How Brian Sloan Built an 8-Figure Sex Toy Brand with 2 Employees and No Ads - The Shopify Growth Show (#19)

About this episode

Brian Sloan shares his journey of building an 8-figure sex toy brand with minimal resources and unconventional tactics.

What happens when you build an 8-figure business in one of the most taboo industries - without a team, funding, or traditional ad channels? Brian Sloan did exactly that. And in this episode, he reveals the unfiltered story behind his wild entrepreneurial path. Jim sits down with Brian Sloan, founder of AutoBlow, to unpack how he built a global DTC sex toy brand that now generates 8 figures annually - with a team of just two. From eBay auctions to viral PR stunts, Brian shares how his unconventional path, deep product focus, and scrappy tactics helped him thrive in a space where Facebook ads and mainstream visibility were off-limits. This conversation pulls back the curtain on manufacturing, media manipulation, brand building, and what it really takes to scale when the rules don’t apply to your category. Key Topics Covered: How Brian went from selling antiques to latex fetishwear to inventing AutoBlow The viral crowdfunding stunt that made him internet-famous overnight Why he ditched Amazon - even after major sales How to get on GQ, Playboy, Howard Stern, and more without a PR team The power of press-worthy product ideas Why focus (on just 2 SKUs) was his biggest growth unlock…

People in this episode

Host: Jim Huffman

Guest: Brian Sloan

Topics covered

• entrepreneurship
• DTC brand building
• unconventional marketing
• product focus
• lean teams
• media manipulation

Keywords

• sex toy brand
• DTC
• entrepreneurial journey
• viral marketing
• product focus
• lean team
• media coverage

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: AutoBlow, GQ, Playboy, Howard Stern

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