The Unofficial Shopify Podcast

Shopify wunderkind Ezra Firestone walks us through his $700K holiday sale. DONT MISS THIS EPISODE. We'll find out: How 14,573 of their most engaged subscribers generated the most revenue The breakdown of the holiday email strategy, which they used to build excitement and generate sales The Holiday ad campaign generated a 10x return on ad spend Why they opted for a simple, to-the-point landing page design this year (and why it was effective) The exact way they optimize their product detail page And more! Tune in for more details! Resources BOOM by Cindy Joseph Zipify SmartMarketer Great product photo example: Harry's Ezra's product detail page example Ezra's Holiday Sales Training Share your thoughts Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Share this show on Twitter Never miss an episode Subscribe on iTunes Join Kurt's newsletter Help the show Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings & reviews help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes What's Kurt up to? See our recent work at Ethercycle Take a ride with Kurt on YouTube Grow Your Store in 2018 Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store. Prefer to DIY? Read a free sample chapter of Kurt's book Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com Learn what's Shopify Plus got that regular Shopify doesn’t?” Sponsors Try Bold Product Upsell free for 90 days Save 20% on Turbo, a blazing fast Shopify theme Improve your shop’s search engine ranking with Venntov SEO Meta Manager Outsource your Shopify customer service with Simplr

Every year around this time, we see an influx of new people to our community looking to add to their income by starting an ecommerce business. According to a recent article in the Atlantic, "many people turn to a growing number of self-proclaimed experts promise they can teach anyone how to make a passive income selling cheap Chinese goods in the internet's largest store. Not everyone’s getting rich quick." Paul and Kurt discuss: Why it's easier to get scammed than you think How to protect yourself What to do instead Tune in for more details! Resources How to Lose Tens of Thousands of Dollars on Amazon Book: Profit First FB Group: Shopify Entreprenuers Blue Ribbon Mastermind Podcast: The Dream Share your thoughts Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Share this show on Twitter Never miss an episode Subscribe on iTunes Join Kurt's newsletter Help the show Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings & reviews help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes What's Kurt up to? See our recent work at Ethercycle Take a ride with Kurt on YouTube Grow Your Store in 2018 Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store. Prefer to DIY? Read a free sample chapter of Kurt's book Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com Learn what's Shopify Plus got that regular Shopify doesn’t?” Sponsors Try Bold Product Upsell free for 90 days Save 20% on Turbo, a blazing fast Shopify theme Improve your shop’s search engine ranking with Venntov SEO Meta Manager Outsource your Shopify customer service with Simplr

Paul Jarvis joins us to explain why he believes the real key to richer and more fulfilling work could be to not create and scale something into a massive corporation, but rather, to work for yourself, determine your own hours, and become a (highly profitable) and sustainable company of one. Paul is the author of Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing For Business. He’s worked with professional athletes like Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal, corporate giants like Microsoft and Mercedes-Benz, and entrepreneurs with online empires like Danielle LaPorte and Marie Forleo. Currently he teaches popular online courses, hosts several podcasts and develops small but mighty software solutions. Find out Paul's answers to: What are some specific prompts that will help us question growth (so that we’re not blindly growing)? Do you think the philosophies of “staying small” can reinforce self-limiting beliefs? Could it be holding someone back from their potential? Can upper-limits actually be a good thing? Why is resilience so important for companies (or companies of one)? Tune in for more details! Resources Company of One Paul Jarvis' newsletter Share your thoughts Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Share this show on Twitter Never miss an episode Subscribe on iTunes Join Kurt's newsletter Help the show Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings & reviews help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes What's Kurt up to? See our recent work at Ethercycle Take a ride with Kurt on YouTube Grow Your Store in 2018 Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store. Prefer to DIY? Read a free sample chapter of Kurt's book Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com Learn what's Shopify Plus got that regular Shopify doesn’t?” Sponsors Try Bold Product Upsell free for 90 days Save 20% on Turbo, a blazing fast Shopify theme Improve your shop’s search engine ranking with Venntov SEO Meta Manager

Wrapping up the year, my business partner (and producer of this show) Paul Reda joins me to discuss his experiences as a Shopify theme developer with ten years of experience. We'll find out: The dark truth about ecommerce design How you could be over-optimizing your store And how to approach theme performance Tune in for more details! Resources Tactical Baby Gear Sand Valley Golf Ethercycle Paul Reda Share your thoughts Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Share this show on Twitter Never miss an episode Subscribe on iTunes Join Kurt's newsletter Help the show Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings & reviews help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes What's Kurt up to? See our recent work at Ethercycle Take a ride with Kurt on YouTube Grow Your Store in 2018 Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store. Prefer to DIY? Read a free sample chapter of Kurt's book Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com Learn what's Shopify Plus got that regular Shopify doesn’t?” Sponsors Try Bold Product Upsell free for 90 days Save 20% on Turbo, a blazing fast Shopify theme Improve your shop’s search engine ranking with Venntov SEO Meta Manager Outsource your Shopify customer service with Simplr

