The Shopify Growth Show

Imagine launching a brand and making a million in sales in just a week. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Brian Lockard, who launched a brand that aims to bring nurses shoes that make them feel like the respected professionals they are. Listen to the episode to hear what Brian has to say about founding BALA shoes: why he decided to market to nurses specifically, what it was like to go in on the...

Most brands focus on what works in November. Smart brands plan for what happens in January. In Part 2 of our Black Friday Growth Series, Jim Huffman shares the strategic lens every DTC operator should adopt before running another BFCM campaign. Following up on the tactical BFCM episode, Jim goes deeper — exploring the downstream effects of your Q4 strategy and how to win long-term. He covers what...

Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren’t just about slapping on a discount. In this episode, Jim Huffman breaks down the offer-led strategies and conversion playbooks top DTC brands use to turn Q4 into their most profitable months - without relying on bloated budgets or ad spend. Originally aired as a guest appearance on the Ecwid eCommerce Show, Jim reveals the full GrowthHit playbook for building wi...

What happens when you build an 8-figure business in one of the most taboo industries - without a team, funding, or traditional ad channels? Brian Sloan did exactly that. And in this episode, he reveals the unfiltered story behind his wild entrepreneurial path. Jim sits down with Brian Sloan, founder of AutoBlow, to unpack how he built a global DTC sex toy brand that now generates 8 figures annuall...

What do you do when wholesale feels like success but starts killing your brand? For the founders of Mestiza, it meant rewriting the playbook. In this episode, they share how they survived COVID, pivoted to DTC, and built a multi 7-figure fashion business - while raising kids and refusing VC money. Jim is joined by Luisa Takas and Alessandra Perez-Rubio, the powerhouse duo behind Mestiza - a New Yo...

What if you could turn BBQ ribs into a $250K/month Shopify business? That’s exactly what Andrew Buehler did  and it started with crowdfunding, cold emails, and serious sales hustle. Jim sits down with Andrew Buehler to unpack one of the most unexpected eCommerce growth stories out there how he launched a premium BBQ brand and scaled it to $250K+ per month without outside investors. Andrew shares h...

This episode takes me back to the early days of Neat Apparel, when Claudio and I were just getting started. For those who don’t know, Claudio is my business partner on Neat - our sweat-proof Shopify brand and he has one of the most fascinating backgrounds of anyone I’ve ever worked with. He graduated from Stanford at 20. Climbed to the top of Wall Street. Then pivoted into entrepreneurship—first w...

Would you turn down funding after being featured on Shark Tank? Eric Bandholz did. In this episode, he breaks down how Beardbrand became one of the most iconic DTC companies 0 built on freedom, grit, and a wild Reddit strategy. Jim talks with Eric Bandholz, founder of Beardbrand, about the raw, real story of building a DTC cult brand from scratch. Eric shares how he turned a niche grooming obsessi...

What if you could build a $25M+ business without raising a single dime? Jesse Pujji has done it - multiple times. From bootstrapping his first agency to launching Gateway X and scaling productized services in the DTC world, Jesse has a blueprint for founders who want to build big without giving away equity. In this episode, he shares how you can do the same.   In this episode, Jim sits down with J...

They didn’t just launch a wine brand - they created a whole new category. In this episode, Kendra Kawala shares how Maker Wines went from cold outreach to category leader. Jim talks with Kendra Kawala, co-founder of Maker Wines, about how she turned B2B sales grit into DTC scale. From walking into wine shops cold to managing complex supply chains with 15 wineries, Kendra reveals the realities of l...

It started with a nickname. Then became a joke. And somehow… a 6-figure DTC brand. In this episode, Ryan Rock shares how Fatboy was born and how he turned culture, community, and UGC into a real business. Jim sits down with Ryan Rock to tell the unconventional story behind Fatboy - a brand that started as a laugh between friends and ended up hitting six figures. From pop-up marketing to micro-infl...

What would make someone spend a small fortune on the domain Couch.com? In this episode, Alex Back reveals the real reasons  and how it helped him build and sell a 7-figure business. Jim sits down with Alex Back, founder of Couch.com and Apt2b, to unpack the journey of bootstrapping an eCommerce brand and exiting with impact. From domain strategy to traffic growth and earnouts, this is a masterclas...

