For a lot of small enterprise house owners, managing development usually means juggling too many programs — from spreadsheets to accounting instruments to provider portals — every working in its personal silo. That’s the precise problem Odeko got down to resolve. Initially launched in New York, the corporate started as a disruptor within the café and occasional store provide chain house, providing impartial operators a technique to consolidate their vendor relationships and ordering processes into one easy platform. As a substitute of getting to “discuss with 5, six, eight distributors a day,” as Kelly Simons, Director of Enterprise Programs at Odeko, put it, small espresso outlets may give attention to what issues most — working their enterprise and serving their clients.

In our dialog, Simons shared how Odeko’s digital-first method has advanced alongside its fast development. As the corporate expanded from native supply to a full omnichannel operation — together with service, e-commerce, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) strains — its want for a unified system of report turned clear. That’s the place NetSuite got here in. Simons defined how the corporate transitioned from fundamental accounting software program to a full ERP platform able to supporting acquisitions, monetary consolidation, and automation throughout groups. For small enterprise leaders going through related scaling challenges, Odeko’s journey reveals how the suitable programs basis can rework complexity into alternative — with out dropping sight of operational effectivity or buyer expertise.

Right here is the total transcript of the interview:

Leland McFarland So, uh Kelly, for readers who might not be acquainted, uh are you able to begin by telling us a bit about Odeko? Uh, what do you do and what sort of shoppers do you serve?

Kelly Simons Certain. Uh, nicely, to start with, let me introduce myself formally for you so you recognize the place I match within the group. My identify is Kelly Simons, I’m the Director of Enterprise Programs at Odeko. So something that doesn’t have the Odeko identify on it, like our ordering portal or an e-com website, all falls to me to do. I’m the de facto proprietor. So Odeko, uh initially began as a disruptor within the provide chain space. Uh, for largely focusing on mother and pop’s, uh espresso outlets, impartial chains, cafes, that sort of factor. Um, they we developed a portal that was homegrown and customized constructed to permit them to position orders in a seamless method. Uh, one of many issues that occurs on the earth is if you’re an impartial firm, um, it’s important to discuss with 5, six, eight distributors a day, proper? That’s not environment friendly. You wish to give attention to working your small business. Um, and likewise you don’t all the time get the very best costs since you’re shopping for a case of oat milk as an alternative of like permitting us to purchase it, you get the higher low cost.

So the aim was to sort of consolidate and provides a one-stop store level for these those that personal these companies to position orders and to get advantages of extra bulk shopping for energy, proper? Um, and that was the unique genesis of our enterprise. Um, initially began in New York and uh that’s what we nonetheless name our residence. And we have now an workplace, a mothership I name it, in New York as a result of it’s only a small drop station. Our firm is digital targeted and we’re distant first on our company stage. Um, and in order that’s how we work together with our clients.

Leland McFarland Good. Uh, what was occurring in your small business or tech stack that made you resolve it was time to implement NetSuite?

Kelly Simons So, predates me being there, however, um, analysis, questioning, that sort of factor. Um, at one level in our enterprise, uh, they had been on the everyday small fundamental enterprise mannequin of accounting software program. Um, I’m positive everyone knows which a type of could possibly be as a result of that’s quite common. Um, and uh there was an inflection level the place they realized that they wanted one thing extra highly effective to be able to lay the inspiration for development. And that was one of many issues that they had been on the lookout for was a system that was moderately priced, match the wants of the market, and will develop because the enterprise grew. Uh, that was one of many foremost focuses on it. Now, there was a chat at one time of constructing their very own ERP. Evidently, I heard that there have been those that checked out individuals like they’d misplaced their thoughts as a result of NetSuite has spent 27 years crafting an ERP and it nonetheless grows day-after-day. Uh, in order that was sort of the impetus behind it. Laying a platform that they might use uh to consolidate and discuss one language: stock, ordering, accounting, finance, typical issues that you’d do.

