The Unofficial Shopify Podcast

Ethercycle LLC

“How's an entrepreneur like me supposed to grow my Shopify store?” That's what The Unofficial Shopify Podcast aims to answer. Discover new opportunities to grow your store from the world’s most successful Shopify entrepreneurs. Hosted by Kurt Elster, a senior ecommerce consultant and Shopify Plus Partner, The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is not authorized, endorsed, or sponsored by Shopify– It's a no holds barred discussion of ecommerce growth strategy & tactics.

  • 31 minutes
    Lady Gaga’s on Shopify: Go Behind the Build

    Lady Gaga has a new Shopify site. But this isn’t just a merch store. It’s a stage, a story, a digital home—built to evolve as fast as she does.

    Her team needed something different. A site that could change overnight and feel as immersive as her albums. So they went headless, partnering with Commerce-UI, a Shopify agency known for pushing boundaries.

    In this episode, Shopify Partner Michal Klim takes us inside the build:

    • How Hydrogen and Oxygen power a site that never stands still.
    • Why merch sales weren’t the top priority—and what was.
    • Why a “conversion-first” mindset wouldn’t work here—and what did.

    It’s a story about what happens when a global superstar takes Shopify beyond ecommerce best practices.

    🎧 Listen now on The Unofficial Shopify Podcast.

    The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is made by possible by our sponsors:

    Special thanks to our friends at Shopify and to our listeners.

    Show Links

    Work with Kurt

    Want to optimize your Shopify store and grow your business? I help Shopify merchants like you increase conversions, streamline operations, and build standout online experiences.

    Apply to work with me: Ethercycle
    See how I’ve helped other brands: Recent Client Successes
    Get my best Shopify insights: Join My Newsletter

    Let’s make your Shopify store better, faster, and more profitable.

    25 March 2025, 10:00 am
  • 46 minutes 35 seconds
    The Store That Won March Madness

    Megan Smalley didn’t plan to build a powerhouse ecommerce brand. Scarlet & Gold started as a creative side project—until she got laid off.

    Fast forward 12 years, and Scarlet & Gold is one of the only women-owned businesses licensed for NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) merch on Shopify. This March, their Shopify sales are up 74.2% year-over-year—with over 53.6% of those sales tied to March Madness merchandise.

    And here’s the kicker: 69.5% of their basketball sales come from just two NIL deals.

    So how did she do it? What makes NIL merch so powerful? And what’s it really like running an ecommerce business that lives and dies by game-day hype?

    That’s what we’re talking about today.

    👉 Read more from Shopify’s newsroom: shopify.com/news/march-madness-entrepreneurs

    Links & Resources

    🔗 Check out Scarlet & Gold → scarletandgoldshop.com
    🔗 Need custom merch? → scarletandgoldcustom.com

    📌 Sponsors:

    🎧 Enjoyed this episode?
    Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.

    💡 Want to grow your Shopify store? Work with Kurt:

    👥 Join Our Private Facebook Group:
    Connect with other Shopify entrepreneurs → facebook.com/groups/UnofficialShopifyPodcast

    This is a story about ecommerce, sports, and the weird world of NIL merch.
    It’s about how one Shopify store turned athlete partnerships into real growth.
    And it’s about what happens when you take a risk—and it actually works.

    18 March 2025, 10:00 am
  • 53 minutes 14 seconds
    10 Shopify Mistakes Killing Your Sales

    Are you making one of these Shopify mistakes? If so, you’re losing sales. In this episode, The Unofficial Shopify Podcast host Kurt Elster teams up with Bold Commerce co-founder Jay Myers to reveal the top 10 mistakes that Shopify merchants make—some of which even big brands get wrong. From neglected checkouts to bloated main menus, they share simple, actionable fixes that can boost conversions and keep customers coming back. 

    What You’ll Learn:

    • The #1 checkout mistake that kills trust (and how to fix it in 60 seconds)
    • Why most subscription models fail—and the secret to making them work
    • The overlooked product page changes that increase add-to-cart rates
    • Why your main menu is confusing customers (and how to fix it)
    • How to stop relying on paid ads and build a business that lasts

    Links & Resources:

    Connect with Kurt:

    Sponsors:

    • 📈 Zipify – Build high-converting sales funnels
    • 🔥 Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify
    • 📬 Viralsweep – Create sweepstakes, contests, and giveaways.

    🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Leave a review on iTunes—it helps more Shopify merchants find the show!

