We recently connected with Jason Turnquist and have shared our conversation below.

Jason, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers

One of the wildest things that ever happened to me as a business owner started right after I graduated college in 2009, during the peak of the reality TV show Jersey Shore. The main character, Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino, became an overnight sensation, and I saw an opportunity. I bought the domain name mikethesituation.com and started blogging about the show. Almost overnight, the site skyrocketed to the #1 spot on Google for searches related to him and the show. The traffic was insane—I started dabbling in affiliate marketing to monetize the site and watched it take off.

But then, out of the blue, I received a cease and desist. It was a gut-punch moment—here I was, just starting out, and I had to lawyer up. I hired an attorney in Phoenix to navigate the legal waters, and ultimately, I ended up negotiating a deal where I sold the domain to Mike ‘The Situation’ himself for a solid four-figure sum.

It was exhilarating and exhausting all at once. I went from having this fun, successful side project to being thrust into the reality of legal disputes. But in the end, it worked out, and I used the money to jump-start my current company, Fyresite. It taught me so much about how quickly things can shift in business—and how you have to be ready to pivot when the unexpected hits.

Jason, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Jason Turnquist, and I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Arizona State University (ASU). My journey into the world of tech and digital marketing began in 2009 when my childhood best friend, Sean Elstins, and I co-founded Fyresite. We started by building marketing websites, but over the years, we’ve expanded our services to include three core areas: marketing websites, eCommerce platforms, and software development (both mobile and web).

At Fyresite, our primary mission is to help organizations grow by delivering high-end digital experiences that turn users into customers. We achieve this by blending cutting-edge design with superior engineering, and one thing that sets us apart is that we exclusively use onshore talent to maintain a high standard of quality and communication.

What I’m most proud of is that we’ve built an award-winning development agency that has stood the test of time. Over the past 15 years, we’ve grown to more than 15 employees, achieved over $10 million in sales, and had the privilege of working with incredible startups and established brands to help them evolve into industry leaders. Seeing the impact we’ve been able to have on our clients’ growth is incredibly rewarding, and it drives everything we do.

I want potential clients to know that we’re committed to excellence—whether it’s designing a website that leaves a lasting impression or building a custom app that scales with your business. Fyresite is here to help you navigate the digital landscape and achieve your goals.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

We don’t sell directly on any platform ourselves, but we specialize in helping businesses sell online. As a certified Shopify Plus agency, we strongly recommend Shopify for eCommerce. Our team helps eCommerce companies migrate to Shopify, redesign their stores, handle complex integrations with ERPs and CRMs, build custom functionalities that aren’t natively available, and provide continuous improvement through conversion rate optimization.

While we’ve worked with other platforms like WooCommerce and Magento, we find Shopify far superior for both the brand and our agency. Shopify offers excellent integrations with platforms like Instagram Shop, Amazon, TikTok Shop, eBay, and even has a robust POS system for brick-and-mortar businesses. One of the biggest advantages we see is the frictionless checkout and Shop Pay system, which directly leads to higher conversion rates for stores on Shopify.

The only con to Shopify is that its app marketplace isn’t as vast as something like WooCommerce, which offers more plug-and-play extensibility. However, we overcome this with custom programming, so the benefits Shopify provides far outweigh any limitations for businesses looking to grow their eCommerce presence.

Any advice for managing a team?

Managing a team can be challenging, but it’s also one of the most rewarding aspects of leadership. There’s no better feeling than when a team is firing on all cylinders. In my experience, communication and transparency are key to building trust and maintaining high morale. It’s important to be open about both the highs and the lows. There will always be tough times, but if you’re honest with your team while staying optimistic, it helps to reduce negativity and keep everyone focused on the bigger picture.

I often compare team dynamics to a pro sports team—we win together, and we lose together. The most important thing is that we support each other, no matter what. When a team feels that collective support, it creates a resilient environment where challenges are faced head-on, and success is celebrated as a group.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fyresite.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fyrejason
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jason.turnquist/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-turnquist/
• Twitter: https://x.com/fyrejason