What We Took Away from Holger Carlsson

1. Simple beats complex. Every time.
   The fastest transformations limit decision-makers. Three to five people. Clear ownership. Fewer opinions, better outcomes.

2. Constraints can unlock growth.
   Some limits protect quality. Others quietly stall progress. The work is knowing which to move—and which to keep firm.

3. Plan scenarios, not forecasts.
   Forecasts will fail. Scenario planning holds. Prepare multiple paths and build supply chains that flex when demand surprises you.

4. Trust creates supply chain stability.
   Long supplier relationships aren’t accidental. They’re built through transparency, shared planning, and disciplined commitments.

5. Cost and quality are non-negotiable.
   Time can flex. Standards can’t. Durable businesses protect margins and quality—even when growth pressures rise.

6. Contracts should be lived, not filed.
   The best agreements show up in reviews, decisions, and scenarios—not just legal folders.

Holger’s Operator Playbook

• Map the full process before adding software

• Pressure-test assumptions with real scenarios

• Pilot → learn → adjust

• Build supplier trust deliberately

• Keep systems simple, visible, and documented

Why Invoice Audits Don’t Fix the Real Margin Problem

Most invoice audits come back clean.
Rates match contracts. Math checks out. Nothing to dispute.

And yet margins keep slipping.

That’s because traditional invoice audits answer “Is this correct?”
They rarely answer “Why is this happening?”

What they miss:

• Rising storage, accessorials, and freight aren’t errors, they’re outcomes

• Subtle shifts in inventory, order profiles, packaging, and channel mix compound over time

• Costs reflect operational behavior, not just line items

When audits are treated as reactive events, the cycle repeats:
Margins tighten → audit happens → tension fades → nothing changes.

The real issue is visibility.
Finance sees totals. Ops sees execution. Vendors see transactions.
No one owns the full picture.

What actually works:

• Audits owned by operations not just finance

• Focus on patterns over time, not one-off discrepancies

• Clear links between decisions, behavior, and cost

• A defined cadence not panic-driven reviews

Invoice audits shouldn’t just verify math.
They should explain reality.

And when they do, teams stop re-living the same questions every quarter and start making calmer, more confident decisions.