"You start with ‘there’s no way this is me.’ Then you question everything. Then, eventually, you realize—this really could be me."Ron Shah built Obvi into a $100M+ powerhouse, with $40M in top-line revenue in 2024. But not every business he touched turned to gold. Today, Ron gets brutally honest about two brands he started—Coffee Over Cardio and Paw Rangers—that didn’t go as planned.This isn’t your typical success story. Ron shares:<ul><li>Why success in one business doesn’t guarantee success in another</li><li>The emotional toll of failure and the ego traps that cost him money</li><li>How to know when to walk away, pivot, or double down</li><li>What he’d do differently if he launched these brands today</li></ul>Most founders only share their wins. Ron is sharing his losses. And why, in hindsight, they might be even more valuable.<h2>Resources & Links</h2><ul><li>Follow Ron on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/obviceo">@obviceo</a></li><li>Check out Obvi: <a href="https://www.myobvi.com">myobvi.com</a></li><li>Listen to Ron’s podcast, Chew On This: <a href="https://www.chewonthis.io/">Listen here</a></li><li><a href="https://coffeeovercardio.com/">coffeeovercardio</a></li><li><a href="https://www.pawrangers.com/">pawrangers.com</a></li></ul><h2>Sponsors</h2><ul><li>Cleverific: <a href="https://cleverific.com/unofficial">https://cleverific.com/unofficial</a></li><li>Zipify: <a href="http://zipify.com/KURT">http://zipify.com/KURT</a></li><li>Address Validator: <a href="https://www.addressvalidator.com/">https://www.addressvalidator.com/</a></li></ul><h2>Work With Kurt</h2><ul><li>Grow your Shopify store with me: <a href="https://ethercycle.com/apply">ethercycle.com/apply</a></li><li>Join my newsletter for Shopify insights: <a href="https://kurtelster.com">kurtelster.com</a></li></ul>📩 Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review and let us know what you think!

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;"You start with ‘there’s no way this is me.’ Then you question everything. Then, eventually, you realize—this really could be me."&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ron Shah built Obvi into a $100M+ powerhouse, with $40M in top-line revenue in 2024. But not every business he touched turned to gold. Today, Ron gets brutally honest about two brands he started—Coffee Over Cardio and Paw Rangers—that didn’t go as planned.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This isn’t your typical success story. Ron shares:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why success in one business doesn’t guarantee success in another&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The emotional toll of failure and the ego traps that cost him money&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How to know when to walk away, pivot, or double down&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What he’d do differently if he launched these brands today&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;Most founders only share their wins. Ron is sharing his losses. And why, in hindsight, they might be even more valuable.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Resources &amp; Links&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Follow Ron on Twitter: &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/obviceo"&gt;@obviceo&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Check out Obvi: &lt;a href="https://www.myobvi.com"&gt;myobvi.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Listen to Ron’s podcast, &lt;i&gt;Chew On This&lt;/i&gt;: &lt;a href="https://www.chewonthis.io/"&gt;Listen here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://coffeeovercardio.com/"&gt;coffeeovercardio&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.pawrangers.com/"&gt;pawrangers.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Sponsors&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cleverific: &lt;a href="https://cleverific.com/unofficial"&gt;https://cleverific.com/unofficial&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Zipify: &lt;a href="http://zipify.com/KURT"&gt;http://zipify.com/KURT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Address Validator: &lt;a href="https://www.addressvalidator.com/"&gt;https://www.addressvalidator.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h2&gt;Work With Kurt&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Grow your Shopify store with me: &lt;a href="https://ethercycle.com/apply"&gt;ethercycle.com/apply&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Join my newsletter for Shopify insights: &lt;a href="https://kurtelster.com"&gt;kurtelster.com&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;📩 &lt;i&gt;Enjoyed the episode? Leave a review and let us know what you think!&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

"You start with ‘there’s no way this is me.’ Then you question everything. Then, eventually, you realize—this really could be me."

