Education · 1 of 5

The path

No degree or licence. You learn by testing products with your own money.

1. 1

   Learn the basics for free

   1 to 2 months

   Shopify's own guides and free videos cover setup, suppliers and ads. A course is not needed to start.

2. 2

   Pick a narrow niche and vet suppliers

   1 month

   Order samples to your own address and time the delivery to Canada, which is often slower than to the US.

3. 3

   Build the store

   1 to 2 weeks

   AI tools can build it in an afternoon. So can everyone else, which is why the store is not the hard part.

4. 4

   Test products with small ad budgets

   3 to 12 months

   Most tests fail. You want one product where the ads pay for themselves with money left.

5. 5

   Grow or stop

   1 to 3 years

   Stores that last usually move to Canadian or US warehouses, their own brand and stock they hold.