In this article, I'm sharing my own strategy for launching on Shopify with minimal investment - the exact one I used to start my first store. Working with Shopify has barely changed since then, so the strategy still holds up today.

How much you need to get started

The question our subscribers ask most often: how much do you need to invest to launch a business on Shopify? Let's go through where the money goes, item by item - and how to save on each one.

ExpenseShopify plan - $0

A Shopify plan costs $29, but you don't have to pay anything at first. Shopify gives you a 14-day free trial, and 2 days before it ends, it offers to extend it by another 14 days - that's 28 days for free in total.

If there are no funds on your card on day 29, Shopify won't charge you and will give you another 14 days, followed by another 14 to pay for the plan - up to 56 free days in total.

Pro tipGo to Settings → General and change your country to Azerbaijan: your monthly payment drops to $24 instead of $29, and every 6th month is free.

ExpenseWebsite design - $0

Design matters a lot: the first thing a customer looks at is your logo and overall look. Ready-made premium themes cost $200-300, but subscribers to our bot can get a large collection for free and boost their store's conversion rate.

ExpenseFinding a niche and product - $0

Choosing a niche is just as important as design: even a beautiful website won't sell a product nobody cares about. To analyze niches, use Google Trends - check how popular a topic is across countries and over time.

RecommendationIf you want to find a trending product, launch a store that sells and connect a payment system, we have a $199 course: product research (6 methods), high-converting design, key settings and setting up Stripe on your own.

ExpenseProduct promotion - $0

Start with a free method: reach out to Instagram influencers in your niche using a ready-made message template, which we can send you. This is how you find influencers willing to work for free or for a commission. Once you get your first sales, scale up with ads on Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest.

ExpenseDomain - $14

A domain costs around $14, and it's a must: a myshopify.com address doesn't inspire trust, and customers may take your store for a scam.

Conclusion

Out of $200, we spent only $14: the store runs for two months for free, and you don't have to spend anything on promotion either. The rest of the budget is set aside for paid payment system setup - and if you connect it for free, your total spend comes to just $14.

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