"I don't have any really relevant credentials or qualifications when it comes to this sort of thing."

Noam Sugarman got fed up trying to find a stereo system that looked good, sounded good, and didn't require an engineering degree to buy. So he built his own. With no audio background, he launched Dum Audio, raised $75K on Indiegogo, then ditched crowdfunding platforms entirely to run pre-order campaigns on his own Shopify store, where he saw better return on ad spend. Five years and $300K+ in sales later, he's shipping hi-fi turntables, speakers, and amps direct to consumer.

We talk about pricing in a market where a stereo can cost $100 or $100,000, why his self-run Shopify campaign outperformed Indiegogo, and how 60% of his crowdfunding buyers added a subwoofer upsell he only expected a third to take.

SPONSORS

Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more
getswym.com/kurt

Cleverific - Smart order editing for Shopify
cleverific.com

Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels
zipify.com/KURT

LINKS

• Dum Audio: https://dumaudio.com/
• Design Momentum (industrial design): https://designmomentum.com/

WORK WITH KURT

Apply for Shopify Help
ethercycle.com/apply

See Our Results
ethercycle.com/work

Free Newsletter
kurtelster.com

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

"There were three or four years straight where we were like, if it doesn't go the way we need it to go, we'll close it down at the end of the year -- and then year end comes and we're just like, close enough to keep going."

Ethan Haber was a college sophomore with a studio art degree, a hamster named Mooksy, and a problem: the hamster ball hadn't been improved since the 1970s. So he invented a better one. Then came COVID, molds stuck at the Port of Long Beach, a packaging supplier who switched materials without telling him, four years of unprofitability, and social media backlash from people who don't even own hamsters.

2026 is his first profitable year. We talked about how he got to 750 retail locations, why he quit Meta ads and tripled Amazon sales, and the cold LinkedIn DM that landed him the founder of PetSmart as a mentor.

SPONSORS

Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more
getswym.com/kurt

Cleverific - Smart order editing for Shopify
cleverific.com

Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels
zipify.com/KURT

LINKS

• Happy Habitats (Shopify store): https://www.happyhabitats.net
• Happy Habitats on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com (search Happy Habitats)
• Happy Habitats on Chewy: https://www.chewy.com (search Happy Habitats)
• Happy Habitats on Walmart: https://www.walmart.com (search Happy Habitats)
• Ethan's plush work (Instagram): @HaberPlushProductions
• Jim Dougherty (PetSmart founder) book: "The Pet Project" -- search on Amazon
• P9 Design (Ethan's design partner): https://www.p9design.com
• Shopify Collective (free app): https://www.shopify.com/collective
• Mark Knology (marketplace management): [URL not provided in episode]
• Trover Saves the Universe (Squatch Games): https://troverthegame.com

WORK WITH KURT

Apply for Shopify Help
ethercycle.com/apply

See Our Results
ethercycle.com/work

Free Newsletter
kurtelster.com

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

"I think this is a revival of SEO, a little bit of a resurrection."

SEO expert Patrick Rice is back, and this time he brought receipts. His agency got a Shopify brand to show up in ChatGPT recommendations 60-70% of the time and in Google AI Overviews 86% of the time, with a 35-40% sustained increase in branded search. All in six months. We dig into the exact GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) tactics that made it happen: web consensus through listicle outreach, structured data, Reddit strategy, and why the AI search land grab looks a lot like early SEO, before the filters catch up.

SPONSORS

Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more
getswym.com/kurt

Cleverific - Smart order editing for Shopify
cleverific.com

Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels
zipify.com/KURT

LINKS

• Patrick Rice Co.: https://patrickriceco.com
• AI Visibility Audits: https://patrickriceco.com/ai
• BBC Future article: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260218-i-hacked-chatgpt-and-googles-ai-and-it-only-took-20-minutes
• Rand Fishkin / SparkToro study on AI brand consensus
• JSON-LD for SEO (Shopify app by Alana Davis)
• SEO Gets: https://seogets.com
• Screaming Frog: https://screamingfrog.co.uk
• Matrixify (Shopify app)
• Patrick Rice's first episode: https://unofficialshopifypodcast.com/episodes/patrick-rice-advanced-seo-cA2PDVhP

WORK WITH KURT

Apply for Shopify Help
ethercycle.com/apply

See Our Results
ethercycle.com/work

Free Newsletter
kurtelster.com

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

Amanda Engelman is the Director of Product at Shopify leading advertising and channel expansion. She built the Shopify Product Network, a free app that lets other Shopify merchants' products appear on your store. You earn commission on every sale, you keep the customer, and you get category expansion insights without carrying a single unit of inventory. One store earned over $3,000 in commissions in just two months.

