Q&A
What’s the Sans Drinks genesis story and your vision for the business?
Irene Falcone: After years of collecting, tasting and drinking wine and gin, I
realised it was making me feel and look terrible, so I went into a bottle shop and asked what
alcohol-free options they had. I was offered a dusty bottle of warm beer from out the back! It was
at that moment I knew I needed to create my own alcohol-free bottle shop to give people like me
viable options to live healthier lives, without sacrificing taste.
As the business grew, what pain points emerged with your systems?
Falcone: I started out on basic accounting software [Xero] and DEAR inventory. The
systems didn’t talk to each other, so I couldn’t get a full P&L or real-time
visibility into my finances or inventory. This meant stockouts were common, and I didn’t
always know where products were. Plus, I couldn’t set up reorder points or get the necessary
data to forecast. It was a lot of guesswork and stress, which wasn’t sustainable.
What business challenges did you want to overcome when you decided to switch
to NetSuite?
Falcone: Firstly, I wanted to have access to a P&L I trusted. Second, I wanted a
system that would integrate seamlessly with Shopify to manage the ecommerce business. And thirdly, I
wanted to know exactly where all my stock was across Australia at all times. NetSuite [SuiteSucess
Starter Edition] has done all this and more, plus it’s an enterprise system so I know it will
scale as I grow.
What key benefits has your business experienced since upgrading?
Falcone: From day one, a business has a lot of links in the chain that impact its
success. Now each link of Sans Drinks is visible and accessible in real-time. I can quickly view
customer data, sales data from each channel, all of my stock levels, the up-to-date balance sheet,
and all of my cost of goods sold [COGS]. With this holistic view I can now set up reorder points,
automate tasks, and begin to forecast with hard numbers rather than pure instinct. I’ve gone
from 10 links in my chain to one, and that's why it's changed my life!
As a very hands-on founder, how has switching systems impacted you
operationally?
Falcone: I’m finally able to manage my inventory, my cost of sale, my margin
management, my ordering and my purchase order raising in one place — and this all informs the
products I order. I also know where my invoices are and when I have to pay. So, literally everything
from when a customer places an order through to reordering the product is there for me when I need
it.
Have lessons from your previous venture informed your decision-making at Sans
Drinks?
Falcone: At Nourished Life I was going through the process of reviewing ERP systems
as I sold the company, so I knew what was out there and what I needed. Even with that knowledge, I
still waited a year until I implemented NetSuite — which was too long! I wish I’d had it
from day one.
What are your growth plans and how will NetSuite support you?
Falcone: NetSuite is now at the heart of Sans Drinks. I’m developing my own
product lines, looking at new physical stores and moving towards a franchise model, all of which
will be run and operated via NetSuite. The future is exciting.
What advice would you give to people who want to follow in your footsteps?
Falcone: My biggest advice to entrepreneurs is to carefully assess all of the links
in the chain of your business. If one of those links is broken, your business is not running
optimally. Having visibility over every link can be the difference between success and failure,
which is why investment in a system like NetSuite should be paramount, even when the operation is
small. The right system will catapult your business forward. The wrong one can end it before it even
gets going.
Are you being held back by basic accounting software? Here are four signs that
you’re ready to upgrade to an ERP system.
