The Unofficial Shopify Podcast

One of the most successful Shopify businesses I've run across doesn't sell any physical goods at all. They sell digital goods and did $1 million in revenue in their first year. Joining us to share his journey is Gary Martin, the co-founder of RGG EDU, a documentary based production company that specializes in the most comprehensive photography & Photoshop tutorials in the world. After turning down a lucrative job opportunity on Apple's Cupertino software development team, Gary decided to launch his own career in photography and never work for anyone again. Within a few years, he again made the dramatic decision to ditch client services and instead go on a journey to create the world's best and highest quality educational content. Three years after launching their store on Shopify, they are recognized as one of the premier educational resources for photography. We are in 150 countries worldwide, have the best photography podcast on the internet, and get to travel the world and learn from the best photographers in the world. Listen now... — Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via Email Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on iTunes Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on Stitcher Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via RSS Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Work with Kurt — Learn: How they use conferences and the “Netflix effect” to create content marketing How having a clear position statement helped drive their business Why having a business partnership has worked to grow their business How they marketed their first products successfully on social media The advantages of joint venture products Exactly how they automate product delivery Gary's advice for all Shopify store owners Links Mentioned: RGG EDU The RGG EDU Podcast Calendly Conversio FetchApp SurveyMonkey The Complete Guide To Product Photography & Retouching 2017 Ecommerce Holiday Email Marketing Guide Are you putting off creating a holiday email marketing plan because planning emails is a chore? In this no-fluff executive summary, you'll learn every opportunity to send holiday emails, how to write subject lines that get opened, how many emails to send to maximize revenue, and one tip to not annoy customers. ☞ Get the 2017 Ecommerce Holiday Email Marketing Guide now If you are less than 100% satisfied with your purchase and email me saying so, I will immediately click the Refund button and return 100% of your money, no questions asked.

In 2012, Doug Geiger stole his wife’s crockpot, bought $400 worth of lanolin while already in debt, and powered through his own self-doubt and anxiety to start his beard care company. Today, Doug’s products can be found in over 150 stores nationwide. Doug is not only the founder of Can You Handlebar he is the driving force behind the company and its myriad endeavors. Having found success with Can You Handlebar, Doug does what he can when he can to encourage that success in others. In this episode, he walks us through both his journey and his mindset for success. If you’re looking for the secret sauce to building a durable business that supports the life you want, you’ll want to hear what Doug believes is a realistic & sustainable approach to achieve that dream. Listen now. Then join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group and comment with your biggest “Ah-ha” moment or take away from this episode, and you could win $150 in Can You Handlebar products! — Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via Email Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on iTunes Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on Stitcher Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via RSS Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Work with Kurt — Learn: Doug’s mindset for success How Doug went from idea to product “If you can’t tap into your virtue, then tap into your vices” How Doug powered through anxiety and self-doubt The mistakes Doug made in their first two years (and how you can avoid them.) The first way he created working revenue for the business How he got his products in hundreds of stores nationwide. How to make your success inevitable Links Mentioned: Can You Handlebar Kurt’s Shopify Case Study Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday Shop Can You Handlebar’s products and use KURTSDISCOUNT to get 15% off Win $150 giveaway from Can You Handlebar: Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group and comment with your biggest “Ah-ha” moment or take away from this episode, and you could win $150 in Can You Handlebar products!

Do you feel overwhelmed? In discussions and surveys from Shopify store owners and listeners of this show, we’ve learned one thing: you feel overwhelmed. That’s the number one answer to the question, “What’s the number one problem you’re facing with your Shopify store right now?” In today’s episode, I sat down with an author who was instrumental in the success of my business. You’ve heard me recommend Sean D’Souza’s book, The Brain Audit, has been frequently on this show, and it was my honor to learn Sean’s approach to productivity. Speaking with him, it became clear that he’s as disciplined as he is relaxed. His mindset to overcoming overwhelm is both inventive and actionable. Sean takes three months of vacation every year and yet is one of the most productive people I’ve met. Whether you’re feeling stressed or just plain stuck, Sean’s advice could change the way you’re building your business and even living life. Listen now. — Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via Email Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on iTunes Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on Stitcher Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via RSS Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Work with Kurt — Learn: Why being busy isn’t a status symbol How rest can improve your productivity Why you need downtime built into your work & life Recognizing the difference between being overwhelmed & distracted Sean’s “Bare Minimum” approach to projects Setting triggers instead of alarms The importance of accountability Why do people fail Links Mentioned chronologically: The Brain Audit: Free Excerpt Sean’s Website, Psycho Tactics Check out Sean’s podcast, The Three-Month Vacation Podcast 2017 Ecommerce Holiday Email Marketing Guide Are you putting off creating a holiday email marketing plan because planning emails is a chore? In this no-fluff executive summary, you'll learn every opportunity to send holiday emails, how to write subject lines that get opened, how many emails to send to maximize revenue, and one tip to not annoy customers. ☞ Get the 2017 Ecommerce Holiday Email Marketing Guide now If you are less than 100% satisfied with your purchase and email me saying so, I will immediately click the Refund button and return 100% of your money, no questions asked.il-flow-automation/)