We dig into how SPN decides what products to show (and how they're solving the "taste" problem), the checkout engineering that makes multi-merchant transactions seamless, and why this might be the lowest-risk growth lever available to Shopify merchants right now.

SPONSORS

Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more
getswym.com/kurt

Cleverific - Smart order editing for Shopify
cleverific.com

Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels
zipify.com/KURT

LINKS

• Shopify Product Network App: Shopify App Store
• Shop Campaigns: Shop Campaigns
• Amanda Engelman on LinkedIn: Amanda Engelman

WORK WITH KURT

Apply for Shopify Help
ethercycle.com/apply

See Our Results
ethercycle.com/work

Free Newsletter
kurtelster.com

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

"Even if it ends up being something that ends the universe, it at least will have been a fun ride. So let's do it."

That's what Karl Meisterheim said when Kurt pitched him on building a Shopify app. Over a year later, Promo Party Pro is live, and the journey from "this should be easy" to "why is the cart API doing that" was anything but smooth. Kurt, Paul Reda, and Karl sit down to talk through the whole thing: why free gift with purchase is Kurt's favorite promo, the edge cases that nearly broke them, the popup cooldown debate that consumed days, and what it actually takes to ship a polished app on Shopify in 2025.

SPONSORS

Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more
getswym.com/kurt

Cleverific - Smart order editing for Shopify
cleverific.com

Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels
zipify.com/KURT

LINKS

• Promo Party Pro: https://promoparty.app/
• Crowdfunder App: https://apps.shopify.com/crowdfunder
• Ethercycle: https://ethercycle.com

WORK WITH KURT

Apply for Shopify Help
ethercycle.com/apply

See Our Results
ethercycle.com/work

Free Newsletter
kurtelster.com

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

"Nobody wants to get rich slowly."

Nick Mertz started Pins and Aces with $6,000 and zero outside capital. Today, his golf lifestyle brand does $25 million a year, employs over 40 people, and ships every order from their own warehouse outside Denver. But with customer acquisition costs through the roof, Nick stopped fighting the ad auction and built an omnichannel machine instead. We break down how live selling on Whatnot and TikTok became a serious revenue channel ($400K in December alone on TikTok Shop), why licensing collabs with Coca-Cola and South Park actually boost brand legitimacy, and how wholesale is flipping from 10% to 40% of revenue. Plus: the grab bag strategy that went nuclear, and why Nick runs his family business like a sports team.

SPONSORS

Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more
getswym.com/kurt

Cleverific - Smart order editing for Shopify
cleverific.com

Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels
zipify.com/KURT

LINKS

• Pins and Aces: https://pinsandaces.com
• Nick Mertz on Instagram: https://instagram.com/nvmertz
• Pins and Aces on Instagram: https://instagram.com/pinsandaces
• Nick's first episode (June 2023): https://unofficialshopifypodcast.com/episodes/[LINK-TO-ORIGINAL-EPISODE]
• Whatnot: https://whatnot.com
• TikTok Shop: https://shop.tiktok.com

WORK WITH KURT

Apply for Shopify Help
ethercycle.com/apply

See Our Results
ethercycle.com/work

Free Newsletter
kurtelster.com

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

"I kinda told myself I need to take a step back from e-commerce. When I took a step back, e-commerce said no and put me back in."

Amer Grozdanic burned out running paid media for brands. The results were good — but never good enough. So he walked away, rebuilt his agency around what he could actually control, and landed clients like MVMT Watches and Billie Eilish without spending a dollar on ads. Today, Praella works with brands up to $400M in revenue, and Amer's seen the same blind spots in almost every store.

We dig into the Shopify features most merchants ignore (B2B, Markets, Flows, Collective), why BattlBox's Whatnot channel converts 10X better than TikTok Shop, and the one question you should ask any agency before signing a retainer.

SPONSORS

Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more
getswym.com/kurt

Cleverific - Smart order editing for Shopify
cleverific.com

Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels
zipify.com/KURT

LINKS

• Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/J3QTUEVulFc
• Praella: praella.com
• Amer on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amergrozdanic
• Whatnot: whatnot.com
• BattlBox: battlbox.com
• Shoplift (A/B testing): shoplift.com
• Intelligems (A/B testing): intelligems.io
• Shopify Collective: shopify.com/collective
• Shopify B2B: shopify.com/plus/b2b
• Shopify Flow: shopify.com/flow

