Growth exposes weak structure. Calm leadership builds it.

What I found inside the work

I came in to help onboard a contract manufacturer for Thriving Brands. That was the assignment. But once I was inside the work, I could see something else quietly struggling: artwork.

There was no standard process. No templates. No clear ownership. And no partner who could reliably make changes when things shifted.

That vulnerability stayed manageable… until it didn’t.

Then the cease-and-desist landed. The company we were acquiring the brands from told us to stop using their name on labels—immediately, and far earlier than anyone had planned.

Suddenly, everything had to be updated—fast, across countries, with regulatory review.

There wasn’t time for debate.

What we built to move fast

So I built structure. First, I documented the end-to-end artwork process so everyone could see the full scope. Then I created standards and templates to remove guesswork. When it became clear we didn’t have an execution partner, I led the effort to find, qualify, and onboard one.

From there, we split the work into two parallel tracks—label artwork and packaging artwork—so progress could move at the same time. I stepped into the Artwork Coordinator role, managing handoffs, approvals, and alignment across teams and countries.

It wasn’t glamorous work. But it mattered.

Thirty days later, all 125 pieces were updated, reviewed, and compliant. Legal exposure dropped. Supply continuity held. The transition moved forward without disruption.

That experience reinforced something I’ve learned over and over again: When growth speeds up, structure can’t lag behind. Someone has to step in, slow the chaos, and build the system while the clock is still ticking.