Shopify Masters | The ecommerce business and marketing podcast for ambitious entrepreneurs
Shopify
Do you want to start your own business? Great! But how do you actually do it? Don't worry, we've got you covered on Shopify Masters, an official podcast from Shopify. Each week, hosts Shuang Esther Shan and Adam Levinter sit down with entrepreneurs and e-commerce experts as they share their experiences running successful online stores. Learn how to create social media ads that pay off, how to optimize your website for sales, what it takes to find the right supplier and so much more.
- 27 minutes 37 secondsHow 12 Founders Are Using AI To Get Ahead
Twelve founders building on Shopify reveal exactly how they’re using AI right now—the tools, the tactics, and where to draw the line. Here’s the playbook being written in real time by the founders of Figs, Therabody, The Black Tux, Loftie, and more.
For more details on this episode and show notes click here
30 April 2026, 4:30 am - 35 minutes 11 secondsHow Loftie Sold 200,000 Alarm Clocks Without VC Money
Matthew Hassett noticed that smartphones were ruining sleep, so he built Loftie, a screen-free alarm clock, to fix it. Without venture capital or paid press, he grew the brand to more than 200,000 units sold, and earned Wirecutter’s top alarm clock pick six years in a row.
For more on Loftie and show notes click here
28 April 2026, 4:30 am - 45 minutes 57 secondsShe Had 18 Million Followers. A Cause She Cared About Turned That Into a Business
She had 18 million followers, a product idea born from panic attacks, and zero paid ad spend on launch day. Within 24 hours, Hugz was sold out. Lexi Hensler built Give Hugz — a line of weighted stuffed animals designed to trigger deep pressure stimulation — by turning her own battle with anxiety into a brand now tripling sales year over year. But before Hugz existed, there was Lexi Llama: a merch line that launched a Christmas sweater one week before Christmas, promised worldwide delivery without knowing what international shipping cost, and ended with all four co-founders hand-signing apology cards at 2am. Every mistake became a blueprint.
In this episode, Lexi breaks down exactly how she built a brand that now stands on its own — where customers show up having never heard of Lexi Hensler:
- Why she capped the Hugz launch at 3 SKUs — and how starting with 8 nearly sank her first brand
- The Goldilocks weight (4 pounds) and why glass beads won over rice and flaxseed (hint: mold, maggots, and microwaving)
- How vulnerability in content converts better than follower count — and what she told other creators who couldn't figure out why their merch wasn't selling
- Why all four co-founders took zero salary for years, and what that looked like day to day
- How she navigates the line between sharing and oversharing — including the engagement decision she almost posted and didn't
- Why their scrappy two-person phone shoots often outperform the ones with a full professional crew
Hugz donates 10% of every purchase to mental health charities — and Lexi has personally visited every partner organization they've worked with. This is the story of getting it wrong first, and building something that outlasts you because of it.
Start Your Free Shopify Trial: https://utm.io/yt_podcast_trialSUBSCRIBE to our Youtube channel for more video episodes: https://utm.io/uhw53
For more on Hugz: https://www.shopify.com/blog/hugz-creator-led-mental-health-brand?utm_campaign=shopifymasters&utm_medium=youtube&utm_source=podcast23 April 2026, 4:30 am - 45 minutes 45 secondsHow a DIY YouTube Channel Became a Multimillion-Dollar Home Goods Brand
Lone Fox’s Drew Scott on the vintage pivot that doubled revenue, building two million subscribers without ads, and why his business model can’t be copied.
For more on Lone Fox and show notes click here
21 April 2026, 4:30 am - 36 minutes 57 secondsHow Glamnetic Went From $1 Million to $100 Million—And Nearly Lost It All in Between
What happens when the product that made you famous starts holding you back?
Kevin Gould co-founded Glamnetic in 2019 with Ann McFerran, launching a magnetic eyelash brand that exploded from $1 million to $50 million in revenue in just one year — fueled by a great product, smart growth marketing, and the COVID-era boom in DIY beauty. But when the tailwinds reversed — iOS 14 updates sent acquisition costs soaring, the lash category contracted, and revenue dipped 25% — Kevin faced a make-or-break decision.