    11 March 2025, 10:00 am
  • 37 minutes 14 seconds
    Fart-Proof Underwear? This Shopify Brand Says Yes

    Imagine a world where your worst gas-related fears simply… disappear. No awkward moments, no subtle side-eye glances. Just peace, dignity, and activated carbon filters.

    That’s the world Collin White and his father set out to create when they launched Tootles, a Shopify store selling flatulence-filtering underwear. At first, people laughed. But then, they listened. Because for people with digestive issues, this isn’t a joke—it’s a solution.

    Today on The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, Collin joins Kurt to talk about building a business in a deeply niche market, convincing manufacturers that fart-proof underwear is, in fact, a real thing, and finding customers who need his product (but don’t necessarily want to talk about it).

    In this episode:

    ✔️ How Collin and his dad took Tootles from idea to reality
    ✔️ The science behind fart filtration (yes, it works)
    ✔️ Marketing a taboo product without making it a joke
    ✔️ How Tootles increases AOV with clever bundling
    ✔️ Why subscriptions aren’t always the answer for consumable products

    Farts are funny. Business is serious. And somewhere in the middle, there’s a Shopify success story worth listening to.

    Links & Resources

    🔗 Tootles Website: WearTootles.com
    🔗 Kurt’s Shopify Agency: Ethercycle.com
    🔗 Judge.me (Review App Used by Tootles): Judge.me

    Sponsors

    🔗 Cleverific: cleverific.com/unofficial
    🔗 Zipify: zipify.com/KURT
    🔗 ViralSweep: apps.shopify.com/viralsweep

    4 March 2025, 11:00 am
  • 49 minutes 41 seconds
    Obvi’s Ron Shah on Fails, Exits & Lessons Learned

    "You start with ‘there’s no way this is me.’ Then you question everything. Then, eventually, you realize—this really could be me."

    Ron Shah built Obvi into a $100M+ powerhouse, with $40M in top-line revenue in 2024. But not every business he touched turned to gold. Today, Ron gets brutally honest about two brands he started—Coffee Over Cardio and Paw Rangers—that didn’t go as planned.

    This isn’t your typical success story. Ron shares:

    • Why success in one business doesn’t guarantee success in another
    • The emotional toll of failure and the ego traps that cost him money
    • How to know when to walk away, pivot, or double down
    • What he’d do differently if he launched these brands today

    Most founders only share their wins. Ron is sharing his losses. And why, in hindsight, they might be even more valuable.

    Resources & Links

    Sponsors

    Work With Kurt

    📩 Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review and let us know what you think!

    25 February 2025, 11:00 am
  • 47 minutes 26 seconds
    How a Twitter Account Became a Thriving Shopify Brand

    “Rainier Watch started as me shouting into the void about whether the mountain was out. Now, it’s a brand in REI. Didn’t see that coming.”

    David Lindahl started Rainier Watch as a simple Twitter account—just a guy posting updates on whether Mount Rainier was visible that day. No business plan, no grand vision. Just a love for the mountain.

    But then people started following. They started asking for stickers. And suddenly, David found himself running an e-commerce brand. What began as a hobby turned into a business selling apparel, getting into retail stores like REI, and building a loyal community of outdoor enthusiasts.

    This week, we follow David’s journey—from side project to full-time business. How he scaled his Shopify store, navigated wholesale partnerships, and made every mistake possible before finally getting it right. Along the way, we look at what happens when an entrepreneur outgrows their own operation, the challenges of building a brand rooted in a specific place, and what it really takes to turn a passion into a sustainable business.

    Links

    🛍 Shop Rainier Watch: https://shop.rainierwatch.com/

    Sponsors

    💡 Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify: https://cleverific.com/unofficial
    🚀 Zipify – Optimize your Shopify store with Zipify: http://zipify.com/KURT
    📍 Address Validator – Prevent shipping mistakes before they happen: https://www.addressvalidator.com/

    Work with Kurt

    🔹 Grow your Shopify store with me: https://ethercycle.com/apply
    📈 See our recent client successes: https://ethercycle.com/work

    18 February 2025, 11:00 am
  • 42 minutes 38 seconds
    Reinventing Oral Care: The Slate Flosser Story

    In this episode of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, Brynn Snyder, co-founder of Slate Flosser, shares how she and her dentist husband tackled one of the most overlooked aspects of health—flossing. Together, they reimagined oral care with a product that could prevent gum disease, heart issues, and more.

    But flossing is just the beginning. This episode dives into their journey through a $194K Kickstarter campaign, battling knockoffs on Amazon, and scaling a Shopify store with sustainability and innovation at its core.

