You built the brand. Now it runs through you.

Sales keep growing. Production still waits for you.

We work inside your brand, with your team, so product, suppliers, stock and service stop depending on you alone.

Book time with us Take the self-assessment

Today

Every decision runs through you.

After

Your team decides. You see the numbers.

Recent clientHyde & AssociatesBoutique law firm, 10 people

10 → 3.5owner interviews per hire

2hires from one vacancy

“This is finally somebody who makes me feel like I'm not insane and this is possible.”

Christian Hyde, Managing Director

Your industry

What is changing for brands

Four shifts that hit your price, landed cost, claims and know-how.

Competition

Cheap imports are one click away

31% of Dutch cross-border online purchases went to Chinese webshops in 2025, up from 28%.

Your premium has to be earned every day.

Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor 2025

Landed cost

Freight from Asia has doubled

More than double. Shanghai to Rotterdam container rates, up 112% on a year earlier (October 2026).

Landed cost and cash cycles move against you.

Drewry WCI 2026

Claims

Green claims now need proof

Since 27 September 2026. Vague claims such as "green" or "eco", and own eco labels without independent checks, are restricted.

Packaging, listings and old stock need a check.

ACM 2026

Know-how

Know-how, not tools, blocks AI

71% of EU firms that considered AI name lack of expertise as the main barrier.

Tools are cheap. Knowing where they pay is not.

Eurostat 2025

How brands like yours got ahead

Replace spreadsheet buying with forecast-led ordersLike three extra people in the businessWild & Stone, UK homeware brand · Inventory Planner case study
Plan reorders around supplier lead timesHolding stock cut 30%, freeing cashBear & Moo, babywear brand, New Zealand · Inventory Planner case study
Give operations its own lead and season planOrders on time, even in peak seasonStoov, Dutch lifestyle brand · Monta case study
Put an AI agent on routine customer questionsTickets tripled, 6 to 9 hires avoidedCabau Lifestyle, Dutch wellness brand · Gorgias case study

Where we help

Production that does not run through one owner
One buying plan for demand, stock, launches and cash
Samples, orders and suppliers tracked in one place
Quality checked before goods ship
Claims, labels and supplier records you can prove
AI on supplier mail, service and content, with checks

Book time with us

Figures and examples come from published surveys and case studies. Some are published by software vendors.

What we build

What we set up in your brand

Six areas where work moves from you to your team, without loosening control.

Decisions and ownership

Who decides on range, buys and launches, and what still needs you.

Product to customer

One flow from brief and samples to purchase order, quality check and stock.

Planning and cash

A buying plan that links forecast, stock cover, launches and cash.

People and partners

The right hire, agent or partner, and suppliers held to one standard.

Technology and AI

Tools that fit your webshop and suppliers, with AI where it pays.

Management information

A weekly view of sales, stock cover, margin and open orders.

Work

Selected work

A selection of our work. More work and references are available on request.

Who does what now

People make the callsRecruitment lead: first interviewsOwner: closing interviews only

Agents score, lead checksDeep assessment of the strongest candidates

Admin removed~~Packaging and sending CVsLogging into job boardsRe-typing and chasing~~

Agents do the volumeSourcing and screeningReplies and scheduling

JudgementVolume

Where the hours went

AdminWith candidates

Before

50h

Now

33h

Recruitment lead, hours per vacancy

What the owner gained

Owner interviews per hire

2024

2026

3.5

2 hires from one vacancy

Delivered

Legal · Boutique law firm

From admin-heavy to people-centric recruitment

515applications in 10 days

10 → 3.5owner interviews per hire

0 → 17hlead time with candidates

Look-up results for Ireland in the Ku band, with allocations, direction and footnotes

Footnote panel showing ITU footnote 5.430A for the 3,400 to 3,600 MHz band

Share dialog for sending a search result by email

In progress

Legal · Boutique law firm

Expert know-how turned into a client self-service tool

Know-howClient self-serviceAI pilot, checked by people

Longstaylanka home page: Sri Lanka's villas in one catalogue

Longstaylanka villa catalogue with verified listings

A lean, AI-first operating model

FounderDecisions and quality

AI: research and data

AI-assisted build and deploy

Self-service payments

No back office

Pre-launch

Travel · Online start-up

From business idea to launch-ready product, run lean with AI

Business modelAI-first operating modelRapid prototypingBuild, test, deploy

Where we usually start

Where a brand loses time between idea and delivery

The first flow we map in a brand like yours.

How it works

Five stages. Most brands start with one area, and you approve each stage.

This is a change in how your brand works, not an IT project. Product, buying, suppliers, stock and tools move together, and your business targets stay in view from start to finish.

2 weeks

Diagnose

We find out where the brand depends on you, and why.

What happens

We interview you, your team and key partners, and follow how a product really moves, from brief and sample to purchase order, quality check and the customer's door. We plan around your launches and peak season.
Where it helps, we make a quick concept or prototype of the fix, so you can see it before you commit.
You get a short written report, the Constraint Brief: what holds the firm back, and what to fix first.

2 to 4 weeks

Design

Together we design how the brand will run, and the order to build it in.

