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AI paid off for Otto's Grotto: 'one of the reasons' a sticker shop more than doubled its revenue

Self-reported Source: Business Insider (as told to Jamie Phillis) (Apr 24, 2025) Facts re-checked Oct 15, 2026

Jump to the step-by-step guide

AI PAID ME · RECEIPTCHECKED OCT 15, 2026

Paid to
Therese Waechter, owner of Otto's Grotto in Indiana
For
An online sticker shop selling on Etsy, Amazon, and Shopify, plus a wholesale division
Tools used
ChatGPT, Jasper, Shopify, Etsy
Type
Revenue growth (no 2024 dollar figure given)

Amount, exactly as the source states it

AI was “one of the reasons I was able to more than double my revenue in 2024”

  • “I ended up doing about $50,000 in sales in 2021.”
  • “I've been using AI for my online businesses for years, and it's one of the reasons I was able to more than double my revenue in 2024.”

This is an as-told-to essay in Business Insider, based on a conversation with her. The article doesn't say BI reviewed financial documents, and it gives no dollar figure for 2024.

Self-reported

Who she is

Therese Waechter was laid off from a government job during the pandemic. To pass the time, she started selling her graphic designs, first as laser-cut Christmas ornaments on Facebook Marketplace and then as stickers. That became Otto’s Grotto, which she started in 2020. She’d run a WordPress business in the mid-2000s and taught herself graphic design, so she wasn’t new to the web.

What she does

She sells stickers on Etsy, Amazon, and her own Shopify store. Her husband runs a 10-foot printer, and she says her wholesale division is now as big as her retail business.

How AI fits in

Writing. She first used Jasper AI to speed up item descriptions and marketing. Now she uses ChatGPT for hashtags, social media copy, customer catalogs, and more. “It’s almost like my Google now,” she said.

Vibe coding her store. Shopify themes use a coding language called Liquid, which she’d never learned. Now she asks ChatGPT to write the code. She’s used it to:

  • Build a wholesale catalog
  • Add color swatches and an FAQ bar to listings
  • Embed YouTube videos on her homepage
  • Add plugins, like one for pre-orders

She says these changes helped build trust with government clients and retail stores and improved her conversion rate on high-profit items. For big changes, she still hires a developer.

Her tips for vibe coding

  • Tell the AI exactly what you’re running. When ChatGPT gives code she can’t find, she re-asks with details, for example: “I’m running Dawn theme on Shopify version 2.0 and I don’t see that piece of code, are these the right instructions?” It can take three or four tries.
  • Garbage in, garbage out. The better your question, the better the code.
  • Learn the basics first. Ask ChatGPT to explain how the different types of code work together on your platform.
  • Copy examples you like. Find a feature on another site and ask ChatGPT how to recreate it.
  • Back up before every edit. “Eventually you’re going to break something, so always copy and paste your code to a note before you mess with it.”

Worth knowing

  • AI was “one of the reasons,” not the only one. She also added Etsy, Amazon, and wholesale over these years.
  • There’s no 2024 dollar amount. The only number is “about $50,000 in sales in 2021,” and those are sales, not profit.

Try it yourself: step by step

Use AI to improve a shop you already run: better listings first, then one careful store tweak.

What you'll need

  • An existing online shop. On Shopify: a 3-day free trial, then $1/month for 3 months, then Basic at $39/month (or $29/month billed yearly).
  • ChatGPT (free works)
  • Your exact theme name and version (for example, Dawn)
  • A notes app for code backups
  • One product listing you'd like to improve

  1. Step 1: Rewrite one listing with AI

    Paste a product's title, description, and details into ChatGPT and ask for a clearer version. Keep only what's true and sounds like you.

    • Tool ChatGPT
    • Cost Free plan available. Plus is $20/month.
    • Time 30 minutes

  2. Step 2: Generate tags and social captions

    Waechter uses ChatGPT for hashtags and social copy. Ask for 20 tags, then delete any that don't describe the item.

    • Tool ChatGPT
    • Cost Free
    • Time 15 minutes

  3. Step 3: Learn the basics of your theme

    Her advice: first ask ChatGPT to explain how the code on your platform fits together. For Shopify, that means Liquid, sections, and templates.

    • Tool ChatGPT
    • Cost Free
    • Time 30–60 minutes

  4. Step 4: Duplicate your theme before touching code

    In Shopify admin, go to Online Store, open the actions menu on your theme, and click Duplicate. The copy shows up as "Copy of" plus your theme's name. Make every edit on the copy.

    • Tool Shopify
    • Cost Free
    • Time 5 minutes

  5. Step 5: Back up the exact code you'll change

    Waechter's rule: "always copy and paste your code to a note before you mess with it."

    • Cost Free
    • Time 5 minutes

  6. Step 6: Ask for step-by-step instructions

    Pick one small tweak, like an FAQ section or color swatches. Tell ChatGPT your exact theme and version. If the code it describes isn't there, say so and ask again. She says it can take three or four tries.

    • Tool ChatGPT
    • Cost Free
    • Time 1–2 hours

  7. Step 7: Preview, test on your phone, then publish

    Preview the duplicate theme on desktop and mobile. Click through a full test order flow. Only then publish the copy.

    • Tool Shopify
    • Cost Included in your plan
    • Time 30 minutes

  8. Step 8: Measure for a few weeks

    Note the date you made the change. Compare conversion and sales on that product before and after in your store's analytics.

  9. Step 9: Hire help for the big stuff

    Waechter still hires a developer for big changes. Save that budget for anything that touches checkout or could break the store.

    • Cost Varies
    • Time As needed

Beginner pitfalls

  • Editing your live theme instead of a duplicate
  • Pasting code you don't understand into checkout or payment areas
  • Trusting AI instructions when the code it describes isn't in your files. Re-ask with details.
  • Letting AI invent product claims (materials, sizes, "waterproof") that aren't true

Realistic expectations

Better listings and small tweaks help, but they rarely double a business alone. Waechter said AI was "one of the reasons" her revenue more than doubled. She also added Etsy, Amazon, and a wholesale division over those years.

Prices and plan details come from each tool's own pricing page or help docs, checked Oct 15, 2026. They change often, so re-check before you pay. Time estimates are our rough guesses for a beginner. Sources: What is ChatGPT Plus? (OpenAI Help); Shopify pricing; Shopify Help: Duplicating themes.

Tools mentioned

Plain links to each tool's homepage. We don't earn anything from these links. Affiliate disclosure.

Source and verification

I use vibe coding and AI to run my Etsy and Shopify store. It's helped me more than double my revenue in a year., Business Insider (as told to Jamie Phillis), Apr 24, 2025.

Self-reported: The numbers come from the person themselves. No documents were checked by the outlet. How we verify.

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