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 store setup, suppliers and ads. You do not need a course to start.

2. 2

   Pick a narrow niche and vet suppliers

   1 month

   Order samples yourself. Time how long they take to arrive and check what turns up.

3. 3

   Build the store

   1 to 2 weeks

   AI tools can write product pages and build a store 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 are looking for one product where the ads pay for themselves with something left.

5. 5

   Grow or stop

   1 to 3 years

   The ones who last usually move to faster US warehouses, their own brand and stock they hold. Others stop and keep the skills.