How I became a Shopify Developer: Anthony Vita

Welcome Anthony! So tell us: What was that first interaction with the world of web development?

The earliest memory I have is actually customizing MySpace. That was way back in high school, but you could tweak your profile with a little HTML and CSS. I had fun stumbling my way through that. And then I didn't really touch code again for probably 10-15 years, until 2016 when I started getting interested in the world of startups. 

I devoured a series called “How to start a startup” by Sam Atlman and I was dead-set on creating an app. So I bought an online coding course - but couldn’t stick with it. But that exposure to the world of startups turned me onto the whole world of eCommerce.

That’s how I landed my first job as an eComm coordinator. When I was working in that job I became more and more exposed to Shopify and some of the coding tweaks that took place - and that’s when the wheels started to spin once again.  

And then about 2 years ago. I started doing proper courses on coding (Treehouse has a good one) - and I slowly evolved from an eComm manager into a Shopify development expert. It recently came full circle, but I'm still trying to learn as much as I can.  

Tell me more about this e-com sort of client side role. Was that, was that for a specific brand or was it for an agency?

It was for a digitally native, direct-to-consumer brand in the renovation supplies space. Which is a huge industry in Australia. That gave me really good insight into how you private label goods effectively which eventually took me down my own side hustle path of launching a personalized skincare brand with my partner called August. 

But in short - that was my first role. I helped that business grow a fair bit, and then I moved into another D2C role, but at a much earlier stage. It was a few brands in one - fashion/athletic wear, and custom sports uniforms, built in partnership with the NBL (Australia’s Basketball League). I helped them get those stores, and the Official NBL Store off the ground, and still work with them as a freelancer today. 

And just over a year and a half ago, that’s when I started freelancing full-time. 

How did you manage to level up so quickly from an eComm operator to a developer? 

A lot of hustle. 

When I first joined the NBL store, we actually had an internal dev team. That’s how I got the exposure I needed, being on site and a part of their standups, learning about the agile dev workflow. 

I love learning, so I would sit next to one of the devs and get them to walk me through exactly what they were doing. All of that along with the courses I took helped played a big role in my shift.  

How did you get involved with Storetasker? And what have you enjoyed most about the platform? 

One of my former colleagues told me about Storetasker actually. I figured I had a couple of baseline clients that filled up most of my time, but I was still left with a bit of down-time. So Storetasker fit into that perfectly. 

And what I enjoy most is the part where you don't get into a bidding war with a thousand other freelancers for some very average task. It's the complete opposite to the Upwork experience.

You just go log onto the platform, look through the opportunities and pick the ones that align with you the most,  and you're off to the races. That part’s amazing. 

What’s one learning you can pass onto other devs? 

Learn to manage your client pipeline effectively. Don’t take on too much work, and also keep new clients regularly coming into the door - that’s how you’re able to spread out a steady stream of work over a long period and manage your own cash flow. 

Thanks Anthony!