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Free Business Lessons

Get the knowledge and inspiration you need to build a profitable business — straight to your inbox.

- Start your business
- Look professional and help customers connect with your business
  - Business name generator
- Find a domain, explore stock images, and amplify your brand
  - Web address
  - Stock photography
- Use Shopify’s powerful features to start selling
  - Products to sell
  - Store themes
- Sell everywhere
- Sell online with an ecommerce website
  - Overview
  - Features
- Sell at retail locations, pop-ups, and beyond
- Transform an existing website or blog into an online store
  - Overview
- Provide fast, smooth checkout experiences
  - Overview
- Reach millions of shoppers and boost sales
- Stand out with custom commerce
  - Overview

How to write a business plan: everything you need to know

Start a Business

Business Plans 101: How to Write a Business Plan For Any Business

by Desirae Odjick
Sep 21, 2019

Portrait of Brown Girls Stationary founder Kamaria Warren standing with one hand on her hip in a pale blue shirt and peach shorts. Behind her are a series of spot illustrations that reflect her business and the products she sells, her hobbies and inspiration.

Homework

Social Studies and Stationery: Inside the Mind of a 10-Year-Old Founder

by Dayna Winter
Sep 20, 2019

Portrait illustration of Carl Churchill, founder of Alpha Coffee, standing against a grey background in a yellow button down shirt.

Inspiration

Overdraft: How This Army Vet Fought His Way out of a Financial Ambush

by Dayna Winter
Sep 18, 2019

Portrait of Cannuka CEO Michael Bumgarner, standing inside his barn smiling at camera wearing a black Cannuka sweater. This is a tight portrait of his face and the background is out of focus.

Case Studies

Planting Change: How This CBD Beauty Brand Hopes to Lift Rural America

by Sarah Lilleyman
Sep 17, 2019

Portrait of Tribe Beauty Box founder Bili Balogun

Podcasts

How a Beauty Subscription Box Launched Through Facebook Groups

by Felix Thea
Sep 17, 2019

Portrait of 12 year old Founder Jahkil Jackson. Surrounding Jahkil are drawings of things that inspire him, activities, and items that he distributes to help the homeless.

Homework

Beagles and Basketball: Inside the Mind of a 12-Year-Old Founder

by Dayna Winter
Sep 13, 2019

Photo collage of Canadian EDM group a Tribe Called Red. Tim "2oolman" Hill is on the left and Ehren "Bear Witness" Thomas is on the right. Both men are pictured in black and white with an image of their album behind them. To the right of the album are red, yellow and blue feathers as a nod to their Indigenous culture.

Inspiration

Vanguard: How A Tribe Called Red Brought Activism to the Dance Floor

by Anshuman Iddamsetty
Sep 13, 2019

Business Finance

When to Pursue Capital: Key Financial Moments for Entrepreneurs and Growing Businesses

by Saad Atieque
Sep 12, 2019

Model wears a "Canada Is Home" jeans jacket from Peace Collective while waving a Canadian flag.

Podcasts

How to Create Your Own Viral Moments

by Felix Thea
Sep 10, 2019

Things to Make and Sell

Business Ideas

The Business of DIY: 10 Things to Make and Sell Online

by Dayna Winter
Sep 9, 2019

Portrait illustration of Gingie McLeod, founder of Saint Chic, in a mauve shirt against a magenta background.

Inspiration

Overdraft: The Dark Side of Overnight Success

by Dayna Winter
Sep 8, 2019

Illustrated portrait of Natalie Gill from Native Poppy flower shop in San Diego

Inspiration

Overdraft: How Native Poppy Bloomed—Even Through Its Founder’s Darkest Days

by Dayna Winter
Sep 5, 2019

an alarm clock set to a specific date to represent a coming soon page

How to Sell Online

How to Create a Coming Soon Page and Start Marketing Before You Launch

by Braveen Kumar
Sep 5, 2019

Portrait of Ethan and Merritt Perlyn, the young founders of Crepic. Surrounding them are illustrations that reflect their business, hobbies and dreams.

Homework

Sharks and Shooting Hoops: Inside the Minds of Two School-Aged Founders

by Dayna Winter
Sep 4, 2019

Sali Christeson, CEO and founder of ARGENT in one of their bold and modernly designed suits.

Podcasts

Why an MBA Was Important for This Entrepreneur

by Felix Thea
Sep 3, 2019

Photo collage of Brewbles Founder Estefania Rodriguez. Surrounding her are images of her bath bombs including a sun and moon, a watermelon and popsicle. Catheryn has a flower crown and a eucalyptus along the bottom of her portrait.

