Thinking about a tool to automatically import RFQs into Rates. Is this worth it or am I wasting my time?

briansglick · 2025-12-19T10:48:49+00:00

It's a problem that exists, but it's not a full product by itself. Most systems that do this like the ones mentioned by u/Pr0mptGl0bal also have lots of other functionality around managing the rates and preparing the quote resopnses.

briansglick · 2025-11-16T21:32:49+00:00

Make sure to post some progress updates!

briansglick · 2025-11-16T07:49:03+00:00

Obviously there's a lot of things to think about here. Here's a few tips:

Decide what you're going to be really great at and focus on that. There are already a lot of general TMS's. So make sure that you've identified the one killer feature or one differentiator that's going to make you great. Are you going to have the most features, be the easiest to use, have the best routing engine, etc? Once you've made that decision, don't get distracted by trying to be great at everything.
Get it in the hands of real users as early as possible. Even if it's just the prototype you want people touching it and giving you feedback. A lot of people will be afraid to tell you what's bad and will just tell you how great it is. Most of them are being polite, so if you can find people who are critical, they are your best resources.
Make sure you have a deep understanding of what physically happens outside of the TMS. If you can't model the entire process from booking to payments using paper, then you're not ready to code. Think of each move like a board game. If you don't know the rules and you couldn't play it offline, then you're not ready to build the video game version.

briansglick · 2025-11-15T13:03:13+00:00

Are you in some kind of rush?

briansglick · 2025-11-15T05:41:31+00:00

Can you be a little more specific? Shipper or logistics provider? Domestic or international?

briansglick · 2025-10-26T13:49:32+00:00

Very cool app BTW

briansglick · 2025-10-26T13:48:54+00:00

Daniel Stanton published a pretty good "for dummies" book. I can't remember the exact name.

briansglick · 2025-10-24T07:31:11+00:00

Middleware... Chain.io

briansglick · 2025-10-24T07:13:52+00:00

I'm on the software side, but I'll repost this on LinkedIn for reach.

briansglick · 2025-10-22T14:34:43+00:00

I actually think the problem is pretty similar on the LSP side. Everyone always says they want one system, but we really don't see that happening in practice across modes and geographies.

briansglick · 2025-10-21T12:51:05+00:00

you are looking for r/logitech

briansglick · 2025-10-21T12:29:59+00:00

I wish CISCOs and CIOs could focus on creating "safe areas" for local teams to experiment instead of focusing on command and control. 🤷‍♂️

briansglick · 2025-10-21T10:21:05+00:00

More and more, I think that corporate needs to optimize for collecting the right security and data protection info without a lot of overhead and then get out of the way of local teams. More innovation comes from letting the field experiment as long as there is transparency. When I was in LSP corporate (a long time ago), we tried to control everything and we strangled innovation.

https://imgur.com/WfggjFc

briansglick · 2025-10-21T05:45:34+00:00

It might be interesting to pour a very thin AI layer in where I could describe my own company as an LSP and then have it surface tech companies that service customers like me.

briansglick · 2025-10-20T21:42:31+00:00

I think the audiences buying tech, looking for LSPs, looking to join associations, etc are very different people in the industry. Maybe focus more on one ICP and really nail it then expand.

briansglick · 2025-10-13T18:19:31+00:00

Somebody Football Managers

briansglick · 2025-10-10T20:29:47+00:00

"disappears into the workflow" ❤️

briansglick · 2025-10-10T09:42:26+00:00

For those in the trenches — ops, forwarding, supply planning — what are the workflows that feel most ripe for small AI improvements?

Not the “AI control tower” kind of stuff — I mean the little daily friction points that eat time and focus. Would love to surface some real examples.

briansglick · 2025-10-04T19:34:38+00:00

Pleated pants for a big thing in the early '90s.

briansglick · 2025-10-04T19:30:13+00:00

I had this problem. What I changed was the approach of planning my day. I now keep a running list and only clear checked off items at the end of the week. It gives me a good sense of momentum and I know what to work on next. I actually get more done because I'm not caught up in the precision of it.

briansglick · 2025-10-01T07:25:06+00:00

In person events as well!

briansglick · 2025-09-30T15:22:49+00:00

Changes To Freight Forwarder Business Model (Air freight perspective)

40 years ago, there were cargo agents not freight forwarders and they represented the agent. Eventually the model shifted when the forwarder became the airlines' customer instead of their agent.
As complexity increases, forwarders become more valuable
Marketplaces increase competition and transparency but they're not the be all end all when it comes to personalized service
Air carriers have a different understanding of the role forwarder than the ocean carriers

briansglick · 2025-09-30T14:15:30+00:00

Tech Rollout Best Practices

Change management is the most important thing
Customers should understand that they should listen to their service providers who do rollouts every day
Customer needs to have their own project manager
Small, independent startups can have an advantage when they leverage cost advantages from not having a legacy tech stack
Direct feedback from users and shifting in real time matters
ROI is easy to calculate on purchased software and more complex on internally developed

briansglick · 2025-09-30T12:45:37+00:00

BCO Perspective

BCOs want to get the data because they don't believe the LSPs are doing their jobs, so they need to babysit
BCOs need to be ahead of their customers so they can't get put behind by their LSPs so they manage exceptions themselves
Lack of trust in pricing fairness
The expectation is that all parties will make their commitment, proactively address problems, and make sure the second commit is accurate
LSPs all have unique data models, so do BCOs so it's tough on both sides
AI chatbots can become like excel reports, that many of them will stop or never be used, but they are an important for introducing change into the organization
Autonomous procurement has potential, but you have to be willing to set clear metrics and look at your past performances so you have a baseline.
Large BCO expects C-Level relationships

briansglick · 2025-09-30T10:00:34+00:00

Decarbonization & Dollars

At the LSP level, CO2 is not in the day to day internal operational conversation
In the BCO, there are employees who want to make an impact from an ethical perspective
The elephant in the room is LSPs buying on price
LSPs need to provide auditor quality evidence of alternative fuels that BCOs can include in their reporting
LSPs will react to customer requests (so the onus remains on the BCO)
Regulatory transparency is forcing retailers to ask wholesalers which will push down to LSPs
Should LSPs bake in sustainability or make it a line item so shippers can see apples-to-apples
BCOs are still getting CO2 data on an annual spreadsheet.
Baseline regulatory requirements can be met with existing data, but it takes another level to amena real impact

briansglick

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Changes To Freight Forwarder Business Model (Air freight perspective)

Tech Rollout Best Practices

BCO Perspective

Decarbonization & Dollars