Event Takeaways: How Hubble Built Their Supply Chain

Hey there 👋

Thanks again for joining last week’s live session on how Hubble built their supply chain from scratch. This was a special one for me - not just because it was my first live webinar, but because the story was super inspiring.

I brought on Ben Cogan, cofounder of Hubble Contacts, and Aaron Alpeter, the supply chain operator who helped bring the whole thing to life. Together, they went from zero to launch in just four months - with no ops team, no historical data, no wiggle room, and somehow, no major failures.

It was one of the most tactical and honest conversations I’ve had yet.

🎥 ICYMI, here’s the full replay: Webinar link

Aaron’s team at Izba also shared this helpful Tariff Impact Simulator for anyone rethinking sourcing decisions. Worth checking out.

My top takeaways from our conversation

• They didn’t have a forecast, but they managed the uncertainty. With no historical data to lean on, Aaron worked backward from Hubble’s marketing spend and CAC to build a demand model. It was one of the simplest, most effective forecasting tactics I’ve seen explained.

• Build for now, plan for later. One of the smartest things they did was avoid over-engineering. They used spreadsheets, prioritized flexibility, and delayed big infrastructure decisions until they hit scale.

• They turned a bottleneck into a breakthrough. Prescription verification was a nightmare. Instead of hiring a call center, Aaron built a decentralized network of stay-at-home moms who could log in, press a button, and move the process along. Scrappy, creative, and effective.

• They built relationships, not just systems. The manufacturer they chose actually scaled up with them — because they had built trust early. Weekly forecasts, consistent updates, and on-time payments laid the groundwork before the orders ever ramped up.

• Optionality is everything. With today’s tariff whiplash and supplier instability, Aaron emphasized the need for backup plans - whether through sourcing in new regions or building resilience into your team and tooling.

What’s next

I’m writing a full breakdown of this conversation - a playbook for anyone building a supply chain from zero. I’ll send that your way soon.

Thanks again for tuning in.

– Gowtham