Future Commerce · 2026-01-29 · 30 min
Theory meets tarmac. Sushmitha "Sushi" Radhakrishnan runs finance and operations at Birddogs, the men's apparel brand born from a Shark Tank moment that's now selling through Dick's Sporting Goods. She breaks down what cash flow actually looks like when summer - not holidays - is your Super Bowl, tariffs hit mid-growth, and every trend cycle could make or break a season. Key takeaways: Seasonal brands need capital access during revenue troughs, not just peaks Multi-channel operations demand different buying cycles - wholesale plans months ahead while DTC converts in hours Speed separates winners in apparel - trends change faster than traditional finance approval loops Small teams need executive-level spend control with rapid scalability for growth moments Key Quotes: Sushi Radhakrishnan [00:14:49]: "Because we are a seasonal business, having access to credit cards like a Brex where we have charge cards - in those situations when we're in our cash flow troughs, having that extra flexibility is really critical to us.
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