If smart solutions don’t come knocking, build a door. This is what Hindi Zeidman, Founder, and CEO of The Ollie World, had in mind when she created the Ollie Swaddle. Her story began when she became a single foster parent to baby Oliver who was disconnected, underweight, and difficult to be soothed. Knowing the importance of swaddling, Hindi gave every swaddle on the market a try – but nothing worked. They didn’t contain him properly or provide the right pressure, and Oliver ended up overheating.
Where could she find the swaddle that made him thrive, she contemplated.
Then it struck her.
Why not CREATE what she could not find, that didn’t exist?
And that was how the Ollie Swaddle was created.
Hindi knew she wanted to share her creation with the world and help many more little ones. Which is why she started her own company – The Ollie World.
The Challenges Faced
Hindi and her team immersed themselves in product development. They connected with a partner to bridge their gap of knowledge and help out with production, relying heavily on them as this partner was their only connection to the factories. However, over the course of time, it was found that their existing partner wasn’t trustworthy. A huge barrier existed between them and the factory which led to a number of problems with contracts and manufacturing.
The first major issue was that they had no direct communication with their supplier which meant they had limited control over quality and specs.
Secondly, their swaddles needed special fabrics that met unique technical requirements- which the manufacturer would agree to, but ultimately fail to deliver. The team would get false Quality Control reports from the factory that would claim the product to be good, but in reality, would fail the QC tests once it hit the warehouse.
This lack of transparency, no direct communication, and failed QC reports caused a complete breakdown of their supply chain, and they were no longer able to continue production.
Now, the new challenge was to:
a) Get back into production with a good, reliable manufacturer.
b) Have a direct line of communication with their manufacturer.
That’s when they approached Gembah.
How Obstacles were Overcome
Once the problem was understood, the team at Gembah became super invested in solving it once and for all. Through a partnership model that allowed The Ollie World team to be at the driver’s seat of all processes moving forward, Gembah connected them with the right manufacturers, streamlined processes, and helped define better contracts.
With Gembah’s guidance, they found manufacturers who were trustworthy, reliable, and able to deliver what was needed. The Ollie World team is now on the floor, in direct lines of communication with the factories, speaking to them about design, and development. They could now oversee each stage of the process, especially making sure that the quality was up to their standards. With no middleman involved, it gave them the power to control the conversation and make the manufacturer understand the importance of passing quality control.
Along with this, using their extensive network, Gembah set up a diversified supply chain for them. A fully separated, dual-sourcing system that operates out of India and China. So in the chances of one manufacturing system running into a problem, the other one isn’t affected. This gives The Ollie World the capacity to survive and keep production going regardless of external factors, and that is fundamental for growth.
Furthermore, the Gembah team has become almost an extension- of sorts- of The Ollie World. They work to help Hindi and her team with design, operation, product launches, and even finding new team members such as product category leads. A new product launch process has been set up that is consistent and commercialized instead of the sporadic, few, and far-between launches. This goes to show that with Gembah’s help, you can be a small team and still successfully run a huge production out-turn business smoothly.
A New Beginning
As a result of Gembah’s support, The Ollie World became more hopeful about the future of their company. They are finally making quality products that they stand by with all their heart and minds- at scale. With this new-found confidence, The Ollie World swaddles have reached larger demographics and on a global level. Big chain stores like Target have also approached them to get their products into their stores. They went from being a well-loved, single-product brand to a multi-product, multi-channel brand that has consistent production and is now serving large chains. Hundreds of moms have written to the company with great things to say – a testament to their undeniable positive impact. They continue to work with Gembah to brighten the futures of little ones.
“After coming to Gembah, it’s almost like I got my hope back – about the products I’m making and the future of my company. The team at Gembah was so invested and responsive, reassuring us that our voice matters. And that to me, is something that is priceless.”
– Hindi Zeidman, Founder and CEO of The Ollie World.