Most sourcing problems are not caused by a single mistake.
They are the result of small issues accumulating quietly over time.
What makes them difficult to manage is not their complexity, but their timing.
In many cases, problems do not appear randomly.
They emerge at very specific stages of execution — sampling, production ramp-up, or final delivery.
By the time they are noticed, decisions have already been made, materials have already been ordered, and options are limited.
This is why many brands feel that issues “suddenly appear”, even when communication with suppliers seems smooth.
In reality, nothing sudden happened.
The gap lies between decisions made remotely and what actually happens on the factory floor.
When no one is actively observing, following up, and questioning details in real time, small deviations go unnoticed.
Each one seems manageable on its own. Together, they become costly.
What makes this harder for growing brands is that execution responsibility is often unclear.
Factories focus on efficiency and throughput.
Brands focus on consistency and risk control.
Without someone explicitly responsible for bridging these two perspectives, misalignment is inevitable.
Changing suppliers rarely fixes this problem.
The same issues often reappear, simply with a different factory name.
Execution is not a checklist.
It is a role.
And when that role is missing, problems are not delayed — they are simply waiting.