Leland McFarland Okay. Uh, when did you first start your NetSuite journey and what had been the highest targets you had been uh hoping to attain? And by you, I do know now that you simply uh, it’s extra of Odeko, not uh…

Kelly Simons Yeah, yeah. So, um, everytime you’re in a fast development mannequin for a startup enterprise, um, individuals come on and as you make an acquisition, let’s say, they don’t communicate the identical language, they don’t have the identical info, the programs are totally different. Um, so having a system that’s the supply of reality that permits you to pump issues out and in of it backwards and forwards. Uh, the targets had been to have the ability to to unify, have a typical level to go get info, and to consolidate financials to so our shareholders had been completely satisfied. Lets say, “Hey, look, right here’s the knowledge.” Proper? In order that’s a number of the foremost issues that we did.

Leland McFarland Nice. Um, are you able to stroll us by means of your uh NetSuite setup? Uh, which fashions and instruments are most important for uh your your day by day operations?

Kelly Simons Certain. So we’re a OneWorld occasion for NetSuite. Uh, we did have a number of subsidiaries. We’ve just lately collapsed a few of them simply because we’ve sort of restructured a little bit bit. Um, so it’s very priceless to us to have the ability to use that to make the most of if we have to have totally different subsidiaries and if we do a unique new product, which we only in the near past launched. Typically we might wish to put it as a unique enterprise unit so if we wanted to jettison it, God forbid, you would simply, proper? Um, we repeatedly each day are utilizing stock administration, operations instruments for ordering and success and all the regular issues to get orders by means of and out the door to our clients. Uh, there’s loads of monetary monitoring that goes together with that. Um, with the ability to use the standard fashions, mounted belongings, which was achieved all on a spreadsheet, which is now internally within the system. Uh, simply, um, it permits us to be a little bit bit extra agile to pivot sooner and to see issues faster. We even have leveraged the extensibility of the system by going with companions. So Celigo, Brex, these sort of issues for something that we wanted to be a little bit bit extra subtle than a number of the normal fashions could be, proper? So, that’s what we do each day. It’s our lifeblood now.

Leland McFarland Now you’re you’re hooked up on the hip with uh NetSuite, proper?

Kelly Simons Properly, I’ve all the time been hooked up to the hip with NetSuite. That’ll be what I do till I retire in 10 years. So…

Leland McFarland Um, how has NetSuite modified the best way your finance or operations groups work on a day-to-day?

Kelly Simons So earlier than, if we had purchased an organization or did something like that, we’d should go to 3 or 4 programs, pull knowledge, attempt to match the info, attempt to align the info to ensure it really works, proper? Um, these days once we purchase an organization utilizing our repetitive playbook, um, we groom the info, put it within the system so all of it matches. They go to our chart of accounts, they go to our construction for purchasers, issues like that. And so within the given day, individuals are extra agile, extra environment friendly, and are capable of course of issues extra shortly. A a very good good tidbit right here is we use Celigo to take our e-com enterprise into NetSuite, all of our ordering. That was a handbook course of a 12 months in the past, took two individuals 90 hours per week simply to course of handbook e-com orders. And now we’ve grown the enterprise about 40% 12 months over 12 months with the identical quantity of individuals as a result of we’ve automated. So all these sort of efficiencies that we achieve from with the ability to shortly pull financials and metrics and issues are enormous in our firm.

Leland McFarland Good. Um, how have you ever personalized or prolonged NetSuite to suit the distinctive wants of a enterprise like yours?

Kelly Simons So we have now, um, an engineering group internally and so they focus totally on our portal and our front-end processes, proper? And a number of the integration stuff, like microservices into into NetSuite. Um, however we have now some workflows that we do so as to add items of knowledge. Now we have some customized scripting. Uh, we constructed a workflow that forces invoices to print twice a day. Proper? It creates the invoices twice a day. So someone doesn’t should manually monitor these. Um, we’ve used customized fields and guidelines and types and information, you identify it, we’ve achieved it. Uh, we haven’t gone too far afield and loopy, proper? Uh, however we’re utilizing that. After which after all, once more, as talked about, we leveraged the extensibility from the companion community to assist us if we have to prolong past. Proper?

Leland McFarland Do are you aware how the implementation went uh initially?