Obvi’s Ron Shah on Fails, Exits & Lessons Learned

<blockquote>“Rainier Watch started as me shouting into the void about whether the mountain was out. Now, it’s a brand in REI. Didn’t see that coming.”</blockquote>David Lindahl started Rainier Watch as a simple Twitter account—just a guy posting updates on whether Mount Rainier was visible that day. No business plan, no grand vision. Just a love for the mountain.But then people started following. They started asking for stickers. And suddenly, David found himself running an e-commerce brand. What began as a hobby turned into a business selling apparel, getting into retail stores like REI, and building a loyal community of outdoor enthusiasts.This week, we follow David’s journey—from side project to full-time business. How he scaled his Shopify store, navigated wholesale partnerships, and made every mistake possible before finally getting it right. Along the way, we look at what happens when an entrepreneur outgrows their own operation, the challenges of building a brand rooted in a specific place, and what it really takes to turn a passion into a sustainable business.<h2>Links</h2>🛍 Shop Rainier Watch: <a href="https://shop.rainierwatch.com/">https://shop.rainierwatch.com/</a><h3>Sponsors</h3>💡 Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify: <a href="https://cleverific.com/unofficial">https://cleverific.com/unofficial</a> 🚀 Zipify – Optimize your Shopify store with Zipify: <a href="http://zipify.com/KURT">http://zipify.com/KURT</a> 📍 Address Validator – Prevent shipping mistakes before they happen: <a href="https://www.addressvalidator.com/">https://www.addressvalidator.com/</a><h3>Work with Kurt</h3>🔹 Grow your Shopify store with me: <a href="https://ethercycle.com/apply">https://ethercycle.com/apply</a> 📈 See our recent client successes: <a href="https://ethercycle.com/work">https://ethercycle.com/work</a>

<description>&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Rainier Watch started as me shouting into the void about whether the mountain was out. Now, it’s a brand in REI. Didn’t see that coming.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;David Lindahl started Rainier Watch as a simple Twitter account—just a guy posting updates on whether Mount Rainier was visible that day. No business plan, no grand vision. Just a love for the mountain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But then people started following. They started asking for stickers. And suddenly, David found himself running an e-commerce brand. What began as a hobby turned into a business selling apparel, getting into retail stores like REI, and building a loyal community of outdoor enthusiasts.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This week, we follow David’s journey—from side project to full-time business. How he scaled his Shopify store, navigated wholesale partnerships, and made every mistake possible before finally getting it right. Along the way, we look at what happens when an entrepreneur outgrows their own operation, the challenges of building a brand rooted in a specific place, and what it really takes to turn a passion into a sustainable business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h2&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Links&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;&lt;p&gt;🛍 &lt;strong&gt;Shop Rainier Watch:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://shop.rainierwatch.com/"&gt;https://shop.rainierwatch.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;💡 &lt;strong&gt;Cleverific&lt;/strong&gt; – Smart order editing for Shopify: &lt;a href="https://cleverific.com/unofficial"&gt;https://cleverific.com/unofficial&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;🚀 &lt;strong&gt;Zipify&lt;/strong&gt; – Optimize your Shopify store with Zipify: &lt;a href="http://zipify.com/KURT"&gt;http://zipify.com/KURT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;📍 &lt;strong&gt;Address Validator&lt;/strong&gt; – Prevent shipping mistakes before they happen: &lt;a href="https://www.addressvalidator.com/"&gt;https://www.addressvalidator.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Work with Kurt&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;p&gt;🔹 Grow your Shopify store with me: &lt;a href="https://ethercycle.com/apply"&gt;https://ethercycle.com/apply&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;📈 See our recent client successes: &lt;a href="https://ethercycle.com/work"&gt;https://ethercycle.com/work&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

How David Lindahl turned a Twitter account into a thriving Shopify brand, the hard lessons he learned, and what you can take from his journey to build something of your own.  


