Daniela Otoya turned TikTok import advice into a 100,000-follower business

Daniela Otoya launched her TikTok channel from home in northwestern Peru more than two years before the February 2023 report. Her third video advised would-be South American retailers to buy wholesale goods overseas; it drew more than 300,000 views and 400 comments, about half asking how to use Alibaba.

Otoya responded by creating courses that taught customers to recognize verified sellers and use Alibaba's translation service, which mattered because the platform had no Spanish-language version. By early 2023, her Mami Vendelotodo account had more than 100,000 followers as small-market retailers looked for ways around bureaucratic imports and limited local e-commerce.

She then made the course an entry point to a larger business: her import company handled paperwork, negotiated shipping, managed warehouse and container space, and helped customers access goods on 1688 that were limited to Chinese users. One early customer, Jessica Sánchez, progressed from viewer to running a store selling hair and skincare products sourced from China.

Otoya grew her TikTok following past 100,000 and turned import advice into paid courses, paperwork help, brokerage, and managed warehouse/container services.

Wholesale price gaps made imported consumer goods attractive to small retailers.

The language barrier and seller-verification problem made practical guidance valuable.

A paid course converted scattered TikTok interest into a repeatable customer-entry point.

Brokerage and warehousing captured more value than one-off advice.

When a niche audience repeats the same question, turn the answer into a paid onboarding product and let it feed the higher-value service behind it.

Otoya was running both consulting courses and import services by early 2023. Rest of World reported that Alibaba was not officially supporting or acknowledging these TikTok entrepreneurs, so their foothold in Peru and neighboring markets grew through independent education, brokerage, and shipping operations.