Inspiration

Vanguard: This Latinx Bath Brand Is Bubbling with Nostalgia

by Anshuman Iddamsetty
Sep 2, 2019

Photo collage of four characters from This Is Us. From left to right, Deja (Lyric Ross), Beth Pearson (Susan Kelechi Watson), Randall Pearson (Sterling K Brown)and Kevin (Justin Hartley).

Inspiration

How to Be a Boss: 18 Tips from This Is Us’ Randall and Beth Pearson

by Dayna Winter
Sep 2, 2019

Back to school.

Digital Marketing

4 Merchants Share Their Back to School Strategies

by Shuang Shan
Aug 30, 2019

Portrait of 6 year old founder Oliver Fequiere. Surrounding his portrait are illustrations that reflect his business, hobbies and interests.

Homework

Bath Bombs and Batman: Inside the Mind of a 6-Year-Old Founder

by Dayna Winter
Aug 29, 2019

Storefront performance improvements

Announcements

A Faster Shopify: Two Big Performance Improvements to Your Online Store

by Thomas Kelly
Aug 27, 2019

Podcasts

How to Partner With Physical Stores to Showcase Your Product

by Felix Thea
Aug 27, 2019

Photo collage of Gloria Noto, founder of NOTO Botanics. To the left of her are three product shots overtop of a male model. To the right of her are two female models with red eye shadow on holding a NOTO product.

Inspiration

Vanguard: The Unique Voice Behind Gender-fluid Wellness Products

by Anshuman Iddamsetty
Aug 26, 2019

Photo collage of the cast of Shrill. From left to right Ruthie (Patti Harrison), Ryan (Luka Jones), Annie Easton (Aidy Bryant), Amadi (Ian Owens), and Fran (Lolly Adefope).

Inspiration

How to Be a Boss: 10 Tips from Shrill

by Shopify Editorial Team
Aug 25, 2019

Photograph of 9 women's fists in the air starting from the darkest complexion and transitioning to the lightest complexion.

Inspiration

Outraged: T-shirts and the Ongoing Fight for Women’s Equality

by Dayna Winter
Aug 25, 2019

Portrait of young entrepreneur Sophia Fairweather with a series of illustrations drawn around her that reflect her business, goals and achievements.

Homework

STEM and Stargate Atlantis: Inside the Mind of a 11-Year-Old Founder

by Dayna Winter
Aug 23, 2019

Entrepreneurs and comparison

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs Don’t Have the Luxury of Avoiding Comparison

by Gregory Ciotti
Aug 23, 2019

Common business mistakes to avoid

Start a Business

Ten Mistakes I Made Running Two Online Stores (And How You Can Avoid Them)

by Shabbir Nooruddin
Aug 22, 2019

Sustainable wrapping paper and box being used for a package.

Shipping

8 Merchants Share Their Sustainable Packaging and Shipping Solutions

by Shuang Shan
Aug 22, 2019

Leather wallet by Popov Leather being displayed.

Podcasts

This Leather Maker's Journey From Basement to Seven Figures

by Felix Thea
Aug 20, 2019

Photo collage of Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, the publishing director of Cassava Republic Press and Ankara Press. Behind Bibi are swatches of various African fabrics. In the middle of the frame is an open book, the pages have two illustrated faces on them, one black one red and they are kissing, to reflect the idea of romance novels.

Inspiration

Vanguard: Meet the Nigerian Publisher Heating Up African Romance Novels

by Anshuman Iddamsetty
Aug 19, 2019

Photo collage of the cast of The Crown Season 2. From left to right, Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby), Prime Minister (Anton Lesser), Jackie Kennedy (Claire Foy), Jackie Kennedy (Jodi Balfour), and Prince Philip (Matt Smith)

Inspiration

How to Be a Boss: 12 Tips from The Crown

by Shopify Editorial Team
Aug 18, 2019

Portrait illustration of Adam Gentry, founder of Photific, wearing a pale blue button down and standing against a peach background.

Inspiration

Overdraft: Success for This Founder—at First—Simply Meant Surviving

by Neil Parmar
Aug 17, 2019

Introducing Shopify Chat

Announcements

Shopify Chat: Close More Sales Through Real-Time Conversations

by Ellen Dunne
Aug 14, 2019

Portrait of 13 year old Collin, 8 year old Austin and 11 year old Ryan Gill, the young founders of Frères Branchiaux. Surrounding them are illustrations that reflect their business, their hobbies and their activities.

