Newsletter #57: Shopify news, Le Règlement, and freelancer retreats

Hi there,

I hope you're feeling good.

Every time I take the Eurostar, I see famous people. This summer, I saw Mika. He was just in front of me at the security check, and we took the same train. I didn’t go over and talk to him but I was very happy to see him.

Last time, I met the French rapper Tiakola. I called him up and told him “Bienvenue dans le milieu!” - the title of his latest album released on September 20th. He had a big smile and we shared a high five. That simple moment was enough to make my day.

You know what else makes my day? Brunch. I love brunch. This one was last Sunday. Absolutely yummylicious.

In today's edition, we’re discussing Shopify news, Le Règlement, and freelancer retreats.

Let's dive in.

Work

• Good news for the Shopify merchants using the Combined Listings app

You can now use the Shopify Search & Discovery app to customize how your combined listings surface in search results, predictive search and product recommendations.

You have the flexibility to choose whether to display only child products, parent products, or both.

• Shopify Flow's game has just become more powerful

You can now trigger workflows when a new entry is created for a specific metaobject definition.

This opens the way for many use cases.

Remember this summer when we discussed the fact that Shopify Forms submissions were now creating metaobject entries?

Well, now that this metaobject entry creation can trigger workflows, you'll be able to automate form responses.

• Mantle just launched 5 new features

Mantle, a SaaS that we already discussed in edition 46, now positions itself as “Everything you need to grow your Shopify app business”. And they’re certainly making strides towards that goal.

On October 22, 2024, Mantle announced and launched 5 new features:

• Mantle Affiliates Marketplace & Payments

• Mantle Partnerships (beta)

• Mantle Intake

• Mantle Email

• Mantle Flow

We’ll learn more about these features soon as Mantle communicates about them. If you're curious, you can start exploring them now, as they're already available.

Inspire

One of my favorite YouTube channels is Le Règlement.

He’s a French rap enthusiast who creates videos analyzing artists, albums, and various aspects of hip-hop culture.

Le Règlement's founder isn’t exactly anonymous. He’s been interviewed a few times, including on a popular French podcast 7 years ago. However, because he does not show his face on his YouTube channel, there is quite a mystery around who he could be. There are even some amusing theories about it. For that reason, I won’t reveal his name here. If you’re curious, just go look him up. You’ll find him easily enough.

Do you know the 1,000 true fans theory? It was popularized by Kevin Kelly in 2008. According to this theory, independent creators (such as artists or entrepreneurs) don’t need to reach massive, mainstream success to make a sustainable living. They only need a small, dedicated fan base, ideally around 1,000 “true fans” to thrive.

A true fan is someone deeply invested in a creator's work. They’re eager to buy what the creator produces, attend events, support crowdfundings, and actively spread the word.

On the financial aspect of this theory, Kevin Kelly suggests that if each of these 1,000 true fans is willing to spend around $100 per year on the creator’s work, that creator could generate an annual income of about $100,000.

I’m definitely one of Le Règlement’s 1,000 true fans.

In fact, I’m a true fan of many people I write about in my newsletter: the Belgian music producer Le Motif in edition 2, the DIY master Paulygones in edition 8, my favorite entrepreneur Pieter Levels in edition 13, or Biaheza in edition 37.

When I appreciate someone’s work and personality, I’m always enthusiastic and so happy to share their creations.

On April 28, 2024, Le Règlement released what I consider to be his best video.

It’s called “The rapper who won everything (and almost lost everything)”.

I could spoil who it’s about, but the video’s introduction is so well-crafted that I’ll leave the surprise for you to enjoy.

This video is an absolute masterpiece. It’s deeply researched, beautifully animated, and incredibly inspiring.

It’s in French but YouTube offers auto-translated English subtitles. Don’t miss out on this gem.

Explore

When I was a freelancer, I used to regularly participate in retreats with other fellow freelancers. We would rent a villa for a few days, work a little, and chill big time.

Obviously I’m not a freelancer anymore (hello, Shopify) but I still do it.

Sometimes with friends only, sometimes with a few friends and a majority of people I don’t know.

A few weeks ago, I participated in a freelancer retreat in the countryside outside Bordeaux, in France. Out of the 12 participants, I only knew 3 people. It was a delight to get to know the other 8. There were many different profiles such as entrepreneurs in real estate, YouTubers, and developers.

We had such a great time! A huge thank you to Axel and Loïc for organizing this, you guys smashed it.

The villa was absolutely incredible. We even messaged the owner to learn more about how much it cost to buy it, renovate it, and maintain it.

This villa inspired me to add a few new features to my "dream house" description in my notebook… The heated pool has now become an essential. Trust me on that one.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading this edition until the end.

I'll talk to you soon.

Take good care of yourself.

Coralie