Communication major Nicole Espada is taking “girls night” to another level. As a University of Maryland Senior, she has just started her own sex toy business through Slumber Parties, Inc. Tons of women have already hosted “Slumber Parties,” where a consultant (the technical term for Espada’s job) comes to talk to a group of their friends about anything from vibrators and lubricant to sexual techniques and ways to enhance a long-term relationship. Basically, anything you wouldn’t talk to your guy friends about. The “no boys allowed” policy and confidentiality of the parties appeal to women and, as Espada puts it, give guests “the perfect opportunity to bond.”
At a typical Slumber Party, Espada will set up a demonstration table full of her products. Guests will be able
to sample lotions and creams, share stories and play games. At the end of the night, she talks privately to anybody who wants to order or ask personal questions. The parties are a lot of fun, but there are other benefits to them as well. They provide women with a forum to discuss things they may not be comfortable talking about elsewhere.
“Slumber parties allow women to be educated about sex and different products in an open, welcoming and fun environment,” Espada said. She also promotes safe sex wherever she goes and is extremely knowledgeable about her product line. What does she recommend? “The two products I LOVE to sell are ‘Coochy’ and ‘Basic
Instinct;’ everyone I know swears by both of them (including me),” she said. Coochy is a cream that can help when shaving your bikini area, and Basic Instinct, also known as pheromones, is worn like a perfume and is famous for smelling different on everybody and attracting sexual partners. Who wouldn’t want that?
While most women have been to or at least heard of what are often described as “sex toy parties,” most don’t know somebody who sells them, or know how easy and financially beneficial it is to become a consultant. When Espada attended her first Slumber Party her sophomore year where she heard about the benefits of becoming a consultant and was intrigued by the opportunity. As she started to develop her future plans, she remembered her first Slumber Party.
“I started to freak out about what to do after college and remembered this opportunity,” she said. “I feel like it’s a step into taking control of my future and making my own money.” As a consultant, her job is to “educate women about the products we offer and share all of the sexy secrets I can within the hostesses time limit of the party.”
Espada must be a good salesperson, and she obviously has to be willing to talk about sex. She said, though, that the biggest challenges for her thus far have been “learning how to own my own business and not so much selling the products but selling and getting the word out about my services.”
Despite the challenges, Espada believes that Slumber Parties will be a lucrative job for her as she enters her new
life post-Maryland. “I can put as much time as I want to into it, but the more time I put in, the more I am going to get out of it.” Some of the benefits Espada can receive through Slumber Parties are free vacations, jewelry and, of course, the personal satisfaction of owning a business that succeeds.
She plans to spend the summer at the beach before moving to New York City, where she will continue to promote her brand. Event planning is one of her primary career interests, but for now she said, “I am not sure what else I would love to do as much as I love this!”
So this week if you are in desperate need of a study break that won’t provide you with a big fat hangover, contact
Nicole Espada at nicole.espada@slumberparties.