

The Shopify Growth Show
Jim Huffman
What would you do if you were starting today? To help, here are half-baked startup ideas, growth marketing tactics, and stories from founders and creators - including my own journey as a bootstrapped business owner. All of the content is centered around helping founders, creators, and investors starting today.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 1, 2023 • 53min
The Journey of a Rock Star with Steve Selvidge of The Hold Steady (#126)
Jim is joined by musician Steve Selvidge of The Hold Steady to chat about how musicians can make money in 2023 as well as what it takes to live the rockstar life.TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODEDeciding to become a musicianRock and Roll in the 90’sThe value of obsessionThe inflection pointGoing soloMaking money in music in 2023Half-baked startup ideasResources:Steve SelvidgeThe Hold SteadyJim Huffman websiteJim's TwitterGrowthHitThe Growth Marketer's Playbook Additional episodes you might enjoy:Startup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45)Nathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41)How I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44)Ryan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10)How We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)

Apr 24, 2023 • 54min
How this Growth Agency Went from 0 to 75 People & What Makes a Great DTC Brand (#125)
This week, Jim talks with the founders of Dark Room to talk shop about the nuances of running a growth agency amid changing trends in the digital media space. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODEPartner StoryDigital Marketing space evoluttionGrowing a 70 person agencyHow to hire creativesHow to find high growth businessesHow is Jim growing businessesResources:DarkroomJim Huffman websiteJim's TwitterGrowthHitThe Growth Marketer's PlaybookAdditional episodes you might enjoy:Startup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45)Nathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41)How I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44)Ryan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10)How We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)

Apr 17, 2023 • 55min
From idea to $24M in 2 Years with this Skincare CEO, Ming Zhao (#124)
This week, Ming Zhao the Co-founder and CEO of PROVEN Skin Care talks about how she is revolutionizing an industry through data and AI. She shares her story of progressing through Y Combinator while also being pregnant the important philosophies of work life balance that have accompanied her success.TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODEUsing data and AI in novel industriesThe Skin Genome DatabaseGoing through Y CombinatorDeveloping a business modelProduct formulation and testingLove your job, live your lifeResources:ProvenJim Huffman websiteJim's TwitterGrowthHitThe Growth Marketer's Playbook Additional episodes you might enjoy:Startup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45)Nathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41)How I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44)Ryan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10)How We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)

Apr 10, 2023 • 39min
How to Build a Community in 2023 with Natalie Ellis of Bossbabe (#123)
This week, Jim is joined by Natalie Ellis of Bossbabe to talk about how to grow an engaged community in 2023. Things get tactical as Natalie discusses the importance of focus and developing content systems. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODEFocusing on one channel: Youtube, Email, or PodcastThe value of quality contentCommunity building tacticsThe difference between audience and community Content MachinesPersonal growth and evolutionResources:BossbabeJim Huffman websiteJim's TwitterGrowthHitThe Growth Marketer's Playbook Additional episodes you might enjoy:Startup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45)Nathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41)How I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44)Ryan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10)How We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)

Apr 3, 2023 • 31min
The $3M Challenge, 5 Startup Ideas, & the "Unreasonable Management" Philosophy(#122)
This week, Jim is joined again by Yonathan to give an update on the $3m challenge as it approaches the one year mark. The pair discuss hiring a new operator and trying out an approach called unreasonable management as well as looking at the prospect of acquiring new businesses in the future. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODEUpdate on The $3M ChallengeUnreasonable ManagementOut Investment Thesis 5 startups that caught our attention Resources:Jim Huffman websiteJim's TwitterGrowthHitThe Growth Marketer's Playbook Additional episodes you might enjoy:Startup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45)Nathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41)How I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44)Ryan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10)How We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)

