Company

When the 2008 financial recession hit, U.S. Army vet Carl Churchill and his family lived on dwindling emergency savings, selling their possessions to stay afloat. Then, he and his wife, Lori, cashed out their 401(k) to launch Alpha Coffee. Their family slowly grew the business out of their basement and into a physical storefront. Today, Alpha Coffee is a thriving business that gives back to the troops—and Carl and Lori hustle seven days a week to keep it that way.

When Michael Bumgarner decided to start a CBD beauty company, he knew there’d be stigmas to fight. There were also big challenges ahead—including frustrating roadblocks from marketing and payment channels. But in the process, he built a soaring brand that is paving the way forward for struggling communities in rural America.

Bili Balogun always loved beauty and experimenting with new products, so much so that she started Tribe Beauty Box with only $200. In this episode of Shopify Masters, you'll hear from Bili Balogun of Tribe Beauty Box on how to collaborate with brands, build relationships, and launch a business through Facebook groups. 

With the support of his family, 12-year-old Jahkil Jackson runs Project I Am—an organization that provides the necessities of life to homeless communities in his native Chicago and beyond. Oh, and no big deal: he also runs an apparel business, speaks at events across the country, and tap dances on the side.

In our final episode of Vanguard, we speak to Bear Witness, co-founder of A Tribe Called Red, a Canadian DJ collective that blends hip-hop and EDM with traditional powwow drums and vocals. As a teen, Bear was part of the local rave scene. He began to wonder what raves would look like if they had a more focused goal. In response, he created A Tribe Called Red.

By wearing an eye-catching t-shirt to an NBA playoffs game and getting featured in a TSN documentary, Yanel Dhailieh created Peace Collective, a multi-million lifestyle brand. In this episode of Shopify Masters, you'll hear from Yanal Dhailieh of Peace Collective on how to build a community and grow from viral moments.

When her playful headwear design went viral, designer Gingie McLeod quit her day job to focus all her energy on her emerging brand, Saint Chic. But as quickly as the fickle fashion industry gave her the spotlight, it took it away. Two years after sales of the Paparazzi Visor took off, Gingie found herself with no income, starting over.

Native Poppy sprouted from meagre savings and a Yelp page, and it has since bloomed into a multi-location retail business. But along the way, Natalie Gill’s flower startup drained her bank account and plunged her deep into debt. In her own words, Natalie describes her darkest days—when she was “not okay” and the stress impacted her health, sleep, and personal relationships.

When you’re building a new website or developing a new product, there are often several pieces that need to fall into place before you can make it officially available to the world. A coming soon page is a valuable asset to have during these times, and not only as a stand-in for your soon-to-be store or the product you've got planned.

In the world of brothers Ethan and Merritt Perlyn, surfing is life. But in between catching waves and shooting hoops and keeping up with school work, the two are also seasoned entrepreneurs—their surf-inspired company, Crepic, is now a year old. Here, the brothers share some of their favorite things, and tell us exactly what it’s like to be a kid entrepreneur.

Estefania Rodriguez is the founder of Brewbles Studio, a bath and body shop that sells products based on nostalgia and Latinx culture. Estefania began making bath bombs as a form of self-care and a way to manage her mental illness. To make ends meet, she started selling them. And the business took off...fast. This is what happened next.