Kelly Simons So from my understanding, the preliminary implementation went fairly nicely. Um, once more, you’re sometimes coping with individuals who have by no means used NetSuite earlier than, so that they make selections are made that perhaps, you recognize, 5 years down the highway most likely had been should be reviewed and refined. Uh, I don’t assume it went actually badly, however after all it was a really skeletal implementation. So it was like a really small phase. I exploit the analogy it was just like the iceberg. They received the tip, however there was all beneath that wasn’t getting used but. And so, um, it, I don’t assume there was loads of bumps. I do, I’ll say there was some readability that was wanted about what NetSuite may do. And uh they had been additionally, consider, doing this across the time when loads of the pandemic was coming round and, you recognize, so the world was totally different. Everyone knows the world in that point interval was totally different, proper? So…

Leland McFarland Yeah. So it was sort of extra of a gradual integration?

Kelly Simons Yeah, so that they did a, they did the primary half which is extra financials and a number of the order managing and that sort of course of. However as time has handed, and particularly as I’ve joined as nicely, we’ve, not saying I’m excellent or the be-all end-all, however we’ve moved it increasingly more into the middle and began to make use of increasingly more of the layers of the product.

Leland McFarland Good. All proper. So NetSuite has been making massive strikes with AI this 12 months. Um, has Odeko began utilizing any of uh NetSuite’s AI-driven instruments or automation?

Kelly Simons So, a few of them are like actually new, scorching off the press. The one which I exploit probably the most proper now that I like is within the NetSuite data administration space. There may be 1000’s upon 1000’s upon 1000’s of articles and how-tos, proper? And within the instances previous, you’d should go sort in what you need, it will offer you an inventory of 200 articles, you’d should click on into them, then you definitely go right into a rabbit gap the place you click on into one other article that was on one other article, that was on one other article, proper? Um, the brand new language that they use the place I can human communicate and kind in a immediate and it returns me the highest issues that it could be, and says right here’s one, two, three, 4, that is the best choice, has been game-changing for me as a result of it takes me what would have taken hours is like seconds to seek out a solution normally. Um, and I like the actual fact, one in all them the opposite day really stated, “I’m sorry, you possibly can’t try this from in NetSuite.” It simply stated you possibly can’t. I used to be like, “Okay, that’s good to know.” That that’s good to know, you recognize, I’d somewhat you inform me I can’t. Um, I assume, you recognize, and I’m enthusiastic about a number of the issues coming. Uh, I’m additionally equally a little bit bit nervous about NetSuite Subsequent and the way way more. Um, however we’re slowly however absolutely beginning to undertake a few of these rules in NetSuite.

Leland McFarland Now you talked about NetSuite Subsequent. Is that the factor, like, out of all of the AI development, you recognize, the the the approaching soons, um, is that the one that you simply’re sort of trying ahead to most or is there one other AI software that you simply’re sort of…

Kelly Simons Properly no, so I’m actually trying ahead to NetSuite Subsequent. However once more, cautiously optimistic. As a result of in my thoughts, I see a constructive, however I additionally know that within the adoption curve, in case you transfer too shortly with some customers, they’re paralyzed. And now I can see a immediate for a controller and so they’re going to be fantastic, however a warehouse clerk might battle a little bit bit extra with a immediate, proper? Now everyone knows within the AI world that the world will change and a BA won’t be a real BA like we’re used to now or a developer even won’t be a real developer. They might leverage an AI software to do their job after which their duty is to test the work, proper? Um, so I I feel that that’s the place I’m most enthusiastic about. I’m excited to see issues are available in. One of many issues that I do know is coming that I feel goes to be superior is uh with the ability to inform it what I need a workflow. I can sort in what I need and it’ll give me mainly what must be achieved or inform it to go do it itself. One other factor that I’m actually enthusiastic about that I simply realized about right here is the autonomous shut course of. Proper? Now, we’ve gotten our shut all the way down to fairly tight. We’re about three to 5 days. After I first began, it was near 30 for a month-to-month shut, which was insane to me. However the autonomous shut course of that it mainly goes and acts in your behalf within the again, posts the issues up, it is advisable to overview and also you hit sure. It simply, I’m I’m in awe. You recognize what I imply? It’s going to be a fantastic, it’s it’s going to be a really massive game-changer in our firm.

Leland McFarland Now, now you talked about adoption and having uh customers undertake it. Now, we’ve all seen the the the previous particular person, you recognize, not essentially previous, the one who loves the older programs within the again doing the whole lot pen and paper and utilizing an abacus. Um, how do you deal with uh these varieties of customers?