This is the story of how a lemonade stand became turned into a successful skincare line. In less than one year, today's guest began manufacturing all-natural soap, sold out of their first 5,000 units on Amazon, gained hundreds of positive reviews for their nine-item catalog, and launched a Shopify store. All while working full-time as an ER physician with kids. It's with those kids that our story starts. After raising $3,000 in the National Lemonade Day Program in Houston to help support an orphanage in India, they sought out to explore entrepreneurship as a family... Tune in for more details! Resources iHeart Nature iHeart Nature on Amazon Jump For Joy Lemonade Share your thoughts Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Share this show on Twitter Never miss an episode Subscribe on iTunes Join Kurt's newsletter Help the show Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings & reviews help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes What's Kurt up to? See our recent work at Ethercycle Take a ride with Kurt on YouTube Grow Your Store in 2018 Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store. Prefer to DIY? Read a free sample chapter of Kurt's book Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com Learn what's Shopify Plus got that regular Shopify doesn’t?” Sponsors Try Bold Product Upsell free for 90 days Save 20% on Turbo, a blazing fast Shopify theme Improve your shop’s search engine ranking with Venntov SEO Meta Manager

Tom Ness is co-founder and former CMO of Truth Nutra and former CMO at Kinobody, and has since left both companies to pursue his new venture, Rugged Naturals - a natural personal care product brand for men. Tom is a self-taught, self-starter with a passion for building companies that create a positive impact. He has helped scale two companies from inception to nearly 8 figures in revenue apiece, impacting hundreds of thousands of lives around the world. We'll find out: The hallmarks of a brand with 8-figure potential Why selling in spite of your website represents a tremendous opportunity How one book (Ask) was a game-changer for their business Tom's "opportunity checklist" for identifying great businesses What to focus on when scaling (and the number one problem faced by most marketers) Tune in for more details! Resources Kinobody Truth Nutra Ask by Ryan Levesque The ONE Thing RuggedNaturals Share your thoughts Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Share this show on Twitter Never miss an episode Subscribe on iTunes Join Kurt's newsletter Help the show Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings & reviews help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes What's Kurt up to? See our recent work at Ethercycle Take a ride with Kurt on YouTube Grow Your Store in 2018 Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store. Prefer to DIY? Read a free sample chapter of Kurt's book Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com Learn what's Shopify Plus got that regular Shopify doesn’t?” Special Offers from our Sponsors Try Bold Product Upsell free for 90 days Improve your shop’s search engine ranking with Venntov SEO Meta Manager Save 20% on Turbo, a blazing fast Shopify theme Recapture: Shopify's best abandoned cart recovery, over $65,000,000 recovered for stores just like yours.

You already know the importance of sharing your brand’s story. I've told you over & over on this show, "People buy from people, not brands." Your story is the ultimate way to create an emotional connection with your customers so that they not only become raving fans, they share your story with their friends. Unfortunately, no one tells you HOW to write your story. Worse yet, most marketing experts don’t even know what a story is. Our guest today demonstrates this to hilarious effect on yours truly. Michael Jamin has been a professional sitcom writer since 1996. His many credits include Just Shoot Me, King of the Hill, Beavis & Butthead, Out of Practice, Wilfred, Rules of Engagement, Brickleberry, and Tacoma FD. He’s also served as Co-Showrunner/Executive Producer of Maron, Glenn Martin DDS and Rhett & Link’s Buddy System. In his spare time, Michael runs marketing for TwirlyGirl, a unique line of girls clothing started by his wife, Cynthia. By applying his sitcom writing and producing skills to their marketing videos, Michael has helped grow TwirlyGirl into a multi-million dollar brand. We'll find out: How Micheal went from Hollywood to Ecommerce The branding mistake we all make starting out How to tell your story What IS and ISNT story? Elements of a great brand story The importance of details to your story How to find your brand’s unique voice. How to craft entertaining Product Descriptions What to do if you Why video quality isn’t nearly as important as writing quality. Tune in for more details! Resources TwirlyGirl - A unique line of girls clothing started by Michael's wife, Cynthia Michael's Guide to eCommerce Branding - For those who want to improve their storytelling skills. Cardboard Rocketship - A boutique marketing agency that specializes in creating funny videos that sell. Share your thoughts Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Share this show on Twitter Never miss an episode Subscribe on iTunes Join Kurt's newsletter Help the show Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings & reviews help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes What's Kurt up to? See our recent work at Ethercycle Take a ride with Kurt on YouTube Grow Your Store in 2018 Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store. Prefer to DIY? Read a free sample chapter of Kurt's book Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com Learn what's Shopify Plus got that regular Shopify doesn’t?” Special Offers from our Sponsors Try Bold Product Upsell free for 90 days Improve your shop’s search engine ranking with Venntov SEO Meta Manager Save 20% on Turbo, a blazing fast Shopify theme Recapture: Shopify's best abandoned cart recovery, over $65,000,000 recovered for stores just like yours.

