Hiring
Hire a Shopify marketing consultant, not just a developer
Search "hire Shopify consultant" and you get theme builders, migration help and app wranglers. Useful. Not the same as hiring someone who can fix CAC, LTV and the marketing P&L.
If growth is the problem, do not buy a developer and hope.
Answer first
Hire a Shopify marketing consultant (growth-minded) when you need:
- Diagnosis across funnel, retention and acquisition
- A plan tied to contribution margin
- Help choosing and directing specialists or agencies
Hire a Shopify developer / technical consultant when you need:
- Theme, checkout, performance, custom app work
- Migrations and complex store setup
Many brands need both. Sequence the marketing brain before more theme polish if revenue quality is the issue.
The mismatch that wastes money
| You say | They hear | You get |
|---|---|---|
| "Help us grow on Shopify" | Rebuild sections | Prettier page, same CAC |
| "We need a Shopify expert" | Partner badge | Technical scope only |
| "Marketing is broken" | More apps | Tool sprawl |
Be explicit: marketing outcomes or engineering outcomes.
Scorecard for a marketing-leaning consultant
| Criterion | Why |
|---|---|
| Speaks CAC, LTV, payback | Else you bought vibes |
| Has run or directed paid + lifecycle | Else strategy stays abstract |
| Can brief creative and agencies | Else you remain the integrator |
| Respects platform constraints | Knows what Shopify can and cannot fix |
| Clear non-goals | Will not pretend to be your full eng team |
Questions to ask
- Show a time you improved contribution or payback, not only ROAS.
- What would you refuse to do in a pure development scope?
- How do you work with our existing media buyer or agency?
- What does your first two weeks look like on a €1M to €10M brand?
- How do you measure success at day 90?
When you actually need fractional leadership instead
If the founder is the bottleneck across all channels, a short consulting project may be too light. Consider fractional CMO hiring or when to hire.
Consulting shines for focused teardowns, roadmap design and specialist spikes. Embedded ownership shines when decisions must land every week.
Practical path
- Write the bottleneck in one sentence
- Choose marketing consultant vs developer vs fractional seat
- Run a paid diagnostic with access to numbers
- Only then fund builds, retainers or hires
On proof: I was Founding Head of Brand at Foodello. Separately, growth work on a UK subscription supplements brand included about 2.5x LTV lift with very strong year-on-year growth. That work was commercial, not a theme refresh.
Hire the Shopify marketing consultant for the P&L. Hire the developer for the repo. Do not confuse the invoices.
Questions founders ask
Why avoid Shopify in the URL?
Shopify's terms restrict using Shopify in domains and page URLs. This article uses Shopify in the title and body, with a clean slug. Follow the same pattern in your own site.
Do I need a Shopify Partner?
For app and theme engineering, a strong Partner or developer can help. For growth leadership, prioritize commercial track record over badge collecting. This site makes no Partner or Expert certification claims.
Consultant, fractional CMO or agency?
Consultant often means project or advisory. Fractional implies embedded ownership. Agency implies execution bench. Match the label to the bottleneck.
Next step
Bring your P&L, CAC and LTV. We will tear down what is actually broken, then decide if a deeper engagement makes sense.