# Great Western Productions

> Engineering, architecture, infrastructure, product, QA, and operations for e-commerce operators, with a focus on Shopify and print-on-demand stores. Great Western Productions diagnoses where systems lose money, designs the fix, builds it, ships it, and runs it.

Great Western Productions, LLC is the practice of Josh Schairbaum, a principal-level engineer based in San Antonio, Texas, serving clients in the United States.

- Contact: hello@greatwesternproductions.com
- Contact page: https://greatwesternproductions.com/contact/
- About: https://greatwesternproductions.com/about/

## Who we work with

- [The technology team for print-on-demand Shopify stores](https://greatwesternproductions.com/for/print-on-demand/): Architecture, engineering, QA, IT, and operations for print-on-demand stores on Shopify, from a fractional CTO practice that builds and runs what it designs.
- [The technology team for DTC ecommerce brands](https://greatwesternproductions.com/for/dtc-ecommerce/): DTC brands scaling on Shopify need systems that grow with them — not a patchwork of apps and workarounds. A fractional CTO builds the architecture your growth demands.
- [The technology team for Shopify brands past $1M](https://greatwesternproductions.com/for/shopify-brands/): Scaling past your first million on Shopify? A fractional CTO bridges the gap between your ambition and your tech stack — without the overhead of a full-time executive.

## Case studies

- [Sandgrain Studio](https://greatwesternproductions.com/case-studies/sandgrain-studio/): How GWP became Sandgrain Studio's fractional CTO and full-stack technology team — providing architecture, engineering, product management, QA, UI/UX, and IT operations to turn vision into reality.

## Glossary

- [Ecommerce Architecture](https://greatwesternproductions.com/glossary/ecommerce-architecture/): Ecommerce architecture is the design of the technical systems, integrations, and data flows that power an online store's operations — from storefront to fulfillment.
- [Fractional CTO](https://greatwesternproductions.com/glossary/fractional-cto/): A fractional CTO is a part-time chief technology officer who provides senior technical leadership without the cost of a full-time executive hire.
- [Print on Demand Fulfillment](https://greatwesternproductions.com/glossary/print-on-demand-fulfillment/): Print on demand fulfillment is the process of producing and shipping custom-printed products only after a customer places an order — no pre-printed inventory required.
- [Shopify Automation](https://greatwesternproductions.com/glossary/shopify-automation/): Shopify automation uses technology to handle repetitive e-commerce tasks — order routing, inventory updates, fulfillment, and more — without manual intervention.
- [SKU Mapping](https://greatwesternproductions.com/glossary/sku-mapping/): SKU mapping connects product identifiers across different systems — your store, suppliers, and fulfillment partners — so orders route to the right place automatically.

## Blog

- [You can't automate a mess: standardize the process first](https://greatwesternproductions.com/blog/you-cant-automate-a-mess/): If your process is a mess, automating it just gives you a faster mess. Standardize the process, then automate the standard work.
- [Print-on-demand product creation: 18 steps to one click](https://greatwesternproductions.com/blog/from-18-steps-to-one-click/): Creating one product took 18 steps across multiple systems and several days. We redesigned the model; now it takes one click.
- [What a Fractional CTO Actually Does (And Doesn't Do)](https://greatwesternproductions.com/blog/what-a-fractional-cto-actually-does/): Most businesses that need a fractional CTO don't know that's what they need. Here's what the role actually looks like — and how it's different from a freelancer or an agency.

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