Most brands start online. Robert Nelson did the opposite and it changed everything. He used real-world feedback, military discipline, and pop-up precision to launch a thriving DTC brand. In this episode, Robert Nelson of Just Mystic shares the unconventional path his brand took to gain traction - starting offline with brick-and-mortar and pop-up activations before ever building a Shopify store. Wi...

We bought a DTC brand. Now we’re putting it through the GrowthHit wringer. This is the actual strategy we’re using to scale Neat Apparel — and yes, we’re sharing everything. In this solo episode, Jim Huffman shares the full behind-the-scenes growth plan for Neat Apparel — a sweat-proof clothing brand recently acquired by GrowthHit. You’ll hear the exact tactics he’s using to revamp the site, incre...

Most founders talk about comfort. Aman engineered it. His Shopify brand took a pain point, added performance tech, and scaled to 8-figures. Aman Advani didn’t plan on launching a DTC fashion brand. But after hating his own suits while working in consulting, he co-founded Ministry of Supply - a menswear company built around comfort, performance, and design. In this episode, he breaks down how they...

No outside funding. No celebrity co-signs. Just grit, discipline, and branding. Bear Handlon built Born Primitive from a single product into a 9-figure eCommerce brand. Born Primitive started as a niche apparel side hustle — now it’s one of the fastest-growing DTC brands in the fitness space. In this episode, founder Bear Handlon shares how he scaled without a dime of VC money, built an operationa...

She didn’t plan to build a Shopify brand. But a personal problem led to a product, and a product led to an 8-figure company — featured on Shark Tank. Yve-Car Momperousse created Kreyol Essence out of necessity — and scaled it with pure hustle, purpose, and community. From importing castor oil in rum bottles to landing deals with Ulta and Whole Foods, this is a masterclass in bootstrapped brand bui...

Your traffic isn’t the problem. Your ads aren’t broken. Your positioning is off. And that’s why you’re stuck. In this solo episode, Jim Huffman shares a live coaching session that breaks down how to actually fix brand positioning — using case studies from Neat Apparel, GrowthHit, and breakout brands like Rocket Money, Warby Parker, and Figma. You’ll learn how better positioning unlocks conversion...

What if the polished ads you spent thousands on were actually hurting your brand? In this episode, we explore how real, imperfect content is outperforming big-budget campaigns — and why most Shopify founders are still getting it wrong. Jim Huffman sits down with William Gasner, co-founder of Stack Influence, to unpack the real power behind UGC (user-generated content) and why it’s become a secret...

We didn’t mean to sell out — but we did. Every. Last. Unit. In this episode, I break down the exact strategy that took our Shopify brand from launch to “sold out” in 30 days — and how you can steal it for your own store. This isn’t a flex. It’s a cautionary (and highly tactical) tale. After selling out of all inventory at our Shopify brand Neat Apparel in under a month, I walk through the step-by-...

Liz Long, co-founder of Nearshore.ai, shares her extensive knowledge on transforming innovative ideas into actual products. Liz discusses the critical steps in product design, manufacturing, and supply chain management, offering invaluable tips for startups and established businesses alike. With a background in launching successful brands and an accelerator, Liz provides a wealth of practical advi...

What if your hardest season became your biggest breakthrough? Ming Zhao built a $24M skincare brand in just 2 years—while pregnant and going through Y Combinator. This isn’t just a startup story. It’s a story of pressure, clarity, and purpose colliding at once. In this raw and revealing episode, Ming Zhao, CEO and co-founder of PROVEN Skincare, shares how she transformed corporate burnout into one...

You've been asking for it, so we're delivering! The If I Was Starting Today podcast is refocusing our content on the things you've told us you want the most: tips, tricks, and stories to help you grow and succeed you businesses on Shopify. This new direction will see us talking with experts and successful Shopify business operators as well as continuing to deliver tactics, tips and insight used to...

In this episode, we explore the essential steps to take an idea and grow it to a seven or eight-figure brand, particularly focusing on Shopify and direct-to-consumer markets. Key points include optimizing product offerings, building a strong business model, creating a unique category, investing in conversion rate optimization, leveraging paid and organic traffic, and more. This comprehensive guide...

Jim is joined by Craig Swanson as they delve into the world of custom GPTs and their applications. They discuss how to utilize AI for tasks like copywriting and strategy development, and learn about the advancements in AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude. They also showcase practical implementations, from setting up knowledge bases to effective prompt engineering. Tune in to see real-world example...