In 2019, Roberto Levy and his partners Julio Andrés Sojo, Alejandro Rivon and Javier Salaz realized that there was still a taboo around sexuality. Therefore, they decided to create a platform where they could share information about it in order to break the roots and prejudices about it.
This community began to grow and became in 2020 in meibia sex toy e-commerce from Guanajuato that promotes sexual well-being and the use of sex toys through information and endorsed by its team of sexologists.
Currently, meibi has a community of more than 250,000 followers on social networks, and in its Web page You will find a wide range of educational and erotic content, as well as a collection of more than 100 different high-quality, next-generation sex toys. Last June, the startup merged with the Mexican unicorn Merama, in order to strengthen the distribution of its products.
From project to company
Roberto’s project, sexologist, co-founder and content director of meibi, began in 2019 with the vision of having a more informed society on sexuality issues. “The Internet allows you to remain anonymous and consume information without anyone judging you,” says Julio Andrés, CEO and co-founder of the startup. “It was the same community that asked us for references on sexual well-being and that was when we began to build the catalog of sex toys, he recalls.
Julio had lived in China for a few years and having direct contact with manufacturers, he decided to develop his own line of products and make them of high quality. Operations began at the beginning of 2020.
First they focused on doing six tests and seeing what worked. The e-commerce boom caused by the pandemic boosted business and helped position the store, which seeks to offer a friendly, discreet and unique shopping experience. Whoever buys in meibi receives a cardboard box and the charges do not say anything about “sex shop”.
make community
“What we do very well is the issue of communication and community,” says Stefan Hromatka, who joined the project as financial and communications director. And it is that he explains that they first focus on creating content and then the products. “We introduce each product with a story that communicates pleasure in a digestible, objective way and without so many detours. So people enjoy it, consume it and recommend it”.
The key to transforming the project into a business has always been sharing quality content and doing everything professionally in order to create a strong community. In this task, the role of Roberto, who has experience with sexual education for adolescents, mothers and adults, is essential.
By making the content simple, adding design and developing a brand, the community responded and began to grow. So much so that they hope to close the year with 300,000 members. So they decided to take the next step.
alliance with a unicorn
“We realized that it was a need that was not only present in Mexico and that it could be scaled up and replicated in Latin America,” the entrepreneurs say. So they approached Merama, the Mexican e-commerce unicorn that makes alliances with niche brands that it sees an opportunity to scale regionally.
With this alliance, meibi will strengthen the distribution of its products. in its online store, in different marketplaces such as MercadoLibre, Liverpool, JOKR and in physical stores.
With Merama’s support, meibi will continue to enlarge its product catalog and expand opportunities for new consumers. They get into the operation and are experts in e-commerce. With your help we will achieve goals that would have taken us 10 years to achieve.
Julio Andres Sojo
Let money not be an obstacle
The entrepreneurs share that the business started with a capital of 200,000 pesos and how part time model. After the good response from consumers, they became a full-time business and raised seed capital, then approached e-commerce aggregators like Merama.
Entrepreneurs share that 20% are recurring customers, some even bought their first sex toy with meibi, something that can be replicated in other territories. 80% of its consumers are women and people between the ages of 20 and 35. “It is a niche with good margins and high growth. The industry in Mexico should grow between 10 and 15% a year, there are not that many players”, says Stefan.
But Julio clarifies that it is not just an ecommerce for toys, but a platform for well-being and sexual health, which is why they will include courses in their offer and alliances with specialists are contemplated.
Tuppersex or how to develop a business opportunity
The main challenge in these two years of operation has been that all the growth has had to be organic, since commercial guidelines are not allowed, given the nature of the business.
That is why the company has collaborated with opinion leaders and developed a direct sales channel through its “Tuppersex”, a meeting or party in which independent distributors can go to show the products of a catalog to a group of people.
We already have about 50 distributors. With them we try to reach places where there is still not so much trust in e-commerce”, says Stefan. “It is a high-value ticket (2,500 pesos on average) and the distributors take 30% commissions.
Julio Andres Sojo
Julio says that the business has solid foundations. He recommends that entrepreneurs have very clear objectives and follow them until they are achieved. “This project is my dream and if you are passionate, you have an MVP (minimum viable product), well-defined objectives, there is no way you can fail, you have to bet on finding your dreams, as long as you have a plan.”
Marisol Garcia Fuentes Editorial Director Emprende and Emprendedor.com. I am motivated by stories of tenacity and innovation.