If you listen to this show, you probably doing some email marketing for your Shopify store. One problem: so does everyone else. It's tough to stand out, and it's certainly tough to innovate with new campaign ideas that achieve meaningful results. In today's episode, we'll do some outside the box thinking to build growth into your ecommerce email campaigns. Joining us to discuss it is Shanelle Mullin from Shopify. She’s a content creator who helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses faster. She's a jill-of-all-trades marketer with a 10-year background in content marketing and optimization. — Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via Email Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on iTunes Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on Stitcher Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via RSS Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Work with Kurt — Learn: What are the ecommerce growth multipliers and why do they matter? The formula for increasing with revenue without spending more on traffic How to increase average order value How to increase customer lifetime value A data-driven approach to email marketing Four email campaigns you can start running today Links Mentioned chronologically: 4 Little-Known Ecommerce Email Campaigns You Can Steal to Grow Faster Drew Sanocki’s Need Marketing Bold Apps Product Upsell Bold Brain 9 Google Analytics Custom Reports by the Experts Klaviyo Free Trial @Shanelle_Mullin Shanelle’s Shopify Articles Black Friday is around the corner Are you prepared? Adding email marketing automation to your store can help make this your best holiday season ever: ☞ https://ethercycle.com/pricing/email-flow-automation/ 2017 Ecommerce Holiday Email Marketing Guide Are you putting off creating a holiday email marketing plan because planning emails is a chore? In this no-fluff executive summary, you'll learn every opportunity to send holiday emails, how to write subject lines that get opened, how many emails to send to maximize revenue, and one tip to not annoy customers. ☞ Get the 2017 Ecommerce Holiday Email Marketing Guide now If you are less than 100% satisfied with your purchase and email me saying so, I will immediately click the Refund button and return 100% of your money, no questions asked.ok")

The archetypal internet startup story is this: two room mates start a website out of their dorm room, and rapidly become so successful, going to college doesn't even make sense anymore. I've yet to meet anyone who fit that mold, until now. Six years ago, Max Zitney and his twin brother, Zach, started selling beef jerky with $1,200 and a website from their Ohio State University apartment as college sophomores. In 2015, JerkyXP was selected as one of 20 Chase Mission Main Street grant recipients (from more than 30,000 applicants) to receive $100,000. Six months ago, they sold their business to focus on a new B2B ecommerce venture. So how did they do it? What happened between then and now? In this episode, Max lays out their journey and the exact strategies they used to the grow (and exit) their business. — Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via Email Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on iTunes Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on Stitcher Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via RSS Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Work with Kurt — Learn: How they bootstrapped an ecommerce business from a college apartment The exact strategy they used to turn Twitter followers into buyers The hidden fees to watch out for when choosing a 3PL Why they switched to Facebook Live for social media promotion When they knew to sell their business Links Mentioned chronologically: JerkyXP @JerkyXP @JackTheCEO Ships-a-Lot Black Friday is around the corner Are you prepared? My done-for-you Facebook Sales Funnels can help make this your best holiday season ever: ☞ https://ethercycle.com/pricing/facebook-sales-funnel/

If you’ve ever worked with me on something, then you know I love automation. All kinds of automation. My house is loaded with home automation gadgets, and my business has been built on marketing automation. Why? Because it saves time, keeps me efficient, and is all-around convenient. Automation never sleeps. Which is why at last year’s Shopify Unite, there was one feature announcement in particular that piqued my interest. We were shown a new feature that would allow you to create automation workflows right in your Shopify admin. It was called Flow, and I was very excited to try it. Adding automation to your business represents a potentially tremendous revenue boost for ecommerce stores. Research shows that business automation leads to more productivity and higher revenues. On September 18th, Flow left beta and was published publicly in the Shopify App Store for any Plus customer to use. But should you use it? What can you do with it? To find out, we’ll talk to two people on both sides of the table about their Flow experience. First, we’ll hear from David Moellenkamp, the Director of Product at Shopify Plus, about how they’ve built Flow to solve the problems of Shopify’s highest volume merchants (and what their vision for Flow is long-term.) Then we’ll hear from Michelle Frey-Tarbox, the backend guru at Shinesty who will tell us about her experience with Flow and how it helped her as she operationally supported Shinesty’s brand growth from launch to $5M in 3 years. If you aren’t exploring automation now, you’re going to be outpaced quickly by competitors. In this episode, we’ll learn how to use Shopify Flow’s automation can make your everyday processes wildly more efficient. Listen now. — Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via Email Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on iTunes Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on Stitcher Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via RSS Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Work with Kurt — Learn: What is ecommerce automation? What is Shopify Flow? What are some of the benefits of Flow? How is Flow delivering on ecommerce automation? What are some examples of Flow? What are some of the results Shinesty has experienced using Flow? How has Flow impacted Shinesty? Links Mentioned chronologically: What Is Ecommerce Automation? Shopify Flow Kurt’s Plus info Shinesty