Kelly Simons So, to start with, one factor that’s actually exhausting for me to sort of do is loads of the individuals I do know of which can be in like warehouse jobs and issues like that, they equate AI to job loss. So the very first thing it’s important to do is retool that narrative of it’s not a job loss, it’s a direct, your job is evolving, proper? In order that’s all the time a brand new factor. I feel, uh, change administration is without doubt one of the hardest issues to do. And there are those that I do know of that generally I’ve to get on with them and I’m like, okay, let’s stroll by means of this. Okay, now inform me what you don’t perceive, proper? So it’s a little bit little bit of hand-holding with them, which I don’t thoughts. I’d somewhat them ask and we spend time than them to imagine and one thing simply paralyze them, proper? Um, there’s the speculation of the adoption curve, which I’m, I don’t know in case you’re acquainted with. It’s like an 80, it’s a 20-60-20. There are these individuals, like, for example, that purchased the iPhone. They had been standing in line when the primary iPhone got here out. Then there’s that center group that waits to see what occurs with the primary telephone after which they purchase it. After which there’s the group that it’s important to wrap a a rope round their ft and drag them behind you to get them to purchase stated factor. It’s the identical factor with this. Uh, there are going to be some those that it simply, they’re not going to transcend into AI very nicely and it’s as a result of there’s a concern. And it’s how do you deal with them the place they’re? How do you meet them the place they’re at? As a result of my mom could be good at AI as a result of that’s simply her. My stepdad, no. He he’ll be fully misplaced. In order that’s the identical factor with individuals we work with.

Leland McFarland All proper. Last query. Yep. Um, what’s subsequent for Odeko and the way do you see your partnership with NetSuite evolving over the subsequent few years?

Kelly Simons So, we are actually an omnichannel firm. Now we have a service line, we have now a a BU, an e-com line, we have now a daily native supply line, we simply launched a brand new venture that’s uh a software program SaaS product that we’re rolling out. Uh these are going to proceed simply to speed up. This 12 months we purchased 5 firms. Now we have, yeah, so there’s that. In 2026, our focus is on natural change with another extra acquisitions presumably. Now I don’t know for positive. It’s all the time a type of issues that’s up in finish. Um, we’re going to proceed to develop. That’s the aim. Is to proceed to develop into a bigger firm, increasingly more, increasingly more market share, that sort of factor. Uh with the final word aim during pre IPO. And uh how our partnership with NetSuite is simply my platform that’s going to proceed to be my base to assist me allow that. Um, even every time they arrive to me generally and say, “Hey, I wish to go do blah blah blah,” and I’m like, “NetSuite can try this.” “However I nonetheless wish to discuss to another person.” “Okay, fantastic.” However at the back of my thoughts, NetSuite remains to be going to be the one to do this. You recognize what I imply? However generally it’s important to try this. Uh so NetSuite remains to be going to be our companion. It’s going to be there for some time. Um, I don’t see us ever transferring away from it within the subsequent 5 years.

As Odeko continues its upward trajectory — having acquired 5 firms this 12 months alone — its partnership with NetSuite stays central to its long-term imaginative and prescient. “NetSuite remains to be going to be our companion. It’s going to be there for some time. I don’t see us ever transferring away from it within the subsequent 5 years,” stated Simons. With plans to develop organically whereas eyeing a possible pre-IPO future, the corporate is utilizing its ERP spine not only for accounting, however as a development engine.

Simons described how automation and AI are actually reshaping on a regular basis workflows, from monetary closes to order processing. Duties that after took “two individuals 90 hours per week” are actually dealt with in a fraction of the time because of built-in instruments like Celigo. She’s additionally optimistic — but cautious — about NetSuite’s subsequent wave of AI improvements, corresponding to autonomous shut processes and pure language workflows. “I’m excited to see issues are available in,” she stated. “It’s going to be a really massive game-changer in our firm.”

For small enterprise house owners watching AI rework enterprise software program, Odeko’s expertise gives a sensible roadmap: begin by constructing a strong digital core, embrace automation thoughtfully, and lead your group by means of change with endurance and imaginative and prescient. Development is now not about scaling chaos — it’s about scaling smarter.