"I wanted to create a product that could be the yoga pant for the foot." Rob Fraser, former pro cyclist and the founder of Outway, believes socks should do more than cover your feet. Drawing from his background in sport, Fraser has crafted a brand that blends durability with everyday style. In this episode, he shares the unlikely story of how a tho…

Kevin Lavelle’s got a knack for big ideas and starting fresh. First, he took on menswear with Mizzen+Main, bringing performance fabric to dress shirts and making them a hit with pro athletes and office rebels alike. Now he’s back with something new—a baby monitor. Yep, from dress shirts to baby tech. In this episode, he breaks down the whole journe…

“We’re doing about 1,500 pairs a day… we’re gonna hit eight figures this year, probably next year for sure.” You know that favorite pair of sunglasses you can’t throw away? Brandon Dill turned that frustration into an 8-figure business. He’s the founder of Fuse Lenses, a brand built on bringing those scratched shades back to life. In this episode, …

Tired of logging into five different portals just to make a return? Shopify says enough. Patrick Millegan joins Kurt Elster to talk about the new customer account extensions, designed to simplify logins, reduce support headaches, and make online shopping enjoyable again. It’s a step forward for UX that proves e-commerce should be easy for everyone.…

Mindset, AI, and ghost hunting— Smart Marketer Live wasn’t your typical marketing event. We break down the big ideas that got us thinking (and laughing) in Denver. You'll get an inside look at the conference, featuring attendee interviews that explore themes like artificial intelligence in business, strategic reinvestment, and the evolving role of …

Harshdeep Singh Hura didn’t just stumble into the Shopify partner community—he helped build it. In this episode, we meet the first-ever recipient of the Shopify Community Award, whose open-source projects now power nearly 8% of the app ecosystem. Harshdeep shares his 10-year journey, from hacking together iOS apps as a teenager to leading a full-se…

What if you could boost your Shopify sales without relying on data or endless meetings? Oddit's unconventional approach has turned heads—stripping away feedback loops, simplifying designs, and focusing on clarity above all else. Oddit co-founder Shaun Brandt joins to share his experience delivering over 10,000 UX audits, helping brands increase con…

“It’s truly magic. That’s the word I use internally to describe what we’re doing here.” What if you could turn $800K into $26 million in just 18 months—using nothing but Facebook ads? That’s exactly what Depesh Mandalia did. In this episode, he breaks down how he went from figuring out Facebook ads the hard way to running an agency that’s managed o…

“Honestly, I think my best customers don’t even look at the discounts. They get the email, see the new pants, and just say, ‘I want them.’” Black Friday: the annual marketing frenzy brands prep for all year. Kurt Elster sits down with Colby Kane of Aviator USA, who has a refreshingly different approach. No cringe sales gimmicks, just a smart, no-no…

"I can't stop talking about partial payment, apparently." – Diana Birsan Co-founder of Downpay and former Shopify Product Manager, Diana Birsan, joins us to break down how she built Downpay, the app that lets merchants offer partial payments for pre-orders, custom-made products, and more. It’s a potential game-changer for stores with long lead time…

“It’s truly magic. That’s the word I use internally to describe what we’re doing here.” We chat with Vikram Anreddy, Head of Product for Finance at Shopify, about how Shopify is making money management way easier for merchants. Taxes, loans, cash flow—it’s all getting simplified with Shopify Finance, a one-stop shop for all your business finances. …

“Most brands just send out samples and then it’s done. We go the extra mile that 99% of brands do not do.” Building a multi-million dollar business typically involves more than wedding invitations and viral TikToks. Yet for Josh Hadley, it began precisely there. In this episode, he recounts the evolution of his e-commerce brand, Hadley Designs, fro…

“PR is the highest leverage activity, and we’re not taught that because it’s easier to just create a reel and hope it goes viral.” In this episode of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, we meet Gloria Chou, a PR coach on a mission to break down the barriers of traditional media. Gloria didn’t take the expected path into public relations—she reinvented …

Also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/djnSFyBsB7M We explore Shopify’s latest updates to simplify customer acquisition through its Shop Campaigns tool. Host Kurt Elster talks with Shopify's Andrius Baranauskas, Product Director for Shop Campaigns, Shopify's not-so-secret weapon for getting new customers on autopilot. Later, Nathan Onesian, Di…

“I’m a builder. I want to be building a team, building an exceptional product, and competing every day.” Kyle Hency had a simple goal: create a brand that speaks authentically to men like him. What started as a fun idea among friends quickly grew into Chubbies, a $100M+ brand known for its short shorts and unapologetic personality. In this episode,…

"Our number one best-selling product… it’s called the Dink Master." Enhance Pickleball's Connor Hance shares his incredible journey from college tennis player to the leading content creator and entrepreneur in the fast-growing world of pickleball. 🎯 Episode Highlights: Connor's transition from tennis to pickleball during the pandemic. How Connor’s …

Hear how Austin Beals hacked his way out of a chronic skin condition to create Dermazen, a skincare brand that’s bringing in $5 million a year. No investors, no BS— just one man’s obsessive quest to relieve his own seborrheic dermatitis symptoms that turned into a product line changing lives. Austin talks about bootstrapping with a small SBA loan, …

Tackle the increasingly troubling issue of returns fraud in the e-commerce world. As return fraud rises, this once-overlooked issue is now a major concern for online retailers. You'll learn how fraudsters are gaming the system and the wild, often unnoticed, methods they're using to rip off small businesses. Brace yourself for a journey into the les…

“Most Shopify themes are built by developers to create an online store catalog, not a converting funnel.” In this episode of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, Kurt Elster talks with Matthew Stafford, the CEO of BuildGrowScale, about finding success in e-commerce. Stafford, who went from selling t-shirts to mastering conversion rate optimization (CRO)…

Step into the rebellious side of marketing with this episode of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast. Molly Pittman from Smart Marketer joins to rip up the rulebook on conventional advertising. We dive into the creation of "Goodsellas," a grassroots, "Goodfellas"-inspired commercial that flips traditional marketing on its head. Their conversation reveals…

"Buying a business is so much faster than building one and so much safer if you buy big enough." Also on YouTube: youtu.be/BuDtoDsC4tA Get the inside scoop on buying and selling Shopify stores from Gregory Elfrink at Empire Flippers. From the highs of a $13 million payday to the lows of emotional burnout, Gregory spills the secrets and dirty truths…

Also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fIDw3fvPPgI Unpack the intricacies of Shopify's Checkout Extensibility— a feature poised to revolutionize online commerce. Michael Elmgreen, Shopify's Product Director, discusses the rationale behind this upgrade, enhancing security and streamlining customization. Blake Waldron provides a developer's-eye view of th…

Reprise Activewear founder Mary Bemis takes us through her incredible journey from launching a Kickstarter campaign to building a sustainable activewear brand that has caught the attention of Self Magazine and The View. She opens up about the gritty realities of bootstrapping—dealing with shady manufacturers, losing thousands, and balancing a day j…

Get ready for a deep dive into what really makes customers stick around or peace out. Professor Daniel McCarthy unravels the myths around churn rates and why a low number isn't always a high-five moment for businesses. If data drives your decisions, this episode is an indispensable resource for anyone navigating the complexities of subscription bus…

Vicky Pasche, a Shark Tank alum and co-founder of Dapper Boi, reveals how a personal quest for authenticity led to the creation of a groundbreaking apparel line. Dapper Boi's innovative apparel line challenges traditional fashion norms by offering all-gender, size-inclusive clothing. Vicky discusses her journey from personal struggle to entrepreneu…