The same details, typed twice
Shipment details arrive in emails and PDFs, then get keyed into another system by hand. Every re-type is time, and a chance for a wrong code.
Systems for freight & warehousing teams
Operations, without the paper chase.
I help forwarders and warehouses find where time and money leak, then build simple systems that fit around the tools you already use.
Commercial invoiceINV-2291
Received from supplier
Re-typed into customs software
Packing listPL-2291
Weights don't match invoice
Chasing supplier · 2 days
Customs entryHS 9403.60
Held at port
Storage charges from day 3
72–114min
of staff time for a single customs declaration, depending on the type.
HMRC / Ipsos survey of 1,003 traders, 202378%
of UK traders hand their customs paperwork to an agent or forwarder.
HMRC / Ipsos survey, 202361%
of forwarders still swap documents with partners by email and spreadsheet.
Deep Current survey, Europe & Middle East, 2025
Where the hours go
The work around the work.
Most leaks aren't dramatic. They're the small jobs your team repeats on every shipment.
Chasing missing documents
Someone spends part of every day emailing suppliers for the paper that's late, wrong or doesn't match.
Invoices waiting on paperwork
A job can't be billed until its file is complete, so cash lands days or weeks after the work is done.
Systems that don't talk
Each step lives in a different tool or spreadsheet, so a delay in one place goes unnoticed until a customer calls.
How I work
Diagnose first. Build second.
Nothing gets built until we both know where the real cost is, and you can see every step along the way.
01
Free call
You tell me where things slow down. We see whether I can help. No pitch.
02
Assessment
Short interviews with your team, one real job traced end to end, and a fixed date for the results.
03
Build
Simple systems that work with your current software, rolled out in phases so you see results early.
04
Check-ups
I keep things running, make small changes, and report back on the numbers from the assessment.
○Diagnosis before any build
I map how your work actually flows and put a cost on each leak before recommending anything.
○Everything tracked, nothing hidden
A shared tracker shows what I've found, what's being built, and what it's saving you, at every stage.
○Fixed dates, fixed prices
The results date and the price are agreed upfront, so there are no open-ended hours or surprises.
What the assessment gives you
A clear picture, with a number on it.
- A map of how a job moves through your business from first email to money received
- Every leak, with its cost per year in hours and pounds
- The top three fixes ranked by payback and how easy they are
- A phased plan you can act on with me or without me
Leak summary
Example figures
| Leak | How often | Cost / year |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice details re-typed into customs entries | 55 / week | £14,300 |
| Chasing suppliers for missing documents | 6 hrs / week | £5,600 |
| Delivery to invoice sent | 6 days avg | £38k tied up |
| Cost of doing nothing | £19,900 + cash |
Illustration only. Your figures come from your own jobs, documents and team.
About
I'm Tao.
I'm a systems builder with a keen interest in how operations businesses actually run. I like finding the small, repeated jobs that quietly eat a team's week, and replacing them with something simpler.
I work on my own, so you deal with me from the first call to the last fix. I start by learning how your business works, and only then suggest what to build.
Based in Cape Town
Works with teams anywhere
One point of contact
Questions
Before you book.
Do we have to replace our software?
No. I build around the tools you already use, whether that's a TMS, customs software or a set of spreadsheets. Replacing a system you rely on is rarely the cheapest fix.
Is everything done remotely?
Yes. Calls run on Google Meet, Teams or WhatsApp, documents are shared securely, and I work to your business hours.
How long does the assessment take?
About ten working days. We fix the results date at the start, so it doesn't drift.
What does it cost?
It depends on the size of your team. After the free call you get a fixed price for the assessment, paid upfront, with no open-ended hours.
What happens to our data?
I only ask for what the assessment needs, and names and contact details can be blacked out first. Everything is deleted when the work ends, unless you ask me to keep it.
Start with a 20-minute call.
Tell me where things slow down. If I can't help, I'll say so.
Book a call