The Unofficial Shopify Podcast cover art

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast

By: Kurt Elster Paul Reda
Listen for free

About this listen

NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY, SUBSCRIBE FOR UNBEATABLE ECOM RECON – Explore the world of ecommerce and online business, with a focus on the Shopify platform. Each episode features interviews with successful entrepreneurs, experts, and thought leaders, sharing their insights, tips, and experiences on building and growing a successful online store. Join host Kurt Elster and his guests as they share their stories and learn from each other's successes and challenges. LETS GET PAID.Ethercycle LLC. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • The Financial Blind Spot Costing 7-Figure Stores Millions
    Jan 27 2026

    "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.

    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
  • A Mushroom Brand's Bet Against Booze
    Jan 20 2026

    "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.

    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • The First Shop Mini
    Jan 15 2026

    "Shop has this amazing opportunity to convert shoppers into people that are being entertained by shoppable content."

    Bill Staley built the first Shop Mini to launch on Shopify's Shop app. Food Social brings 10,000+ shoppable recipes to 200 million potential users. We dig into why Shop is Shopify's most underrated channel, how personalization matches recipes to purchase history, and why intent-based shopping beats interruption marketing every time.

    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
    • Food Social: https://foodsocial.io
    • Food Social App (iOS & Android): Search "Food Social" in app stores
    • Email Bill: bill@foodsocial.io
    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.

    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
No reviews yet