Liam Hodges
"Zedonk is a way of processing information that makes sense."
After graduating from London’s Royal College of Art, Liam Hodges hit the ground running by launching his eponymous label in 2013 and later debuted with Fashion East. Having collaborations with heavyweights like Carhartt, Dickies, Ellesse and Fila under his belt, he has fast become a favourite on the LFWM schedule.
Like most recent graduates, the idea of technology and software was a foreign one, with the main focus being on design. Having no awareness of systems that could help take the pressure of his workload, he was managing the brand on spreadsheets, spreadsheets that grew and grew, season after season. “I had one very complex Excel sheet that told me everything I needed to know.”
It wasn’t until a costly mistake occurred that it became time to consider looking for a solution that could prevent the same from happening again. “There’s still fabric in storage somewhere that I designed and had specially made. I accidentally over-ordered by dragging the cell too far in Excel. And that was when I thought, I should probably work with Zedonk, it sounds more structured and less prone to accident.”
With so much to think about in the early stages of launching a brand, the challenges to overcome seem never-ending, especially when you’re doing it on your own and experiencing a high demand for your products. “If you hit huge growth in the first couple of years, the biggest problem is keeping up with cash flow. You’re constantly dealing with annoying numbers and annoying volumes for factories.”
“Being able to create sales orders and invoices for our customers, or production orders and delivery notes is helpful, we use those a lot.”
When it comes to implementing a system, there never seems to be a good time, nor is there ever enough time to allocate learning an entirely new way of working. “Zedonk is one of those things, once you get it, it’s simple. As long as data is entered correctly the first time, it’s really easy. It’s a way of processing information that makes sense. It logs and tracks everything which is useful.”
Being able to allocate time for training sessions can be difficult with a busy diary, and varied working hours. Sometimes it’s easier to understand by practising on your own and in your own time. “Using the Zedonkopedia has been great for processing areas I’m not familiar with. I’ve used it a lot to refresh and remind myself.”
Acknowledging the potential of a system and its functions not only becomes beneficial for current employees but also for new additions to the team. “We’ve had new interns start, who have been dealing with shipping and I was able to give a quick overview, it was super clear to them.”
No one wants to waste time creating templates of paperwork, not when it can be generated automatically. “Being able to create sales orders and invoices for our customers, or production orders and delivery notes is helpful, we use those a lot.”
Having a system that speeds up, or even eliminates laborious tasks can free up time that can be invested elsewhere in the business. “To prepare for next season, we’ve been able to spend a week looking into working with a fulfilment centre. It’s great to know what we can do with Zedonk.”
Bringing structure to a business can enable productivity, boost efficiency and ultimately, enable future growth. “It makes you more organised, which then saves your money and time in the long run.”
