The printers inside Sticker Shuttle’s space. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
Justin Fowler spends nearly 12 hours a day in a tiny warehouse with two giant printers to make a living.
“Everyone hates their household printer,” he said. “Imagine one of this size.”
The 31-year-old car salesman turned entrepreneur moved into 600 square feet in a Denver co-warehousing space at 5180 Fox St. His business, Sticker Shuttle, sells custom stickers in bulk, with 1,500 clients so far.
“When I was selling cars, I noticed how many of them had bumper stickers on windows and stuff. Well, people are clearly buying stickers in abundant amounts,” Fowler said.
Vanishing West Cidery, a new taproom at 9735 E. Colfax Ave. in Aurora, is one of his clients. Fowler makes beer can labels, banners and stickers for the business. Many of his other clients are graphic designers and small artists.
Justin Fowler owns Sticker Shuttle. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
Approximately 10 percent of his business comes from companies in Denver. Fowler moved to the Mile High City last year from Ohio.
“(Why I moved) is pretty self explanatory: not much to do in Ohio, lots to do here. I’m an outdoors person, I like to go hiking almost every weekend,” Fowler said.
His two main inputs are material and ink. His printers, a $30,000 ultraviolet one and a $13,000 eco solvent (inkjet) one, are the lifeline of the business. His computer estimates the ink used with each print, and a spreadsheet he built which uses that information calculates the margins and price for the order.
“I’m not selling the designs, I’m selling the service of printing their design designs,” Fowler said.
Last year, he did five figures in revenue, and he expects to do six figures this year. The business started a little over two years ago, selling stickers on Facebook Marketplace with a friend that he bought out last year.
He got his first printer in August 2022 and started working on orders in his dining room, and later, his 400-square-foot basement. Fowler sells everything from holographic stickers to banners, laminating his products by hand and fulfilling orders himself in Denver.
He averages about 60 to 90 orders a month, with a goal to reach 300 per month, which would put his annual revenue above $1 million, he said. Spring, when many pop-up shops open, and the winter holidays are his busiest seasons.
Many customers come to his Instagram, where he has 16,000 followers and tries to respond to every message. Sometimes, he’ll upload longer-form content on YouTube.
Fowler doesn’t see his business as a competitor to nationally recognized sticker brands such as like Sticker Mule or even local firms like StickerGiant out of Longmont, who Fowler said he maintains some contact.
“It’s a community, it’s kind of crazy … there’s enough business to go around for all of us,” he said.
The printers inside Sticker Shuttle’s space. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
Justin Fowler spends nearly 12 hours a day in a tiny warehouse with two giant printers to make a living.
“Everyone hates their household printer,” he said. “Imagine one of this size.”
The 31-year-old car salesman turned entrepreneur moved into 600 square feet in a Denver co-warehousing space at 5180 Fox St. His business, Sticker Shuttle, sells custom stickers in bulk, with 1,500 clients so far.
“When I was selling cars, I noticed how many of them had bumper stickers on windows and stuff. Well, people are clearly buying stickers in abundant amounts,” Fowler said.
Vanishing West Cidery, a new taproom at 9735 E. Colfax Ave. in Aurora, is one of his clients. Fowler makes beer can labels, banners and stickers for the business. Many of his other clients are graphic designers and small artists.
Justin Fowler owns Sticker Shuttle. (Matt Geiger/BusinessDen)
Approximately 10 percent of his business comes from companies in Denver. Fowler moved to the Mile High City last year from Ohio.
“(Why I moved) is pretty self explanatory: not much to do in Ohio, lots to do here. I’m an outdoors person, I like to go hiking almost every weekend,” Fowler said.
His two main inputs are material and ink. His printers, a $30,000 ultraviolet one and a $13,000 eco solvent (inkjet) one, are the lifeline of the business. His computer estimates the ink used with each print, and a spreadsheet he built which uses that information calculates the margins and price for the order.
“I’m not selling the designs, I’m selling the service of printing their design designs,” Fowler said.
Last year, he did five figures in revenue, and he expects to do six figures this year. The business started a little over two years ago, selling stickers on Facebook Marketplace with a friend that he bought out last year.
He got his first printer in August 2022 and started working on orders in his dining room, and later, his 400-square-foot basement. Fowler sells everything from holographic stickers to banners, laminating his products by hand and fulfilling orders himself in Denver.
He averages about 60 to 90 orders a month, with a goal to reach 300 per month, which would put his annual revenue above $1 million, he said. Spring, when many pop-up shops open, and the winter holidays are his busiest seasons.
Many customers come to his Instagram, where he has 16,000 followers and tries to respond to every message. Sometimes, he’ll upload longer-form content on YouTube.
Fowler doesn’t see his business as a competitor to nationally recognized sticker brands such as like Sticker Mule or even local firms like StickerGiant out of Longmont, who Fowler said he maintains some contact.
“It’s a community, it’s kind of crazy … there’s enough business to go around for all of us,” he said.