Mar 27, 2023 • 46min
From Making $5.5M in the MLB to Founder & Financial Planner with Jacob Turner (#121)
This week, Jim is joined by former MLB pitcher and Entrepreneur Jacob Turner, who shares his Journey from no. 1 draft pick to financial advisor to the athletes and entrepreneurs. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODEWelcome to the big leaguesSetting a budget from a huge paydaySimilarities between entrepreneurship and professional sportsWhat’s wrong with wealth management Financial advice for entrepreneursHow much should you put back into the businessShortening the trust curve Resources:Jacob Turner Twitter JL Strategic WealthJim Huffman websiteJim's TwitterGrowthHitThe Growth Marketer's Playbook Additional episodes you might enjoy:Startup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45)Nathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41)How I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44)Ryan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10)How We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)

Mar 20, 2023 • 58min
Liquid Mind: Scaling to $100M with Frameworks for Innovative Thinking by Will Hughes (#120)
This week, Jim is joined by Will Hughes as he shares his unique framework for encouraging creative thinking and solutions for entrepreneurs. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODECreating liquid mindHarnessing frameworksBreaking thought patternsUsing another perspectiveExposure to different ways of thinkingCopy cultureOxford frameworkSpecific applications Resources:Liquid Mind WebsiteWill HughesJim Huffman websiteJim's TwitterGrowthHitThe Growth Marketer's Playbook Additional episodes you might enjoy:Startup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45)Nathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41)How I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44)Ryan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10)How We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)

27 snips
Mar 13, 2023 • 52min
How to Make Millions with Newsletters from the "Newsletter Growth Guy" | Matt McGarry (#119)
Matt McGarry, The newsletter guy who has helped grow newsletters like Milk Road, The Hustle, and Ben's Bytes, shares tactical info on growing subscriber numbers and making money from newsletters. Topics include charging for a meeting, pricing frameworks, content market fit, newsletter frameworks, getting your first 1k subscribers, and monetizing.

Mar 6, 2023 • 55min
How to Get Your First 1000 Customers with the KickOff Labs CEO, Josh Ledgard (#118)
This week, Jim is joined by Josh Ledgard of Kickoff Labs as they chat about validating startup ideas, being your own angel investor, and scrappy growth tactics to get you to your first 1000 customers. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODELearning while being paidIdentifying the inflection pointValidating startup ideasGetting the first 100 customersScrappy growth after the first 100 customersAngel funding yourselfManaging a lean teamFighting feature bloatTactics working right nowPricing strategiesNavigating the visionResources:KickoffLabsJosh Ledgard BlogJim Huffman websiteJim's TwitterGrowthHitThe Growth Marketer's PlaybookSponsor: This episode is sponsored by Remotely Talents. Hire ridiculously talented offshore staff that cost 40%-80% less than EU or US-based equivalents Additional episodes you might enjoy:Startup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45)Nathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41)How I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44)Ryan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10)How We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)

Feb 27, 2023 • 47min
Making $2.3M With 4 Employees and (Only) 1 Meeting a Week | Tommy Griffith Pt 2 (#117)
This week we hear the the second part of Jim's conversation with Tommy Griffith co-founder of ClickMinded. Tommy shares his insights into the importance of simplicity, and explains why simple is not the same as easy.TOPICS DISCUSSED IN TODAY’S EPISODEBest new growth leversSimplicity: Don’t be a midwitSimple is not easySunk Cost FallacyBeing aggressively intentional with your technology/attentionFishing parableResources:Tommy's Blog post: Incredibly Difficult and Pointlessly ComplicatedClickmindedJim Huffman websiteJim's TwitterGrowthHitThe Growth Marketer's PlaybookSponsor: This episode is sponsored by Remotely Talents. Hire ridiculously talented offshore staff that cost 40%-80% less than EU or US-based equivalents Additional episodes you might enjoy:Startup Ideas by Paul Graham (#45)Nathan Barry: How to Bootstrap a Company to $30M in a Crowded Market (#41)How I Met My Biz Partner and Less Learned Hitting $2M ARR (#44)Ryan Hamilton on his Netflix special, touring with Jerry Seinfeld, & how to write a joke (#10)How We're Validating Startup Ideas (#51)