What happens

Built on what works in well-run brands, scaled to your size and channels, and fitted to your constraints: your people, suppliers, cash and season calendar.
People, process and technology designed together: who decides on range and buys, how samples and orders flow, and which tools and AI support it.
We agree the business targets up front, such as owner hours, stock availability, stock cover or margin, and how we will measure them.
You get the design, a business case and a step-by-step plan.

4 to 12 weeks

Build

We build it inside the brand, with your team.

What happens

Your people help shape the new way of working, so nothing comes as a surprise when it goes live.
We write the new working procedures together, in your team's words, and set up the tools to match.
We check every step against the business targets we agreed, not only against the plan.
We stay alongside your team until they are comfortable running it.

2 to 6 weeks

Go live and settle in

We switch to the new way of working, one careful step at a time.

What happens

Prepare. Final procedures, training and clear roles, so everyone knows what changes for them.
Dry run. We test it on real work before anyone switches over.
Go live. We are there through the switch and the first weeks, to answer questions and fix what does not work.
Track. We watch the business targets and the day-to-day numbers every week.
Review. Regular reviews of progress, results and how the team feels, then we adjust until it holds.

Handover

Your team runs it

It no longer depends on us, or on you.

What happens

Each part has an owner in your team, with the procedures and the numbers to run it.
You see how the firm is doing without chasing people for updates, and you can take time off.

About

15 years inside growing companies.

For 15 years we have worked inside companies that grew faster than their way of working, including innovation and IT at a logistics company. In an owner-led brand it usually looks like this: marketing scales, but range, buying, suppliers and stock all go through one owner, and nobody has the time to fix it.

Agencies grow your demand, and software vendors sell tools. We work out what needs to change behind the scenes, and then we build it with your team.

Why work with us?

You work with the same senior adviser, from diagnosis to build, with hands-on experience in logistics and operations. If you are the bottleneck, we will tell you.

Our background

Management consultingFinancial services, Accenture
Operations leadershipInnovation and IT, a logistics company in Asia
AI transformationSenior manager, Accenture
Owner-led firmsSteady State, part of Brightwise Pte. Ltd., Singapore

Is this your brand?

Every production question still comes to youSamples, suppliers, delays and quality issues all land on your desk.
Bestsellers sell out while other stock sitsBuying runs on feel and spreadsheets, not on one plan.
Cash is tied up in stockOrders are paid months before they sell, and growth makes it worse.
Launches pile up faster than the back officeMore products, sizes and colours, with the same people and tools.
Marketing can sell more than you can shipDemand is planned well. Supply is not.
You are about to hire, but not sure for whatA production manager, a planner or an agent? Nobody has mapped the work first.
You know AI could help, but not whereSupplier emails, forecasts and customer questions still take hours.

Feedback

In their own words

This is finally somebody who makes me feel like I'm not insane and this is possible. Somebody who actually knows what I'm talking about, but knows more than I do.
Christian HydeManaging Director, Hyde & Associates

Definitely, I wouldn't go back [to the old ways of working].
Ana DomingosRecruitment Lead, Hyde & Associates

FAQ

Questions brand owners ask

What is owner dependency in a brand?

It is when range, buying, suppliers and quality checks all go through the owner. The brand can only grow as far as the owner's own hours. It also makes it hard to step away or to sell: a buyer will pay less for a brand that only works with you in it.

Is this for my brand?

It is for owner-led consumer brands of 5 to 200 people that design their own products and have them made by suppliers: fashion, home and textiles, beauty, lifestyle and similar. A quick test: if you stepped away for three months, would production, buying or stock go wrong?

Should we hire a production manager first?

Often not yet. First we map where your time goes, who owns buying and planning, and where your suppliers are. Then you choose between a senior hire, a coordinator near your suppliers, an agent or better tools, with the costs side by side.

Have you worked with a brand before?

Our published client work is with a law firm and an online travel start-up, and our background includes innovation and IT at a logistics company. The owner bottlenecks in a brand are the same: decisions, handovers, planning and cash. We will tell you in the first call if we are not a fit, and you can stop after Diagnose.

How do you handle confidentiality and supplier data?

We sign your confidentiality agreement before we start. We work on your systems and under your rules. No customer or supplier data goes into any AI tool you have not approved.

What happens when I book time with you?

We start with a free consultation by video, about an hour long. You map where product, suppliers and stock depend on you, and we help you see what is behind it. You leave knowing what to fix first.

How much of my team's time will this take?

Most of it falls in Diagnose and in the dry run before go-live. Before each stage we tell you the hours we need from you and your team, and we plan around launches and peak season.

What does it cost?

The self-assessment and the first consultation are free. Paid work starts with Diagnose. We quote a fee after the consultation, once we both know the size of the problem, and you decide before any work starts. You can stop after Diagnose and keep the report.

Do you use AI?

Yes, where it pays: supplier email and call notes, product content, customer questions and, once your product data is clean, forecasting. A person checks the output and makes every decision that matters.

Where are you based, and who do I contract with?

We are based in the Netherlands and work with firms in Europe, the UK and Asia Pacific. Steady State is a part of Brightwise Pte. Ltd., a company registered in Singapore, and that is the company you contract with.

