I’m helping a friend with his start-up. He’s created his own brand and products for it. He sells the product directly to consumers online. Because he’s selling his own branded products, he has to manufacture them, warehouse them, and then ship them to customers.

It’s early in his company’s journey, and his product and marketing strategy are great. However, the logistics of moving products between different countries and fulfillment centers and to customers’ doorsteps haven’t been smooth.

When people buy a product, they underestimate how much is involved in going from an idea to a physical product in their hand. Their minds would be blown if knew what was happening behind the scenes, including the number of people who touch the product and the number of times it must be moved.

Creating a branded product is hard. If you’re an entrepreneur considering that path, like it or not, logistics know-how will be a factor in what makes or breaks you (you can choose how much of it is internal vs. outsourced, though).