The Universal Problem: Supply and Demand

Every business faces the same problem. 
It’s been around as long as commerce itself. 

Supply and demand. 

No matter the industry, sector, or type of work, the challenge is the same: 

·       Real Estate → property listings (supply) vs buyers (demand) 

·       Recruitment → human talent (supply) vs job openings (demand) 

·       Software → servers & processing power (supply) vs user load (demand) 

·       Logistics & Distribution → network capacity (supply) vs freight volumes (demand) 

·       Manufacturing → raw materials & components (supply) vs production orders (demand) 

·       Retail → finished goods (supply) vs customer footfall/transactions (demand) 

·       Agriculture → produce (supply) vs consumer markets (demand) 

Different worlds. Same struggle. 

And it always shows up in one of two ways: 

Supply Constraint 

Your ability to supply is less than market demand for your product. 

Indicators: backorders growing, expedited freight use, machines at capacity, lead times blowing out. 

Demand Constraint 

Your ability to supply is greater than current market demand for your product. 

Indicators: rising stock cover, increased discounting, lead time reductions, idle labour or equipment. 

Two sides of the same coin. Solve one, and the other eventually appears. 
It’s a cycle. 

The bigger and more asset-heavy the business, the longer that cycle tends to be. 

The Theory of Constraints reminds us that every business has one true constraint at any point in time. 

Taking a broader lens — supply or demand — helps you focus finite resources where they’ll have the biggest impact. 

Solve that constraint. 
Then pivot to the other side. 

 
I help businesses solve their supply constraints. 

Across industries, the methodology is the same: 
1️⃣ What is the product? (Which SKUs matter) 
2️⃣ Where do we get it? (Define the supply pool) 
3️⃣ How long does it take? (Lead times and planning horizons) 
4️⃣ What is our demand? (Confirmed requirements and forecast) 
5️⃣ How do we increase supply to align with demand? (Tactics and levers to deploy) 

The details may differ, but the process works every time. 

On the demand side, the levers shift — marketing campaigns, promotions, pricing strategies, partnerships. My expertise is on the supply side, but the framework applies in either direction. 

Why it Matters 

Getting this wrong ties up millions in excess stock or leaves revenue on the table. 

Getting it right frees up cash, protects service, and builds resilience. 

👉 Look at your last month’s data: did you lose more sales due to stockouts (supply) or to discounting and idle capacity (demand)? 

That’s your constraint. 

Which side are you on right now?