ZOE Atelier
THE BUG
Founder Bottleneck
Every decision routed through single point of failure. Procurement, payments, staff coordination—all founder-dependent.
No Financial Tracking
Zero visibility into expenses, margins, or cash flow. Small purchases unlogged. Revenue unclear.
WhatsApp Operations
Multi-node supply chain managed via chat messages and founder memory. No audit trail.
Tribal Knowledge
Staff coordination based on verbal instructions. No documented processes. Training by osmosis.
Distribution Lock-in
Revenue dependency on single retail partner (La Galleria) taking 25% commission while capping sales volume.
THE PATCH
Single Source of Truth
Centralized Google Sheets workbook with tabs for expenses, sales, procurement, inventory, and cash reconciliation.
Finance Capture System
60-second expense logging with receipt handling, weekly reconciliation protocol, and exception handling for missing data.
Weekly Operating Rhythm
Structured daily/weekly cadence with morning checklists, end-of-day closes, and weekly review protocols.
Staff SOPs
Step-by-step procedures for low-tech staff with minimal typing. Training plan with micro-lessons and pass/fail checks.
Ask ZOE AI
Telegram bot for customer FAQs, sizing guidance, and structured lead intake. Deflects founder questions.
UAE Expansion Baseline
Operational infrastructure prepared for Abu Dhabi expansion with scalable processes and multi-currency support.
THE RESULT
Install Timeline
From chaos to operational in under a month
Founder Time Recovered
Time redirected to design and client relationships
Single Source of Truth
Replaced WhatsApp + Slack + spreadsheet chaos
Financial Visibility
From zero tracking to complete expense/revenue visibility
Staff Independence
Tailors now operate from SOPs without daily founder input
Vacation Test
First week off in 3 years without operational failure
The system runs without me. For the first time in three years, I took a week off and nothing broke.
