Knobs Over Apps: Kay on Building a Wholesale Business in the Adult Trade

Most people who deal with E-Stim Systems never speak to me. They speak to Kay. She runs our sales, answers the phones, handles the emails and the live chat, and quietly built the wholesale side of this business from nothing. So for once I handed the microphone to the person who actually does the talking. We recorded this in a hotel room in Barcelona, the night before a trade show, with a brew and no real plan. Kay came to us back in 2006 as a customer. She bought a Series 1, came back for a Remote, made a comment about why nobody stocked us, and then talked her way into getting us into shops. She didn't quite buy the company. She just helped build the wholesale side of it from nothing, and put up with me and my little black book for the best part of twenty years. In this one we get into the bits nobody tells you about this trade. The Dragon's Den moment where a store manager told us we'd never survive. Why you can't just double your money on adult products. What actually makes a stockist sell, and why it's never the margin. The Python that US customs flagged as an endangered species. And how a company this small keeps innovating with a tiny development team, no design house, and no crowd-funders in sight. Kay also talks, in her own words, about coming out as trans during lockdown, and what changed from Mick to Kay. We're putting this one out in Pride Month. That felt right. You'll notice we didn't make a song or dance about it, and that was deliberate. It's her story, told her way. Next month, the machines take over. CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Kay, the one you've actually spoken to 01:27 The Victor Kiam moment 03:40 Our Dragon's Den moment 05:09 Why you can't just double your money 07:47 Stigma and the adult shop 08:50 What makes a stockist actually sell 12:44 "Great Aunty Gertie, I make sex toys" 14:49 A day on the phones, and the Python customs thought was a snake 17:19 I can't sell what we don't have 19:24 What I'm proudest of, and Mr B 21:18 How a small company really innovates 24:56 The kit we'd change, and not chasing new every month 27:01 Why it works: the black book and the long drives 29:28 The elephant in the room 32:15 Misgendering, Vegas, and staying out of the politics 35:24 Where's it all going? AI, world domination, and the bit that scares us 38:45 Why the 2B still isn't obsolete 41:59 Kay's story, her way ABOUT THE SHOW I Make Sex Toys is the podcast about the business of running E-Stim Systems, a British artisan manufacturer that's been making electrostimulation kit in Watford for over twenty years. It's the only podcast hosted by a sex toy manufacturer that's actually about the manufacturing. CNC machines, trade shows, customs paperwork, competitors, and the odd bit of founder honesty. Not the sex. The business. New episode the second Tuesday of every month. FIND US Podcast: https://imakesextoys.me Forum: https://e-stim.net Web: https://estim.store Socials: @estimsystems Be safe and have fun. #IMakeSexToys #EStimSystems #BritishManufacturing