The Pennock Knockdown EP 37 How Conzia Scales Shopify Stores from $10K Months to $1M+: Insights from Founder Zahid
Watch or Listen to Episode of The Pennock Knockdown on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.
Why Some Shopify Brands Scale—And Most Don’t
Most Shopify founders start the same way: one person, one laptop, and one product idea. But the gap between a $10K month and a $100K month is massive—and very few brands ever make the leap. In a recent episode of The Pennock Knockdown, Nikki sat down with Zahid, founder of Conzia, to uncover exactly how his agency transforms early-stage stores into scalable, multi-channel brands.
With a team of 30, thousands of SKUs tested, and more than 1,000 Shopify stores supported, Zahid brings deep expertise in operations, product sourcing, advertising, and brand development. This conversation is a masterclass in what it takes to scale an eCommerce business in 2025.
From Corporate Burnout to Building a Global Ecommerce Agency
Before becoming a 7-figure entrepreneur, Zahid spent years in corporate cloud computing. After hitting a wall with burnout, he walked away and entered the Amazon FBA world—where he struggled for a year before discovering a winning product that became his springboard.
That experience built the foundation for Conzia, which today operates globally across Miami, Berlin, and South Asia. The agency blends sourcing, branding, design, operations, and performance marketing under one roof.
“Most solo founders can’t scale because they can’t do everything at a high level. That’s where we come in”
Why Most Shopify Stores Fail Before They Hit $20K Months
Zahid sees the same pattern across struggling brands:
1. Poor Product Selection
Most sellers chase trends instead of evergreen demand. They enter oversaturated categories or jump into regulated verticals like skincare without understanding compliance.
2. Weak Creatives
Even with a great product, low-quality videos, bad product pages, and generic branding tank conversion rates.
3. Inconsistent Daily Operations
Responding to suppliers, tracking orders, managing customer service, updating ads, controlling margins—these tasks pile up quickly.
4. No Supply Chain Control
As soon as volume increases, unreliable shipping, slow fulfillment, and inconsistent quality kill growth momentum.
Conzia’s Growth Model: How They Scale Stores from $10K to $100K+
Zahid details a clear framework for scaling early-stage eCommerce businesses.
Step 1: Fix the Foundation
Most brands need a complete rebuild:
Shopify redesign
Product page optimization
Fresh creative library
Brand identity refresh
A/B testing structure
Clean reporting
Step 2: Replace Weak Products with Proven Winners
Conzia uses internal sourcing and testing data across thousands of SKUs to help brands pivot into stronger products if needed.
Step 3: Scale Paid Ads Responsibly
Rather than gambling budget, they use a structured approach:
Creative testing
Audience/angle development
Funnel optimization
Profit-focused scaling
Step 4: Transition from Dropshipping to Private Label
Once a product is validated, Conzia helps brands shift into private label to:
Improve margins
Control quality
Build long-term brand equity
Reduce customer complaints
This phase typically begins around $50K–$100K per month.
When Should a Shopify Founder Go Full-Time?
Zahid’s answer is refreshingly realistic:
Don’t quit your job too early.
He recommends staying part-time until the business hits:
$30K–$50K per month consistently, or
Profit margins are strong enough to cover living expenses + ad spend
The biggest killers of new brands? Emotional decisions, panic scaling, and treating the brand like a “get rich quick” vehicle instead of a real business.
Why Dropshipping Is Still a Smart Path in 2025
Despite the stigma, Zahid makes a strong case for dropshipping:
Dropshipping Is Best For:
Testing product-market fit
Learning the fundamentals
Validating demand without inventory risk
Private Label Is Best For:
Scale
Margins
Brand protection
Long-term exits
Dropshipping is the on-ramp, not the final destination.
The Best Niches for Shopify in 2025 (According to Conzia)
Based on Conzia’s internal testing data, the strongest evergreen categories are:
1. Pet Products
Emotional buyers + constant demand = strong repeatability.
2. Home & Kitchen Gadgets
Highly shareable, problem-solving products still perform exceptionally well.
3. Beauty Accessories (not regulated skincare)
Dermaplaning tools, organizers, brushes—low compliance risk, high margins.
4. Personal Care Tools
Electric massagers, wellness devices, and grooming tools.
Categories to avoid:
Supplements
Topical skincare
Anything requiring FDA/health compliance
Heavy, fragile, or slow-moving products
Why AI Is the Ultimate Advantage for Small Shopify Teams
Zahid and Nikki both highlight that AI will be a competitive advantage for founders who adopt early:
AI Now Handles:
Video editing
UGC generation
Product research
Customer service
Ad creative variations
Landing page copy
Market analysis
A founder who previously needed a team of five can now accomplish the same output alone, dramatically reducing cost and increasing speed.
Scaling to $100K/Month and Beyond
According to Zahid, once a brand hits consistent traction, the focus shifts to:
Private label manufacturing
Faster shipping
Inventory forecasting
High-quality creative
Cross-channel expansion (Amazon FBA + Shopify)
Hiring key internal roles
Expanding margins through bundles, upsells, and LTV optimization
This is where the transformation from “store” to “brand” actually happens.
Final Advice for New eCommerce Founders
Zahid closes the episode with clear guidance:
Start light, test often
Don’t enter regulated categories
Don’t quit your job too early
Let data—not emotion—drive decisions
Focus on evergreen solving-a-problem products
Invest in good creative early
Use AI to speed up output
Conclusion
Whether you're a new founder testing your first product or a brand preparing for private label scale, Zahid’s insights offer a clear roadmap. With the right foundation—strong product selection, excellent creative, operational discipline, and smart scaling—any brand can move from $10K months to meaningful, sustainable revenue.