Scaling and Thriving Modern Warehouse Operations: A Q&A with Founder & CEO of ShipHawk, Jeremy Bodenhamer

With the rapidly growing complexity of transportation ecosystem, finding the right logistics provider that can offer the right price and right delivery terms for any package is getting exceedingly difficult.

 We love how ShipHawk allows online retailers, manufacturers and distributors to streamline operations and reduce their shipping costs across the country, which is why we invested in them in 2018. We sat down with their founder and CEO, Jeremy Bodenhamer, to discuss the challenges in launching his company as well as the launch of his new book, “Adapt or Die: Your Survival Guide to Modern Warehouse Automation.”

Q1: What was the hardest part of launching ShipHawk? 

The quantity of 3rd parties that we have to work with made things difficult. Cloud solutions are more interconnected than I ever would have imagined, and the antiquated nature of many of the technologies that the supply chain service providers still use poses its own challenges for a platform built on a modern tech stack with Amazon level expectations.

Q2: What was your team like on day one vs. what your team looks like today? 

Ha! Day one we were literally sitting at desks made from Home Depot doors in the corner of a warehouse. I remember being on investor calls trying to pitch for capital as forklifts drove by. Every time a forklift passed by the wall in front of me would shake. I couldn’t hit the mute button fast enough. 

 Today we have offices in two countries and team members all over the world. It’s a very different experience walking into a professional office building as opposed to the one where one of our first engineers came in one weekend and used the wall as a canvas for his spray paint art. 

Q3: What’s the best mistake you ever made? 

I’ve made more mistakes than I can count. I think the biggest mistake is not talking to customers more. However much time one commits to spending with customers is not enough. It can and should always be more. And the more time spent with customers, the more clarity of purpose, design and execution. 

Q4: What should founders look for in a VC? What are the signs of a potentially fruitful partnership vs. what pitfalls should be avoided?

It’s important to find a VC who you can communicate with. You may not always agree, but it’s important to work with investors who are willing to make time to talk through strategy and challenges as needed. It’s also important to work with a VC who is committed to the vision. There will be bumps in the road and founders need investors who are as committed to a successful outcome as they are. I would be wary of getting into a relationship with investors who have different motivations or visions of the future. Alignment is critical.

Q5: Tell us about your partnership with Autotech. How did it begin and how has it supported you in your journey?

I was introduced to Alexei and Autotech by another investor. I was excited to find a fund that focused on transportation. By the time we connected, supply chain investing had already picked up steam but the prevailing perspective in the investment community was more of wanting to have one investment in the industry to "cover their bases" as opposed to completely committing to the sector and the innovations and changes that were taking place. Autotech understands today’s accelerating pace of change and knows that ground transportation is key to that evolution. It’s been great to work with a fund with that level of understanding and commitment.

Q5: In addition to being a founder, you’re now a published author. What led you to write “Adapt or Die”?

In building ShipHawk, I've witnessed firsthand the impact of the eCommerce giants' success at the hands of small and mid-sized shippers. ShipHawk's mission is to create a world where shipping positively impacts society without thrashing workers, our environment, or the bottom line. The biggest barrier to independent merchants achieving these results is education, understanding the marketplace threats that exist as well as the tools available that will allow them to complete. 

 There wasn't an exact moment I realized these ideas needed to be shared, there was an exact moment I had the time to assemble all of this information into one location. The pandemic had an instant and radical impact on our customers and on us. My schedule changed overnight, and I used the time created by working from home to write the book. 

Q6: What's your favorite specific, actionable idea in the book?

 There are six core sections in the book: packing, shipping, warehousing, data & analytics, robotics and operations workers. Each has its own list of key opportunities and actionable takeaways. But I also talk about authenticity, which is not unique to supply chain strategy, but should be a component of it. In the fight against the giants the most important strategy for independent merchants to remember is to be themselves. 

 "Make sure what makes you unique is evident in your business model, messaging, and purpose. People love you and will support you once they know you are authentic. Authenticity, honesty, and data-backed truth have never been more important or more valued in the world. The successful companies of tomorrow will all have made this a core tenant of their mission, values, and messaging." 

This also happens to be a key differentiator that is hard for the giants to copy. 

Q7: How does that play out in the way you run your company and partnerships? 

We pursue authenticity in everything we do at ShipHawk. Our mission is to create a world where shipping positively impacts society without thrashing workers, our environment, or the bottom line. We measure our success by way of the type of customers who we partner with and their successes. Our key metrics are derived from our customers' performance. I share several case studies in the book. One is of Grove Collaborative. We are proud of our relationship with Grove not only because they experienced incredible scale on our platform, but also because of the type of business they operate.  

"Grove Collaborative's mission is to help you create a healthy, beautiful environment in your home. We grew out of a simple belief: The best natural, healthy and effective products for your home & family should be the easiest to get."

And they didn't stop with natural and healthy products. One example is their effort in packaging innovation. You can download the Grove: Beyond Plastic case study at jeremybodenhamer.com and read about how Grove will be entirely plastic-free by 2025. 

Learn more about Jeremy’s book, launching December 1: