Context & Challenge

When I joined Elanora, an importer and distributor of new-age jewellery, giftware, and later clothing, the business was running on outdated systems and manual processes. Sales were steady, but the company lacked digital marketing, had an outdated website, and relied on inefficient workflows like pen-and-paper processes and manual invoice entry. The Owner and Financial Controller were full of ideas but needed someone with operational and business acumen to execute them effectively. My mandate was to identify growth and efficiency gaps, modernise operations, and deliver sustainable sales growth.

Approach & Execution

Digitisation & Systems:

•Established an email marketing database and automated monthly campaigns, introducing customer tracking and ROI analysis.

•Redesigned supplier processes, moving from PDFs/Word docs to Excel inputs and modifying internal workbooks, which cut down hours of manual entry.

•Automated warehouse order scanning, digitally setting up communication functionality transferring order picking data into draft invoices instead of requiring manual re-entry and cross checking.

Operations & Cross-Functional Management:

•Improved communication between IT, finance, and operations by translating each team’s needs into actionable tasks and reducing misalignment and improving cross section relationships.

•Streamlined warehouse workflows, solving order flow spikes and manual handling inefficiencies, saving an estimated 10 hours per week.

•Adjusted staff schedules and resourcing to reduce bottlenecks and align effort with high-demand periods.

Marketing & Growth:

•Built SEO processes, expanded Google Ads, and implemented cookies for long-term tracking beyond the default 30 days standard ad tracking cookies offer.

•Introduced new product launch workflows and timelines, coordinating from material sourcing through to design, packaging, and sales rollout.

•Oversaw and coordinated a website rebuild and launch that modernised customer experience and improved functionality for ordering and RIO tracking.

Results & Impact

•Sales Growth: Achieved 10% growth in the first year, accelerating to 30% by year three, then stabilising at 5–8% annually.

•Operational Efficiency: Delivered 15–20 labour hours saved per week through automation and workflow redesign.

•Digital Transformation: Built a scalable marketing engine (email, SEO, Google Ads tracking) that directly improved digital engagement and long-term customer retention.

•Staff & Cross-Departmental Alignment: Improved collaboration across small, siloed teams and created systems that supported productivity at scale.

Learning & Leadership

•Learned the value of execution accountability: being given autonomy by the Owner and Financial Controller to turn strategic ideas into practical projects shaped my ability to own outcomes, taking responsibility for any fires that needed containing during its duration.

•Developed deep skills in digital transformation, logistics, and cross-departmental leadership, bridging the gap between technical teams and commercial outcomes.

•Key playbook lesson: effective leaders must both think strategically and map projects end-to-end so every stakeholder understands expectations. Success comes from balancing innovation with practical execution and building systems that scale sustainably.