Newsletter #54: Shopify news, DIY camper van conversion, and Gum Body

Hi there,

I hope you're feeling good.

What a game, ladies and gentlemen. What. A. Game. The whole country held its breath during the Euro finale against Spain on Sunday night. Those 90 minutes were simply unbreathable. It was one of the best games I’ve ever watched. Maybe because I watched it in a proper pub in the heart of London, with a hundred people wrapped up in their English flags.

Sweeeeeeet Caroline, oh oh oh!

In today's edition, we’re discussing Shopify news, DIY camper van conversion, and Gum Body.

Let's dive in.

Work

• Kevin Scott just joined Shopify’s board of directors

Kevin Scott is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Microsoft.

He is also the author of the book “Reprogramming the American Dream”, which examines the future of artificial intelligence and how it can be realistically used to serve the interests of everyone.

According to Tobias Lütke, CEO of Shopify, Kevin is “one of the most eminent thinkers in technology”.

In January 2023, Microsoft published a conversation on its YouTube channel between Tobias Lütke and Kevin Scott regarding the importance of craftsmanship in business.

A year later, to celebrate Kevin Scott joining Shopify’s board of directors, Tobias Lütke shared on his Twitter account a more recent discussion between them, regarding entrepreneurship, democratizing tech and building teams.

Discover this 51-minute discussion here.

• Shopify is removing the referral inactivity penalty

When you build a Shopify store for a client, Shopify gives you a recurring commission equal to 20% of the merchant's monthly subscription fee.

This referral revenue has 2 conditions:

1. It exists as long as the merchant remains a paying Shopify customer.

2. It exists as long as the partner conducts a revenue generating activity within a 12-month period. A revenue generating activity is either building a store for a client, or introducing a merchant to Shopify via an affiliate link.

Shopify just removed this second condition.

Starting on August 9, 2024, Shopify Partners won’t need to stay “active” to continue to receive their recurring commission. As long as the merchant remains a paying Shopify customer, their recurring commission will be paid.

Learn more about referrals in Shopify’s documentation.

• Markets Pro is now Managed Markets

A little change of vocabulary here.

Since June 24, 2024, the tool formerly known as Markets Pro is now called Managed Markets.

In addition, Shopify Markets is now renamed International in the Help Center.

Inspire

I’m incredibly inspired by people who make the conscious choice to build things themselves, instead of buying them already made.

Rob, from the YouTube channel Further Fabrication, spent 6 months converting his 2012 Volkswagen Crafter van into a camper van.

He documented it on YouTube in a 4-part series.

Then he selected the best cuts and put together a full build timelapse. It’s 6 months of hard craft work condensed into 18 peaceful minutes.

I absolutely love it.

Explore

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a list of artists in my head that I would love to see live.

I’ve seen many of them: Drake, Meryl, Aya Nakamura, Lala&ce, Ronisia…

And some are still on my list: Rihanna, Jorja Smith, Burna Boy.

While I wait for them to announce tour dates, I listen to them on repeat.

“Gum Body” especially, by Jorja Smith and Burna Boy, is a timeless gem that I will never get tired of.

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

This edition is the last one for now. I’m taking an indefinite break. It has been my greatest pleasure to write to you all during these 54 weeks. Writing this newsletter has truly been the highlight of my weeks.

I'll talk to you soon.

Take good care of yourself.

Coralie