Inventory Optimization ProAdvisory by Sharon Custer Book a free review

Advisory for distributors and manufacturers

Trust the close.

The close went through. Everything reconciled. And margin still moved, and nobody can say why. A number that reconciles on the financial report is not automatically a number that is correct.

A month-end number that matches what actually happened, and an explanation for every move in it.

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What you get

A number the CFO can defend in any room.

True

A month-end inventory number that matches the warehouse and the costing logic behind it.

Explained

Margin that can be walked through line by line, and every move in it accounted for.

Ready for the room

The board pack, the lender review, the buyer's diligence. Every figure traceable to the transactions behind it.

Why this works

What the month looks like when every line is checked.

Two closing reports produced by the method, one for a distributor and one for a manufacturer, on sample data. Timing across purchase order, receipt and invoice. Cost changes. Duplicate items. The exceptions ranked by what they are worth, so you read the 6 that matter and not the 4,000 that do not.

Open the manufacturer's report

How it works

3 steps, run as one AI workflow.

Anyone can ask AI a question. This is a workflow designed end to end, from the raw exports to the decision: the same steps, the same rules and the same checks every time, so the result can be repeated, compared month to month, and defended.

The team closes as usual

Nothing about the close changes. The usual inventory export is all it takes.

One AI workflow runs the whole review

It takes the inventory export and tests every line: timing across purchase order, receipt and invoice, cost changes, duplicate items, reserves. It compares the result with last month, ranks what moved by dollars, and drafts the month's report. The same tests, in the same order, every month.

The lines that matter, ranked

Cost in the wrong period, a costing method that changed, reserves resting on last year's demand. Found early, while each one is a small fix.

Time from the team: The usual export, then about 30 minutes reading the result.

This is how I run a diagnostic, with my own workflow, to get you the answer. Building a workflow inside your own business is the AI workflow implementation below.

Why now

A number that holds when someone pushes on it.

A lender, a buyer or a board asks one thing: where did this number come from. An AI workflow runs the same tests on every inventory line, every month, so each figure traces back to the transactions behind it, and month 6 compares cleanly with month 1. That turns the close into a position of strength: better terms from a lender, a shorter diligence, a board that moves on to the next question.

Ways to work on it

Where you are decides what you need.

Pick the one that fits. Its price, scope and timeline open underneath.

One month's close, turned into an AI closing report.

Written findings: Focused Diagnostic

PriceUS$1,500
Time5 working days

The business provides its month-end data. The work is the design of the output: an AI closing report built on that data, as provided. What moved the inventory number this month. How much cash sits in it. What in the data cannot be trusted yet, rated by severity. The 3 actions that matter, each with its dollar impact. Plus a 30-minute readout. Sample reports: a distributor and a manufacturer.

US$1,500 is the report itself. Not included: collecting or cleaning the data, fixing what the report finds, changes to the closing process, a second month. Each is quoted separately.

See the scope

Fixed and running inside the business.

Built and handed over: AI workflow implementation

PriceStarts at US$15,000
TimeAbout 3 months

One deliverable: a working AI workflow inside the business, run by its own team. One workflow, named at the start.

Scope and timeline

Weeks 1 to 3MapHow the data moves, and how your people really work: the exports, the reports, and the people who touch the number. You get the workflow map, what is wrong, and the plan. This step alone starts at US$3,500, and you can stop here.
Weeks 4 to 6DesignThe AI workflow, and the few handoffs it depends on: who records what, which date counts, who owns the number. You approve the design before anything is built.
Weeks 7 to 12Build, test and hand overBuilt into your systems, tested against numbers you already trust, and run by your team, with me beside them for the first month.

In scope: one workflow, named at the start, such as the inventory close, the buying review or the monthly report, plus the handoffs it depends on. Anything beyond that workflow gets its own quote. Most of the 3 months goes to mapping how the work really gets done, with your people, so the AI fits reality.

Talk it through

Built in-house, with senior guidance.

Coached: AI workflow build sessions

PriceUS$575 per session. 4 sessions: US$2,300
Time90 minutes per session

Live coaching while the team builds, on its own data, in its own Claude. One session unblocks one thing. 4 sessions build the whole workflow.

See the coaching

The framework, learned first.

Self-paced: Inventory month-end close with Claude

PriceUS$97
TimeSelf-paced

The framework to learn and run in-house: the closing Skill, the data map, the thresholds and the report template.

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What people who have seen the work say

Sharon is an insightful, kind, and hyper-detailed analyst. She quickly recognizes core issues and provides a clear path to the answer ... she has developed a powerful intuition and sense of clarity in a very difficult subject matter: cash and inventory optimization.
Mark Lupton Mark LuptonCFO and advisor to 8-figure companies. Founder, Greenhouse Business Advisors
She reads financial reports quickly and spots patterns, opportunities, and potential issues that others might miss, turning insights into actionable strategies. Her ability to notice hidden details and identify root causes instead of just surface issues makes her invaluable.
Charles Tu Charles TuCEO, technology manufacturer, Taiwan

And from finance leaders I have coached

She has great ability in distilling complex subject into practical workflow and application.
Emily M.Senior finance and FP&A leader. CPA, PMP
Her coaching style encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and genuine understanding rather than reliance on prescribed answers. She creates an engaging learning environment that consistently challenges and inspires students to reach a higher level.
Kim R.Head of finance, SaaS and fintech. CA(SA)
Sharon is an excellent hands-on instructor. Her coaching is amazing and her AI skills are incredible.
Jimmy S.Fractional CFO. CPA, ABV

Read all 15 on the coaching page

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