Spent the last few years building stores for early-stage founders, and the pattern is always the same: people obsess over ads before fixing the store that's supposed to convert them.

Here's what actually moves the needle, in order:

1. Your product page doesn't answer objections. No shipping info, no size/fit guidance, no social proof above the fold. If a stranger can't tell in 5 seconds why this product solves their problem, they bounce.

2. Checkout has too much friction. Every extra field, forced account creation, or unclear shipping cost kills conversion. Test your own checkout on mobile — most founders never do.

3. The store has no point of view. Generic themes with stock photos feel like a template because they are one. Buyers can tell in half a second if a brand is real or a dropship shell.

Fixing these three things before spending another dollar on ads is usually worth more than doubling ad spend. Happy to answer questions if anyone's stuck on their store right now.