46 | The One With the 3PL Trap: Why Early-Stage Brands Shouldn’t Outsource Fulfillment

Most DTC founders are told: “Get a 3PL so you can scale.”For brands doing $100K to $200K, that advice can quietly destroy margins, flexibility, and momentum.In this episode of Supply Chain Moves, Lara breaks down Mistake #1 of 12 supply chain mistakes: signing a 3PL contract before you’re ready.You’ll learn:The 4 traps of early 3PL adoption (minimums, lock-in, lost learning, and the wrong kind of scale)The story of Luna, a $120K skincare founder who felt stuck by $800KWhen you actually need a 3PLThe “Goldilocks” fulfillment setup for $100K to $500K brandsHow to systematize before you outsourceHow to transition to a 3PL without losing controlIf you’re packing boxes in your garage and wondering if it’s time to “level up,” this episode might save you six figures and a lot of regret.Mistakes planted at $120K become painful at $800K.If this episode helped make your supply chain a little less painful, share it with another founder because nobody deserves to learn these lessons the hard way. Follow Supply Chain Moves wherever you get your podcasts.Connect with Lara & Move Supply ChainWant to keep learning and connect with Lara and the Move Supply Chain community?Follow & Subscribe:⁠LinkedIn – Move⁠⁠LinkedIn – Lara⁠⁠X – Move⁠⁠X – Lara⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠YouTube⁠Get more insights:⁠Unboxed Weekly⁠ – Lara’s newsletter on DTC supply chain moves⁠Lara’s AI Brain⁠ – Ask Lara’s AI anything about supply chainSC Lounge⁠ – Join Move Supply Chain's free Slack community for DTC founders