Liquid Weekly Podcast: Shopify Developers Talking Shopify Development

Eytan Seidman, VP of Product at Shopify, returns to the Liquid Weekly Podcast for a special Spring '26 Editions walkthrough with Karl and Taylor.

It is a full tour of what is dropping for developers: static app home extensions, the App Events API, AI Kit, Sidekick app extensions going GA, the ongoing Dev Dashboard overhaul, a rebuilt logging experience, UCP and agentic commerce, next-gen events replacing webhooks, and the shift from Managed Pricing to Shopify App Pricing. Basically a whole episode of changelog.

A must-listen for app developers, agencies, and anyone building on the Shopify platform.

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Find Eytan Online

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eytanseidman/
• X: https://x.com/eytanseidman

See the Spring '26 Editions: https://www.shopify.com/editions/spring2026

Timestamps

• (00:00) Intro snippets
• (01:03) Intros and welcoming back Eytan Seidman
• (02:17) Static app home extensions: building apps fully on Shopify
• (08:08) App Events API: observability and monitoring in Dev Dash
• (13:03) AI Kit: store auth, store execute, and how it differs from MCP
• (17:54) Sidekick app extensions GA: data and app action extensions
• (25:21) Dev Dashboard overhaul: store and team management
• (31:34) Logging overhaul: API requests, filtering, and unified logs
• (35:40) Catalog improvements and the UCP CLI
• (38:16) Building carts across merchants with UCP
• (40:35) Agent to agent purchasing and accountability
• (44:04) Next-gen events: rebuilding webhooks
• (52:08) Shopify App Pricing: usage-based pricing and meters
• (58:27) Closing: what Eytan is most excited for devs to try
• (1:00:50) Picks of the Week

Picks of the Week

• Taylor: A MagSafe power bank. After his recording died in the fourth inning of his daughter's softball game, he picked one up so he can hot-swap batteries mid-game and record full-length games start to finish. https://amzn.to/4vXCZAj
• Karl: Atkins chocolate truffles, found in the reduced aisle at Kroger. A cheap, high-protein, low-carb sweet that hits the spot if you are doing keto. https://www.kroger.com/p/atkins-endulge-dark-chocolate-truffles/0063748000511
• Eytan: Two aviation books. Flying Blind by Dominic Gates, a Seattle Times reporter, on the 737 MAX and the fall of Boeing, tracing the program from the 1960s through the late 2010s: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55994102-flying-blind. And The Sporty Game, an older read on the early Boeing vs Airbus competition: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/312480.The_Sporty_Game

Shopify performance specialist Izaac Barratt of Baseline Commerce joins Karl and Taylor for a deep dive into site speed optimization.

The conversation covers the full spectrum from LCP and INP fundamentals to the real-world friction of app bloat, AI coding habits, and what actually moves the needle for conversion rates. A must-listen for any theme developer, app developer, or agency working with high-traffic Shopify stores.

Sponsor

The Support Heroes - https://www.thesupportheroes.com/?utm_source=liquid_weekly&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsorships

Subscribe to Liquid Weekly

Don't miss out on expert insights and tips—subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more content like this: https://liquidweekly.com/

Find Izaac Barratt Online

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/izaac-barratt — where he posts performance tips, resources, and his ongoing series on the nine performance fix buckets

Baseline Commerce:

baseline-commerce.com — Izaac's site speed optimization consultancy

Timestamps

01:23 – Intros; welcoming guest Izaac Barrett

02:48 – Izaac's origin story: animation, Newgrounds, and e-commerce

05:36 – What drew Izaac to performance optimization

06:00 – First site speed project: 12 seconds to 2 seconds, conversion doubled

10:00 – LCP fundamentals: above-the-fold prioritization and perception

18:00 – Preloading, lazy loading, and how to get them wrong

20:43 – Liquid's preload tag, sections_index, and reducing JavaScript dependency

26:38 – Telling AI to prioritize HTML/Liquid and CSS over JavaScript

31:01 – Async vs. defer vs. render-blocking scripts explained

35:28 – Apps and performance: identifying problem apps, merchant conversations

39:15 – Advice for app developers on loading strategy and user interaction cycles

41:42 – INP (Interaction to Next Paint) explained: what it is and why it's hard to fix

