Operations · E-commerce · Team building
I've run the warehouse, the boardroom, and everything in between. Let's fix your ops.
I co-founded Smoke Cartel, ran its operations, took it public, and led it through an $8M acquisition. Not to mention, lobbied for cannabis reform, aided other companies in preparing for acquisition, and built more than 4 brands. Now I help founders and operators sort out what's breaking, scale what's working, and build teams that don't need them in every room.
No pitch deck required. Start with a 30-minute chat.
Where I can help
The unglamorous stuff that decides whether a business works.
Operations & fulfillment
Warehouse flow, order handling, customer service, and prepping for the rush before it hits. Fewer fires, faster response times.
Tech stack & systems
An honest audit of your tools, what to buy versus build, and the boring playbooks that keep big problems from happening.
Teams & leadership
Hiring the scrappers, paying people fairly, managing through turnover, and building a team that can run without you.
Latest writing
Field notes from the operator's chair
What to Do When a Competitor Tries to Poach Your Employee
A competitor tried to hire away one of my best people, with an invented family of four as leverage. What I got right, what I got wrong, and...
Read the article →
The Week Everything Broke
A warehouse move, an internet outage, sudden turnover, and two weeks of silent order emails, all at once. How we found the real problem and cut response time...
Read the article →What to Do When a Competitor Tries to Poach Your Employee
A competitor tried to hire away one of my best people, with an invented family of four as leverage. What I got right, what I got wrong, and...
Read the article →Work with me
Bring me the mess. I've probably seen worse.
Straight answers, no jargon, and no 40-page deck you'll never read. We talk through what's going on, I tell you what I'd do, and you leave with next steps you can act on this week.
- 1Pick a call length and a time that works
- 2Tell me a little about the business and what's on fire
- 3We dig in, and you walk away with a plan
A quick gut check on one problem. Good for "am I crazy or is this broken?"
Book 30 minRoom to get into the weeds on operations, systems, or your team, and build a real plan.
Book an hour
About me
Operator first. Also a real person.
I've packed boxes at 2am, sat across from investors, and hired (and lost) people I'd go to war for. I spent eight years building Smoke Cartel, then five more consulting for businesses trying to grow without breaking.
I'm based in Las Vegas by way of Asheville, I studied service design at SCAD, and I believe most business problems are really people and process problems wearing a trench coat.
Hear it from a founder first, directly to your inbox
Practical writing on operations, e-commerce, and building teams. Once a week, no spam. Subscribers also get first word on my book, The Team You Build.
Darby is nothing short of brilliant. She is a charismatic leader with a resilient work ethic and passion for the digital space.