The Journal

Notes on building
a business that's yours

Real lessons on e-commerce, marketplaces, mindset and AI — written from ten years of building stores, losing money, and starting again.

What is FBM and When to Use It Over FBA

Jul 8, 2026 Dmytro Lavryniuk

FBA is not always the answer. The product types where FBM (Fulfilled by Merchant) actually wins on margin and risk.

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Jul 8, 2026 Dmytro Lavryniuk

The neuroscience says multitasking costs ~40% of productive time. The tape test that proves it on yourself in one day.

Jul 7, 2026 Dmytro Lavryniuk

Beating yourself up after slip-ups extends them. The kinder, more effective reset that I learned from a recovering athlete.

Jul 7, 2026 Dmytro Lavryniuk

The full email system - welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase, win-back - that does 35% of my Shopify revenue.

Jul 6, 2026 Dmytro Lavryniuk

The 6 policy traps that suspend accounts in 2026 - and the early-warning email I read every morning before opening Seller Central.

Jul 6, 2026 Dmytro Lavryniuk

Goals without a vision are random sprints. The 90-minute exercise that gave me a 10-year north star at 21.

Jul 5, 2026 Dmytro Lavryniuk

The POD niches that still print money in 2026, and the three "obvious" ones that are now graveyards.

Jul 5, 2026 Dmytro Lavryniuk

A side hustle dies if it gets the leftover hours. The 5 hours a week that actually compound - and when to take them.

Jul 4, 2026 Dmytro Lavryniuk

ElevenLabs vs Play.ht vs the new contenders for product videos. With sample audio and the cloning ethical line.

Jul 4, 2026 Dmytro Lavryniuk

The Google Ads structure that actually scales for Shopify - Performance Max, Search, the brand-search trap, and budgets.