the secret is YOU

How a trailblazing business turned the hottest bedroom toy accessories into a $350 million global empire.In 2000, Chris Cicchinelli was twenty-five and at a crossroads. He had just been forced to leave a promising position at a large retail franchise when his mother, Patty Brisben, called. She wanted her son’s help in growing her women-only, in-home party business featuring relationship enhancement products.Cicchinelli had been earning well over $100,000 annually at his previous job. Patty said she could pay him just $24,000. Still, he said yes, planning to stay just a few months to get the company—which would soon be rebranded as Pure Romance—on its feet. But after recognizing its potential, he never left.Long hours on the road and a restyled business model initially led to financial struggles, and more questions than answers. But their strategy ultimately paid off in explosive growth that swelled the company’s revenues from $3 million in 2001 to $350 million today. Its workforce o