Before Brexit, merchants could sell cross-border into the U.K. and mainland Europe with relative ease. Both belonged to the E.U. It's now more complex and expensive, with separate customs and taxes for each region — unless the shipments come from Northern Ireland. Through a Brexit exception, fulfillment companies (and merchants) in Northern Ireland can ship…
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According to Will Nitze, founder and CEO of IQBAR, success in a competitive market requires finding its uncompetitive niches. He did that with his flagship protein bar, which is plant-based, low-sugar, and plainly labeled. That was seven years ago when he launched the company with a $75,000 Kickstarter campaign. Fast forward to 2025, and IQBAR…
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Kurt Elster launched his ecommerce agency in 2009 and his first Shopify store in 2011. His “Unofficial Shopify Podcast,” which he started in 2014, is now required listening for that community of merchants, developers, and vendors. He and I recently discussed the state of Shopify — themes, upgrades, user engagement, and the overall ecosystem. For…
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Jeff Sheldon is a designer turned entrepreneur. He started Ugmonk, a Pennsylvania-based direct-to-consumer brand, in 2008 as a seller of graphic-inspired t-shirts. His desktop organizers, which he added in 2020, are seemingly unrelated until realizing he designed both — the t-shirt graphics and the desk tools. Jeff first appeared on the podcast in 2020. He…
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This episode first aired in July 2024. Barry Hott is a longtime Facebook advertising consultant. He says first reactions to an ad largely determine its performance. He advises merchants to create ugly ads, those that people won't skip over. “I'm the Ugly Ads Guy,” he stated. In this episode, Hott addresses key Facebook ad metrics,…
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