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Most businesses have an inventory problem. The question is how big. In this episode, we're joined by Ben Hussey, Co-CEO of Katana Cloud Inventory, to talk about why so many growing businesses struggle with inventory visibility — and what they can do about it.

Ben shares how Katana was founded after its creator realised he had no real-time view of demand and supply across his own manufacturing business, and why the rise of multi-channel e-commerce has made the problem exponentially harder. When orders are flowing in from Shopify, Amazon, and distribution channels simultaneously, Excel and traditional ERP systems simply can't keep up.

We dig into the practical side: how to assess whether you have an inventory problem (start with a single SKU and audit it end-to-end), who needs to be involved in that conversation, and how to quantify the cost of doing nothing. Ben shares a story of a customer who discovered $120,000 worth of inventory they didn't know they had — simply by gaining a single view of their stock.

The conversation moves into change management — arguably the biggest barrier to success. Ben explains Katana's "strangulation technique" for phased adoption and why the most common trigger for falling back to old ways isn't resistance to new tools, but staff turnover when new hires aren't trained on the systems already in place.

We also cover how macroeconomic forces — tariffs, the Middle East conflict, supply chain disruption — are reshaping how businesses approach planning, costing methods (moving average vs FIFO vs LIFO), and supplier diversification. Textile and apparel companies increased inventory purchases by 50% overnight following recent geopolitical events. The question is whether the rest of the market has caught up.

Finally, we get into AI. Ben talks about where it's already useful (data analysis, workflow mapping), where it's arriving whether you like it or not (agentic commerce on Shopify, launching end of month), and why your product data accuracy is about to matter a lot more than your website copy.

**Guest:** Ben Hussey, Co-CEO of Katana Cloud Inventory — katanamrp.com

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There comes a point in every e-commerce business where the patchwork of Shopify, spreadsheets, ShipStation, and QuickBooks stops working. Orders are flowing in, but nobody has a single view of what's happening — and you're managing three screens just to fulfil one order.

In this episode, Peter and Nirav break down the five essential steps every e-commerce business should take before integrating with an ERP system. From cleaning up your product data to choosing the right connector (and why they're not all created equal), this is the groundwork that sets you up for success — or sets you back ten steps if you skip it.

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You selected the right ERP. You signed the deal. Everyone's buzzing. So why does it start going wrong three months in?

This week, Pete and Nirav welcome Emily Browning back to the show to tackle one of the most underrated topics in ERP: project management. Not the software. Not the consultants. The actual discipline of running the project well.

Together, the three of them walk through five areas that determine whether your ERP project finishes strong or fizzles out:

1. Structure – assembling the right team, defining roles, setting governance before a single workshop happens
2. Project planning – building a realistic plan, using it as your single source of truth, and dealing with scope creep
3. Visibility – making the project status visible to everyone, not just the PM
4. Keeping momentum – handling decision fatigue, mid-project slumps, and knowing when (and when not) to call a timeout
5. Change management – the people side that most projects underestimate and many never recover from

If you're about to start an ERP project, in the middle of one, or wondering why the last one didn't land — this episode is packed with practical, experience-based advice you can use immediately.

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Why does your team forget everything they learned in ERP training?

You invested serious time and money. Everyone attended. And three months after go-live, half the team is still confused, making errors, and asking the same questions.

The problem isn't your people — it's how the training was structured. The timing's off, the focus is wrong, and nobody's set up to retain what they've learned.

In this episode, Pete and Nirav share 5 practical tips (plus a bonus) that can fundamentally change whether your ERP training sticks or fades. Whether you're about to go live or already in the weeds, this one's for you.

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Parallel running sounds like a safety net. In reality, it's one of the most common and most expensive mistakes in ERP implementation.

In this episode, Pete and Nirav are joined by Emily Browning — an IT leader in manufacturing — to break down exactly why running your old system alongside your new ERP almost always backfires.

We talk through:

• Why data duplication quickly becomes data chaos — and you lose your single source of truth
• The real impact on your teams when you ask them to do everything twice during go-live 
• What "just in case" actually signals to the rest of the business 
• Why phased or staggered go-lives rarely work for fully integrated ERP systems 
• How keeping the old system alive delays ROI and muddies the business case
• Practical tactics for driving adoption — from post-go-live training to accountability dashboards

If you're approaching go-live and leadership is asking about parallel running, this episode gives you the arguments (and the confidence) to push back.

🔔 Subscribe wherever you listen — new episodes every two weeks. We're also on YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn.

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What happens when ERP stops being software… and starts becoming a digital replica of your entire business?

In this episode, Peter Nicholson and Nirav Shah unpack the biggest moments from Acumatica Summit 2026 — from the buzz of the new venue to the bold product announcements shaping the future of cloud ERP.

They dive into how Acumatica is embedding AI directly into business workflows, making systems smarter, more proactive, and deeply connected to real-world operations. You’ll hear about InsightXL’s live Excel integration, game-changing automation features, AI-powered document tagging, anomaly detection, and what all of this means for finance, operations, and leadership teams.

Plus, we break down:

• The vision of ERP as a real-time “digital twin” of your business
• How AI is transforming everyday transactions (without replacing people)
• Strategic partnerships and acquisitions that signal where Acumatica is headed
• Customer success stories that show the tech in action
• The future roadmap — and what you should be preparing for now

If you’re curious about how AI is reshaping ERP — and what that means for your organization — this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.

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We were so impressed with the news and updates from Acumatica Summit 2026 in Seattle, we had to grab a few minutes to document our initial impressions.  Apologies in advance for Pete's slurring of words, he must've been too excited about the updates... or the free beer at the after party.

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Thinking about connecting Shopify to Business Central? Before you flip that switch, you need to know what you're getting into.

In this episode of The ABCs of ERP & Beyond, Pete and Nirav dig into the Shopify-to-Business Central integration — what it does well, where it falls short, and why your data quality matters more than any connector ever will.

What we cover: → What the native Shopify connector actually does (and doesn't do) → Why returns management is a pain point you'll hit fast → The hidden gotchas: multi-currency, sales tax, and vague error messages → When to consider alternatives like Celigo → Why clean data is your best integration strategy — full stop

If you're an e-commerce business running on Shopify and evaluating Business Central, or you're mid-implementation and wondering why things aren't syncing the way you expected, this episode is for you.

Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction and Setup 02:26 Understanding Shopify and Business Central Integration 05:25 Exploring Connector Options 08:33 Limitations of the Native Connector 11:22 Alternative Solutions for Integration 14:09 Data Management and Preparation 17:11 Handling Errors and Quirks 20:21 The Importance of Clean Data 23:16 Final Thoughts and Best Practices

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Why does manufacturing feel so chaotic for so many businesses?

In the first episode of 2026, recorded in person back in November, we explore one of the most misunderstood areas of ERP: planning and scheduling — and why getting it wrong creates constant firefighting.

We talk through:

• Why planning and scheduling are often confused — and why that matters
• How production delays quickly turn into cash flow problems
• The limits of manual, Excel-driven, tribal-knowledge planning
• What modern ERP systems actually do differently
• How data-driven planning, capacity management, and real-time visibility restore control

If you’re stuck reacting instead of planning — or wondering why inventory, production, and cash never seem aligned — this episode breaks down what’s really happening and how modern ERP systems help bring order back.

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Didn't listen to ANY episodes but want to know what we spoke about? Listen to what we picked out as our top events, episodes, and life moments from 2025.

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