The Challenge:
A house of established designer and luxury apparel brands operated each brand on its own systems, vendors, and sales channels, with limited integration between them.
The business ran across multiple platforms, including Dynamics, Momentis/Aptean, Shopify, and JOOR. Supply chain data, receivables, payables, and core financial information were kept in sync manually, brand by brand. As the business scaled, this manual reconciliation process became a significant constraint: the close was running months behind, and leadership was making operational and financial decisions using data that no longer reflected current conditions.
A full ERP conversion represented the long-term solution, unifying operations onto a single platform. However, that type of conversion typically requires multiple years to plan and execute, and the business required reliable financial visibility well before such a project could be completed.
How Liv Data Helped:
Liv Data addressed the immediate visibility gap while working in parallel toward the longer-term systems roadmap, rather than treating one as a prerequisite for the other.
Assessment
- Conducted a structured review of the company’s technology, processes, and finance organization, including a kickoff workshop and interviews with the accounts payable, receivable, and logistics leads
- Reviewed the 13-week cash flow model and outstanding debt obligations to understand the underlying cash position
- Mapped every system touching financial data across all brands to identify where manual handoffs were introducing delay and error
- Delivered a written findings report, current-versus-future-state process maps, a prioritized roadmap, and a KPI and dashboard framework aligned to leadership’s specific reporting needs
Embedded Finance Operations
- Provided CFO-level advisory alongside three accounting resources embedded directly in day-to-day finance operations, working within the existing team
- Closed the immediate staffing and expertise gap, allowing close and reporting processes to stabilize while longer-term systems changes were designed
- Maintained continuity of financial oversight throughout the transition period
Automation & Systems
- Deployed automation to manage accounts payable and synchronize supply chain, receivables, payables, and financial data across the company’s multiple ERPs, addressing the underlying data problem independently of a full ERP conversion
- Implemented AI-based tools and a business intelligence hub on top of the newly synchronized data, providing leadership with reporting based on current information
- Designed the automation layer to operate on top of existing systems, avoiding the need for a systems replacement as a precondition for improved reporting
The Outcome:
- Close time was reduced from several months behind to a 10-business-day cycle
- Leadership now has access to current, reliable financial data rather than reports based on outdated information
- The multi-ERP data problem is managed through automation rather than manual reconciliation
- Supply chain, AR, AP, and financial data remain synchronized across brands without manual intervention
- These outcomes were achieved without disrupting or replacing systems that remained otherwise functional
Why It Worked:
Rather than positioning a full systems overhaul as the only viable solution, Liv Data addressed the underlying data problem directly while the longer-term technology roadmap progressed independently. This approach allowed the business to achieve current financial visibility on a near-term timeline, rather than deferring improvement until a multi-year conversion project was complete.
