Coworking with Brian Tu

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Brian Tu is chief revenue officer at fulfillment company DCL Logistics, which works with companies like Therabody and Magic Spoon.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? We are the engine behind retail. DCL Logistics stores, packs, and ships for brands, getting a package to your doorstep or a pallet to a major retailer. If a retailer asks for 2X an order, with new packaging, and in less time, we make it happen—getting products delivered on time and in full.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? I’m more of an air-traffic controller for fulfillment. I spend my days talking with brand leaders about growth, launches, retail, and marketing. I love connecting them with the people, ideas, and expertise that can help them get there.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? During Covid-19, we volunteered our time to ship PPE to hospitals, offices, and retailers. It was a fast turnaround to do it, but incredibly rewarding to use our infrastructure for good.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? I’m really excited about the rise of everywhere-commerce. The emergence of true omnichannel retail. Six or seven years ago, so many brands were relying heavily on direct-to-consumer. But that feels like a thing of the past now. Today, a brand has to juggle influencer orders, sudden virality on TikTok, wholesale orders from Target.com, Amazon hurdles, and then suddenly land on an endcap at Walmart. The customer just sees the product, not the sales channel, so I love helping brands figure out the back-end systems to ensure they see the whole connected web. It’s a lot to optimize and organize, but I love being at the epicenter of that. If I’m honest, I think a pure-DTC model is becoming outdated. The most interesting brands are figuring out how to be everywhere the customer wants them to be, without adding too much complexity or overhead. The tools at their disposal and the infrastructure underneath are quickly evolving to support this.

What’s your go-to coffee order? I’m a simple person—black coffee!

Worst piece of advice you’ve received? “Customers aren’t your friends.” Someone actually told me this once and I nearly spit out my drink. Some of my longest-standing business relationships have become genuine friendships, and I think that’s a great thing. When you stop looking at every relationship as a transaction, you build trust that can last through job changes, company changes, lost deals, and decades. Most importantly, life is too short and you can never have too many friends!

What was your favorite retail product when you were 15, and what’s your favorite retail product now? Favorite retail product at 15: Mac LC. It was on my beloved Mac LC that I crafted my first designs and wrote my first program. Nowadays, it’s my iPhone 15 Pro that I rely on more than anything else! From managing kids’ calendars and work emails to enjoying a great Netflix documentary on a long flight, it’s a powerful, versatile computer that fits right in my pocket.