Fractional operations, product strategy, and backend optimization for modern brands and services. We help founders increase profit by understanding and improving what happens behind the scenes. About the Studio RIC is a boutique consulting practice focused on building the backend systems that keep businesses operational and profitable. We work on supply chain design, process improvement, cost control, fulfillment, and operational strategy. Led by Alessandra Szul, RIC works across CPG, retail, logistics, beauty, tech, and service-based businesses. Alessandra has supported companies ranging from Fortune 50s to single-location salons, including SoftBank-backed and Y Combinator startups. She’s worked on launch strategy, product development, and management at an international scale. She built and sold an asset-based logistics company, holds a Master’s in Supply Chain, and a Bachelor’s in Applied Computer Science. Her background in both technical systems and physical supply chains gives her an edge in eCommerce, operations, and strategy; she understands how things work end-to-end, online and offline. We sleep best at night when we spend our days focusing on structure, systems, and spending money correctly. What We Do Operations Infrastructure

• Inventory systems
• Fulfillment workflows
• Big box supplier metric management and remediation,
• Box box retailer chargeback audit and management,
• Big box retail systems (including EDI) integration and EDI onboarding to the retail services
• Supplier management
• Purchase order and margin control

Product & Launch Strategy

• SKU planning
• COGs modeling
• Pricing strategy
• Go-to-market mapping

Process Improvement

• Waste elimination
• Cost reduction
• Workflow streamlining
• Team and task clarity

Global Expansion

• Shopify Markets & cross-border logistics
• Duties, VAT, regional fulfillment
• International ops planning (MENA, SEA, EU, NA)

Fractional COO

• Weekly strategy calls
• Slack/text access
• Hiring, systems, and ops decision support

What We Help You Answer

• Where is my margin actually going?
• What’s breaking every time we grow?
• How do I reduce costs without cutting corners?
• Am I spending in the right places—or just reacting?
• What are the two most expensive inefficiencies in my business right now?
• How can I scale this product or team without building chaos on top of chaos?
• Should I automate this—or hire for it?
• How do I increase profit without just increasing revenue?

🧾 Past & Current Clients Consumer & Retail Healthy Roots Dolls, Zileej, QueenTape, Camerino Cosmetics, Ginja Snap, Supermall (YC 20), SipJeng, DrinkBrae, Dayguard, Zomes, Walmart Store No. 8, Volvo, Chewy, Little Dreamers Fulfillment and Warehousing Purina, Chewy, Nestle Tech & Strategy REEF (SoftBank), UPS (Coyote Logistics), Kairos, McKinsey, Walmart Store No. 8, Bloomberg LP, BetFair/ Disney Parks & Resorts Service-Based Businesses Babe Cave Studio (salon), Care & Services of Rehabilitation, BLUXLASH

healthy roots dolls queentape zileej camerino cosmetics international ginja snap kairos.com supermall (YC 20 stealth) REEF Technology (softbank) mckinsey - consulted me on large freight broker strategy UPS (coyote logistics) dayguard zomes DrinkBrae/SipJeng BLUXLASH Care & Services of Rehabilitation Marythesureal Babe cave studios xo

• thru jamila: Purina, Chewy, Bloomberg LP, Nestle, BetFair/ Disney Parks & Resorts, Walmart Store No. 8, Volvo

eventually PatronOfTheNew Lavashak Little Dreamers (Leslie Young)  How We Work Together

• One-Hour Intensives
• For decisions around ops, cost, fulfillment, or hiring
• Short-Term Projects
• Scoped deliverables: pricing models, supplier workflows, fulfillment setup, SOPs
• Fractional COO Retainer
• Embedded support: strategic planning, Slack-based execution, ongoing partnership

Flat-rate pricing. No hourly fees, no equity, no revenue share. 📍 Mentorship (as available) We offer free mentorship to youth and single moms navigating education, entrepreneurship, or just life. This is not a funnel or a formal program— it’s support for those who need it, from someone who’s rebuilt their life more than once. Certifications: PowerBI Shopify Partner

Are we a good fit?

Take the first step and find out with 20 minute clarity call, on the house.

🧠 Founder Questions I Help AnswerA working list of what I’ve helped clients, founders, and operators figure out.💸 Money, Pricing, & Paying Yourself

• Where is my margin going?
• Why am I making money but still broke?
• How do I pay myself—and how much?
• What’s a realistic salary for my role in the business?
• When can I start drawing a consistent paycheck?
• Should I pay myself a flat salary or owner’s draw?
• How do I make sure I’m not funding growth with personal burnout?
• Can I afford this inventory order without wiping out my cash?

📦 Product Strategy & Launch Decisions

• Should I launch this product—or focus on what’s already working?
• What’s the actual landed cost of this SKU after freight, duties, packaging, and returns?
• Am I underpricing this product?
• Should I offer bundles—or will it kill my margin?
• How do I version this product across retailers and DTC?
• What’s the timeline for launch—from factory to shelf?

