Searah Deysach, Founder of Early To Bed & FTM Essentials
Frustrated with the lame sex toy scene in her hometown, Searah Deysach, with help from her friends and family, opened Chicago’s first woman-owned, education-focused sex shop, Early to Bed in 2001. Now Searah spends her days sharing the good word about sex-positivity and the joys of masturbation through her store, writings and a busy schedule of talks at local community groups and colleges. She was the sex columnist for (the now defunct) Punk Planet Magazine and msfitmag.com and has a blog skewering some of the more ridiculous aspects of the sex toy world at screwysextoys.com. She lives in Chicago with her girlfriend and their kid who never sleeps.
Early to Bed is Chicago’s first woman-owned sex shop committed to providing all kinds of folks with high quality toys and accessories at reasonable prices. The shop is designed to be warm and welcoming and the staff is educated and friendly. Early to Bed is proud to partner with many local and national organizations that promote reproductive justice, feminist values and LGBTQ equality.
Who or what was the biggest motivator for you when you started your business?
Creating the space that I wished already existed.
What has been the biggest highlight running your own company?
Having people tell me I helped them have their first orgasm.
What are your top three goals for your company this year? AND!
This is a very weird year to answer this question! Right now I just want to:
Re-open my shop to in-person customers (safely)
Fgure out ways to offer virtual learning and
Cultivate more leadership within my staff.
Favorite business tools that your company uses? (Slack, PicMonkey, Asana, Liveplan, Adobe etc.)
Slack, Quickbooks (boring but a revelation), Adobe Creative Suite, Shipstation.
Favorite motto or quote that keeps you inspired?
“No one ever died because their dildo was delayed a few days.”
Or what my partner tells me daily, “You got this”.
Your favorite other women led businesses we should know about?
Milk Handmade, JoSnow Syrups, Sparrow Hair, Women & Children First Bookstore, Firebelly Design, Nymph & Woodsman.
What is one action you want every woman entrepreneur reading this to take this week?
Give some money away. If you only have a little, tip extra on your next coffee. If you have a lot, make a donation somewhere in an amount that feel significant. Giving away money is one of my favorite things to do and I want everyone to become more active philanthropists at the level they can handle.
