From Course Corrections to Climbing Walls — And the Courage to Step Sideways

Hi, I’m Clint, founder of C-Sure Consulting. This week’s edition of C-Shorts looks at why sideways steps don't have to be detours, at home as well as in business...

Transport Trends: Swapping Skies ✈️ for Sea 🚢 This is one of the interesting shifts we’re seeing right now. It seems that more and more supply chains that were previously using air freight are now moving towards sea freight.

Falling air freight demand might reflect businesses cutting costs and planning further ahead, though it’s also certainly part of a wider slowdown in global demand. Ocean freight capacity is on the rise thanks to overcapacity and easing congestion, with falling rates overtaking air freight prices in the race downwards. This could be great news for cost-conscious operations looking to make the switch, but you must plan carefully...

Ocean freight isn’t without its challenges. It might beat air freight on price, but it doesn’t offer the same flexibility or speed. And blank sailings (cancelled voyages that can happen at short notice) seem to be happening more often these days as well. We’ve recently seen an increase in blank sailings and extended delays on several shipping routes, which serves as an important reminder that sea freight, while more economical, carries its own risks, especially if you’re already tight on delivery timelines or inventory buffers.

So, what’s the main takeaway? It’s all about balance. Shifting from air to sea can offer big savings, but you need to go in with your eyes open. Diversifying suppliers, keeping an agile mix of freight options, and working closely with your logistics partners to stay ahead of any disruptions will help you make the most of the opportunity, without being caught out.

As always, it’s a case of planning smart and staying close to the details. If you’re considering a shift in transport mode strategy or worried about lead-time impacts, it’s worth running a few scenarios to test where your vulnerabilities are before you put plans into action.

📚 Rewriting the Route to Secondary School

With the school year winding down, our eldest son is now gearing up for mainstream school after a year of home educating. It has been a lot of hard work but, as well as taking on the role of teacher, we have also managed to get an EHC (Education, Health and Care) plan for him — which I have to give my wife most of the credit for — and we have chosen a school where we are sure he can do well. We also agreed with the school that he’d start in Year 7, even though he’s age-wise ready for Year 8. This has allowed us the time and flexibility to focus on what is most important: building his resilience, self-esteem, and the appropriate skills before tackling this next big step. He also has a June birthday, so the small difference in age should not be an issue either. I’ve really enjoyed getting closer to him during this time, helping to build up his strengths and shape his growth, and I'll be sad when home educating has to end. But come September, with him hopefully settled, I will have much more time to take C-Sure forward as well as work on some other exciting projects I've got waiting in the wings — I look forward to sharing more details with you sometime later this year!.. So even though our journey this past year has been far from straightforward, I honestly feel as though we have made important progress and, to be honest, we probably couldn't have done it any other way.

All this reminded me of a great piece of advice I was given that's stayed with me ever since:

It was something along the lines of...

“Don’t think of progress as a ladder that only goes up and down. Think of it like a climbing wall. Because sometimes you need to move across or even downwards to find firm hand and footholds to help you climb to the top.”

A nice analogy that can be applied in lots of different settings...

🧗🏻‍♂️ Applying the Climbing-Wall Mindset in Supply Chains

Here are three examples of areas in operations where I believe this type of thinking can lead to stronger long-term gains:

• Mode agility: Switching from air to sea, or other modal moves, takes a lot of thought and planning, but can be very beneficial to business when you get it right.
  

• Regional sourcing: Shifting some supply or even production to alternative locations, such as through inshoring or reshoring, is like finding a new foothold. It broadens your options and builds resilience.
  

• SKU and system streamlining: From my experience, cleaning up your systems and your warehouse can be a huge challenge that takes up a lot of resources, but the sooner you bite the bullet, the sooner you can focus on making progress in a much clearer environment.
  

Although these steps may be outside the normal day-to-day operation and take up a lot of time and effort, they lay the groundwork for more powerful and sustainable upward momentum.

🤝 Let’s Keep Connected

What challenges are you seeing right now in your own business?

Are you thinking of taking a sideways step, but don't have the confidence to carry it forward? I’d love to hear from you — comment below or get in touch with us directly. Until next time...

💡 C-Sure Shortcut of the Week

Sometimes you have to step sideways to climb higher.

Next time you get hit with a higher product price, freight cost increase, or tariff threat, think about whether a supplier switch or route change can put you in a stronger position going forward.