Why This Woman Left Lululemon and Got Into the Sex Toys Industry
Many entrepreneurs will inform you that what they’re doing now isn’t what they initially got down to do. Making main skilled modifications—even mid- to late-career—can typically result in extra fulfilling and profitable outcomes. That’s what our collection The Pivot is all about. Each month, we converse to founders, business leaders and entrepreneurs about how—and why—they modified course and located success in a completely completely different business. Here, we converse to Natalie Westlake, the founding father of sexual-wellness retailer, the 8850.
For years, Toronto-based Natalie Westlake liked bragging about her job when folks requested her what she did for a dwelling. She’d spent virtually twenty years rising by way of the ranks at Lululemon to develop into a high-powered government, as director of group for North America. Nowadays, nonetheless, she’s been just a little slower to handle these queries. “I’ve practiced answering how to really nail the ‘I sell sex toys’ reply,” she says. Westlake left Lululemon after 18 within the spring of 2021 years to launch The 8850, an internet sexual-wellness retailer that prioritizes ethically- and sustainably-made pleasure merchandise.
Westlake received her begin within the wellness house at age 29 in 2004 when she received a job with Lululemon as a gross sales affiliate, or, as Lululemon calls it, an educator. At the time, it was a personal firm with roughly 1,000 workers and a pair dozen shops. “I eagerly drank the Kool-Aid,” she says. “I completed the self-development programs and read every book recommended to firmly immerse myself deep in the culture and working philosophy.” (Lululemon’s company tradition has been referred to “cult-like” because of its personal lingo, inspired self-help growth programs and reported suggestions periods known as “clearings.”)
Over the years, Westlake created grassroots community-building applications for the athleisure model throughout North America. Some main tasks embrace the annual Summit Series and 10km race occasions, and launching the Blissfeel operating shoe, Lululemon’s foray into footwear. “I lived in an environment of nothing but high-growth, fast-paced learning and scaling,” she says. “I managed, I hired, I fired, I trained, operated, created and scaled for stores all over North America—and I loved every minute of it.” Today, the general public firm is valued round US$41.5 billion with greater than 570 shops worldwide.
Launching a intercourse toys business
During a uncommon second of leisure in 2020, Westlake was studying an article in Wired that mentioned how the US$30 billion world intercourse toy business was rising eight per cent year-over-year from now till 2030—with income forecasted at over US$62 billion. Another phase of the report sparked curiosity, Westlake says: It talked about that the shortage of producing laws permits makers to develop merchandise underneath the label of novelty toys, and skip reporting the supplies and chemical substances used.
An concept for a brand new, naughtier business was born—however one with a conscience. Westlake felt passionately about making a market that prioritized well being and sexual wellness whereas ringing the alarm concerning the lack of intercourse toy regulation. At first, it was extra of a inventive idea and enjoyable undertaking off the facet of Westlake’s desk. She wasn’t planning on leaving Lululemon, however, after a couple of yr, she realized she couldn’t do each jobs if she wished her personal business to develop. It was time to place the Kool-Aid down and muster up the braveness to depart the company enclave—and begin promoting dildos and handcuffs. She give up Lululemon and, alongside a pair silent companions, launched The 8850 in April 2022. The firm’s title comes from the summit of Mount Everest, which stands at 8,850 meters above sea stage. Westlake was impressed “by the idea of that kind of elevated goal setting like summiting the world’s highest peak.”
“I lived in an environment of nothing but high-growth, fast-paced learning and scaling”
“Taking the leap from selling tight black stretchy pants in a retail world focused mostly on bricks-and-mortar growth to pivoting into an e-commerce business where we curate some of the world’s best sex toys has been no small feat,” she says. She’s handpicked a wide range of stylish, streamlined sexual-wellness wares, from Lora DiCarlo vibrators and Jems condoms to Dame arousal serum and Wednesday Co. buttplugs.
This product lineup has additionally pressured Westlake to regulate her tried-and-true advertising and marketing methods. At Lululemon, she says her bosses inspired luring buyers contained in the shops by producing provocative storefront home windows. Some examples embrace operating a “conscious uncoupling”-themed bra window, nodding to Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s cut up, and a “less Ford, more bike” window to protest then-Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s proposed bike-lane reductions. “I recall being advised by the COO when I opened a store in Chicago that if I didn’t receive a warning from mall management, I wasn’t doing my job well.”
Running a sexual wellness model, nonetheless, has been the other expertise. Westlake has to take care of heavy promoting bans in Canada. The 8850 has been shut down on Instagram, Facebook and Google Shopping advertisements for displaying so-called inappropriate content material. “Evidently, talking about lube and showing vibrators is unacceptable on these platforms,” she says. “Even as the World Health Organization warns of rising global STI numbers, Meta remains closed to promoting products that provide safer-sex options. It’s mind-boggling resistance.”
She’s hopeful that she will start to alter the business norms; she has already submitted an e-petition to her member of parliament to handle the inconsistency in Google promoting guidelines and permit for selling sexual-wellness corporations and safe-sex merchandise.
Spreading the phrase about sustainable toys
Westlake additionally desires to hit again at one other concern rampant within the business. “What makes The 8850 different is that we’re shining a light on the fact that the sex-toy industry is an unregulated business globally,” she says. “This means that manufacturers are not responsible to disclose chemicals and other materials used in the making of products.” Because these merchandise are used on and within the physique, she believes folks ought to have as a lot info as potential about elements and supplies.
“It’s mind-boggling resistance”
Eager to have fun extra moral makers, Westlake created the “Sexdex,” a scale that grades every product on efficiency, range and inclusion, social duty, environmental and labour impression, and transparency, so purchasers can decide merchandise that not solely really feel good—and look good—however align with their values as properly. “We think people care about this and will want to spend their time with a community that’s curating products with this type of lens,” she says. “Getting that message out with scale and speed is both a heavy lift and a big challenge.”
Right now, The 8850 is working with Canadian-owned on-line advertising and marketing company Traffic Junky, and can also be internet hosting Instagram Live conversations with makers to get across the publish restrictions for “arousing” merchandise. The business has been celebrating some early visitors wins as properly, with hundreds of tourists to its web site month-to-month, plus its virtually fully offered out of its Lora DiCarlo merchandise.
And so, daily, Westlake embraces her new job title just a little extra. “I know it will take time for me to own this and I look forward to that—when I feel equally as empowered in my new role as chief pleasure purveyor.”
