

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast
Kurt Elster, Paul Reda
NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY, SUBSCRIBE FOR UNBEATABLE ECOM RECON – Every Tuesday since 2014, host Kurt Elster shares the Shopify success stories that nobody tells you about, straight from the entrepreneurs living it. Subscribe for a raw look at what it really takes to succeed on Shopify.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 22, 2022 • 43min
Starting a Ghost Pepper Honey Brand
Our guest today is a serial entrepreneur who shuns the hustle & grind and instead focuses on enjoying the journey of starting a business."I have had many ups and downs but one night I had a dream about my grandfather and hot honey and the name heart soul heat all came into focus."We're joined by Raoul Benavides, founder of Heart Soul Heat, a purveyor of ghost-pepper infused honey."As someone with a big entrepreneurial spirit and roots in Mexican food culture, I want to incorporate the best of my family’s legacy into some new products that I could share with everyone."Show LinksHeart Soul Heat - KURT20 for 20% your first orderPodcornPRXSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Mar 15, 2022 • 30min
Conversion Copywriting (and how Humor Helps, Maybe)
In this episode originally recorded live for a virtual audience at The Future of Ecommerce, we talk with conversion copywriter Lianna Patch about how to improve your store's copywriting and maybe even add a dash of humor.TAKEAWAYS:What are some easily fixable copy mistakes (AKA copy-tunities) you'd like to see more stores address?What's the difference between conversion copy and direct response copy?What are some non-metric based ways to measure your copy's effectiveness?Where's the best place for store owners to try using humor in their copy?Show LinksPunchline Convresion CopywritingOriginal Future of Commerce episodeEcommerceTechSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Mar 8, 2022 • 49min
Migrating to Shopify
In this episode, we talk through migrating to Shopify: things to watch out for, and experienced advice on how to make the most of migrating to Shopify.Our expert guest contributors are:Stewart Knapman who joins us from New Zealand where he is a Merchant Solutions Engineer at Shopify. Before moving to Shopify he spent the last decade working as a Shopify partner and Plus Expert helping merchants get the most out of the platform.Karl Meisterheim, author of the Liquid Weekly newsletter, and an Ethercycle team member currently working on a migration from Magento to Shopify.Show LinksDocs: Migrate to ShopifyTransporter AppMatrixify - Shopify Data Bulk Import Export Update & MigrateLiquid WeeklySponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with us to grow your store.

Mar 1, 2022 • 46min
Kelley Higney of Bug Bite Thing (Shark Tank Update)
Since creating Bug Bite Thing in 2017, Kelley has been a "Mom on a Mission" to offer the most effective chemical-free solution for insect bite relief worldwide.In 2013, Kelley Higney moved from California to Florida, only to discover the horror of living with mosquitoes. Her daughter suffered from constant mosquito bites. After many failed attempts using creams and trying home remedies, Kelley discovered a little-known tool that uses suction to help remove insect saliva/venom from under the skin. Kelley was amazed to find that the product worked and also offered instant relief.The company gained nationwide recognition in October 2019 when Kelley and her mother appeared on ABC’s hit show, ‘Shark Tank. Bug Bite Thing is Amazon’s #1 selling product for insect bite relief with over 40,000 reviews. Kelley is a member of the Fast Company Executive Board and Forbes Business Council. She has received several awards, including ‘Female Entrepreneur of the Year’ by the 2021 Stevie Awards for Women in Business 2021. She resides in South Florida with her husband, Richard, and their daughters, Leah and Lilly.Show LinksBug Bite ThingZenDeskKlaviyoSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Feb 22, 2022 • 43min
Building Community Through Challenges
Alicia Reynoso began selling online 7 years ago and has since built and exited an 8-figure brand on Amazon and Shopify.It wasn't until she launched her free 60 Day Challenge that she was able to grow a hyper engaged community around her brand. With this challenge and community of super fans, Alicia was able to scale their business, increase their customer lifetime value, generate an endless amount of UGC and differentiate themselves from the competition.Show LinksAlicia's challengemakers.comEzra's Blue Ribbon MastermindSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Feb 15, 2022 • 52min
How a Dad Started a Kids' Clothing Line in 2020
Kyle Hale spent a year teaching himself to draw so he could start Ambitious Kids, a T-shirt company for children. His designs have a retro midwestern vibe that has a way of sparking conversations. Still early in his journey, Kyle is open about the struggles he's faced starting his brand, and the lessons he's learned in the process.Show LinksAmbitious KidsDesignPickle - Gig economy design serviceBluebird Group - Retail services agencyCanvaPlaceitDribbbleBroken Record with Rick RubinThe Social Media Marketing PodcastGoodUISponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Feb 8, 2022 • 45min
Why These Teddy Bears are Exclusively Wholesale
How a family business selling teddy bears, Plush in a Rush, went from a regional traveling salesperson venture to a nationwide wholesale e-commerce store. Yes, this store is exclusively wholesale, and thriving. Having sold online for nearly 20 years, owner Todd Steinberg has a lot of unexpected and practical advice to share from his experiences.Show Linksplushinarush.comSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Feb 1, 2022 • 41min
The Future of Ecommerce
We discuss our own key takeaways Shopify's extensive Future of Ecommerce Industry Report for 2022 to arm you with the ecommerce trends, insights, and advice you need to succeed in 2022.Also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Z26-lJ6GKPsdashShow LinksThe Future of Commerce: Industry Report (2022) - Download Shopify’s complete Future of Commerce report for yourself.Or get just Shopify's Future of Ecommerce reportSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Jan 25, 2022 • 1h
AMA: Metafields, Online Store 2.0, & more
Also available in glorious HD video on YouTube: Show producer Paul Reda returns to from paternity leave and he's on fire with hot takes in this AMA episode. We answer your burning ecommerce questions. Today's themes are metafields, theming, and Online Store 2.0.Show LinksShopify BalanceShopify and JD.com unlock world’s largest ecommerce market for merchantsHelp Doc: Displaying metafields on your online storeSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Jan 18, 2022 • 45min
Ben Knegendorf's High-Ticket Dropshipping Approach
How a Walmart forklift driver with no ecommerce experience started (and sold) a series of successful dropshipping businesses. In this episode, Ben lays out his practical and repeatable approach to building legitimate high-ticket dropshipping businesses all while breaking through limiting beliefs and mindsets.Show Linksthe3dprinterguy.comempireflippers.comGary Veeshoptinyhouses.comhttps://www.shoptinyhouses.com/standingdesknation.comdropshipbreakthru.comDropShipPodcastSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.