43:30 – Shopify/research report: 34ms of INP = 3.5% drop in CVR

46:06 – How to debug INP: Chrome DevTools performance tab and CrUX data

53:20 – Izaac's LinkedIn series: nine buckets of performance fixes

56:17 – Dev Changelog

1:02:44 – Picks of the Week

Dev Changelog

- Next-Generation Events — Developer Preview: https://shopify.dev/changelog

- ⚠️ Expiring Offline Access Tokens Required for All Public Apps — January 1, 2027: https://shopify.dev/changelog

- Shop Minis — March/April 2026 Update: https://shopify.dev/changelog

- Customer Account UI — Feature Preview: https://shopify.dev/changelog

- App Home as a UI Extension: https://shopify.dev/changelog- llms.txt / agents.md in Shopify Themes: https://shopify.dev/changelog

Picks of the Week

Karl:

The Dark Journey: The Tragedy of the Donner Party

by Allan Eckert – A true history of the ill-fated 1846 wagon party, written by one of Karl's favorite frontier authors; dark but compelling, especially for history enthusiasts. https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Journey-Allan-W-Eckert/dp/1931672539

Izaac:

Page Speed Impact Estimator fastersite.ai – A tool for estimating the performance gains of removing specific scripts and assets before actually doing the work; great for benchmarking and scoping conversations with clients.

Taylor:

The Will of the Many

by James Islington – A sci-fi novel recommended by Taylor's brother (a bookseller); follows a teenager hiding his royal lineage in a Roman Empire-style society that literally harvests people's will to gain power. Book two also out. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58416951-the-will-of-the-many

In this episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast, hosts Karl Meisterheim and Taylor Page are joined by Sandesh Kulai, founder of STOQ by Artos Software.

Sandesh shares his journey from building early Shopify apps to working at Shopify, then returning to app development full-time with Artos Software. The conversation dives into the real complexity behind preorders, back-in-stock alerts, selling plans, deferred payments, storefront integrations, and supporting apps across a wide range of Shopify themes.

Sandesh also gives a behind-the-scenes look at Engine Room, Artos Software’s internal AI-powered operations dashboard, and shares practical advice for app developers on treating the business itself like a product.

STAY CONNECTED

Subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more expert insights:
https://liquidweekly.com/

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Sandesh’s Shopify Origin Story
• Built for Shopify Recognition
• From Back-in-Stock to Preorders
• Selling Plans Beyond Subscriptions
• Why Preorders Are More Than a Button Change
• Storefront and Theme Support
• 24/7 Human Support
• Engine Room and AI Operations
• Building the Business Like a Product

FIND SANDESH ONLINE & RESOURCES

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandeshkini/
• Twitter/X: https://x.com/heysandy801
• STOQ: https://www.stoqapp.com/
• STOQ on the Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/back-in-stock-restock-alerts

TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 - Cold Open: Fighting Operational Slowdowns with Engine Room
• 00:52 - Introduction & Sandesh’s Birthday
• 03:02 - Built for Shopify Recognition at Editions.dev
• 07:50 - Rails, React, and the STOQ Tech Stack
• 08:52 - Sandesh’s Origin Story: Apps, Shopify, and Product Management
• 12:10 - From Restock Rocket to STOQ
• 13:36 - Why Preorders Are More Complicated Than a Button Change
• 15:16 - Selling Plans, Purchase Options, and Deferred Payments
• 18:38 - Deposits, Partial Payments, and Charging Customers Later
• 20:45 - Using Preorders and Waitlists for Better Inventory Decisions
• 21:36 - Conversion Analytics for Preorder Campaigns
• 24:32 - Listening to Merchant Feedback and Expanding Product Direction
• 28:12 - Supporting Storefronts, Themes, App Embeds, and Selectors
• 30:50 - Building 24/7 Human Support
• 33:01 - Scaling Support from Founders to a Team
• 39:58 - Engine Room: Artos Software’s Internal AI Dashboard
• 41:12 - Tracking Merchant Sentiment, Reviews, Web Vitals, and Escalations
• 44:15 - Using AI to Keep the Team Focused on What Matters
• 46:02 - Co-Founder Dynamics and Long-Term Partnership
• 52:47 - Advice for App Developers: Treat the Business Like a Product
• 54:13 - Shopify Dev Changelog Highlights
• 01:01:49 - Picks of the Week

