Operator Academy · Online course by Drew Mitchell

Build and Run a Shopify Store with Claude AI and Make

Build and run a real Shopify business with no code and no developer. Claude AI does the technical work as your AI agent, you approve and check it. Learned from a 6,000-course marketplace and a site-services marketplace, all run from a browser.

  • 8 modules
  • 18 lessons
  • About 4 hours
  • Self-paced, on this site
  • Verifiable certificate with QR code
  • Lifetime access
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About this course

Most Shopify courses teach you the tools. This one teaches the method I use every day on businesses that take real money: what I built, how I built it, what went wrong, and the rule I follow now. You won't need to code or hire a developer: Claude AI does the technical work as your AI agent inside your Shopify store and Make account, and you approve its plan and check the result. It's written for beginners: it starts with what Shopify, Claude and Make each do, and every lesson opens with a plain-English summary, with the technical detail kept in optional boxes you can skip. It covers digital products, services, marketplaces and physical products. 18 written lessons with screenshots and copy-and-paste Claude prompts, a short quiz at the end of each module, and a certificate of completion. No coding needed, and everything is done in a web browser.

What you'll be able to do

  • Choose the right Shopify business model: marketplace, services, lead generation, digital products or physical products
  • Set up physical products with accurate weights, stock tracking and shipping rates
  • Connect Claude to Shopify as an AI agent, safely, and use it to build and manage your store from a browser
  • Have Claude change your theme safely on a copy, so your live store never breaks
  • Have Claude set up custom fields and content (metafields and metaobjects) instead of paying for apps
  • Run a catalogue of thousands of products, with Claude applying your rules and making bulk updates safely
  • Avoid the settings and AI-content mistakes that quietly cost money
  • Build SEO and AI search into every page as you go
  • Have Claude build Make automations for enquiries, reports and reminders
  • Take one-off payments through Shopify's checkout and subscriptions with Stripe, then launch with a proper checklist

Before you buy

Is this course right for you?

It's written for beginners: no coding, and everything happens in your web browser. Answer four quick questions to see whether you're ready to start, or whether a shorter course first would help.

1Have you used Claude, or another AI chat tool such as ChatGPT, for real tasks?
2Have you connected Claude to another app before (Claude calls these connectors)?
3Do you have a Shopify store, or are you happy to start a free trial?
4Are you happy to use a paid Claude plan while you take the course?

How this course works

You take the course in Operator Academy, the course area of drewmitchell.co.uk. There's no separate app, account or password to set up: you sign in with the email address you bought with.

  1. Buy the courseCheck out like any other order. There's one payment, and your access doesn't expire.
  2. Sign in to the AcademyGo to Operator Academy and enter the email you bought with. You're sent a one-time code, so there's no password to remember.
  3. Open My coursesYour course appears under My courses once your order is paid, usually within a minute.
  4. Learn at your own paceLessons open in your browser on any device. Your progress is saved to your account as you go.
  5. Get your certificateFinish every lesson and quiz to unlock a certificate with your name and a unique number. Download it as a PDF, add it to LinkedIn, and anyone can scan its QR code to check it's genuine.

What you'll need

These are referral links: I may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.

Course outline

Module 1: Start here: what Shopify can sell

A beginner's guide to Shopify, Claude and Make, then how Shopify runs marketplaces, services, digital products and physical products, and how to choose your own model before you build.

  • Start here: what Shopify, Claude and Make each do8 min
  • Shopify for marketplaces, services and digital products12 min
  • Selling physical products: weight, stock and shipping9 min
  • Choose your business model before you build12 min
  • Module quiz · 6 questions Pass 70%

Module 2: Your setup: Claude AI, Shopify and a browser

How I run Shopify businesses from a Chromebook with Claude and Make, and how to connect Claude to your store with the right level of access.

  • Running a Shopify business from a browser with Claude13 min
  • How to connect Claude to Shopify safely14 min
  • Module quiz · 4 questions Pass 70%

Module 3: Building your store without breaking it

How to change your Shopify theme and add custom content safely, using duplicate themes, metafields and metaobjects.

  • The duplicate-theme rule12 min
  • Metafields and metaobjects: custom content without apps18 min
  • Module quiz · 5 questions Pass 70%

Module 4: Running a catalogue at scale

The catalogue rules and bulk-update method that kept envicourse.com clean while it grew from around 1,000 to more than 6,000 products.

  • From 1,000 to 6,000 products: conventions that keep a catalogue clean13 min
  • Bulk updating products with Claude: dates, prices and publishing14 min
  • Module quiz · 5 questions Pass 70%

Module 5: Mistakes that cost money

Two real mistakes from my Shopify builds, a settings trap that hid live products and AI copy that got facts wrong, and the rules that now prevent them.

  • The inventory setting that quietly removed products12 min
  • AI content errors and the fact-checking rule12 min
  • Module quiz · 4 questions Pass 70%

Module 6: SEO and AI search as you build

How I set titles, headings, handles, redirects and structured data while building Shopify pages, so they rank in search and are ready to be cited by AI.

  • Building Shopify pages that rank14 min
  • Structured data and AI-ready content14 min
  • Module quiz · 5 questions Pass 70%

Module 7: Automating your Shopify store with Make

How I use Make webhooks, schedules and data stores to route enquiries, send reminders and produce reports across my Shopify sites.

  • Make webhooks: routing enquiries automatically13 min
  • Scheduled automations: reports, reminders and data stores13 min
  • Module quiz · 5 questions Pass 70%

Module 8: Payments and going live

How I take one-off payments through Shopify's checkout and subscription payments with Stripe, and the checklist I use to turn a Shopify test build into a live business.

  • Taking payments: Shopify checkout and Stripe subscriptions16 min
  • From test build to live business: a launch checklist14 min
  • Module quiz · 6 questions Pass 70%

© 2026 Drew Mitchell. All rights reserved. Course content is licensed to each buyer for their own personal use only, and may not be copied, reproduced, shared or distributed without Drew Mitchell's written permission.