Building a Successful Shopify Agency: Insights from Brendan Quigley
Table of Contents:
- Introduction: Welcome to the Marketing Games Podcast
- About Brendan Quigley: The Founder of Three Acres
- The Journey to Shopify: Focusing on a Specific Niche
- Day-to-Day Life as a Shopify Agency Owner
- The Importance of Building Trust with Clients
- Benefits of Joining the Shopify Partner Program
- Problem-Solving and Creative Solutions in Shopify
- Overcoming Limitations: Reporting and SEO in Shopify
- Who is a Good Fit for a Shopify Agency?
- Conclusion: Reflections on Running a Successful Shopify Agency
Introduction: Welcome to the Marketing Games Podcast
Welcome back to the Marketing Games Podcast! In this episode, we are thrilled to have Brendan Quigley, the founder of Three Acres, a Shopify agency, as our guest. Brendan shares his journey as a Shopify agency owner, the day-to-day life of running an agency, and the benefits and challenges he faces. He also provides insights into problem-solving and creative solutions within the Shopify platform. If you're interested in e-commerce and running a Shopify agency, this episode is a must-listen.
About Brendan Quigley: The Founder of Three Acres
Brendan Quigley introduces himself as the founder of Three Acres, a Shopify agency specializing in building and developing Shopify stores. With over seven years of experience in freelancing and web development, Brendan's focus has been on Shopify for the past three to four years. He finds great satisfaction and profitability in helping merchants build their businesses. Brendan's dedication to supporting small businesses stems from his belief in the strength of local economies built by entrepreneurs.
The Journey to Shopify: Focusing on a Specific Niche
Brendan discusses how he transitioned from working on general websites to focusing solely on Shopify. Recognizing the need to specialize and excel in a specific area, Brendan made the decision to dive deep into Shopify development. He highlights the advantages of Shopify, including its reliability, ease of use, and effective selling features. Shopify's platform allows Brendan to promise and deliver exceptional results to his clients without the need for extensive custom coding.
Day-to-Day Life as a Shopify Agency Owner
As a Shopify agency owner, Brendan enjoys the flexibility of working from home and managing his clients remotely. He divides his time between working on large projects, handling smaller follow-up tasks, and dedicating time to sales efforts. Brendan emphasizes the importance of balancing project work with sales to ensure a steady flow of clients. He also discusses the challenges of maintaining a disciplined approach to sales while focusing on delivering exceptional results to his clients.
The Importance of Building Trust with Clients
Building trust with clients is crucial for Brendan's business model. He describes the nature of his clients as go-getters who are deeply involved in their businesses. Brendan believes that establishing trust and rapport with merchants is essential to effectively support and guide them in building their businesses. By empathizing with their challenges and providing honest advice, Brendan solidifies trust with his clients, leading to long-term relationships and referrals.
Benefits of Joining the Shopify Partner Program
Brendan highlights the advantages of being part of the Shopify Partner Program. By setting up development stores and then transferring ownership to merchants, Brendan earns a 20% share of the Shopify fee every month. This ongoing revenue stream allows him to maintain an active partner status and offers a multitude of networking opportunities within the Shopify community. Brendan also shares his positive experiences with the supportive Slack and Discord communities as well as the strong Twitter presence among Shopify professionals.
Problem-Solving and Creative Solutions in Shopify
Brendan delves into the creative solutions he implements to address limitations or challenges within the Shopify platform. He shares examples of how he strategically avoids spending unnecessary money on apps by utilizing built-in features or finding workarounds. From customizing shipping options to modifying checkout processes, Brendan's knack for problem-solving enables him to deliver results without overwhelming his clients with additional costs. He emphasizes that these solutions are interim measures until businesses can grow and invest in more robust solutions.
Overcoming Limitations: Reporting and SEO in Shopify
Brendan discusses limitations within Shopify, such as reporting and SEO, and how he finds alternative solutions. While Shopify offers reporting features, he suggests exporting orders to Excel and creating custom reports to meet specific client needs. Brendan acknowledges that he is not an SEO expert but emphasizes that Shopify's well-built themes provide a solid foundation for SEO. Merchants still need to optimize their meta descriptions, titles, URLs, and other essential SEO elements. He also mentions the importance of blogs as a tool to enhance SEO efforts.
Who is a Good Fit for a Shopify Agency?
Brendan shares insights into the type of individuals who are well-suited to become Shopify agency owners. He mentions the importance of building trust with clients and understanding the unique mindset of merchants. The ability to empathize with their entrepreneurial journey and support them in building their businesses is crucial. Brendan also suggests that those looking to incorporate e-commerce functionality into their services could benefit from joining the Shopify community and utilizing the Shopify Partner Program.
Conclusion: Reflections on Running a Successful Shopify Agency
In the conclusion, Brendan reflects on his journey as a Shopify agency owner and the lessons he has learned along the way. He emphasizes the importance of scoping client relationships effectively and adjusting as necessary to deliver the best results. Brendan encourages agency owners to give themselves permission to let go of bad client relationships when necessary and focus on building mutually beneficial partnerships. He also recommends the book "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek, which helps individuals understand and communicate the purpose behind their work.
Highlights:
- Brendan Quigley, founder of Three Acres, discusses his journey as a Shopify agency owner and the advantages of specializing in Shopify development.
- Building trust with clients is crucial for Brendan, as it enables effective communication and long-term partnerships.
- The Shopify Partner Program provides rewards for referrals and offers a supportive network within the Shopify community.
- Brendan's problem-solving skills allow him to find creative solutions within the Shopify platform, reducing costs for clients.
- Overcoming limitations in reporting and SEO within Shopify requires alternative solutions, such as exporting orders to Excel for custom reporting and leveraging well-built themes for SEO optimization.
