s an interesting development to follow. Could mean trade news is coming but who really knows.

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

@JasonPanzer You can watch 5 minutes of the news in China and this is so quickly validated.

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

I’d add US based Amazon sellers and specialty retail as beneficiaries.

No more de minimis into FBA warehouses for China based sellers.

Less competition for specialty retail with Temu and SHEIN raising prices.

[Sean Frank @Seanfrank]

Section 321 (tariff loophole) goes away next week for all Chinese made goods.

Who does this hurt?
Who does it benefit?

LOSERS:
- Shein and Temu OBVISOULY
The closing of the loophole is almost entirely because of their meteoric rise

- Secondary foreign sellers
Quince is screwed. But lots of international brands ship out of hong kong. Could hurt mid price retailers who just never invested in domestic warehouses

- Fedex and UPS
Its estimated there will be a 80% decline in cross border shipments. That could be as high as a BILLION packages a year taken out of their system.

- The mexican/canadian border towns
Lots of warehouses popped up along the border to service section 321. Real estate got CRAZY if you were looking for commercial within 10 miles of a crossing.

This is a bubble that is gonna burst, not deflate

- Walmart.
Walmart was behind Amazon. The advantage is they could bolt on other peoples work, after Amazon built the initial infustrucre.

Because of that, MOST walmart .com orders ship section 321, using those mexican warehouses.

WINNERS:
- Low cost physical retailers
Temu and Shein lost their biggest advantage.
If it is in a store in the USA, tariffs have been paid.

This levels the playing field for Dollar General.

- Mid market mall brands.
Old Navy, Gap, HM- they pay tariffs becuase they own stores.

This just made their goods look a lot more competitive to the SHEINs of the world.

- AMAZON.
The tariffs are very bad for them.
But they spent 100 billion dollars on USA fulfilment centers. Almost all FBA orders are tariffs paid.

Amazon now looks EVEN BETTER vs shein.

- US warehouse owners/ supply chain
It was a hot industry the entire time post covid.
But was losing steam to those border town warehouses.

Now, if SHEIN and TEMU want access to the market, they need to ship it in, pay taxes, and store it.

Demand for US warehouses could rise 50% this year.

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

@seanfrank Looking forward to seeing how this positively impacts US Amazon sellers with China sellers not able to take advantage of de minimis into FBA warehouses.

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

@subscriptiondoc ChatGPT thinks you should run for President

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

I’ve been thinking the future of SAAS could be software AND a service.

You launch features cheaper and faster. That allows you to create tailor-made solutions. Then you differentiate with your service which comes down to knowing your client’s business. You work closely with them and evolve the software as their business needs change. You integrate yourself deeply into the client’s business this way which makes you very sticky.

There is a lot more upkeep and maintenance but hopefully that continues to get easier over time with AI.

#saas #ai

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

@mordechaihoff Rethinking sourcing decisions but hard to predict anything right now.

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

If these Liberation Day tariffs are going to stick, the one thing I’d ask the White House is to give US businesses a few weeks to a month to finish POs and export them before new tariff rates are applied. That would be huge for small-medium sized companies like Thread.

Without more time we’re staring immediate, unplanned cost increases in the face. With a delay businesses will have a bit more time before impact. They can then hopefully get by for a few months with lower-cost inventory on hand and on the water.

#tariffs

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

@ashvinmelwani Yep we’re seeing the same

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

Opened up the Thread HQ on Center Street in Provo, UT on Thursday.

2 year remodel. The building was built in the early 1900s and was a Ford dealership. We kept the original garage, lots of exposed broke on the inside, and rebuilt the cupola. Carry On!

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

@subscriptiondoc @GetZaymo One-click for the win!

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

@theericcarlson I feel like it's never been easier to A/B test with all the tools out there. It just takes a little more effort but can yield big insights and big results.

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

@NathanHirsch99 Own your mistakes, especially if you own the company!

[Mitch Sanders @mitch_scg]

Back in May, my wife, Lilli, and I bought https://t.co/vIPWxV6Ltg, a children’s clothing brand with a focus on soft, breathable, and durable clothing built for making memories.

It has been so fun being thrust into all of the roles I don’t fill at https://t.co/SG9m9W3Xmw & https://t.co/sHBR2x2vKQ - marketing, brand, creative, and more. It’s given me deep insights into problems I don’t typically face on the daily in my operations roles.

Time will tell if Lark will be successful but I know I’ll come out it more well-rounded and able to contribute at all levels of business.

I'll document the journey periodically here and on LinkedIn (https://t.co/OlxzRzdL3I).

Follow along if you want to hear about the good, bad, and the ugly.