From Google Sheets to a scalable, Shopify-native operating system

Hollow Socks did not slow down to fix operations. They fixed operations so they could keep growing.

With revenue doubling year over year, a rapidly expanding SKU catalog, and new wholesale demand from major partners like Scheels, Hollow reached the point every high-growth Shopify brand eventually hits: spreadsheets could no longer keep up.

This is the story of how a two-person operations team replaced Google Sheets and gut feel with a modern operating system, without taking on the cost, complexity, or drag of a legacy ERP.

Hollow is a premium performance sock brand built on an uncommon foundation. Every product is made with alpaca fiber sourced from Peru and manufactured domestically in the United States. That vertical integration gives Hollow control over quality, but it also introduces operational complexity most brands do not face until much later.

And yet, Hollow kept growing.

Doubling every year until the systems broke

By 2025, Hollow had:

• Doubled revenue yet again
• Doubled its SKU count to more than 100 SKUs
• Scaled wholesale through a major national retail partner
• Continued strong growth across DTC and Amazo

All of this was being managed by two operators: Caitlin Mahadik, VP of Operations, and Gabi Lacayo, Operations Associate.

The problem was not effort or talent. It was infrastructure. Everything ran through Shopify and Google Sheets.

Life before GoodDay: sreadsheet-driven chaos

As Hollow expanded across channels, operational cracks started to show.

The core challenges

• No centralized system: No ERP, no planning tools, and no reliable source of truth
• Inventory uncertainty: A problematic 3PL meant inventory counts were constantly adjusted and second-guessed
• Multi-channel allocation pain: DTC, wholesale, and Amazon all competing for the same inventory without a system to prioritize or allocate confidently
• Manual PO reconciliation: Weekly inbound shipments required time-consuming cross-checks across Google Sheets, 3PL reports, and co-manufacturer records
• Low trust in data: Even basic inventory questions were hard to answer with confidence

I genuinely couldn’t answer questions for the team about where inventory was at because there were just adjustments being made constantly
— Caitlin Mahadik, VP of Operations

Spreadsheets had gotten Hollow this far, but they were not going to get them to the next phase.

The breaking point

The tipping point came from three forces converging at once:

• A rapidly expanding SKU catalog
• Growing wholesale demand from Scheels
• A 3PL relationship that made inventory accuracy unreliable

Spreadsheets were no longer just inefficient. They were becoming a liability.

It didn’t need to be NetSuite

Caitlin came into Hollow with firsthand experience implementing NetSuite at a previous brand.

She knew exactly what that path looked like:

• Six to twelve month implementation timelines
• Six-figure costs
• Heavy consulting requirements
• Systems built for accountants and manufacturers, not modern Shopify operator

Hollow did not need an old-school “enterprise” ERP. They needed a clean, centralized operating system that fit how they actually worked. GoodDay delivered that without the bloat.

The most impressive thing to me about GoodDay is that y’all have been able to update an industry that feels so stagnant and old school. That’s just not how things work anymore
— Caitlin Mahadik, VP of Operations

Implementing GoodDay with a two-person team

Because Hollow’s ops team was lean, change management was straightforward. The implementation itself still came with challenges. Midway through onboarding, Hollow made the decision to switch 3PLs.

Instead of slowing things down, GoodDay’s team leaned in:

• Hands-on onboarding led by a dedicated operator
• Flexibility throughout the 3PL transition
• Tactical guidance and vetted recommendations
• Introductions that ultimately led Hollow to a new 3PL partner

He almost feels like an extension of our team.

GoodDay was not just software. It was operational support when Hollow needed it most.

What made GoodDay different

Embedded, operator-led support

GoodDay’s onboarding did not stop at configuration. The team actively helped Hollow navigate real operational decisions, including the 3PL transition.

Flexibility through chaos

When external dependencies stalled progress, GoodDay gave Hollow breathing room instead of forcing timelines.

Fast, responsive help

Questions were answered quickly. Issues were investigated and escalated when needed.

To have that support through changing 3PLs, implementing an ERP, and launching wholesale order management all at once was invaluable.
— Caitlin Mahadik, VP of Operations

From “where’s our inventory?” to a source of truth

Time saved on manual work

One of the biggest wins was eliminating the weekly PO reconciliation grind. What used to require cross-checking multiple spreadsheets, warehouse reports, and vendor confirmations now lives in one system.

Cleaning up that process alone has been monumental.
— Caitlin Mahadik, VP of Operations

Accurate, trusted inventory data

For the first time, Hollow’s team trusts their inventory numbers. Data is centralized, accurate, and easy to export without manual compilation.

Knowing the data is accurate instead of tracking down each individual shipment is really nice.
— Gabi Lacayo, Operations Associate

A clean daily workflow

GoodDay now powers Hollow’s daily operations:

• Inventory reconciliation
• Purchase order updates
• Receiving inbound inventory
• Wholesale order management
• Real-time sync with their WMS

Now that we’re further into it, it’s so nice to just know it’s accurate.
— Gabi Lacayo, Operations Associate

A foundational year for the next phase of growth

With GoodDay in place, Hollow finally has the operational backbone to support continued growth without adding unnecessary headcount or complexity.

I’ve been calling this past year a foundational year. We finally put the things in place we need to propel forward.
— Caitlin Mahadik, VP of Operations

Watch the full conversation

Hear directly from Caitlin and Gabi about:

• Transitioning off spreadsheets
• Switching 3PLs mid-implementation
• Managing DTC, wholesale, and Amazon inventory with a lean team
• Why GoodDay was the right ERP alternative for Hollow

We knew we needed a real source of truth, but we didn’t need a massive, overbuilt ERP to get there. GoodDay gave us structure and confidence without slowing us down, which is exactly what a fast-growing brand needs.
— Caitlin Mahadik, VP of Operations

Before GoodDay, a lot of my day was spent double-checking numbers and reconciling spreadsheets. Now I trust the data, everything connects, and I can actually focus on moving the business forward instead of cleaning things up.
— Gabi Lacayo, Operations Associate

Ready to scale your operations without the chaos?