DEV CHANGELOG

• More admin intents now support Settings: https://shopify.dev/changelog/more-admin-intents-now-support-settings
• [action required] Ship and pickup in one order now available in feature preview: https://shopify.dev/changelog/ship-and-pickup-in-one-order-feature-preview
• [action required] App deployment in CI/CD is now available for all apps: https://shopify.dev/changelog/app-deployment-in-cicd-is-now-available-for-all-apps
• Publish and unpublish product variants independently from product: https://shopify.dev/changelog/publish-and-unpublish-product-variants-independently-from-product
• [action required] Bots and agents should identify themselves via Web Bot Auth: https://shopify.dev/changelog/bots-and-agents-should-identify-themselves-via-web-bot-auth
• Target discounts to specific markets: https://shopify.dev/changelog/target-discounts-to-specific-markets
• Shopify App Pricing: charge for usage, recurring subscriptions, or both: https://shopify.dev/changelog/shopify-app-pricing-charge-for-usage-recurring-subscriptions-or-both

PICKS OF THE WEEK

• Karl: A retro Radio Shack 1680 chess computer from 1996.
• Sandesh: Setting up a Mac Mini to experiment with Hermes and personal AI agent workflows.
• Taylor: The SDA Toronto guide built with Trudy MacNabb for people heading to Shopify.dev, including events, restaurants, work spots, and local recommendations.

In this episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast, hosts Karl Meisterheim and Taylor Page break down the results of the first-ever Liquid Weekly Shopify Developer Survey.They dive into who makes up the Shopify developer community—from freelancers and agency devs to app builders—and explore what developers are working on, what they want to learn, and what challenges they’re facing.

The conversation covers the growing demand for AI workflows, ongoing struggles with Shopify’s rapid pace of change, and concerns around client acquisition in an evolving landscape.

They also discuss the role of events like Shopify .dev, opportunities for community connection, and how Liquid Weekly can better serve its audience moving forward.Sponsor

The Support Heroes - https://thesupportheroes.com/?utm_source=liquid_weekly&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsorships

Timestamps00:00 Introduction01:00 Survey Overview and Goals04:00 Who Responded: Freelancers, Agencies, and App Devs09:00 What Developers Are Working On (Themes vs Apps)12:00 Global Breakdown of the Shopify Dev Community17:00 Shopify .dev Attendance and Barriers (Cost, Travel, Visas)23:00 Community Events and Alternatives to .dev31:00 What Developers Want More Of (AI, Themes, Apps, Business)37:00 Staying Grounded Amid AI Hype40:30 Demand for Marketing and Client Acquisition Content42:45 What Developers Are Struggling With43:00 Keeping Up with Shopify’s Pace of Change48:00 AI Uncertainty and Productivity Pressure51:30 Client Acquisition and Pricing Challenges54:30 Dev Changelog1:01:30 Picks of the WeekResourcesState of JS Survey (Referenced concept): https://stateofjs.com/Shopify Developer Community Events (Various global meetups)Shopify Partner Dashboard (App submission updates discussed)Dev Changelog

• New app submission experience in the Shopify Partner Dashboard (AI-assisted pre-checks and faster reviews) • Storefront Catalog MCP updated to support Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) • ⚠️ Action Required: Automatic CSS subsetting for stylesheet Liquid tag • ⚠️ Action Required: Deprecation of checkout metafields in favor of cart and order metafields • Expanded app uninstall reason options for better analytics • Analytics metrics now available via Admin GraphQL API • Multiple product discounts can now apply to a single cart line⸻Picks of the WeekKarl: Rebel Ice Cream – Keto-friendly, low sugar ice cream (surprisingly good, dangerously easy to overeat)Taylor: GitHub – Leveraging actions, PR templates, and workflows to improve dev productivity (despite recent hiccups)⸻Sign Up for Liquid WeeklyDon’t miss out on expert insights and tips—subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more content like this:👉 https://liquidweekly.com

In this episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast, hosts Karl Meisterheim and Taylor Page are joined by Anne Thomas, co-founder of Design Packs. Anne shares her journey in the Shopify ecosystem, her recent foray into backend development with Supabase and Claude AI, and the launch of her new podcast, Cart to Cart.

