“I used to go back and forth on a lot of different spreadsheets, spending hours trying to keep everything straight. I was always playing catch up with inventory and production.

Now, with Elevated Signals, everything just flows. I can see exactly what's happening at a glance and trust the data. I finally have the headspace to focus on growing the business.” — Chris Li, Founder

With plans to 3x production and land on the menus of 300+ cafes, Founder Chris Li, knew that getting the right system in place wasn’t just about staying organized—it was critical to the success of their business. Scaling up without it would lead to inefficiencies, costly mistakes, and a loss of the momentum they had worked so hard to build.

The Pain 🚩

GoodMood Kombucha was juggling multiple spreadsheets and manually tracking inventory, slowing it down.

• Disorganized ingredients tracking: Tea, sugar, and cans came in different units, making it difficult to track exactly what was available. The lack of a standardized system led to frequent miscounts and last-minute shortages. Packaging materials like trays and pallets added another layer of confusion.
• Unclear production steps: The team faced issues tracking inputs and outputs across key production steps like fermentation, flavoring, and carbonation. Records were often incomplete or delayed, making it hard to pinpoint production progress or troubleshoot inefficiencies when problems arose.
• Vendor fee uncertainty: Suppliers charged additional fees for pallets, freight, and extras, but these costs weren’t tied to specific batches. This made it nearly impossible to calculate accurate production costs, leaving the team without a clear view of profit margins or areas for savings.
• Inventory guesswork: Without batch tracking or real-time updates, the team didn’t know exactly how much of each ingredient was available or how many finished products were ready to sell. This led to frequent over-ordering, running out of key ingredients, and wasted time double-checking stock manually.
• Missed deadlines and planning problems: Poor tracking caused delays in production and shipping schedules, making it harder to meet customer demand. Chris struggled to plan future production runs confidently, leading to rushed decisions that increased stress across the team.

The Fix 💡

Inventory Chaos? Solved.

Elevated Signals brought all of GoodMood Kombucha’s inventory into one live system. From 50-pound sugar sacks to 12-ounce cans, everything is now tracked consistently with standardized units of measure and smart conversions (e.g., cans → layers → pallets). Chris no longer has to guess or manually calculate costs—ingredient costs and vendor fees are tied directly to each batch.

Clear Workflows for Every Stage

GoodMood’s production process is now broken into clear, trackable steps, giving visibility from start to finish. This step-by-step system means fewer mistakes, faster work, and no more guessing about what’s been done or what’s left to do:

• Inputs like ingredients and materials are tracked throughout production.
• Each stage—from fermentation to flavouring to packaging—has its own straightforward workflow, so the team always knows what’s happening and where things stand.
• Every finished product is tied back to its batch, making traceability simple and reliable.

More Control, Less Admin Work

By replacing over 10 spreadsheets and reducing the back-and-forth with manufacturers and suppliers, Elevated Signals gave Chris a clear view of inventory and production in real-time. This meant no more juggling email threads for updates on manufacturing WIP, material orders, or inventory levels. Chris now spends less time buried in admin work and more time growing the business.

The Impact 🌱

Implementing Elevated Signals didn’t just make day-to-day life easier for the GoodMood Kombucha team —it set them up for sustainable growth. By consolidating their processes and introducing real-time tracking, they’ve achieved:

• Hours of Admin Work Saved Every Month: Automation took over manual tracking, giving Chris and his team more time to innovate.
• On-Time Orders and Precise Inventory: Real-time visibility means no more stockouts or over-ordering, keeping customers happy and costs down.
• Confident Costing and Margins: Every material and fee is accounted for, ensuring profitability as they scale.
• Ready for 3x Growth: With Elevated Signals in place, they’re set up to handle increased production without compromising quality.

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