Learning Circle: Operations, Logistics & Supply Chains

Running a small retail or product-based social enterprise is a balancing act like no other. Between managing shipping costs, choosing the right tech, and trying to stand out alongside retail giants, the day-to-day operations can sometimes feel overwhelming to navigate on your own.

If you are trying to figure out how to streamline your supply chain, tackle logistics headaches, or balance your ethics with the realities of growing a business, this session is for you. We are coming together to share practical insights, swap stories, and learn how others are managing the behind-the-scenes mechanics of small-scale retail.

This Learning Circle is tailored for:

• Resellers and creators of original physical products

• Sellers of food products or consumer goods

• Online and hybrid retailers (physical store owners and pop-up retailers are very welcome!)

We’ll use a few practical questions to kick off our chat, including:

• Sales Channels & Tech: D2C online vs. direct to retailers—what’s working best? Which platform do you favour and why eg. Shopify, Wordpress

• Margins & Scale: What wholesale margins are realistic to expect?

• The Big Platform Dilemma: Should impact businesses sell through massive for-profit platforms like Amazon, or do the ethical drawbacks outweigh the benefits?

• Payments & Pop-ups: What payment platforms keep things smooth both online and at stalls or pop-up events?

• Logistics & Shipping: How do you manage storage and freight while keeping up with customer expectations around shipping prices?

• Retail Headaches: How are you handling trickier issues like online fraud and chargebacks (where a customer claims non-delivery, leaving the seller with fines and lost revenue)?

There will be plenty of time to bring your own questions, ask how others have solved a problem you're currently facing, or simply listen in on real-world experiences.

Facilitator

This session will be facilitated by Nandeeta Maharaj, founder of Goods 4 Goods, who brings first-hand experience navigating the world of purpose-driven retail.

How Learning Circles work

As always, SECNA Learning Circles are focused on peer-to-peer connection. There are no "experts" on a stage telling you what to do; it’s a space to tap into our collective wisdom and see how real people are tackling shared hurdles.

The Ground Rules: To enable open sharing and frank conversations, we don’t record our Learning Circles. We only take basic notes to capture the core themes. If you’d like to contribute to the discussion and hear the perspectives shared on the day, you’ll need to be in the (virtual) room with us!

Bring your questions, your ideas. We’d love to have your voice in the circle.