How a Twitter Account Became a Thriving Shopify Brand

In this episode of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, Brynn Snyder, co-founder of Slate Flosser, shares how she and her dentist husband tackled one of the most overlooked aspects of health—flossing. Together, they reimagined oral care with a product that could prevent gum disease, heart issues, and more.But flossing is just the beginning. This episode dives into their journey through a $194K Kickstarter campaign, battling knockoffs on Amazon, and scaling a Shopify store with sustainability and innovation at its core.Brynn reveals the challenges and triumphs of creating a physical product, why subscription models are key to recurring revenue, and how staying passionate can make or break your business.Flossing might not seem revolutionary—until you hear this story.<h3>Show Links</h3><ul><li><a href="https://slateflosser.com/">Slate Flosser</a></li><li><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slateflosser/slate-electric-flosser">Kickstarter Campaign</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/SLATE-Electric-Flosser-Teeth-Speeds/dp/B0DDLX8LG2">Slate Flosser on Amazon</a></li></ul><h3>Sponsors</h3><ul><li>Cleverific: <a href="https://cleverific.com/unofficial">https://cleverific.com/unofficial</a></li><li>Zipify: <a href="http://zipify.com/KURT">http://zipify.com/KURT</a></li><li>Address Validator: <a href="https://www.addressvalidator.com/">https://www.addressvalidator.com/</a></li></ul><h3>Work with Kurt</h3><ul><li>Grow your Shopify store with me: <a href="https://ethercycle.com/apply">https://ethercycle.com/apply</a></li><li>See our recent client successes: <a href="https://ethercycle.com/work">https://ethercycle.com/work</a></li></ul>

<description>&lt;p&gt;In this episode of &lt;i&gt;The Unofficial Shopify Podcast&lt;/i&gt;, Brynn Snyder, co-founder of Slate Flosser, shares how she and her dentist husband tackled one of the most overlooked aspects of health—flossing. Together, they reimagined oral care with a product that could prevent gum disease, heart issues, and more.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But flossing is just the beginning. This episode dives into their journey through a $194K Kickstarter campaign, battling knockoffs on Amazon, and scaling a Shopify store with sustainability and innovation at its core.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Brynn reveals the challenges and triumphs of creating a physical product, why subscription models are key to recurring revenue, and how staying passionate can make or break your business.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Flossing might not seem revolutionary—until you hear this story.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Show Links&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://slateflosser.com/"&gt;Slate Flosser&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slateflosser/slate-electric-flosser"&gt;Kickstarter Campaign&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.amazon.com/SLATE-Electric-Flosser-Teeth-Speeds/dp/B0DDLX8LG2"&gt;Slate Flosser on Amazon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Cleverific: &lt;a href="https://cleverific.com/unofficial"&gt;https://cleverific.com/unofficial&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Zipify: &lt;a href="http://zipify.com/KURT"&gt;http://zipify.com/KURT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Address Validator: &lt;a href="https://www.addressvalidator.com/"&gt;https://www.addressvalidator.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;h3&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Work with Kurt&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Grow your Shopify store with me: &lt;a href="https://ethercycle.com/apply"&gt;https://ethercycle.com/apply&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;See our recent client successes: &lt;a href="https://ethercycle.com/work"&gt;https://ethercycle.com/work&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
</description>

“We learned early on: marketing is essential, but a great product backed by science is unstoppable.”

Reinventing Oral Care: The Slate Flosser Story

Building Frizz + Co: Haircare, Shopify, and CommunityDaphné Eastmond ditched the CPA grind to create Frizz + Co, a brand that says screw the stigma and celebrates textured hair. From her raw startup struggles to her bold in-person events, Daphne shares how she’s making haircare personal—and real.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:<ul><li>Why Daphne left accounting to launch Frizz + Co.</li><li>How her personal hair struggles inspired a hero product.</li><li>The scrappy marketing tactics that worked (and the ones that didn’t).</li><li>How in-person events became her secret growth weapon.</li><li>Lessons from bootstrapping, product seeding, and building a Shopify brand.</li></ul>Links Mentioned:<ul><li>Frizz + Co: <a href="https://frizzhair.co">https://frizzhair.co</a></li><li>Connect with Daphne: Instagram <a href="https://instagram.com/frizz.co">@frizz.co</a></li></ul>Sponsors:<ul><li>Zipify: <a href="http://zipify.com/KURT">http://zipify.com/KURT</a></li><li>Cleverific: <a href="https://cleverific.com/unofficial">https://cleverific.com/unofficial</a></li><li>Boost Filter & Search: <a href="https://apps.shopify.com/product-filter-search">https://apps.shopify.com/product-filter-search</a></li></ul>CTA: Subscribe for more Shopify insights and stories like this! [Insert subscription link]