🏗️ Operational Clarity

• What’s actually breaking behind the scenes—and how do I fix it?
• How should I be tracking inventory, POs, and reorders?
• What’s the most efficient way to handle fulfillment at this stage?
• Should I keep fulfilling in-house or move to a 3PL?
• Why does everything feel reactive every time I grow?
• How do I prevent customer service, shipping, and vendors from falling apart during Q4?

🚚 Fulfillment & Supply Chain

• Do I need a 3PL now—or can I wait?
• What should I expect to pay per order, per region?
• How do I choose the right 3PL—or evaluate the one I have?
• How can I manage international fulfillment without hiring a full team?
• What’s my cost per order after pick/pack, storage, shipping, and returns?

🌍 International & Retail Expansion

• Should I launch in this new region—or is it too early?
• What’s the difference between selling DTC in the US vs. the UAE vs. Germany?
• Do I need Shopify Markets or something more complex?
• What does duties + VAT actually cost—and can I build it into pricing?
• Can I fulfill globally without breaking my systems?
• What should my retail margins be in international markets?

🧾 COGS, Unit Economics & Cost Modeling

• What’s my true COGS—not just production, but all-in?
• How do I explain my unit economics to an investor or buyer?
• Is this product actually profitable—or just popular?
• How do I build a pricing strategy that works across DTC and wholesale?

🧑‍💼 Hiring & Team Structuring

• Am I ready to hire—or just overwhelmed?
• What should this person actually own?
• How do I write a real job description, not a generic bullet list?
• Should I hire full-time, part-time, or freelance?
• How much should I pay this person—and how do I set them up to succeed?
• How do I train and onboard someone without babysitting?

🧠 Strategic Growth

• What should I focus on this quarter?
• Am I trying to do too much at once?
• How do I grow without bloating my team?
• What are the top 3 operational fixes that would unlock growth right now?
• Should I raise money—or restructure the way I’m running things?
• What’s my breakeven point on this new channel?

🛠️ Service Business-Specific

• How do I transition from freelance to owning a physical space?
• Am I charging enough for my time?
• What systems do I need to stop doing everything myself?
• How do I set up pricing, payments, and packages?
• Should I bring on another service provider—or just raise my rates?

🪜 Transition & Rebuild Questions

• I’m burnt out. Is this business still working for me—or am I just holding it up?
• How do I rebuild this with better systems after starting scrappy?
• How do I separate the business from
• me
• so I can take a step back?
• What does a business that runs without me actually look like?

💬 You Might Ask These With a Shrug. I Take Them Seriously:

• Can I afford to go on maternity leave—or will everything fall apart?
• Do I need to go get a day job again?
• Is it embarrassing to still be fulfilling orders from my house?
• Is it normal to feel this disorganized?

🧠 What Founders Ask MeA scroll-through list of the real questions I help answer—across product, ops, hiring, and growth.(Use fade-in on scroll, or slow staggered animation)💸 Money & Margin › Where is my margin going? › Can I afford to pay myself—and how much? › Why am I making money but not seeing it in my bank account? › Should I draw a salary or pay myself in distributions? › How do I price without undercutting myself?📦 Product & Launch › Is this SKU actually profitable after freight and returns? › Should I launch this new product—or double down on what’s working? › What’s my all-in landed cost? › Is this product built for DTC, retail, or both? › How do I time the launch to avoid inventory gaps?⚙ Operations & Systems › What’s breaking every time we grow—and how do I fix it? › Do I need a 3PL, or is it too early? › Why does fulfillment feel so unpredictable? › How should I be tracking inventory and reorders? › How do I get out of reactive mode?🌍 Retail & Global Expansion › Should I say yes to this wholesale deal—or is it a distraction? › What’s the real cost of international fulfillment? › How do I handle duties and VAT across regions? › Am I pricing correctly for global markets? › Can I launch in MENA/EU/SEA with my current backend?🧑‍💼 Hiring & Delegation › Am I ready to hire—or am I just avoiding my to-do list? › Who should I hire first? › How do I write a real job description? › What do I actually want this person to own? › How do I onboard someone without doing it all myself?📈 Strategic Growth › What should I focus on this quarter? › Am I doing too much at once? › How do I scale without adding 10 new people? › What would break if we doubled revenue next month? › Should I raise money—or fix what I have?🏠 Service Businesses (e.g. salons, studios) › Can I afford to open a space? › Am I charging enough? › How do I stop doing everything myself? › What do I need to formalize without overcomplicating? › How do I scale without losing what makes it personal?🪜 Rebuilding, Transitioning, Holding It All Together › How do I build this business without it depending entirely on me? › Can I take a real break—or will everything fall apart? › Should I go get a job again while I rebuild? › Is it too late to clean this up?

Full Services Overview Fractional Ops • Product Strategy • Supply Chain & Systems 1. Operations Infrastructure: Build a backend that can scale — without relying on duct tape or luck.

