Supply-chain whiplash, 40 % ingredient hikes, and an ERP rollout that face-planted—2022 nearly soured Alex Wendling, 28-year-old president of Custom Flavors. In this episode of ADAPT or Die, Alex reveals how scrapping a six-figure system (and 13 months of work) became the catalyst for three straight years of double-digit growth.

• Challenge → COVID demand spikes and runaway costs exposed brittle pricing models while a “can’t-fail” software switch ground production to a halt.
• Adaptation → Alex pulled the plug, rebuilt on a real-time operating system, and shifted from hands-on “chief problem solver” to process-first strategist—empowering leads to own decisions and standardizing every meeting, hand-off, and metric.
• Success → Lead times shrank, margins rebounded, and a coast-to-coast expansion (new North Carolina plant +15 staff) will push headcount past 100. With tariffs now hitting raw materials, the team’s live-cost pricing engine lets them adjust before profits erode.

🔥 60-Second Hot Seat: Alex’s inbox rule and “remove the choke-point” test for founders stuck in the weeds.

If you think letting go means losing control, Alex’s story will change your flavor—and your playbook.

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