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Episode 027 - Guest Kurt Elster on Better Collaboration Building for Merchants
In this conversation, Karl Meisterheim, Taylor Page, and Kurt Elster discuss the challenges and strategies of collaboration in the Shopify development space, particularly focusing on working with clients and other developers.
Kurt shares his entrepreneurial journey, the origins of EtherCycle, and the importance of effective communication and documentation in development teams. The discussion also touches on the significance of partnerships, risk-taking in entrepreneurship, and the necessity of adhering to best practices in Shopify development.
Kurt also discusses the importance of streamlined communication in client relationships, the challenges of managing multiple points of contact, and the difficult but sometimes necessary decision to fire clients. They explore the criteria for determining when a client relationship is no longer beneficial and share personal experiences with client management.
The discussion also touches on the selection of themes for development projects, recent updates in Shopify, and personal projects.
*Timestamps*
00:00 Introduction
00:20 Kurt Elster's Origin Story
03:22 The Evolution of EtherCycle
06:26 Partnership Dynamics in Business
09:12 Client Collaboration Challenges
12:14 Effective Communication Strategies
14:58 Project Management Tools and Techniques
17:59 Documentation Best Practices
21:00 Navigating Existing Codebases
23:58 Screencasts and Client Education
26:54 Team Collaboration and Role Clarity
32:16 Navigating Tooling and Build Processes
34:26 Dealing with Client Communication Challenges
41:40 The Art of Firing Clients
47:42 Funny Client Stories and Experiences
50:40 Theme Selection and Development Strategies
54:28 Shopify Updates and Change Log
57:56 Personal Updates and Picks of the Week
*Connect with Kurt Elster:*
Follow Kurt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kurtinc
Listen to *The Unofficial Shopify Podcast*: https://link.chtbl.com/tusp
Join Kurt’s newsletter: https://kurtelster.com/
Check Kurt’s agency work at Ethercycle: https://ethercycle.com/work/
Subscribe to Kurt’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ethercycle
*Resources*
Clickup: https://clickup.com/
Shopify Theme Store: https://themes.shopify.com/Alan Weiss (author): https://www.amazon.com/stores/Alan-Weiss/author/B000AQ0PNG
*Dev Changelog*
https://shopify.dev/changelog
Shopify CLI is now easier to install and faster for Liquid theme development: https://shopify.dev/changelog/shopify-cli-is-now-easier-to-install-and-faster-for-liquid-theme-development
New Full-Funnel Theme Install Parameters and Now Firing E-Commerce Events on the Theme Listing Page: https://shopify.dev/changelog/new-full-funnel-theme-install-parameters-and-now-firing-e-commerce-events-on-the-theme-listing-page
New Full-Funnel App Install Parameters and Now Firing E-Commerce Events on the App Listing Page: https://shopify.dev/changelog/new-full-funnel-app-install-parameters-and-now-firing-e-commerce-events-on-the-app-listing-page
Post-purchase offers limit is increased: https://shopify.dev/changelog/post-purchase-offers-limit-is-increased
Product Feed webhooks now support per-market inventory: https://shopify.dev/changelog/product-feed-webhooks-now-support-per-market-inventory
*Picks of the Week*
Karl: https://www.udio.com/
Kurt: https://www.do3d.com/, https://us.store.bambulab.com/products/p1s
Taylor: https://tally.so/
*Signup for Liquid Weekly*
Don't miss out on expert insights and tips—subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more content like this. https://liquidweekly.com/
View all episodes
By Karl MeisterheimIn this conversation, Karl Meisterheim, Taylor Page, and Kurt Elster discuss the challenges and strategies of collaboration in the Shopify development space, particularly focusing on working with clients and other developers.
Kurt shares his entrepreneurial journey, the origins of EtherCycle, and the importance of effective communication and documentation in development teams. The discussion also touches on the significance of partnerships, risk-taking in entrepreneurship, and the necessity of adhering to best practices in Shopify development.
Kurt also discusses the importance of streamlined communication in client relationships, the challenges of managing multiple points of contact, and the difficult but sometimes necessary decision to fire clients. They explore the criteria for determining when a client relationship is no longer beneficial and share personal experiences with client management.
The discussion also touches on the selection of themes for development projects, recent updates in Shopify, and personal projects.
*Timestamps*
00:00 Introduction
00:20 Kurt Elster's Origin Story
03:22 The Evolution of EtherCycle
06:26 Partnership Dynamics in Business
09:12 Client Collaboration Challenges
12:14 Effective Communication Strategies
14:58 Project Management Tools and Techniques
17:59 Documentation Best Practices
21:00 Navigating Existing Codebases
23:58 Screencasts and Client Education
26:54 Team Collaboration and Role Clarity
32:16 Navigating Tooling and Build Processes
34:26 Dealing with Client Communication Challenges
41:40 The Art of Firing Clients
47:42 Funny Client Stories and Experiences
50:40 Theme Selection and Development Strategies
54:28 Shopify Updates and Change Log
57:56 Personal Updates and Picks of the Week
*Connect with Kurt Elster:*
Follow Kurt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kurtinc
Listen to *The Unofficial Shopify Podcast*: https://link.chtbl.com/tusp
Join Kurt’s newsletter: https://kurtelster.com/
Check Kurt’s agency work at Ethercycle: https://ethercycle.com/work/
Subscribe to Kurt’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ethercycle
*Resources*
Clickup: https://clickup.com/
Shopify Theme Store: https://themes.shopify.com/Alan Weiss (author): https://www.amazon.com/stores/Alan-Weiss/author/B000AQ0PNG
*Dev Changelog*
https://shopify.dev/changelog
Shopify CLI is now easier to install and faster for Liquid theme development: https://shopify.dev/changelog/shopify-cli-is-now-easier-to-install-and-faster-for-liquid-theme-development
New Full-Funnel Theme Install Parameters and Now Firing E-Commerce Events on the Theme Listing Page: https://shopify.dev/changelog/new-full-funnel-theme-install-parameters-and-now-firing-e-commerce-events-on-the-theme-listing-page
New Full-Funnel App Install Parameters and Now Firing E-Commerce Events on the App Listing Page: https://shopify.dev/changelog/new-full-funnel-app-install-parameters-and-now-firing-e-commerce-events-on-the-app-listing-page
Post-purchase offers limit is increased: https://shopify.dev/changelog/post-purchase-offers-limit-is-increased
Product Feed webhooks now support per-market inventory: https://shopify.dev/changelog/product-feed-webhooks-now-support-per-market-inventory
*Picks of the Week*
Karl: https://www.udio.com/
Kurt: https://www.do3d.com/, https://us.store.bambulab.com/products/p1s
Taylor: https://tally.so/
*Signup for Liquid Weekly*
Don't miss out on expert insights and tips—subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more content like this. https://liquidweekly.com/