The conversation dives into the nuances of building with Shopify's flexible theme blocks, managing design systems, and the realities of using AI for coding and QA. Anne also discusses her community-building efforts with "Women Unified in Commerce".

STAY CONNECTED
Subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more expert insights: https://liquidweekly.com/

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• Anne's Background & Side Projects: From starting with Shopify themes in 2014 to building a horse-riding tracking app.
• Cart to Cart Podcast: Anne introduces her new podcast co-hosted with Trudy McNabb, Brenda Storer, and Diana Birsan.
• Women Unified in Commerce: Insights into the grassroots community meetups Anne and Trudy host in Toronto.
• Developer vs. Merchant Feedback: How the Design Packs team navigates and balances feedback.
• Theme Blocks & Design Systems: A deep dive into Shopify's flexible blocks, modern theme architecture, and CSS overrides.
• AI in the Dev Workflow: The realities of using AI tools like Claude and Cursor's Bugbot for writing code and PR reviews.

FIND ANNE ONLINE & RESOURCES

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annethomas8/
• Twitter(X): https://x.com/alfalfaanne
• Design Packs: https://design-packs.com/
• Cart to Cart Podcast: https://cart2cartpodcast.com
• Women Unified in Commerce: LinkedIn Group

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Introduction & Anne's Background
03:30 - Building with Supabase & Claude AI
08:40 - The "Cart to Cart" Podcast
30:30 - "Women Unified in Commerce" Meetups
37:50 - Balancing Merchant and Developer Feedback
43:30 - Navigating Shopify's Flexible Theme Blocks
50:15 - Design Systems & CSS Overrides in Themes
58:15 - AI Realities: Coding, QA, and Automated PR Reviews
01:09:40 - Dev Changelog Highlights
01:14:10 - Picks of the Week

DEV CHANGELOG

• ActionBar removed on mobile: TitleBar primary action now renders as an icon button - https://shopify.dev/changelog/primary-action-icon-replaces-actionbar-on-mobile
• New CSS variable for mobile safe area insets - https://shopify.dev/changelog/new-css-variable-for-mobile-safe-area-insets
• Automated testing for Shopify UI extensions with @shopify/ui-extensions-tester - https://shopify.dev/changelog/automated-testing-for-shopify-ui-extensions-with-shopify-ui-extensions-tester
• New discount fields in the Storefront API's cart types - https://shopify.dev/changelog/new-discount-fields-in-the-storefront-cart-graphql-api
• Shopify AI Toolkit: Connect your AI tools to the Shopify platform - https://shopify.dev/changelog/shopify-ai-toolkit-connect-your-ai-tools-to-the-shopify-platform
• Shopify Scripts will be deprecated on June 30, 2026 - https://shopify.dev/changelog/shopify-scripts-will-be-deprecated-on-june-30-2026
• (non-dev) Checkout Blocks: Order value limits available on all plans - https://changelog.shopify.com/posts/checkout-blocks-order-value-limits-available-on-all-plans

PICKS OF THE WEEK

• Karl: Simple Truth low-carb crisp crackers and reading the book Dune.
• Anne: Swapping the morning doomscroll for a daily crossword puzzle. Try https://www.dictionary.com/games/crossword to start.
• Taylor: Taking the kids to see The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Karl and Taylor are back for a solo episode packed with updates. Taylor breaks down major changes to the Shopify Theme Editor, a big B2B announcement that flipped the script on Plus-only features, and a raft of Dev Changelog items.

Karl shares a real-world debugging war story about a Shopify Function that was silently discarding all its input — and the 10KB metafield limit that caused it.

