Short week. Fewer people. Same (or more) shipments. This is when small misses become expensive. Fictional example (for illustration):  A candy supplier shipped on Thursday with no “owner backup.” A Friday receiving window moved; no one was watching. The truck missed, and On-Time In-Full (OTIF)  penalties landed. A two-minute handoff would have prevented it. Your preflight before you log off Shipment holds & gates:  Reconfirm receiving hours and blackout dates for all active p

Trade spend is supposed to grow sales—not quietly fund deductions. Industry estimates often peg trade spend at 20–25% of gross revenue , yet leakage from unclear terms, mis-accruals, and missing proofs regularly eats 1–2 points of margin. Where the January “surprise” happens. Cooperative advertising ( co-op ) and market development funds ( MDF ) reconciliations arrive with fuzzy backup. “Rate card drift” means the ad ran at a different cost than you accrued. Promo proofs live