• Fulfillment systems (in-house vs. 3PL readiness)
• Inventory tracking, reorder logic, and burn planning
• Purchase order systems + margin alignment
• Workflow design across ops, CX, and logistics
• SOPs for training, task ownership, and handoffs

2. Product & Launch StrategyFrom first SKU to global line expansion, we map, price, and position.

• Supplier sourcing and vendor vetting
• SKU roadmapping
• COGs breakdown (true landed cost with freight, packaging, duties)
• Pricing strategy across DTC, wholesale, and retail
• Go-to-market planning for new launches or channel pivots

3. Process Improvement & Cost Reduction: Optimize what you already have. Fix what’s expensive, slow, or unclear.

• Workflow mapping + redundancy removal
• Team role analysis and task realignment
• Cost-cutting without cutting corners
• Scaling structure for existing teams
• Operational audits for burn, velocity, and logistics

4. Global Fulfillment & Expansion: International scale without the chaos.

• Shopify Markets configuration
• Duties, VAT, and customs planning
• Fulfillment setup for MENA, SEA, EU, North America
• Region-specific pricing and operations systems
• Cross-border coordination (shipping, 3PL, customer service)

5. Fractional COO Engagements: Deep, embedded support to get your business structurally sound.

• Slack and async access
• Weekly or biweekly calls
• Founder decision support
• Hiring: org structure, job descriptions, interview support, onboarding
• Team management and vendor coordination
• Budgeting and operational forecasting

6. Project-Based Consulting: For short-term, high-impact initiatives. Popular Projects:

• Fulfillment migration or audit
• Pricing + COGs breakdown for new SKU or channel
• Hiring your first ops person
• Supplier search and launch coordination
• Operational prep for retail (Target, Sephora, etc.)

7. 1-Hour Intensives: Quick clarity from someone who’s seen the backend of dozens of brands. Ideal for:

• Reviewing a margin model
• Choosing between fulfillment paths
• Deciding who to hire first
• Gut-checking a launch strategy
• Identifying operational red flags before scale

8. Foundational Support for Early-Stage Founders: You don’t need a COO yet — but you do need help.

• LLC setup walkthroughs
• Payroll systems (Gusto, QuickBooks, etc.)
• Basic inventory tracking and vendor management
• Templates for SOPs, hiring, onboarding
• Strategic tools you can grow into, not out of

9. Business Plan & Pitch Deck Review: Strategy isn’t just what you say; it’s how you frame it.

• Full review of your business plan or deck with operator’s lens
• COGs, margin, burn, and ops forecasts sanity-checked
• Positioning refined for retail buyers, investors, or internal hires
• Suggested rewrites for operations slides, GTM strategy, and scaling logic
• Deck clean-up notes to make sure your backend matches your brand story

🧠 Questions I Help Founders Answer

A practical guide to diagnosing backend issues, operational gaps, and overlooked costs

🔍 Margins & Cash

• Where is my margin actually going?
• Can I afford to pay myself—and how much?
• Why am I making money but still feel like I’m broke?
• Is this SKU profitable after freight, returns, and storage?
• What should I cut—and what’s worth the cost?

📦 Fulfillment & Inventory

• Do I need a 3PL now—or can I wait?
• Why does fulfillment feel unpredictable?
• What’s the cost per order when I include pick/pack, storage, and returns?
• How should I be tracking inventory, POs, and restocks?
• Is this warehouse working—or just convenient?

🧪 Product & Launch

• Is it the right time to launch this product?
• Do I know my real landed cost?
• What’s the plan for channel pricing—DTC vs retail vs wholesale?
• How many units should I launch with?
• Can this product scale globally—or is it too fragile?

🧑‍💼 Hiring & Team

• Am I ready to hire—or just overwhelmed?
• Who should I hire first?
• How much should I pay them—and what should I expect from that salary?
• How do I onboard someone without training them forever?
• Is it time to promote—or restructure?

🌍 Global Readiness

• Can I fulfill in MENA/EU/SEA with my current systems?
• What do duties and VAT actually cost me?
• Do I need Shopify Markets—or something more complex?
• What does a scalable international setup look like?
• What’s the risk of launching internationally too early?

🔄 Founder Bottleneck

• Why am I doing everything myself?
• What breaks every time we grow?
• Is this a systems issue—or a delegation issue?
• What would I stop doing today if I had someone to take over?
• I think I’m the bottleneck. Am I? How do I stop being the bottleneck?

🌱 Early-Stage & Transition

• How do I set this up legally and operationally from day one?
• Can I afford to open a space—or should I stay lean/mobile?
• What’s the difference between growth and overextending?
• Should I quit my day job—or keep both for now? Should I get a day job?
• Is this a business or a job I created for myself?

If you’re asking questions like these—let’s work through them together.

📅 Book a call at roeblinginnovation.com

✉️ a@roeblinginnovation.com