SponsorThe Support Heroes - https://thesupportheroes.com/?utm_source=lwSubscribe to Liquid WeeklyDon't miss out on expert insights and tips—subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more content like this: https://liquidweekly.com/Timestamps- 00:00 – Intro & Slim Jim nostalgia- 01:00 – Season 3 check-in- 02:20 – Shopify Theme Editor overhaul walkthrough- 08:00 – Markets in the Theme Editor: a common merchant gotcha- 09:30 – Session restore, Rollouts scheduling in the editor- 12:00 – Shopify SimGem (AI shopper simulation) overview- 15:00 – Karl's PromoParty Pro debugging war story- 19:00 – Shopify Functions: silent failures & the 10KB metafield limit- 22:00 – Dev Dashboard function logs deep dive- 26:00 – Discount function limits (25 per shop) & Functions vs. Shopify Scripts- 31:00 – Checkout extensibility, web components, and useful constraints- 33:00 – Shopify Dev Dashboard updates: Plus shops, role-based access- 36:00 – Headless Shopify app, Storefront API tokens & cart metafields- 37:00 – AuthCrate.shop by Dylan- 39:00 – Cart metafields copying to order metafields- 41:00 – Shopify Partner Town Hall recap- 43:50 – **The Big One: B2B features now available on non-Plus plans**- 50:00 – Taylor's table and chair rental business & Roth IRAs for kids- 56:00 – Dev Changelog rundown- 57:00 – Picks of the WeekResources- [PromoParty Pro](https://apps.shopify.com/promo-party-pro) – Karl's free gift with purchase app (co-built with Curt and Paul)- [AuthCrate.shop](https://authcrate.shop) – Dylan's tool for managing custom Shopify app authentication- [Shopify Headless App](https://apps.shopify.com/headless) – For generating Storefront API tokens without a custom app- [Shopify Dev Dashboard](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/tools/partner-dashboard/dev-dashboard) – The developer-focused dashboard within the Shopify Partner portal- [Shopify Partner Town Hall Summary (SDA)](https://shopifydevalliance.com) – Taylor's recap in the SDA communityPicks of the WeekKarl: Quest Bake Soft Protein Frosted Cookies – Low-carb, keto-friendly cookies that actually taste good. 1g net carb

https://www.questnutrition.com/collections/cookiesTaylor: Granola AI – AI-powered meeting notes that listens locally without needing a bot invite. Works across Zoom, Slack, Teams, and Google Meet. Great for end-of-day debriefs when you're too tired to write things down yourself.

https://www.granola.so/

In this episode, Jordan Finneran, founder of Pimsical and Shopify Build Award winner, shares his journey into Shopify app development and his deep expertise in Shopify POS and inventory management.

Discover the challenges of retail operations, the impact of Stocky's upcoming deprecation, and how developers can leverage Cloudflare and Shopify Flow to build powerful, scalable apps for merchants.

Keep up with the latest in Shopify Development News
Subscribe to the Liquid Weekly Newsletter - https://liquidweekly.com/

Timestamps
00:00 The "Pause" vs. "POS" Debate01:00 Welcome & Introduction of Award-Winning Guest02:37 Pimsical: The Origin of the Name04:25 Jordan's Origin Story: Bitten by the Shopify Bug07:23 The Evolution of the Shopify Platform09:30 Strategies for Keeping Up with API Changes11:41 The Apps: Warehouse Integration and StockTake15:10 Why Stocky is Going Away & Its Impact on Retail19:50 Realities of Retail Inventory Management22:25 Organizing Local POS Meetups for Merchants28:20 Automating Tasks with Shopify Flow35:20 Why AI and Inventory Data Don't Mix (Yet)38:35 Building Apps on Cloudflare Workers and D147:20 The Deprecation of Stocky & Planning for August54:05 Shopify Dev Changelog01:01:40 Picks of the Week & Closing Thoughts

Dev Changelog

• Shop Minis February 2026 update - Link
• Flow getting article and market data - Link
• Run POS apps offline! - Link
• Removed Checkout ID from checkout and order webhooks - Link
• [action required] inventorySetScheduledChanges mutation is being removed with no replacement - Link
• [action required] Clearer standards for app listing images - Link
• [action required] ShopifyQL returns fields deprecated and replaced with sales reversals fields - Link
• Checkout and Customer Account UI extensions available by default in new development shops - Link

Picks of the Week

• Taylor - The Starship and the Stone book series - Link
• Karl - Lego excavator 60420 - Link
• Jordan - Altera, Shopify app alternative to Matrixify and supporting more data types - Link

Resources

• Shopify Developer Documentation - https://shopify.dev/
• Shopify POS Development Resources - https://shopify.dev/docs/pos
• Cloudflare Workers - https://workers.cloudflare.com/

Find Jordan Online

• Website - https://www.pimsical.app/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanfinneran/
• Twitter(X) - https://x.com/JordanFinners

Key Topics

• Evolution of the Shopify platform and GraphQL
• Navigating the complexities of retail inventory and POS
• The upcoming deprecation of the Stocky app
• Leveraging Cloudflare Workers and D1 for app hosting
• Building deep integrations using Shopify Flow

In this episode, Sammy Isaiah, co-founder of Discount Kit, shares insights into Shopify app development, the evolution of Shopify POS, and the innovative Discount Kit Live platform.

