Aussie mum launches X-rated business to tackle common sex problem

After a terrible day at her 9-5 marketing job, a Melbourne mum decided to pursue a hidden dream of hers.

After Justine Vallata returned to her full-time role as a Sales and Marketing manager for a construction company in 2022, she found herself as uninspired as ever by the daily grind.

The Melbourne mum’s priorities had shifted, and she realised she was hungry to dig her teeth into something new that creatively challenged her.

After a particularly hard day, filled with the usual meetings that ran overtime and projects she had little interest in, she came home to her husband in tears and ready to quit.

He encouraged her to follow her dreams of getting into the sexual wellness industry, which was something she had wanted to do for a while but never had the courage to start.

The idea stemmed from a memory. When she was younger, Ms Vallata was gifted a giant red vibrator by her friends as a joke, but it never sat right with her as she didn’t think that sex toys should be considered silly or funny.

She wanted them to be normalised, something given to friends on birthdays or mums post-partum, like any other present.

And so That’s The Spot, a chic online sex toy gifting business, was born with the aim of tackling the stigma around the sexual wellness space.

Shoppers can choose from a range of six aesthetic vibrators starting from $60 and known as ‘Pleasure Pals’, including Madame Mango, Spike, Lil Bud, Dos Amigos, Duke, and Bestie.

They can be purchased individually or as part of a tailored or pre-bundled hamper which includes self-care goodies like pink gin, artisanal chocolate, skincare and herbal tea.

Aussie mum Justine Vallata launched a sexual gifting business after growing tired of her 9-5 job. Picture: Supplied

She was eager to start something that creatively challenged her. Picture: Supplied

Launching her business

Ms Vallata took on every aspect of the business from the start, from product testing to branding.

But launching an entirely self-funded company without prior entrepreneurial experience is no easy feat and she admits it was a steep learning curve.

“I think if you have that fire burning inside you to start something, you learn,” she told news.com.au.

“Working in a senior leadership role, I had the privilege of seeing some of the inner workings of a privately owned company, and that helped guide a few of my early moves and know how to identify my strengths and weaknesses.”

The first two things she did once That’s The Spot was an idea with legs, was speak with her accountant and a lawyer.

“I knew these were two main areas I had no experience in, so I needed to call in the professionals. I don’t think you can go wrong with taking steps to make sure things are correctly set up, viable and secure,” she said.

Her business aims to reduce the stigma around sex toy gifting. Picture: Supplied

She wanted them to be normalised – something you could give a friend on a birthday or a mum post-partum. Picture: Supplied

With a sales and marketing background and a Bachelor of Design, she said a lot of the creative aspects of establishing the business came naturally to her.

From day one, she had a clear idea of how she wanted the brand to look and be perceived.

“Having a clear vision guided my decisions around stock curation, package design, the brand’s personality, values and overall design,” she said.

Ms Vallata says she gets a lot of feedback on her colourful packaging, as customers don’t expect their gifts to look “so cute”.

“Aesthetically, I have taken a totally new approach to the sex toy shopping experience and people are responding to that,” she said.

“Instead of things looking and feeling like a traditional adult store, That’s The Spot provides an experience more akin to shopping for flowers or pamper gift hampers.”

Ms Vallata says she has been thrilled with the response so far. Picture: Supplied

A sellout success

Since its launch one year ago, Ms Vallata has been thrilled at the response she has received.

“My goal for the first 12 months was always to confirm there was indeed a market for pleasure gifting, presented in a way that was so different to other adult shops,” she said.

Spoiler alert, there is a market. She has sold out of her most popular product, an $85 bendable vibrator called Dos Amigos, twice this past year, and is set to sell out for a third time any day now.

“My return customer rate is healthy for an e-commerce start-up,” she shared.

“I often find someone will purchase a gift, then when the recipient lets them know how much they love the present and how high-quality it is, the original purchaser will return to buy something for themselves.”

A customer showed off their hamper on Instagram. Picture: Supplied

Shoppers can create their own gift bundles or buy a ready made one. Picture: Supplied

Managing two vastly different roles

Off the back of her success, Ms Vallata has gone down to part-time hours in her construction job, and has decided to keep her dual roles a secret from her colleagues for now.

“‘Hey, I own a sex toy business’ isn’t really a water cooler conversation,” Ms Vallata joked.

It doesn’t help that it’s actually her husband’s family’s business, but she insists that her in-laws were supportive of her unconventional side hustle.

“I spoke with them before I launched, and I’ll never forget my mother-in-law saying that some people just know they need to start a business, ‘and if that’s inside you, you just have to do it’.”

Key learnings from the first year

Running a business solo has meant Ms Vallata has made her fair share of mistakes along the way.

“My top two learnings are, if something’s not working, it’s not working. Stop doing it and stop spending money on it,” she explained.

“And two, keep showing up – it might not always feel like it, but people are noticing.”