“Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do,” Steve Jobs once said, and the two entrepreneurs who began Sexual Desires were intent on a big change when they first pursued sex doll manufacturing. Now, with a burgeoning team and a product selection across all categories, their dream of affordable quality toys doesn’t seem so crazy.
(Note: This story appears in the April 2024 issue of SE Magazine)
A
ffordability was the initial ambition of Sexual Desires’ Robert Hodges and Brent Reed. The two left their previous industries three years ago to start the sex doll manufacturing and distributing company which has expanded to meet the needs of retailers and consumers alike.
Despite no prior experience in the sexual wellness industry, their combined 50 years of entrepreneurial success in other businesses gave them more than enough to draw from. According to Taylor Means, Director of Sales and Marketing for Sexual Desires, Reed’s background was in marketing; he owned several agencies before starting Sexual Desires. Hodges, meanwhile, was in retail — retail flooring, that is. He owned considerable chains in the UK and the US with about 140 flooring stores, and here garnered all he knows about retail efficiency, economy and quality.
As the story goes, on a business trip to the Atlanta area, Hodges was visiting an adult store where he noticed a life-size doll with a price tag that gave him complete sticker shock. With his robust business background, he immediately recognized the opportunity and began to seriously consider selling sex dolls.
“When Robert saw the market price on sex dolls, he knew that he could utilize his thirty years of experience in inexpensive production to provide a more cost-effective product without sacrificing quality,” shares Means. “He decided to acquire his own manufacturing, and he called up Brent, who had worked with him on marketing projects, and said, ‘Hey, I have this crazy idea. Let’s make sex dolls together. Sell your marketing company. I just sold my business. Let’s do this together.’ And the two acquired the manufacturing to create Sexual Desires.”
Opportunity would have it that Hodges and Reed make the perfect partnership for founding Sexual Desires, with their complementary business skills and passion for revolutionizing industries to make a more positive experience for retailers and consumers.
Co-Founder Brent Reed adds, “My background is built on the foundation of Digital Marketing. I have a successful entrepreneurial past that spans vast across multiple industries, but all stems back to the ability to create lasting brands that add massive value to their customers and consumers.”
“Stability, integrity and volume. These principles are key to us at Sexual Desires. Doing honest, fair business is our priority, while maintaining steady stock levels with standout quality, overseen by our own QC team, combines to a recipe for success.”
– Robert Hodges, Co-Founder
Sexual Desires began manufacturing sex dolls with the intent of slashing the cost in half for the everyday average consumer. But the brand has grown to exemplify an attention to retailers’ myriad needs with efforts like drop-shipping for bulky items, creative marketing materials and an advanced incentive to shop in stores on their consumer-facing website.
As Co-Founder, Robert Hodges reflects, “Our first mission was to create a full-size, lifelike sex doll that could provide massive profits to the retailer and sell to the end consumer for under $1,000. That is what we set out to do and exactly we did!
“Soon, Sexual Desires evolved from being ‘just a sex doll company’ to becoming a quickly emerging brick and mortar retail-minded brand with the slogan ‘Profit Is Our Promise’ as a constant reminder.”
Growth momentum
As Director of Sales and Marketing, Means has her hands in cultivating — everything from product development to branding, to sales, to a nuanced insight on the industry. Having worked in pleasure products since 2009, across retail, management and manufacturing, she brings a different kind of experience and expertise to Sexual Desires.
“I always say that, after doing this for 15 years, Macy’s would never have me,” she laughs.
The majority of Means’ career in adult toys was spent with industry icon Nasstoys, which she says she enjoyed immensely, and left after more than seven years only because she was ready “to spread her wings.” At Sexual Desires, she saw the opportunity to transport her industry knowledge to fresh ground, so that she and Sexual Desires could both aspire higher.
“These were great businessmen that had substantial success elsewhere, but navigating the adult space was new,” she shares. “Teaming up together, we have all that we need to create this incredible powerhouse company.”
Sexual Desires is a living exchange between many like-minded and passionate individuals. In addition to Means, the sales and marketing teams comprise educators and experts alike!
“We are so fortunate to have brought in Jared Pomerance, an industry mainstay,” Means enthuses. “We welcomed pleasure product professional and sex educator Staci Cruse to the team this last month and are overjoyed to have her on board! Our marketing department is expanding as well with new creative minds in graphics and social media strategy joining the efforts in continuing our rapid growth.”
Exponential expansion with 80 new SKUs
The product supply from Sexual Desires will also be augmenting with a release of about 80 SKUs coming in 2024, doubling their current assortment. Affordability means accessibility; and the ability to provide not just sex dolls, but products such as packers, harnesses and other lifestyle items of daily necessity for some, demonstrates the brand’s commitment to adapting their supply to the demands of the market.
“In addition to affordable sex dolls, we want to make affordable bullets, rabbits and harnesses,” Means explains. “We aim to touch on all categories, so that we can create provide our well-priced products to everybody.”
With the ambition of sex toys for all, it comes as a great advantage that Sexual Desires operates their own manufacturing, and is therefore able to ensure quality from beginning to end. Sexual Desires sources all of their TPE from Texas, which is shipped to their manufacturing in China. Although overseas, Means shares that Hodges frequently oversees production, safeguarding their less than 1% defective rate.
Hodges adds, “Stability, integrity and volume. These principles are key to us at Sexual Desires. Doing honest, fair business is our priority, while maintaining steady stock levels with standout quality, overseen by our own QC team, combines to a recipe for success.”
Moving forward, Sexual Desires will be dissolving their ‘distributor’ title entirely. Although they won’t be distributing product for other creators, they welcome pleasure product companies to reach out for all of their manufacturing needs.
For more information, please call (866) 921-4485, email sales@sddwholesale.com or visit sextoydistro.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.