Discover how these tools are transforming e-commerce experiences for developers and merchants alike.

Keep up with the latest in Shopify Development News

Subscribe to the Liquid Weekly Newsletter -https://liquidweekly.com/

Support Heroes

For more information about the sponsor of this episode, Support Heroes, check out: http://thesupportheroes.com

Timestamps

00:00 Discount Kit Live: Enhancing User Experience

06:29 The Role of Agencies and Developers in Shopify

09:37 Technical Insights on Discount Management

12:15 Future Prospects and Community Engagement

15:25 Building the Foundation for User Experience

18:36 Innovations in Cart Functionality

21:52 Data Management Challenges

22:58 Exploring Shopify Functions

27:52 Transitioning to Point of Sale (POS) Development

45:15 The Birth of Pause Cues

47:33 Exploring the Functionality of Pause Cues

50:26 The Impact of POS on Merchants

52:25 The Developer Experience with Shopify POS

56:24 Updates and Changes in Discount Kit

59:25 Changelog Highlights and Community Feedback

01:04:17 Picks of the Week and Closing Thoughts

Find Sammy Online

Twitter - https://x.com/sammyIsseyegh

LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/sammyIsseyegh

Shopify App Store - https://apps.shopify.com/discount-kit

Dev Changelog

- Legacy customer accounts are now deprecated - https://shopify.dev/changelog/legacy-customer-accounts-are-deprecated

- New APIs to read and write shipping options in delivery profile - https://shopify.dev/changelog/new-apis-to-read-and-write-shipping-options-in-delivery-profile

- Manage dev previews on your dev store without leaving admin - https://shopify.dev/changelog/manage-dev-previews-on-your-dev-store-without-leaving-admin

- JSON metafield values limited to 128KB - https://shopify.dev/changelog/reduced-metafield-value-sizes

- Shopify Dev Forums discussion: https://community.shopify.dev/t/metafield-values-limited-to-16kb/29775/39

- Bare query strings no longer bust the cache for assets - https://shopify.dev/changelog/bare-query-strings-no-longer-bust-the-cache-for-assets

- Enhanced discounts support in the Shopify Functions Cart - https://shopify.dev/changelog/enhanced-discounts-support-in-the-shopify-functions-cart

- New analyticsQueryable capability for Metafield Definitions - https://shopify.dev/changelog/new-analyticsqueryable-capability-for-metafield-definitions

Picks of the Week

Taylor - Resend https://resend.com/

Karl - Ghostty - https://ghostty.org/

Sammy - Greptile - https://www.greptile.com/

Resources

Shopify Developer Documentation -https://shopify.dev/

Discount Kit App - https://apps.shopify.com/discount-kit

Shopify POS Development Resources - https://shopify.dev/docs/pos

Shopify Functions GitHub Repository - https://github.com/Shopify/shopify-function-template

Shopify WebAssembly API - https://shopify.dev/api/wasm

Reptile AI Code Review Tool - https://reptile.ai/

Ghosty Terminal Emulator - https://ghosty.app/

Key Topics

Shopify app development evolution

Introduction of Discount Kit Live platform

Shopify POS advancements and developer tools

Impact of Shopify updates on merchants and developersStrategies for building scalable Shopify apps

SEO KeywordsShopify, Shopify POS, Discount Kit, Shopify apps, e-commerce, app development, Shopify functions, POS development, discount management, Shopify updates

In this episode, Karl and Taylor sit down with Scott Austin, owner of the San Diego-based Shopify agency Jade Puma. Scott shares his journey from previous career at Microsoft to building an agency that thrives on efficiency, radical honesty, and zero red tape.

We dig into Scott's unique agency model. He strictly bills hourly in arrears, refuses to do fixed-bid contracts or scopes of work, and only works directly with decision-makers. Scott also breaks down his content marketing strategy via his own show, the Shopify Solutions Podcast, and explains how he standardizes client builds using custom apps and themes.