Contact

Book time with us

Tell us what still runs through you, from samples to stock. If we can help, we will say so. If we cannot, we will point you to someone who can.

Book time with usFree consultation

Take the self-assessment18 questions, about 4 minutes

Emailhubert@steadystate.design

Legal · Boutique law firm · Recruitment

From admin-heavy to people-centric recruitment

Hiring at Hyde & Associates ran on admin: CVs read by hand, interviews arranged by email, and the owner meeting every candidate. We helped the firm hand the admin to AI tools under written rules. The recruitment lead now spends her time with candidates, and the owner meets only the shortlist.

ClientHyde & Associates

SectorBoutique law firm: telecoms and satellite licensing

Size10 people, 200+ jurisdictions

EngagementMarch to September 2026

515applications for one vacancy, in about 10 days

~80%less screening effort for the recruitment lead

10 → 3.5owner interviews per hire: 30 for three hires in 2024, seven for two in 2026

0 → 17hrecruitment lead time with candidates per vacancy

Hyde filled two associate roles from a single vacancy. The recruitment lead now spends about half of her recruiting time talking to candidates rather than handling paperwork. Because the people who reach the owner are better screened, he meets about a third as many per hire.

What was going wrong

Area	What we found
Intake	Each vacancy posted by hand on five to eight job sites, each with its own login. No presence on LinkedIn.
Screening	Every CV opened by hand, 2 to 10 minutes each: 30 to 50 hours per vacancy. Candidates judged mostly on feel.
Selection	The owner interviewed every candidate, usually for 90 minutes or more. In 2024 he held 30 interviews to hire three lawyers.
Coordination	CVs zipped and emailed. Interviews arranged by hand across European and Asian time zones.
Definition of good	The owner valued independent judgement and legal reasoning, but nobody tested either before probation.
Memory	No talent pool. Good runners-up were lost after every round.

The cost: the firm judged three of its five hires since 2024 to have been avoidable, at around €25,000 each in salary, onboarding and recruitment time.

What we did

Put numbers on the old process. Two interviews and a simple business case for what hiring cost the firm, in money and owner time.
Kept the scope tight. Mapped the whole employee journey, then focused on the steps before the hiring decision, where the time and the risk sat.
Agreed what a good hire looks like. Turned the owner's view of a strong hire into knockout questions, a scoring rubric and signs to look for.
Built case-study interviews for both roles, with a structured scorecard and planned curveballs that test what past hires were missing.
Chose the tool to fit the process. Twenty weighted requirements and scripted vendor demos, such as screening 500 CVs. Hyde chose Workable.
Moved people's time to the end of the funnel. Machines clear the obvious mismatches. People only meet the shortlist. A first interview with the recruitment lead now comes before the owner's final interview.
Added an AI scoring layer. Claude, connected to the platform, scored 160 candidates against the firm's own criteria and quoted evidence for every score.
Set rules for the AI and wrote down the process. A ten-section operating manual, owned by the recruitment lead.
Checked the results against the evidence. Platform records compared with the March business case, including what did not work.

The AI agents and their rules

Agent	What it does	Rule
Sourcing	Found more than 100 relevant candidates beyond those who applied	Outreach stays off until a person reviews it
Screening	Checks every application against five yes/no questions and ranks the rest	Only the yes/no questions can reject; a person checks borderline cases
Rubric scoring	Scored 160 candidates against Hyde's own profile, quoting evidence	It recommends; a person decides
Communication	Acknowledges every application in seconds and sends self-booking links	Templates approved by the firm; personal notes after interviews
Assessment	Sends and marks aptitude tests	A pass mark, not a ranking

Results against the business case

Measure	March target	September result
Screening effort	75% lower	About 80% lower. Around 12 hours for 515 applications.
Owner interviews per hire	50% lower	About 65% lower. Seven interviews for two hires, against 30 for three in 2024.
Recruitment lead's time	Not targeted	From about 50 hours, mostly admin, to 32 to 35 hours. About half now goes on candidates, up from none.
Finding the eventual hire	Not measured	Flagged two days after applying. Final interview booked 15 days later.
Hires	One per vacancy	Two from one vacancy.
Candidate experience	Not targeted	A candidate who did not get an offer described the process on Glassdoor as quick and professional.
Quality of hire	Fewer avoidable hires	Too early to call. Ninety-day reviews are due in Q4 2026.

“I saved admin time to give more added value to the recruitment process.” “Definitely, I wouldn't go back [to the old ways of working].”
Ana Domingos, Recruitment Lead, Hyde & Associates

What we would tell another owner

Agree what good looks like before you buy anything. A tool set up around a vague profile finds the wrong people faster.
Move people's time from the start of the funnel to the end. Your busiest person should only meet candidates who passed every check a machine can do.
Measure where the hours went, as well as how many were saved.

Book time with us

Basis of figures: application volumes, pipeline stages and interview counts from Workable system data, June to September 2026. Hours and screening effort: the recruitment lead's own estimates, September 2026. Baseline and targets: the business case agreed with the client, March 2026.