Today I listened to a founder pitch a solution to help small digital retailers execute order fulfillment logistics. The concept is that many small retailers don’t have enough business to justify the expense of warehouse space or fulfillment staff. And they could benefit from being in a workspace that’s a community of similar businesses. Aggregating all those retailers into a large space that includes warehouses and offices and providing the staffing to assist them could solve this pain point.

This solution resonated with me. At my start-up, we struggled in a gray area for years. We couldn’t justify a warehouse but needed something. We also didn’t have a community of other digital retailers, so we learned everything the hard way. We ultimately settled on a traditional office space and prayed nothing got shipped back to us. If this founder’s solution had existed when we were scaling, it would have been a savior.

I’ve shared my views on SMBs needing help navigating rapid change. I think this solution falls squarely within that idea. I think there is a large unmet need to help small and medium-sized digital retailers navigate order fulfillment. A solution like this would allow those founders to focus on the parts of their businesses that matter most, rather than fulfillment. I think this founder is on to something and that he will build a massive business!