Also available on YouTube: youtu.be/Pi20dFaHoVg

Ben Attwood left agency life to create a men’s skincare brand he actually wanted to use. With no investors, no marketing budget, and no prior product experience, he built Clubhouse Skin using TikTok, Shopify, and a lot of trial and error.

In this episode, Ben shares how he:

• Sold out his first product run—twice
• Built a loyal customer base by building in public
• Used Shopify Sidekick to find superfans and boost conversions
• Leveraged AI to do what agencies charge thousands for
• Landed in retail by rallying his TikTok followers

Whether you're launching a product, bootstrapping a brand, or curious about real-world uses of AI in ecommerce, this one’s packed with practical takeaways.

Show Links:

Clubhouse Skin

• Clubhouse Skin
• TikTok
• Instagram

Shopify

• Shopify Magic
• Getting started with Sidekick
• Shopify Newsroom: AI helped these founders fast-track their way to first sale

Sponsors:

• Zipify – Build high-converting sales funnels
• Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify
• Boost AI Search & Filter – Collection filtering + smart search

Subscribe for weekly interviews with Shopify founders and experts.

Also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XXSr4Po30oY

Paid ads are busted. SEO is back but weirder. Gen Z isn’t using Google. What now?
VC Smriti Jayaraman pulls back the curtain on the Shopify brands building futuristic funnels today. We’re talking AI quizzes, voice search, digital oracles, and tech that reads your face to guess your shirt size. It’s strange. It’s smart. And it works.

• Why AI search is reshaping ecommerce—and how to rank in it
• How Shopify brands are using gamified funnels to capture attention
• What to know about AI influencers, personalized merchandising, and site search
• Why your brand needs to think like a membership club, not a subscription box
• Real tech examples from Corazon Capital’s portfolio

• Zipify – Build high-converting sales funnels
• Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify
• Viralsweep – Create sweepstakes, contests, and giveaways

• Smriti Jayaraman
• BoldVoice
• iAsk.ai
• Laws of Motion
• Perplexity
• Corazon Capital

• Want me to grow your Shopify store? Apply here
• See what we’ve done for other merchants: View portfolio
• Get my free newsletter for Shopify insights: Join here

🎧 The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is hosted by Kurt Elster. Subscribe for weekly interviews with Shopify entrepreneurs and experts.

Her fans call her "The Queen of Air Fryers." She gave away recipes. Her fans demanded a cookbook. One $15 PDF later, Cathy Yoder had a 5-figure launch weekend—and she hasn't looked back. With over 700K subscribers, Cathy built a content-powered Shopify business that turns viewers into superfans (and customers).

In this episode, Cathy breaks down:

• How to use YouTube as your #1 lead-gen channel
• Building products based on comment section gold
• What flopped, what worked, and why done > perfect
• Integrating YouTube with Shopify for seamless sales

If you're a creator, a merchant, or both—this is the funnel playbook you've been waiting for.

Sponsors:

• Zipify – Build high-converting sales funnels
• Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify
• Boost AI Search & Filter – AI-powered search that converts

Work with Kurt:

• Grow your Shopify store with me → ethercycle.com/apply
• See how we help stores grow → ethercycle.com/work
• Get my Shopify newsletter → kurtelster.com