What does it take to bring a pink elephant to life? For the Luminous team, it meant a full day on set, a wardrobe team, a cast of actors, and CEO and Founder Jared in makeup for the very first time.

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In this behind-the-scenes look, Jared takes us through shoot day for Luminous x Pink Elephant—our ad about the hidden problems in commerce operations that nobody wants to talk about—and shares an honest update on where Luminous stands this year.

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Part 1: Lights, Camera, Warehouse

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The day kicked off with the warehouse scenes. Between takes, Jared got the full production treatment:

• Wardrobe and Makeup: A first for Jared—a stylist dressing him and makeup for the camera.
• Running Lines: Take after take of "No, I will not stop streamlining back ends" until the line landed just right.
• Moving the Set: With the warehouse scenes wrapped, the crew packed up the actors (and the elephants) and headed to Luminous HQ.

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A Candid Look at Luminous This Year

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On the way over, Jared opened up about the business. Q1 was tough—economic headwinds slowed things down for a lot of brands, and it was a challenging stretch internally too. A few things stood out:

• Stepping Back from Sales: Jared moved out of sales entirely in Q1 as department heads stepped up to fully own their teams.
• From Doer to Coach: In some departments he's still the individual contributor; in others, he's shifted into mentoring and empowering the leaders who run them.
• Back in a Groove: A strong board meeting gave the team a clear picture of what it will take to hit this year's goals. The gaps are visible, and they're being fixed.
• The Stretch Goal: Hit $4 million and raise a Series A, and the whole team is headed to the Philippines.

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Jared also shared a quick take on moving supply chains out of China: it's not a new idea—brands were doing it back in the 2010s—but it comes with a learning curve, and anyone without a plan B should start building one now. For a deeper dive, watch his two-part webinar with guests Darin Long and Dustin Goss on building a more long-term, viable supply chain: Part 1 and Part 2.

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Part 2: The Office Scenes at Luminous HQ

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Back at headquarters, the team shot the office scenes that bring the pink elephant metaphor home. The setup: Joel, playing the boss, celebrates record high revenue this quarter—until Jared, who has a sixth sense for spotting elephants in the room, calls out what's really going on. The company actually lost money because it ran out of stock and had to air-freight products in.

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It's the kind of hidden cost that quietly eats into margins—and exactly the kind of problem Luminous is built to surface.

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That's a Wrap

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Jared's kids even joined for the final stretch of the shoot before the crew called it a wrap. His takeaway after a full day on his feet delivering lines? Acting is a different kind of draining. A big thank you to the talented team at Creatively—Renie, Neil, and Damian—for coordinating everything and pulling off a great shoot.

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Ready to Get Rid of the Elephant in the Room?

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If stockouts, landed cost surprises, or messy multi-warehouse data are quietly hurting your bottom line, book a demo today and see why fast-growing commerce brands are making the switch to Luminous.