Hey there,

Let's talk about the truth no one in the DTC space is saying out loud right now.

Between February 28 and March 1, something happened that most founders have already scrolled past — because it looked like a news story.

It's not a news story. For DTC founders, it's a cash story.

US-Israel struck Iran. Iran retaliated. And overnight, three of the world's most critical shipping arteries went dark:

If you have open Purchase Orders moving through any of these routes — they are delayed. Minimum 2–4 weeks. Possibly longer depending on how this escalates.

💸  War-risk surcharges are already live.  MSC, Maersk, and CMA CGM have activated them. That cost lands on you — not your freight forwarder.

This video walks through the Middle East supply chain disruption and what it could mean for freight costs, shipping routes, and inventory timelines for DTC brands. If you prefer watching to reading, start there.

Here's what I see every time a disruption like this hits: founders treat it like a headline. They read it, feel anxious, and move on — because there's no immediate pain yet.

But the pain is already in motion. And if you're not looking at your numbers right now, you'll feel it in 4–6 weeks when it's too late to maneuver.

Here's the actual math on a typical disruption like this:

I know you're busy. So here are the 5 moves to make right now — in order of priority:

Log into your system — TradeGecko, Cin7, Shopify, spreadsheet, whatever you use. Export every open PO. Look at origin country and routing. If any of them say UAE, Middle East, Asia-via-Suez, or have Dubai/Singapore as a transit hub — flag it in red.

Don't wait for them to call you. Ask specifically: (a) Are any of my shipments affected? (b) What are my rerouting options? (c) What surcharges are already being applied to my account? Get this in writing via email. You'll need it.

Open your inventory report. For every delayed PO, ask: do I have enough stock to cover the delay window? If you're running below 6 weeks of cover on a SKU with a delayed PO — that's a stockout risk. Prioritize those SKUs immediately.

For every at-risk shipment, get a quote for: (a) waiting on the original ocean route, (b) rerouting via Cape of Good Hope (adds 10–14 days), (c) splitting the shipment — partial air, partial ocean. Don't guess. Get the numbers. Then decide with data.

This is not just a supply chain problem. If a PO is delayed 3 weeks, any campaign planned around that inventory arrival needs to shift. Your media spend, your email sequences, your influencer activations — all of it. Loop in marketing and finance today, not when the shipment misses its ETA.

Most DTC founders will not do any of this.

They'll read the headlines, feel vaguely anxious, and tell themselves it probably won't affect them.

And then in 6 weeks, they'll be scrambling — stockouts, rushed air freight, blown budgets, delayed campaigns — and wondering what happened.

The founders who win in disruptions like this aren't the ones with the most money or the best suppliers.

They're the ones who looked at their numbers before the problem hit.

That's what the MOVE DTC Flywheel™ is built for — making sure Marketing, Supply Chain, and Finance are talking to each other before a crisis forces them to.

Until next time,

Lara

P.S. Forward this to a founder friend who has open POs. They need this today. 👇