On this week’s episode of the Niche Pursuits Podcast, Theresa Wechter and I discuss how she built Otto’s Grotto, a thriving label business that brings in $250,000 a year. What started as a simple sticker idea paired with t-shirts has turned into a four-platform e-commerce machine.
Therese shared specific strategies for platform-specific scale, execution management, and power of promotion tactics, especially in the second half. Here’s a summary of her ecommerce journey, with lessons you can apply no matter what stage you’re at.
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Random beginnings and early growth
Teresa didn’t set out to become a sticker entrepreneur. After jumping through Amazon FBA scams and trading, she took a design and turned it into a sticker.
- It started selling on Facebook Marketplace during the pandemic.
- The initial sticker sold out quickly, even with thin print margins on demand.
- Realizing that better margins were possible with DIY production, he printed and shipped the stickers himself.
- Facebook Marketplace was bringing in 200 orders a day, with untracked shipping of envelopes and a baby in tow.
He had to turn around when Facebook shut him down without warning. This push led him to spend time building long-term sales channels such as Etsy and Amazon.
Home Access: Printing, Laminating and Cutting
One of Therese’s biggest scale decisions was to bring sticker production into the company. It gave him better control and margins, but it wasn’t easy.
- He started with basic desktop tools like the Cricut and Silhouette, which quickly proved ineffective.
- Invested in Roland VersaStudio BN-20 commercial printer and separate cutter.
- Later, a laminator and bulk scale equipment were added: “Print, cut, laminate” became his daily workflow.
- Even after reaching high volume orders, the operation was run out of his garage and living room.
This decision helped him to quickly fulfill wholesale orders and compete in delivery times, which ultimately opened up new sales channels.
Platform Breakdown: Etsy, Amazon, Faire, Shopify
Therese is now sold in four major channels. Each plays a different role in their business and comes with their own strategies.
- 30% of revenue from Etsy: It’s still active, but it’s scaling down due to duplicates and international spam lists.
- 30% of revenue from Amazon FBA: Full delivery after shipping to warehouses; No paid advertising after launch.
- 30% of Faire Wholesale revenue: High average order values with constant promotions to attract wholesale buyers.
- 10% from Shopify: Mainly a placeholder and landing page for wholesalers.
Additional wholesale leads sometimes come directly through his website, allowing him to avoid Faire’s 15% commission.
It Uses Each Platform Differently
Understanding each platform’s search algorithm was key to Terez’s success. He applies an individual approach to each one.
- Amazon: Success depends on sales speed. It runs small paid ads on new listings for 1-3 weeks and takes hours to gain traction.
- Etsy: Submissions are more important than SEO. She runs a steady 40% discount to stay relevant in Etsy’s ranking system.
- Excellent: Uses tiered discounts to incentivize large wholesale orders, such as 5% off $50, 10% off $100, and 30% off over $300.
- Shopify: Acts as a credibility signal for wholesale buyers with minimal direct selling activity.
Transition to commercial printing and remote fulfillment
Teresa is moving away from manual operations to a verified commercial printer by outsourcing production.
- Commercial printers offer better value and quality, but require technical training such as cut line design.
- He is building a cutting-edge experience where customers can prove and order online without his presence.
- This allows her to manage her business remotely from anywhere, even while helping her husband open a new gym.
This move is a big step towards semi-passive income and a more flexible lifestyle.
The Role of AI and “Vibe Coding” in his workflow
While it doesn’t define her business, Terez’s reputation for “vibe coding” earned her a feature on Business Insider. This essentially means learning how to mimic or recreate website features using tools like ChatGPT.
- The site uses AI to help create elements, proof marketing copy and change product descriptions.
- Includes tools like Midjourney and Nano Banana for rendering and art enhancement.
- Instead of using paid stock graphics, it creates custom clipart and vector designs with artificial intelligence.
- Voice-to-text with artificial intelligence has helped publish books whose proceeds go to charity.
She admits that AI can be a distraction, what her husband calls “side quests,” but it has also expanded her creative output and reduced her manual workload.
Guidelines for Platform-Specific Measurement
Near the end of the podcast, Teresa offered some practical advice for sellers trying to grow on Etsy, Amazon, and Faire.
For Amazon:
- Focus on fast moving listings (sales velocity).
- Use paid ads for a short period of time for a quick start.
- Kill listings that don’t sell quickly.
For Etsy:
- Always run in-store promotions.
- Ads without discount are suppressed.
- Etsy’s algorithms change quarterly, often favoring a few of your products.
For the Faire:
- Apply tiered discounts to entice bulk purchases.
- Add new listings regularly to increase discoverability.
- Monitor e-mails sent from the Platform; they usually hint at what to do next.
These strategies are heavy on publicity, but have been crucial to its continued growth and visibility.
Playing the Earned Media Game
Therese also touches on earned media as a long-term branding and SEO play.
- It uses platforms like Qwoted to get quotes in major publications, including Business Insider.
- Shopify focuses on backlinks to increase domain authority.
- Pay attention to how LLMs (such as ChatGPT) display their content when third-party sources mention its brand.
It also uses Cision, a more advanced PR tool, participating in group license purchases through marketing communities. While most of his media hits come from Qwoted, he invests more in media to support his long-term business goals.
Final Thoughts
Therese Waechter’s e-commerce journey is a mix of raw experimentation, calculated scaling and gradual automation. While he didn’t set out to become a sticker mogul, his ability to adapt, simplify and promote across platforms has turned a side hustle into a six-figure business.
If you’re just starting or looking to expand your e-commerce presence, consider:
- Explore multiple markets to diversify your risk.
- Investing early in margin-enhancing operations, such as in-house manufacturing or vetted outsourcing.
- Treating each platform as its own algorithmic ecosystem rather than a one-size-fits-all strategy.
- Use promotions to increase discovery and conversions.
- Experiment with earned media and AI tools to support your growth and visibility.
Terez’s story proves that with a little hustle, a few clever twists and a willingness to keep learning, you can turn even the simplest products like stickers into a thriving, multi-platform brand.
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