If there’s one industry that’s harder than most to market, it’s fashion. Why is it so intrinsically difficult to market a fashion store? And if we know why, what can we do about it? Joining us to break it down is Jacklyn Deans. Jacklyn Deans is the Founder and Principal eCommerce Consultant at Flash + Color. Flash + Color helps Fashion, Beauty, and Lifestyle brands establish and expand their businesses online. With over 15 years of eCommerce and Digital Marketing experience, she advises brands on how to exponentially increase sales, boost engagement, and create loyal customers. — Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via Email Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on iTunes Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on Stitcher Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via RSS Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Work with Kurt — Learn: What are the top mistakes Fashion, Beauty, and Lifestyle eCommerce businesses make? Why & how you NEED to create great buyer personas? Jacklyn’s secret for getting market research for free. Why is it so important to make a Marketing Calendar for your business? What are the elements of a good marketing Calendar? Links Mentioned chronologically: Jacklyn’s Flash & Color IBISWorld Mintel Reports Jacklyn’s Free Buyer Persona Worksheet Free Guide I want to send you a sample chapter of Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com

In the last several years, big data has been a buzzword. But big data is just that: big. It can be overwhelming. Today we’re going to talk about small data: customer research. Customer research is vital to high-impact marketing. Let’s say you’ve found something gone awry in your Google Analytics. A page that underperforms, what do you do about it? That’s where Customer Research and “small data” can be immensely valuable. Josh Frank of TestingTriggers.com joins us today to talk us through it. For years, Josh has been been working with eCommerce companies to optimize their websites for higher revenue using a blend of marketing and technical expertise to improve conversion rates. Josh formerly headed up ecommerce teams and worked to pioneer testing cultures within organizations. Now, he works exclusively on getting eCommerce stores more profit through profitable customer research and a/b testing. Listen now. — Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via Email Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on iTunes Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on Stitcher Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via RSS Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Work with Kurt — Learn: What is customer research? The simplest approach to start with customer research What to look for (and what to do with) your research What’s holding you back from doing customer research Josh’s favorite tool for customer research Example site polls to run Links Mentioned chronologically: TestTriggers.com Kurt’s Order Confirmation Template Hotjar Josh’s user research templates and scripts Hotjar extended 90-day trial @joshfrank Free Guide I want to send you a sample chapter of Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com

It’s 2017, forget about flying cars, where are our smart clothes? Today’s guest is making smarter clothes Peter Netzel of Kelvin Techstyles joins us today to discuss his journey. He drops a megaton knowledge bomb regarding sourcing and manufacturing products through Alibaba. If you’ve ever considered having a product manufactured, but didn’t know where to start, Peter makes it sound easy. Listen now. — Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via Email Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on iTunes Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on Stitcher Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via RSS Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Work with Kurt — Learn: Peter’s advice for “frugal innovation” Why limitations can create innovation The false constraint holding you back Realistic manufacturing options for entreprenuers Why Peter did the opposite of Kickstarter How to source product with a “shotgun approach” Where to be careful when working with manufacturers The different types of manufacturers Optimizing your Amazon ranking Links Mentioned: Kelvin Techstyles Kelvin Techstyles on Amazon Alibaba Free Guide I want to send you a sample chapter of Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com

If this show had a mantra, it might be "People buy from people, not brands." I've certainly said it enough times because I believe firmly in the power of selling H2H, human to human. I've seen solopreneuer stores try so hard to make themselves look bigger than they are, and we see right through it. Hey, I did the same thing when I started my own business eight years ago. But one of the turning points that leveled up our business was when I got out in front of as the face of the brand. It's something I've seen as a common characteristic of successful online brands And today's guest does a great job at it. He was on our show last summer as well after moving his store onto Shopify and experiencing explosive growth after a successful free plus shipping campaign. Now he's back to update us how his business grown in the last year through his personal video content marketing Joining us today is Beav Brodie from Tactical Baby Gear. Beav developed Tactical Baby Gear and brought it to market in 2013 using Instagram as a platform to promote and sell it initially. He came from a 15 year career as a custom car builder and knew some, but very little about e-commerce, and had to learn everything on his own The results have been extraordinary Listen now. — Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via Email Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on iTunes Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on Stitcher Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via RSS Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Work with Kurt — Learn: Beav’s approach to video Why you shouldn’t sell directly How to know what content to provide Why it builds trust & loyalty Why you should build a reputation, not a personal brand What you need to get started How to keep it real (and why it matters) Why you need to get out of your own What gear to use (and why you should buy a mic first) Beav’s answer to the number one question he gets to work/life balance Links Mentioned: Tactical Baby Gear Tactical Baby Gear on Facebook Rode Lapel Mic Free Guide I want to send you a sample chapter of Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com