The Business Owner’s Guide to Scaling Smarter with Shopify
At AwakenHub, we care about what really happens as you move from “this is working” to “this is really growing”. The messy middle. The culture wobble. The “is our tech holding us back” moment.
In our recent online masterclass, we sat down with Jo-Anne (Jo) Morgan from Shopify for a straight talking session on what it really takes to scale smarter and deliver a better customer experience, whether you are Gymshark level or a one woman band getting your first store live.
Jo works with some of Shopify’s most complex merchants, sitting in their boardrooms, listening to their growth plans and helping them line up operations, technology and customer experience so that everything scales together. That vantage point gave us a rare, honest look at what separates brands that fly from those that quietly stall.
Below are some of the key takeaways for AwakenHub founders.
1. The brands that scale are brave, curious and close to their community
When Jo looks at the brands that grow quickly and sustainably, she does not talk first about budget or team size. She talks about behaviour.
The teams that scale:
Take calculated risks instead of sitting still
Test new channels, formats and markets
Learn fast from data and from their own people
Listen to their communities and act on what they hear
Gymshark’s run club is a perfect example. It came directly from their community’s desire to do more together. That kind of feedback loop, where customers shape the experience, is a superpower for growth.
For AwakenHub founders, the lesson is simple. Scaling is not a passive process. It favours the curious, not the comfortable.
2. Your tech stack can either fuel growth or quietly drain it
One of the themes Jo kept coming back to was the hidden cost of an outdated or fragmented tech stack.
She shared the story of a well known brand that was pouring money into maintaining legacy systems. Once they migrated to Shopify, they could make changes in minutes instead of waiting months for something as simple as adjusting navigation.
Underneath the jargon, the message is:
Your “stack” is simply everything that powers your online store, from the website your customers see to the admin and fulfilment flows behind it
If those systems are clunky, slow or stitched together, you pay for it in lost time, missed opportunities and frustrated teams
A modern, integrated platform gives you agility, which is exactly what you need in a tough ecommerce landscape
Founders do not need to become engineers, but you do need to know when your tech is holding you back.
3. The hardest scaling problems are usually human, not technical
For Jo, the biggest blockers are rarely the tools. They are the people and the culture wrapped around them.
As companies grow, she sees:
Teams becoming defensive about “the way we have always done it”
People on the front line spotting growth opportunities, but not feeling safe to speak up
Leadership postponing decisions, which stalls momentum
Her advice for leaders at any stage:
Set a clear strategic direction and communicate it
Give people a real window to feed in before decisions are made
Build psychological safety, so the “doers” feel able to suggest change
Technology will not fix a culture where nobody feels able to say, “This is broken, and here is how we could do it better.”
4. Use data and AI to guide you before, not after, the fact
Many founders treat data as a post mortem after Black Friday or the end of Q1. Jo encouraged the opposite.
The leading brands she works with:
Use business intelligence tools and AI to forecast and model
Ask questions like “Where should we lean in next quarter” instead of “What went wrong last quarter”
On Shopify, that can look like using tools such as Sidekick in the admin to ask:
“Based on last year’s Black Friday performance, what should I focus on this year”
“What changes would have the biggest impact on my current store”
For smaller AwakenHub founders, this is an important mindset shift. Data is not only there to explain the past, it is there to help you decide the next move.
5. Mind your margins and walk your own customer journey
One of the most practical warnings Jo shared was about margin blindness.
She has seen brands discount heavily on bestselling items, only to discover after the fact that, once advertising and costs are included, those products were destroying profit, not driving it.
Her checklist:
Know your margin at product level, not just overall
Factor in ad spend and promotions before you hit “go” on a big sale
Stress test your numbers for different discount scenarios
And then there is the very simple, very overlooked step.
Buy from yourself.
Jo has worked with brands that had never actually gone through their own checkout flow. Once they did, they spotted friction points and blockers that no report could have revealed.
As she put it, simplicity beats complexity. Customers want to find what they need and check out in as few clicks as possible. If you would not tolerate your own experience as a shopper, neither will they.
6. Small teams can move faster than the giants
It might feel intimidating to hear names like Gymshark, Bowdoin or On Running, but Jo was clear that smaller teams have a real advantage.
With fewer decision makers, you can:
Test and ship changes faster
React quickly to customer feedback
Avoid the heavy, slow processes that bog larger organisations down
She highlighted women led businesses who are using Shopify to punch well above their weight, smashing their targets and scaling quickly because they are close to their customers and willing to experiment.
If you are a one woman business moving to Shopify, you do not need a huge team. You need clarity, focus and the confidence to use the tools available.
7. You do not need to do it alone
For founders who feel daunted about “getting it right” with ecommerce, Jo reminded us that there is plenty of support.
From Shopify’s own resources, to agencies and partners, to communities like AwakenHub, you are not expected to figure it out in isolation.
The key is to:
Stay close to your customers
Keep asking, “What is the experience like on their side”
Use technology to enable better service, not to hide behind it
Final thoughts
Scaling smarter is not about copying what the biggest brands do. It is about being honest about where you are, building solid systems around you, and staying relentlessly focused on the customer experience.
Jo gave our community a front row look at how some of the world’s most recognisable ecommerce brands think about growth. The good news is that the core principles are accessible to founders at every stage.
If you are an AwakenHub member and you missed the live session, we highly recommend watching the replay for all of Jo’s stories, examples and practical tips.
Replay available for AwakenHub members
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