    Brynn reveals the challenges and triumphs of creating a physical product, why subscription models are key to recurring revenue, and how staying passionate can make or break your business.

    Flossing might not seem revolutionary—until you hear this story.

    Show Links

    Sponsors

    Work with Kurt

    11 February 2025, 11:00 am
  • 46 minutes 52 seconds
    Building Frizz + Co: Haircare, Shopify, and Community

    Building Frizz + Co: Haircare, Shopify, and Community

    Daphné Eastmond ditched the CPA grind to create Frizz + Co, a brand that says screw the stigma and celebrates textured hair. From her raw startup struggles to her bold in-person events, Daphne shares how she’s making haircare personal—and real.

    What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

    • Why Daphne left accounting to launch Frizz + Co.
    • How her personal hair struggles inspired a hero product.
    • The scrappy marketing tactics that worked (and the ones that didn’t).
    • How in-person events became her secret growth weapon.
    • Lessons from bootstrapping, product seeding, and building a Shopify brand.

    Links Mentioned:

    Sponsors:

    CTA:
    Subscribe for more Shopify insights and stories like this! [Insert subscription link]

    4 February 2025, 11:00 am
  • 47 minutes 23 seconds
    Why Shopify’s Planet App is Good for Business (and the Earth)

    “Why not try it? Planet is low-risk, easy to configure, and can have a meaningful impact on your brand and the planet.”

    Discover how Shopify Planet helps merchants make a positive environmental impact while boosting customer trust and conversions. David Vranicar, Shopify’s sustainability operations lead, explains how this innovative app enables carbon-neutral shipping with zero hassle. Learn how it works, why it benefits your business, and what it means for your customers.

    Show Links
    Shopify Planet: https://apps.shopify.com/planet
    Reach out to the Planet team: planet [at] shopify.com

    Sponsors:
    Zipify: http://zipify.com/KURT
    Cleverific: https://cleverific.com/unofficial
    Boost Filter & Search: https://apps.shopify.com/product-filter-search

    Work with Kurt:

    🎙️ The Unofficial Shopify Podcast – Your go-to resource for actionable ecommerce insights.

    28 January 2025, 11:00 am
  • 49 minutes 57 seconds
    Montana Knife Company: American-Made Knife Empire

    What if your side hustle turned into an 8-figure brand selling out every week?

    Also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DxGxZ20rfQI

    Montana Knife Company’s Brandon Horoho shares the journey from launching during COVID to building a global brand rooted in American manufacturing. Discover how MKC redefined success with transparency, customer engagement, and relentless marketing.

    Episode Highlights:

    1. Why MKC chose Shopify as their platform and how it drives their success.
    2. The secrets behind MKC’s 120+ consecutive weekly product sellouts.
    3. How owning your email list can outshine ad spend.
    4. Building a thriving direct-to-consumer brand in a competitive market.
    5. The challenges and rewards of investing in local manufacturing.
    6. What’s next for MKC: Pocket knives and a 50,000 sq. ft. facility.

    About Brandon Horoho:
    Brandon Horoho is the co-founder and CMO of Montana Knife Company, an American-made knife brand that has taken the DTC world by storm. With weekly product drops and an obsessive focus on quality, MKC has grown from a garage startup to an 8-figure powerhouse in just four years.

    Show Links
    Montana Knife Company: https://montanaknifecompany.com
    Follow MKC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/montanaknifecompany
    Work with Kurt: https://ethercycle.com/

    Sponsors:
    Cleverific: https://cleverific.com/unofficial
    Zipify: http://zipify.com/KURT
    Address Validator: https://www.addressvalidator.com/

    Work with Kurt:
    Grow your Shopify store with me: https://ethercycle.com/apply
    See our recent client successes: https://ethercycle.com/work

    21 January 2025, 11:00 am
  • 51 minutes 41 seconds
    Growing a Supps Brand to $70M in 2.5 Years

    Devyn Merklin, former CMO of Livingood Daily, shares the raw truth behind scaling a supplement brand to $70M in annual revenue. From relentless testing to mastering Shopify funnels, Devyn provides a thoughtful analysis of the strategies that worked, the mistakes that taught valuable lessons, and how brands can apply these insights to their own growth journeys.

    Links

    People

    Brands

    Apps

    Tools

    Services

    Sponsors

    Help the show

    What's Kurt up to?

    Never miss an episode

    14 January 2025, 11:00 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App