Adult novelty businesses have seen solid sales across the board not just from established companies, but new and upcoming ones. The novelty business is as strong as ever and there’s plenty of room for new innovative entrepreneurs who want a piece of the market.
A few of the newer companies have their own reasons for starting their novelty businesses. Some were formed out of sexual frustration, while others were created from a simple joke. Take for example the company Heeldo. The idea for the company was forged by Joe Wilson and Drew Conner while they were traveling years ago. Conner joked about strapping a dildo to the back of their foot, saying “Wouldn’t it be cool if you could fuck yourself with your foot?” Wilson thought it sounded like a great idea and a new company was born. After doing some research, they applied for a patent and a trademark, found a manufacturer and started making prototypes. It took years of testing until finally they brought the final version to market in 2011. “We’ve had great feedback so far from the industry and customers,” Wilson said. “Whether they like the product or not, the first thing people say when they see it is ‘Wow, what a cool idea!’ and to us that’s priceless.” They have succeeded in getting the product into the Pleasure Chest and The Stockroom retail stores in Los Angeles. The biggest accomplishment so far has been landing a distribution deal with Nalpac.
One thing’s for sure, these entrepreneurs have carved out a place for themselves in the competitive novelty market, proving that even in tough times, innovation is alive and well.
Another new company, called FixSation, was born out of sexual frustration.
FixSation CEO and founder Tiffany York always found it difficult to climax through intercourse alone simply because of a mismatched anatomy between her and her husband. She felt that there was a lack of direct pressure and clitoral stimulation, making it almost impossible to share in the big moment. She decided to see if some vibrators could help, but she couldn’t find any.
“I wanted something that was sexy, high quality, non-invasive option yet that would stay in place while making love and offer just a little extra stimulation on my clitoris, so that I could ‘get there’ with my partner! There was nothing out there that could do this, so I decided to create one,” York said. After two years of gathering capital and engineering eight rounds of revisions, she finally did it. “I finally came up with the winning design that was sexy, discrete, effective and most importantly would incorporate her partner in every way, making this truly a couple’s product,” she said.
The four-month old company has advanced to the second round of auditions for the ABC show the “Shark Tank” and the couple’s vibe will be showcased on an upcoming episode of “Mob Wives” on VH1.
Another entrepreneur, Maxx Appelman, formed his company the natural way, using honey as the main ingredient. Seeing an opening in the market for all natural products with cute packaging, he launched Honey Care Products in 2010. “After starting I really did get passionate about honey when continuously reading about its health benefits, it really is a natural wonder,” Appelman said.
Honey Care Products just introduced six new products including a honey-flavored lubricant and more sizes of its current all-natural formulas in glass eco-friendly bottles. More products will be launched soon.
The company Masque has been in business since November of 2011. The President and COO of the company, Michael Guifoyle, said the concept grew out of an idea that the company’s product could be used as a “mask” which women could wear in the bedroom to be more adventurous. About five years ago, Masque Sexual Flavors was born when, over dinner conversation between couples, one wife said that her husband’s ejaculate tasted terrible.
This conversation sparked the Sexual Flavors line, which took three years in research and development. The line is made up of flavored paper thin gel strips that conceal the flavor components of sexual secretions. “Our product is for a very intimate act of love and affection,” Guifoyle said. “We want to be a product people don’t relegate to the back of a dresser drawer to be remembered once in a while. We want them to consider it an essential tool in their everyday lovemaking.”
One thing’s for sure, these entrepreneurs have carved out a place for themselves in the competitive novelty market, proving that even in tough times, innovation is alive and well.
