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In 1993, Patty Brisben was stranded. After spending ten years as a sales and recruiting leader for a company selling adult bedroom toys through home parties, the business folded. Disappointed but determined, the single mom of four used her entire savings of $5,000 to launch Slumber Parties, Inc., an in-home party company offering an exclusive line of heighteners, lubricants and bedroom accessories for relationship enhancement. Now called Pure Romance, what started as a business with 55 consultants operating out of Patty’s basement today has over 30,000 consultants in 50 states, Canada and the Virgin Islands, and generated over $80 million in retail sales during 2008 alone.
In 1983, while on maternity leave from her job as a medical assistant, Patty watched the Phil Donahue Show. This particular episode featured women working as in-home direct salespeople selling intimacy products. Intrigued and impressed that the consultants were empowering women in and out of the bedroom, and seeing this as an opportunity to spend more time with her children, Patty signed up as a distributor. She was so successful her first year that she quit her medical assistant job to focus on her new career full-time.
After ten years as a top consultant, the company went out of business, leaving Patty and her down line wondering what to do. Wanting to use her success with multi-level marketing sales, as well as lead her down line in a new venture, Patty launched her own in-home party company from her basement in 1993. Slumber Parties, Inc. soon experienced explosive growth, led the industry in relationship enhancement specialization and became a practical resource for women who wanted to take responsibility for either their financial means or their sexuality.
In 2001, Patty brought her son Chris Cicchinelli on board, and they created an aggressive five-year plan to take the company to the next level. They launched a national marketing campaign and, within two years, renamed the business Pure Romance to better align with the company’s mission to provide a comfortable environment for women to explore sexuality without feeling embarrassed or ashamed.
Over the next several years, Pure Romance appeared on CNN, The View and VH-1, and was recognized by Forbes and Inc. Magazine. In 2007, Patty started the Patty Brisben Foundation where she introduced The “Naked Truth” College Tour and her unique breast cancer program, Sensuality, Sexuality, Survival. The foundation also provides resources for women and their health care providers.
Patty’s first book, Pure Romance Between the Sheets, was published in 2008. The book is a tangible resource that gives women permission to explore their sexuality without fear or shame. It conveys what Pure Romance is doing for women’s sexual health and supports the consultants who, by acting as lay sexual educators, are performing a true service to their communities.
Today, the Loveland, Ohio-based Pure Romance is a multi-million dollar business with a 47,000 square foot corporate office and warehouse. Still an industry leader that has won many awards, Pure Romance has also become a trusted ambassador for women’s sexual health.
What we learned from Patty: “My main message is to keep an open mind. If you’re seeking information and you don’t feel like you’re receiving the proper answers, you have to remain persistent. There is an answer out there and it’s important not to get discouraged or allow yourself to feel dismissed.”
Learning to Lead
“Over the past 16 years, it was a challenge to understand the full scope of my position as founder and CEO of a Pure Romance, and how it has evolved over the years. I’ve learned to delegate and discover the areas I enjoy most and work best.”
Believe in Yourself
“If you’re not passionate about what you do and you don’t wake up every morning doing what fulfills you and makes you happy, then there may be something better out there for you. My parents always told me that anything I wanted to achieve was possible.”
Risky Business
“One of the biggest challenges was when I made the decision to change the company name to Pure Romance. Although our former name was well-branded, it didn’t speak to who we had become as a company. I decided to do this almost a decade into owning my company so it was a major risk but I was willing to do it in order to better define who we are and what we’re all about. It took time for people to make the connection and realize we were the same company, but in the end it was worth the time and effort.”
Your Business is WHAT?!
“When people respond with, ‘Your business is WHAT?’ I am sure to never overreact. I respond with facts and not emotion. I take them on a new journey and try to open their minds to what Pure Romance is really all about. I start by helping them realize how powerful Pure Romance is and how many lives it touches. This company has never been about just the sale of the product – there are so many facets to this company, from our sexual health programs to providing important information regarding intimacy issues faced by women battling cancer, or dealing with vaginal pain disorder, and menopause to name a few. We are about educating women so they know their bodies better and can have happier, healthier relationships.”
This Featured Lady was profiled by Megan L. Reese, WORDrobe™ Stylist for Her Write Image in West Grove, Pennsylvania.
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