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Building Frizz + Co: Haircare, Shopify, and Community&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Daphné Eastmond ditched the CPA grind to create Frizz + Co, a brand that says screw the stigma and celebrates textured hair. From her raw startup struggles to her bold in-person events, Daphne shares how she’s making haircare personal—and real.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What You’ll Learn in This Episode:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why Daphne left accounting to launch Frizz + Co.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How her personal hair struggles inspired a hero product.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;The scrappy marketing tactics that worked (and the ones that didn’t).&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How in-person events became her secret growth weapon.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Lessons from bootstrapping, product seeding, and building a Shopify brand.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Links Mentioned:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Frizz + Co: &lt;a href="https://frizzhair.co"&gt;https://frizzhair.co&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Connect with Daphne: Instagram &lt;a href="https://instagram.com/frizz.co"&gt;@frizz.co&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Zipify:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="http://zipify.com/KURT"&gt;http://zipify.com/KURT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cleverific:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://cleverific.com/unofficial"&gt;https://cleverific.com/unofficial&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Boost Filter &amp; Search:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href="https://apps.shopify.com/product-filter-search"&gt;https://apps.shopify.com/product-filter-search&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CTA:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Subscribe for more Shopify insights and stories like this! [Insert subscription link]&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

w/ Daphné Eastmond, Frizz + Co

Building Frizz + Co: Haircare, Shopify, and Community

“Why not try it? Planet is low-risk, easy to configure, and can have a meaningful impact on your brand and the planet.”Discover how Shopify Planet helps merchants make a positive environmental impact while boosting customer trust and conversions. David Vranicar, Shopify’s sustainability operations lead, explains how this innovative app enables carbon-neutral shipping with zero hassle. Learn how it works, why it benefits your business, and what it means for your customers.Show Links Shopify Planet: <a href="https://apps.shopify.com/planet">https://apps.shopify.com/planet</a> Reach out to the Planet team: planet [at] shopify.comSponsors: Zipify: <a href="http://zipify.com/KURT">http://zipify.com/KURT</a> Cleverific: <a href="https://cleverific.com/unofficial">https://cleverific.com/unofficial</a> Boost Filter & Search: <a href="https://apps.shopify.com/product-filter-search">https://apps.shopify.com/product-filter-search</a>Work with Kurt:<ul><li>Grow your Shopify store with me: <a href="https://ethercycle.com/apply">https://ethercycle.com/apply</a></li><li>See our recent client successes: <a href="https://ethercycle.com/work">https://ethercycle.com/work</a></li><li>Join my newsletter for Shopify insights: <a href="https://kurtelster.com/">https://kurtelster.com/</a></li></ul>🎙️ The Unofficial Shopify Podcast – Your go-to resource for actionable ecommerce insights.

<description>&lt;p&gt;“Why not try it? Planet is low-risk, easy to configure, and can have a meaningful impact on your brand and the planet.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Discover how Shopify Planet helps merchants make a positive environmental impact while boosting customer trust and conversions. David Vranicar, Shopify’s sustainability operations lead, explains how this innovative app enables carbon-neutral shipping with zero hassle. Learn how it works, why it benefits your business, and what it means for your customers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Show Links&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shopify Planet: &lt;a href="https://apps.shopify.com/planet"&gt;https://apps.shopify.com/planet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Reach out to the Planet team: planet [at] shopify.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sponsors:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Zipify: &lt;a href="http://zipify.com/KURT"&gt;http://zipify.com/KURT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cleverific: &lt;a href="https://cleverific.com/unofficial"&gt;https://cleverific.com/unofficial&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Boost Filter &amp; Search: &lt;a href="https://apps.shopify.com/product-filter-search"&gt;https://apps.shopify.com/product-filter-search&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Work with Kurt:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Grow your Shopify store with me: &lt;a href="https://ethercycle.com/apply"&gt;https://ethercycle.com/apply&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;See our recent client successes: &lt;a href="https://ethercycle.com/work"&gt;https://ethercycle.com/work&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Join my newsletter for Shopify insights: &lt;a href="https://kurtelster.com/"&gt;https://kurtelster.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;🎙️ &lt;i&gt;The Unofficial Shopify Podcast&lt;/i&gt; – Your go-to resource for actionable ecommerce insights.&lt;/p&gt;
</description>

w/ David Vranicar, Shopify

Why Shopify’s Planet App is Good for Business (and the Earth)

NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY, SUBSCRIBE FOR UNBEATABLE ECOM RECON – Every Tuesday since 2014, host Kurt Elster shares the Shopify success stories that nobody tells you about, straight from the entrepreneurs living it. Subscribe for a raw look at what it really takes to succeed on Shopify.

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast

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