Episode Highlights

• The "Leaf in a Stream" Philosophy: Scott discusses his self-awareness as a business owner and why avoiding bureaucracy makes him highly effective.
• Hourly Billing & No Contracts: Scott completely abandoned fixed-price projects and scopes of work to eliminate scope creep. He notes that this decision doubled his revenue.
• Standardizing Processes: Standardizing on specific themes and building custom internal apps saves hours of development time per store.
• The Truth About AI: Scott views artificial intelligence as a powerful daily tool. However, he emphasizes that it currently possesses "zero intelligence" and is not a threat to his job.

Find Scott Online

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://jadepuma.com
• Podcast: https://www.shopifysolutionspodcast.com

Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction
03:50 - Scott's Origin Story: From Microsoft to Shopify
11:50 - Defining Freelance vs. Agency
16:50 - Why Small Agencies and Direct Decision-Makers Win
22:00 - Content Marketing & The Shopify Solutions Podcast
30:00 - Scott's Perspective on AI and the Future of Tech
35:35 - Agency Best Practices & Tool Standardization
42:40 - Pricing Strategy: Hourly Billing in Arrears
50:15 - Dev Changelog Highlights
54:15 - Picks of the Week

Dev Changelog

• [action required] Reduced metafield value sizes - https://shopify.dev/changelog/reduced-metafield-value-sizes
• Use the Admin API and bulk operations in Shopify CLI - https://shopify.dev/changelog/use-the-admin-api-and-bulk-operations-in-shopify-cli
• Improved app logs and monitoring - https://shopify.dev/changelog/improved-app-logs-and-monitoring
• Shopify-account web component for storefronts - https://shopify.dev/changelog/shopify-account-web-component-for-storefronts
• Webhook subscriptions now support a name field for identification - https://shopify.dev/changelog/webhook-subscriptions-now-support-a-name-field-for-identification

Picks of the Week

• Karl: The sci-fi movie "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1341338/
• Scott: Metaobject Pages, a feature from 2023 that simplifies dynamic page building and content sorting - https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/custom-data/metaobjects/connecting-to-your-online-store/webpages
• Taylor: Cloudflare Workers, which are proving highly effective for small projects and AI integrations - https://workers.cloudflare.com/

Stay Connected

Subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more expert insights: https://liquidweekly.com/

In this episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast, Karl Meisterheim and Taylor Page talk with Shopify partner Brendan Quigley (founder of Three Acres) about building a sustainable solo business. Brendan shares his path into Shopify development, lessons from freelancing, and practical financial strategies—including YNAB and Profit First—to create more control and stability.

They also discuss moving from one-off projects to retainer/membership models for predictable income, strengthening long-term client relationships, setting clear expectations, scaling thoughtfully, and managing time well. The episode wraps with Brendan’s perspective on selling expertise, improving productivity, and protecting work-life balance.

*Support Heroes*For more information about the sponsor of this episode, Support Heroes, check out: http://thesupportheroes.com/?utm_source=liquid_weekly&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsorships

Timestamps

00:00 Exploring Money and Business

02:21 Brendan's Journey into Shopify Development

04:37 The Journey of Freelancing

06:40 Building a Business in E-commerce

09:09 The Power of Automation and Scripting

15:23 Understanding Finances as a Solopreneur

27:12 Implementing Profit First for Business Success

29:44 Membership Models and Client Relationships

36:05 Understanding Project Tiers and Workflows

38:47 The Importance of Time Management in Client Projects

39:48 Building Relationships with Clients

43:35 Scaling Your Business Effectively

47:22 Utilization Rates and Work-Life Balance

52:51 Transitioning to the Changelog and New Developments

01:07:06 LW podcast intro video.mp4

Dev Changelog

• All changelog updates are posts on the forum - https://community.shopify.dev/c/changelog/28 

• Shop Minis January 2026 update - https://shopify.dev/changelog/shop-minis-january-2026-update 

• Automatically copy cart metafields to orders at checkout completion - https://shopify.dev/changelog/automatically-copy-cart-metafields-to-orders-at-checkout-completion 

• New: Persist cart metafields to orders with `cartToOrderCopyable` - https://community.shopify.dev/t/new-persist-cart-metafields-to-orders-with-carttoordercopyable/29264 

• Increasing the app block limit to 30 for theme app extensions - https://shopify.dev/changelog/increasing-the-app-block-limit-to-30-for-theme-app-extensions 

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