WORK WITH KURT

Apply for Shopify Help
ethercycle.com/apply

See Our Results
ethercycle.com/work

Free Newsletter
kurtelster.com

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

For most direct-to-consumer brands, the term "ERP" evokes dread. Six-month implementations. Six-figure costs. Software built for factories, not Shopify stores. Kyle Hency experienced that pain firsthand. He scaled Chubbies Shorts past $100 million in revenue, and along the way, his "sophisticated" spreadsheet system (built by a former banker) completely fell apart. The breaking point? When Nordstrom called wanting to stock Chubbies, and his team realized they had no infrastructure to even accept the order. That painful lesson led Hency to raise $13.5 million for GoodDay Software, an ERP designed from day one for Shopify merchants. In this episode, we demystify what an ERP actually is, identify the warning signs that a brand has outgrown spreadsheets, and explore why the traditional barriers to operational infrastructure are finally falling for smaller businesses. Hency makes the case that it doesn't have to be this hard anymore.

SPONSORS

Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more
getswym.com/kurt

Cleverific - Smart order editing for Shopify
cleverific.com

Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels
zipify.com/KURT

LINKS

• GoodDay Software: https://gooddaysoftware.com
• Kyle on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kylehency
• The Normal Brand case study: https://bit.ly/4bzwcFM

WORK WITH KURT

Apply for Shopify Help
ethercycle.com/apply

See Our Results
ethercycle.com/work

Free Newsletter
kurtelster.com

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

Here's something most merchants don't realize: you can run paid ads through an influencer's handle instead of your own. It's called whitelisting, and it converts about 15% better. Brad Hoos, CEO of Outloud Group and owner of Shopify store MuskOx Flannels, has been doing influencer marketing since YouTube was mostly cat videos. In this episode, he breaks down how whitelisting works step by step, why he thinks of creators as "decentralized media companies," and what most brands overthink when they're just getting started.

SPONSORS

Swym — Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more
getswym.com/kurt

Cleverific — Smart order editing for Shopify
cleverific.com

Zipify — Build high-converting sales funnels
zipify.com/KURT

Promo Party — Kurt's new app for free gift with purchase promotions
promoparty.app

LINKS

• Outloud Group: https://outloudgroup.com
• MuskOx Flannels: https://gomuskox.com

WORK WITH KURT

Apply for Shopify Help
ethercycle.com/apply

See Our Results
ethercycle.com/work

Free Newsletter
kurtelster.com

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

"You can't control tariffs. You can't control the weather. But you can control what's happening within your business."

Salena Knight has audited thousands of retail businesses since 2007 and found that 4 out of 5 seven-figure stores share the same blind spot—and it's not marketing. It's money. We talked about why inventory is secretly taxable cash sitting on your shelves, how one brand increased profit margins 30% by auditing their pick-and-pack costs, and why running a 30% off sale on luxury products got zero orders.

SPONSORS

Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more
getswym.com/kurt

Cleverific - Smart order editing for Shopify
cleverific.com

Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels
zipify.com/KURT

Promo Party Pro - Boost sales with promotional campaigns
promoparty.app

LINKS

• Bringing Business to Retail Podcast: https://salenaknight.com/podcast
• Salena Knight: https://salenaknight.com
• The Retail Academy: https://theretailacademy.com

WORK WITH KURT

Apply for Shopify Help
ethercycle.com/apply

See Our Results
ethercycle.com/work

Free Newsletter
kurtelster.com

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.

"I would have invested 100% of all of the money that we raised into Meta. I would have done nothing else but secure that one channel first."

After launching Troop, a functional mushroom gummy brand, Jake Mellman discovered that community events and sampling don't pay the bills. What does: Meta ads, a 76% contribution margin, and defaulting customers to quarterly subscriptions. Now he's applied those lessons to Psilly Goose, a functional beverage targeting the 46% of American adults who've stopped drinking. The challenge: THC restrictions, heavy shipping costs, and a farm bill that could shut him down by November.

SPONSORS

Swym - Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more
getswym.com/kurt

Cleverific - Smart order editing for Shopify
cleverific.com

Zipify - Build high-converting sales funnels
zipify.com/KURT

LINKS

• Troop Mushroom Gummies: https://trytroop.com
• Psilly Goose: https://drinkpsillygoose.com
• Previous episode with Jake & Stephanie: https://unofficialshopifypodcast.com/episodes/jake-mellman-stephanie-moyal
• Breeze (Aaron Nosbish episode): https://unofficialshopifypodcast.com/episodes/aaron-nosbish-breeze

WORK WITH KURT

Apply for Shopify Help
ethercycle.com/apply

See Our Results
ethercycle.com/work

Free Newsletter
kurtelster.com

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster and explores the stories behind successful Shopify stores. Get actionable insights, practical strategies, and proven tactics from entrepreneurs who've built thriving ecommerce businesses.