Homework

Baseball and Black Panther: Inside the Mind of an 11-Year-Old Founder

by Dayna Winter
Aug 14, 2019

portrait of beefcake swimwear founder Mel Wells

Podcasts

Why This Founder Took Two Years to Launch

by Felix Thea
Aug 13, 2019

Photo collage of Jacque Aye, founder of Adorned By Chi. Surrounding her are three of her anime characters and one of her custom t shirt slogans. Top left character is Gogo, bottom left there's a slogan that reads Black and Proud, top right is Emeka and bottom right is Adaeze. Jacuqe is pictured in the centre wearing a red shirt and black high waisted blue jeans. Her shirt says Anime Baddie across the front.

Inspiration

Vanguard: This Artist Conjured a Magical World of Black Anime Characters

by Anshuman Iddamsetty
Aug 12, 2019

Photo collage of the cast of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. From left to right Hilda Spellman (Lucy Davis), Harvey Kinkle (Ross Lynch), Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka), Susie Putnam (Lachlan Watson) and Zelda Spellman (Miranda Otto)

Inspiration

How to Be a Boss: 16 Tips from Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

by Dayna Winter
Aug 12, 2019

Illustrated portrait of Wian von Blommestein, the founder of Ayoba-Yo.

Inspiration

Overdraft: Will His Family’s Food Business Turn into a Recipe for Success?

by Neil Parmar
Aug 10, 2019

DIY natural lighting for product photography.

Product Photography

A 6-Step Guide to Natural Lighting for DIY Product Photography

by Rachel Jacobs
Aug 9, 2019

Portrait of 9 year old founder Riley Kinnane-Petersen of the jewellery and apparel line Gunner and Lux. Surrounding Riley are illustrations that reflect her business, her hobbies, and her inspiration.

Homework

Sloths and Shiny Things: Inside the Mind of a 10-Year-Old Founder

by Dayna Winter
Aug 7, 2019

Illustration of a group of kids 6-9 years old, in an air balloon that is travelling over a countryside and a cityscape, but the air balloon is made out of a lightbulb to illustrate their ideas.

Homework

Introducing Homework—A Series Taking You Inside the Minds of Kid Founders

by Dayna Winter
Aug 7, 2019

Portrait of Blank Tag Co Remi Silva and Alondra Carbajal

Podcasts

How to Automate Your Business as Fast as Possible

by Felix Thea
Aug 6, 2019

Photo collage of George Giaouris, founder of Northbound Leather, against a bright pink background. Surrounding him are cut outs of two eyes and a mouth placed around a silhouette of a face. Inside each shape is a black and white image of Northbound's leather goods.

Inspiration

Vanguard: How Northbound Leather Became a Thriving Fetish Wear Company

by Anshuman Iddamsetty
Aug 5, 2019

Photo collage of (from left to right) characters Zoya the Destroya, Machu Picchu, Bash and Sandy Devereaux St. Clair from the TV show Glow.

Inspiration

How to Be a Boss: 12 Tips from GLOW

by Shopify Editorial Team
Aug 4, 2019

yellow shipping containers

How to Sell Online

How to Create a Wholesale Channel and Sell to Other Retailers

by Mary-Rose Sutton
Aug 2, 2019

The customer service skills needed to provide outstanding support.

Customer Service

The 13 Skills Needed to Provide Memorable Customer Support

by Kiera Abbamonte
Aug 1, 2019

PayPal billing now available

PayPal Is Now Available to Pay for Your Shopify Bill

by Aaron Sadhankar
Jul 31, 2019

Portrait of the artist Debbie Bean standing under a tree with yellow flowers wearing a white t shirt and brown jeans with red lipstick on.

Inspiration

How Tibetan Monks and Cross-Country Moves Inspired This Artist’s Journey

by Dayna Winter
Jul 31, 2019

An array of SmartyPits deodorants.

Podcasts

The Real Sacrifices of Growing a Seven-Figure Business

by Felix Thea
Jul 30, 2019

Photo collage of Celyon founder Patrick Boateng II. Behind Patrick are two different profiles of men of colour and hovering above their faces are three of Ceylon's products. In the bottom right hand corner are two hands with a smear of white paint above them to illustrate the texture of the product.

Inspiration

Vanguard: He Ditched a Government Job to Start a Skin-Care Line for Men of Color

by Anshuman Iddamsetty
Jul 29, 2019