Fractional COO Services for DTC Brands

Overview

Onflair provides fractional COO leadership for scaling apparel and DTC brands that have outgrown running operations on instinct but are not yet at the stage where a full-time senior hire makes financial sense. We embed directly into your business, sit inside your operation, and run the supply chain as if we were on your payroll - because commercially, we are.

Every engagement is led personally by Anthony Mellor. Not a junior team. Not a rotating consultant. The same operator, accountable to your numbers, working on your business from day one.

Process

Define

01

We start with a direct conversation about the problem. What needs solving, what decisions need to be made, and what a successful outcome looks like. We scope the engagement around that, not around a pre-packaged service.

Stabilise

02

We address the live problems first. Supplier issues in flight, fulfilment failures, cost leaks that have been running unchecked. Getting the operation to a stable baseline before we start building.

Build

03

With the immediate problems resolved, we install the infrastructure the business needs at its next stage. Supplier framework, inventory planning, freight structure, 3PL governance, quality standards. Built properly and designed to outlast the engagement.

Optimise

04

Once the foundation is in place we focus on performance. Lead time reduction, margin improvement, supplier renegotiation, cost engineering. Turning a functioning supply chain into a genuine commercial advantage.

Deliverables

01

Supply Chain and Supplier Management

End-to-end ownership of your supplier base - purchase orders, production milestones, quality sign-off, critical path management, and a formal supplier standards framework. Every production run is managed against clear milestones with an early warning system that surfaces problems before they become expensive.

01

Supply Chain and Supplier Management

End-to-end ownership of your supplier base - purchase orders, production milestones, quality sign-off, critical path management, and a formal supplier standards framework. Every production run is managed against clear milestones with an early warning system that surfaces problems before they become expensive.

02

Freight and Logistics

Full ownership of the freight operation across air, sea, and road - carrier selection, rate negotiation, routing decisions, incoterms review, and mode optimisation. We make the call between express and economy so you are never paying air freight rates for a problem that better planning would have avoided.

02

Freight and Logistics

Full ownership of the freight operation across air, sea, and road - carrier selection, rate negotiation, routing decisions, incoterms review, and mode optimisation. We make the call between express and economy so you are never paying air freight rates for a problem that better planning would have avoided.

03

Fulfilment and 3PL Performance

3PL selection, onboarding, rate card negotiation, SLA management, and ongoing performance monitoring. If your current partner is underperforming, we manage the transition. If you are moving from in-house to third-party fulfilment, we build the brief, run the selection, and manage the handover.

03

Fulfilment and 3PL Performance

3PL selection, onboarding, rate card negotiation, SLA management, and ongoing performance monitoring. If your current partner is underperforming, we manage the transition. If you are moving from in-house to third-party fulfilment, we build the brief, run the selection, and manage the handover.

04

Inventory, Demand Planning and Wholesale Ops

A working inventory framework with reorder triggers, buffer stock policies, and demand planning logic - covering warehouse stock and goods in transit. For brands selling into wholesale or retail, we manage compliance requirements, chargeback prevention, and the production calendar adjustments required to hit retailer ship windows.

04

Inventory, Demand Planning and Wholesale Ops

A working inventory framework with reorder triggers, buffer stock policies, and demand planning logic - covering warehouse stock and goods in transit. For brands selling into wholesale or retail, we manage compliance requirements, chargeback prevention, and the production calendar adjustments required to hit retailer ship windows.

05

Cost Engineering and Margin Recovery

Systematic review and renegotiation of every cost line in the operation - supplier terms, freight rates, duty classifications, 3PL fees, MOQ structures, and packaging costs. Every saving is tracked against a commercial baseline and reported monthly.

05

Cost Engineering and Margin Recovery

Systematic review and renegotiation of every cost line in the operation - supplier terms, freight rates, duty classifications, 3PL fees, MOQ structures, and packaging costs. Every saving is tracked against a commercial baseline and reported monthly.

06

Team, Systems and Reporting

We assess your internal ops team, close the gaps, and build the structure the business needs at its next stage. We audit the tools and systems the operation runs on and close integration gaps so decisions are made on accurate data. Monthly commercial reporting covers every active workstream - you always know what is being worked on and what it is worth.

06

Team, Systems and Reporting

We assess your internal ops team, close the gaps, and build the structure the business needs at its next stage. We audit the tools and systems the operation runs on and close integration gaps so decisions are made on accurate data. Monthly commercial reporting covers every active workstream - you always know what is being worked on and what it is worth.

Get in touch.

Whether you have questions or just want to explore what’s possible, we’re here to help.

Get in touch.

Whether you have questions or just want to explore what’s possible, we’re here to help.