Company

Yesterday, Sophia Pierro turned down a chance to work with Matt Damon.

Before she started her own business, rubbing elbows with the Hollywood elite was just another day on the job. But so were really long days, stressed-out coworkers, and a nagging sense that she wanted something more. Sophia spent the past 10 years as a set decorator in the film industry, chasing success up the ladder and scoring gigs on network shows and big-budget films.

She managed people. She was raking in a good living. She was at the top of her game.

But none of it made her happy.

In film, her standard workday would be 13 hours long, often longer. And now? I decided to follow Sophia for a whole day, immerse myself in her daily tasks, and live in her new shoes as a small business owner.

Follow along on our journey.

Brig Taylor is the Co-Founder of SlideBelts: a store that sells simple, subtle, stylish leather belts without holes.

On this podcast, you’ll learn why he believes that your competitive edge actually doesn't have to be in your product and where you can look to find it instead.

It’s hard to talk about "conversational commerce"—a concept coined by Uber's Chris Messina to describe the future of messaging apps—without mentioning chatbots.

Chatbots are essentially programs pretending to be people that you can interact with through text or even voice. 

The idea is that you can talk to these chatbots in your messaging apps, much like you would any other contact in your list, to get the day's news or even get something done.

But where should you employ bots in your business? And where should you not?

Travis Lachner, is the founder of Bee High, a social-profit company leading a new generation of cannabis culture.

On this podcast you’ll learn how he runs a side business selling cannabis accessories, and why he chose to invest his time marketing on Tumblr rather than Facebook. 

Angela Mader is the Founder of Fitlosophy, a 12-week series of fitness and nutrition journals that shuns quick-fix gimmicks and instead focuses on mindfulness and gratitude for goal setting.

On today’s podcast you’ll learn why she argues that persistence is more important than passion and how it helped her sell over half a million books.

For Kevin Bergeron and Suzy Soto, selling vinyl online came as a natural way to combine two of their greatest passions: Horror movies and great music.

Their business, Waxwork Records, re-issues classic vinyl soundtracks from cult films like Rosemary’s Baby and The Warriors, carving out a niche audience of horror and sci-fi superfans looking to own a slice of the movies that the love.

Over the past three-and-a-half years, Waxwork Records has catapulted Kevin and Suzy from the world of New Orleans punk rock to rubbing shoulders with film legends like Martin Scorsese and George Romero.

And it all started with a Christmas gift.

On this episode of Shopify Masters, you’ll learn from Alex Ikonn, Co-Founder of Luxy Hair, about how they grew their YouTube channel to nearly 3 million subscribers.

Luxy Hair sells high-quality, luxurious, 100% Remy Human hair extensions at an unbeatable price.

Since season 6, Shark Tank has averaged over 9 million viewers an episode. Not only does the show provide entrepreneurs an opportunity to receive an investment from a famous investor,  it also advertises their business and product to millions of potential customers.

Slyde Handboards recently appeared on Shark Tank is season 7, where they pitched their bodysurfing handboards and won an investment from Mark Cuban and guest-Shark Ashton Kutcher. I had the opportunity to speak with Steve and Angela Watts to ask them about their experience and advice for getting on the show and successfully earning an investment.

Christine Chang and Sarah Lee are the co-founders of Glow Recipe, a store that sells natural beauty products from Korea.

In this podcast you’ll learn how they get free publicity by being thought leaders and talking about the future of their industry.

Patrick Lehoux is the Founder of Bottle Cutting Inc., a do-it-yourself glassware company

In this podcast, you’ll learn how he runs a $3 million business working only 4 hours a day. His secret? Outsourcing.

In this podcast, you’ll learn from an entrepreneur who uses Facebook to understand her customers in order to overcome the obstacle of selling a product that appeals directly to your sense of smell.

Mei Pak, is the founder of Tiny Hands, a store that sells super cute scented jewelry and food-shaped jewelry that will make you and your loved ones smile. 

Typing your address and credit card details will soon be a thing of the past. By this fall, shoppers will be able to buy from Shopify stores using just a phone and fingerprint.

Apple Pay is coming to the web, and Shopify-powered online stores will be among the first to accept it. With Apple Pay, your customers will be able to quickly and securely check out from your online store using Safari on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac by simply tapping the Apple Pay button and scanning their fingerprint.