Rather than doubling down on what was declining, he pivoted the entire business into press-on nails, a category still in its infancy. Today, Glamnetic is one of the largest press-on nail brands in the world, doing over $100 million a year.
In this episode, Kevin gets real about the unglamorous side of hypergrowth: the cash flow crunches that come with scaling too fast, the inventory mistakes that haunt you, and the emotional toll of watching revenue fall when you expected it to double. He shares how he and his team navigated the pivot, why community and brand affinity will always outlast paid acquisition, and why the best advice he can give founders is: don't grow too fast.
You'll learn:
- Why going from $1M to $50M overnight nearly broke the business
- How to manage cash flow and inventory when you're self-funded
- The marketing mix that built a real brand — not just an ad machine
- Why TikTok Shop is the biggest arbitrage opportunity right now
- How a 40,000-member Facebook community doubles as a product development engine
- The one hire every founder should prioritize early on
- What it really takes — personally and professionally — to turn a pivot into a $100M business
16 April 2026, 4:30 am - 40 minutes 39 secondsThe Dropshipping Method That Turns First-Time Sellers Into Million-Dollar Founders
Supreme Ecom’s AC Hampton breaks down how he turned a dropshipping business into $1.8 million in six months—and why it’s the smartest path to brand ownership.
For more on Supreme E-com and show notes, click here
14 April 2026, 4:30 am - 47 minutes 6 secondsHow Pistakio Grew 10x by Letting Customers Build the Brand
Two recent college grads turned a dorm room pistachio recipe into a fast-growing food brand—by letting their community call the shots.
Nicola Buffo and Francine Voit, co-founders of Pistakio, share how they pivoted from pistachio mayo to a sweet pistachio spread one week before their first big grocery pitch, built a loyal following on social media because a college professor forced them to start posting, and turned customer DMs into their best-selling products—including their crunchy spread and date bark.
In this episode, Nico and Fran talk about:
- How a last-minute product pivot landed them in Portland's biggest local retailer
- Why they said no to Shark Tank and Target before they were ready
- How community-led product development drove 10x growth
- Building a brand in public from day one (even with terrible dorm room lighting)
- The café tour strategy that gets customers to try the product risk-free
- Navigating a business partnership that's also a romantic relationship
- The $20,000 TikTok agency mistake and what they learned from it
- Why taste—not health trends—is their only non-negotiable
Whether you're starting a food business, looking for community-driven marketing strategies, or figuring out when to say no to big opportunities, this episode is packed with real talk and actionable advice for ecommerce entrepreneurs.
For more on Pistakio and show notes click here: https://www.shopify.com/blog/pistakio-community-led-product-development?utm_campaign=shopifymasters&utm_medium=youtube&utm_source=podcast
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more video episodes: https://utm.io/uhw539 April 2026, 4:30 am - 38 minutes 6 secondsThe Marketing Mistake Most Brands are Making Today (+ How to Fix It)
Flamingo Estate stayed true to its roots and built an eight-figure brand by saying no to almost every piece of outside advice.
For more on Flamingo Estate and show notes click here.
7 April 2026, 4:30 am - 37 minutes 49 secondsHow One Ingredient Changed 20,000 Lives and Built a Wellness Empire
Premier League soccer player Thomas Robson-Kanu turned a career-threatening injury into a mission—building The Turmeric Co., a raw functional beverage brand now reaching customers across 15,000 UK retail locations.
For more on The Turmeric Co and show notes click here
2 April 2026, 4:30 am - 34 minutes 2 secondsWhy Celebrities Are Getting Into Business (And What Most Get Wrong)
Kimberly Kreuzberger, founder of Pivot Projects, shares her framework for finding influencers who actually convert, briefing them, and scaling strategically.
For more on Pivot Projects and show notes click here.
31 March 2026, 4:30 am - 36 minutes 28 secondsHe Built One of Canada’s Biggest Fashion Brands—Then Walked Away to Start Over
Inder Bedi spent 18 years building Matt & Nat into a global fashion brand—then walked away. Burned out by offshore production and boardroom economics, he came back with a radical new vision: Bedi Studios, premium outerwear built from waste materials in Montreal and guaranteed for life.
For more on Bedi Studios and show notes click here
26 March 2026, 4:30 am - More Episodes? Get the App