Company

There always seems to be something new going on in the world of marketing: an update to Google’s search ranking algorithm, a game-changing feature that makes a familiar social network feel fresh again, a new way to connect with customers. It can be hard for entrepreneurs and marketers to keep up.

Etsy is a marketplace for creators to sell their unique hand-made products and vintage goods.  

Tamara Mayne makes and sells soy candles on Etsy, and it started out as an experiment. Would anyone buy a scented product online that they couldn't smell?

It turns out they would.

In this episode of Shopify Masters, you'll hear how she got her start on Etsy and the sequence of events that led her to open her own store to take control of her brand.

When you open Google Analytics, what do you feel? For many people, the answer is “overwhelmed”. There’s a lot of data sitting in those reports, just waiting to be analyzed.

The problem is that those overwhelmed marketers and business owners end up poking around a few default reports, recording some monthly metrics, and leaving until next month.

Going beyond those out-of-the-box, default reports to custom reports, advanced segments and custom dashboards can help accelerate your store’s growth.

Feeling less overwhelmed by the data, you can focus on what matters instead of burying your head in the proverbial sand. You can zero in on the insights that’ll drive smarter business decisions faster.

With current conversations about climate change, deforestation, and the finite nature of natural resources, sustainability is on the minds of both consumers and corporations.

But more than that, it’s also in our hands.

Businesses care about their social and environmental impact because consumers care.

That’s why corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a growing focus, especially for companies with a significant carbon footprint.

One Tree Planted is a charity that's making it easier for these companies to pursue CSR initiatives and have a positive, tangible impact on the environment.

Tell me if this sounds familiar: your family’s living space needs have swelled into every square foot of your 2 bedroom house, edging your home office into your drafty attic or dungeon-like basement – spaces that suit a vampire just fine, but aren’t ideal for mere mortals.

It’s sacrifice you gladly make as an entrepreneur. But dark, cramped, and unappealing spaces could actually be doing harm to your business, not to mention your psyche.

Investing in yourself, via a space that inspires you, is an investment in your business. Whether you do it yourself or hire a pro, we've gathered some creative home office ideas for every budget.

There's no one-size-fits-all way to launch a business or build a brand. Some approaches seem counter-intuitive at first, but dig a little deeper and they not only make sense but also mitigate some of the risks inherent to entrepreneurship.

In this episode of Shopify Masters, you’ll learn from an entrepreneur who launched his business with a related product (socks), years before launching his flagship product (handmade men's shoes).

Kory Stevens is the founder of Taft Clothing, a company that specializes in men's shoes, handmade in Spain, and men's fashion accessories.

YouTubers, writers, cartoonists, musicians, artists—creators of all kinds—have an amazing opportunity to build a business around the large and loyal audiences that consume their work. Here's what both entrepreneurs and creators can learn about creating a business around content from the co-founder of Wait But Why.

Evan Williams, co-founder of Twitter, once said, “UX is everything. It always has been, but it’s undervalued and underinvested in.”

Ecommerce UX is no different. Stores pour thousands into Facebook ads, into product research, into design. Yet, UX goes undervalued and underinvested in.

It’s a big problem. One that affects your visitors, your customers, your profits. One that affects you. Because if you’re not optimizing your ecommerce UX yet, know that your competitors are.

Buzzfeed is a social news and entertainment company, one of the largest publishers on the planet with over 200 million readers and data-driven content that always seems to go viral.

In this special takeover of Shopify Masters, we sit down with Ben Kaufman who oversees Buzzfeed's Product Labs, exploring the future of commerce for the media giant.

This episode will take you behind the scenes of the new Buzzfeed channel to unpack this partnership and what it means for you as a merchant.

My father spent 40 years in the Air Force, but underneath the crew cut and the crisp uniform was a goofball, a wayward beard, a creative soul. He didn’t get to pursue his artist dreams. His was a path chosen by necessity. While I ignored most of my parents’ rules and advice, one thing he said stuck with me always:

“Do what you love, dudette.”

For other dads, the entrepreneur-types, that same lesson is passing down to the next generation by example. We found nine fathers pulling double-duty as Shopify Merchants, running their own businesses while wrangling rugrats.

These are their stories.

Ecommerce copywriting comes in many forms, but is rarely discussed outside of product descriptions.

Value propositions, microcopy, Facebook ads, promotional emails—all of these rely on copy to capture attention and convert visitors into buyers. Yet, many ecommerce sites are “just winging it” when it comes to copywriting. 

The good news is that there’s a 4-step process that professional copywriters use to craft persuasive copy and improve conversions—one that you can steal and use for yourself.

Vancouver is a multicultural melee with a California ease gently clashing with Portland bohemia. It’s Canada’s third largest city, and maybe due to its milder weather, it has the laid back vibe of a much smaller place. Bordered by mountains and oceanfront, it naturally draws and cultivates a more nature-conscious population.

When Sonia Chhinji and Fouad Farraj began building their brand Woodlot, they knew that their hometown Vancouver would be the best testing ground for their products.

Their freshman line of candles was inspired by their surroundings, after all. And, most importantly, a city that leaned towards healthy living would relate to the values of a naturally-derived brand.

I spoke to Sonia, Woodlot’s Co-Owner and Creative Director, about cultivating a modern homegrown brand rooted in tradition.