After 15 years in the pleasure industry, Staci Cruse has become skilled at distinguishing brands that merely talk about partnership from those that truly embed it into their operations.
“I lived it,” she says. “I’ve been on the floor, managed tight margins, and seen manufacturers make promises they didn’t keep. I know what it’s like to try to sell a product without the education or support to do it right. That experience is exactly why I take retailer support seriously. I’m not guessing what stores need; I know because I’ve been in their shoes.”
At the end of the day, I want to know that what we’re doing is making a real difference, for the stores, for the associates on the floor, and for the customers whose lives are genuinely better for it.
Cruse’s career evolved from working the retail floor in sales to buyer to store manager, before venturing to the manufacturer side and working her way up from brand ambassador to regional sales manager within the lubricant category, then transitioning to the toy side two years ago when she joined Blush, where she now leads the U.S. sales division.
Over the years, Cruse has discovered meaningful moments sparked by education.
“Fifteen years have taught me a lot, but the moments that stick with me most are the ones where I watched a lightbulb go off for somebody,” she says. “A retail associate who wasn’t sure how to talk about a product, and then suddenly they got it. They understood how to connect that product to a person’s life. That never gets old.”
Before starting her career in adult retail, Cruse worked part-time as a hairstylist, a role she likens to being a therapist for her clients. While raising her family in Nashville, a horse-riding accident prompted her to look for a new career, eventually leading her to adult retail, where she discovered that the people skills she developed behind the salon chair translated naturally to helping customers.
As her career took her from retail to the manufacturer side, Cruse went on to earn a certification as a sex educator, which deepened her understanding of how pleasure products can support people’s overall well-being.
“It means I don’t just talk about products; I talk about people,” she says. “Education in this industry has to go deeper than features and price points. When you teach a retail associate how a product can genuinely improve someone’s life, that changes how they sell it entirely.”
Cruse’s priority now that she is leading Blush’s national sales efforts is making sure her team is set up for success.
"I want to ensure they have everything necessary to perform their jobs effectively,” Cruse explains, “whether it’s the right tools, proper support, or someone in their corner.”
Her promotion gives her an opportunity to bring that philosophy to a wider network of accounts and team members.
“For the sales team, I want us to be knowledgeable, confident and genuinely passionate about what we’re selling,” she says. “That means investing in training, creating clear processes and accountability, and making sure every person on the team has the tools and support they need to show up as a true resource for their accounts, not just an order taker.”
Cruse’s expectations for manufacturer-retailer relationships are clear. To her, the strongest partnerships are built on fairness, responsiveness and respect for the role brick-and-mortar stores play in building customer trust.
“MAP pricing policies exist for a reason and enforcing them across all channels, including your own website and marketplace listing, is one of the most important things a manufacturer can do to protect the retailer relationship,” she says. “When a customer can buy the same product cheaper directly from the brand, you’ve essentially taken the sale away from the very partner you’re asking to carry and champion your line.”
Her comments highlight a broader challenge in adult retail, where stores compete in an increasingly crowded omnichannel marketplace. For Cruse, the path forward depends on manufacturers treating retailers as long-term partners rather than temporary sales outlets. That means valuing feedback from store teams, respecting each retailer’s customer base, and staying engaged beyond new product launches.
“Retailers are on the front lines every day,” she says. “They deserve a manufacturer who is engaged and accessible, not one who only calls when it’s time to push a new launch.”
Cruse also sees opportunity in the evolution of the pleasure products category. As sexual wellness becomes more openly discussed, she believes retailers can strengthen their role as trusted guides.
“When I started in this industry 15 years ago, the conversation we’re having today would have been hard to imagine,” she says. “That shift, toward treating sexual wellness as a legitimate part of overall health, is the trend I’m most excited about.”
She is also encouraged by a growing emphasis on inclusivity in product design and marketing. As the category becomes more reflective of diverse bodies, identities, relationships and experience levels, Cruse sees more room for stores to create welcoming, informed shopping experiences.
“People are more willing to talk openly, ask questions, and seek out products that actually meet their needs,” Cruse says. “That access to information and normalization matters, and it’s creating a customer base that is more educated, more intentional, and more loyal when they find brands and retailers they trust.”
For Cruse, that loyalty is earned over time. It comes from consistent service, knowledgeable staff, thoughtful merchandising, and a willingness to listen. It also comes from sales teams understanding that retailers often have the clearest view of what customers are asking for, which products are moving, and where more support is needed.
Her career has also been shaped by the communities that have supported women in the pleasure industry. As she enters this next chapter, she is mindful of the example she can set for other women building careers in sales, retail leadership, or sexual wellness education.
“Trust yourself,” she says. “Women have a kind of intuition and power that is a real advantage in this work, don’t shrink from it. Surround yourself with a good community, people who are honest with you and want to see you succeed.”
Cruse says being part of a woman-owned company focused on sexual wellness is meaningful to her, and she wants that sense of purpose reflected in how her team shows up.
“At the end of the day, I want to know that what we’re doing is making a real difference, for the stores, for the associates on the floor, and for the customers whose lives are genuinely better for it,” she says. “That has always been the whole point.”
Each month, XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry’s most influential businesswomen.