Get a glimpse into the silent crime wave that cost the US economy $16 billion last year: credit card fraud. We'll find out: How fraudsters get ahold of your customers' personal info The various fraud schemes criminals use (this is fascinating) How chargebacks work How to protect yourself Tune in for more details! Resources NoFraud NoFraud in the App Store SPECIAL OFFER: 20% off for your first three months of service when you mention The Unofficial Shopify Podcast at the end of your trial Recommended Reading: Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen - "How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground" App: Fraud Filter by Shopify Share your thoughts Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Share this show on Twitter Never miss an episode Subscribe on iTunes Join Kurt's newsletter Help the show Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings & reviews help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes What's Kurt up to? See our recent work at Ethercycle Take a ride with Kurt on YouTube Grow Your Store in 2018 Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store. Prefer to DIY? Read a free sample chapter of Kurt's book Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com Learn what's Shopify Plus got that regular Shopify doesn’t?” Special Offers from our Sponsors Try Bold Product Upsell free for 90 days Improve your shop’s search engine ranking with Venntov SEO Meta Manager Save 20% on Turbo, a blazing fast Shopify theme Recapture: Shopify's best abandoned cart recovery, over $65,000,000 recovered for stores just like yours.

In last week's episode, Kurt Bullock walked us through tips and strategies to maximize our Facebook ad budgets before the holidays. This week we build on that conversation and learn the five-phases of holiday advertising and example offers and audiences to run during the holidays. Our guest today is Karan Jassar, founder and CEO of Socioh, a social media marketing service for Shopify stores looking to optimize Facebook & Instagram ads and retargeting. Before Socioh, Karan worked for Yahoo for on all advertising systems, even playing a role in building their new search marketing system (think Adwords but for Yahoo/Bing search). That experience gave him in-depth technical knowledge of advertising and how it works on the inside. Now he works on the other side helping merchants be more successful with their advertising efforts. Karan has a Master's Degree in Computer Science from USC with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence so you know he knows what's up. We'll find out: Quick wins to boost ad conversions The new Facebook catalog option that will boost your creative The number one frustration sellers face (and what to do about it) The five-phase approach to exponentially boost your revenue Example ad campaigns to run during each phase of the holidays Tune in for more details! Resources 2018 Holiday Season: 8 proven ad campaigns you can start today Sign up here before 20th Nov to claim an exclusive offer for listeners of the Unofficial Shopify Podcast. Share your thoughts Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Share this show on Twitter Never miss an episode Subscribe on iTunes Join Kurt's newsletter Help the show Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings & reviews help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes What's Kurt up to? See our recent work at Ethercycle Take a ride with Kurt on YouTube Grow Your Store in 2018 Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store. Prefer to DIY? Read a free sample chapter of Kurt's book Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com Learn what's Shopify Plus got that regular Shopify doesn’t?” Sponsors Try Bold Product Upsell free for 90 days Save 20% on Turbo, a blazing fast Shopify theme Improve your shop’s search engine ranking with Venntov SEO Meta Manager

Get your products on your customer's minds (and wishlists) this year without blowing a fortune on Facebook ads. Kurt Bullock joins us to discuss the tactics & strategies you need to know to maximize your Facebook ads before, during, and after Black Friday. Kurt Bullock is the founder of ecommerce agency ProduceDept, our exclusive marketing partner at Ethercycle for nearly three years. We'll find out: What's different about Facebook ads marketing during the holidays vs any other time of year? The one hack to keep budgets in line going into the holidays The one ad placement you need to run (and why to run multiple placements) Budgeting strategies What percentage to set your lookalike audiences to The ad calendar blueprint to maximize your Tune in for more details! Resources Facebook Holiday Prep Checklist Share your thoughts Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group Share this show on Twitter Never miss an episode Subscribe on iTunes Join Kurt's newsletter Help the show Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings & reviews help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes What's Kurt up to? See our recent work at Ethercycle Take a ride with Kurt on YouTube Grow Your Store in 2018 Apply to work with Kurt to grow your store. Prefer to DIY? Read a free sample chapter of Kurt's book Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com Learn what's Shopify Plus got that regular Shopify doesn’t?” Sponsors Try Bold Product Upsell free for 90 days Save 20% on Turbo, a blazing fast Shopify theme Improve your shop’s search engine ranking with Venntov SEO Meta Manager