the secret is YOU: How I Empowered 250,000 Women to Find Their Passion and Change Their Lives

by Chris Cicchinelli

Overview

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller!

How a trailblazing business turned the hottest bedroom toy accessories into a $350 million global empire.

In 2000, Chris Cicchinelli was twenty-five and at a crossroads. He had just been forced to leave a promising position at a large retail franchise when his mother, Patty Brisben, called. She wanted her son’s help in growing her women-only, in-home party business featuring relationship enhancement products.

Cicchinelli had been earning well over $100,000 annually at his previous job. Patty said she could pay him just $24,000. Still, he said yes, planning to stay just a few months to get the company—which would soon be rebranded as Pure Romance—on its feet. But after recognizing its potential, he never left.

Long hours on the road and a restyled business model initially led to financial struggles, and more questions than answers. But their strategy ultimately paid off in explosive growth that swelled the company’s revenues from $3 million in 2001 to $350 million today. Its workforce of independent consultants now exceeds 40,000 in the U.S. and abroad, despite the recent challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the secret is YOU, author Chris Cicchinelli charts his two-decade journey transforming Pure Romance into the world’s largest in-home/virtual party company of its kind, while also sharing his innovative approach for empowering women to become successful entrepreneurs themselves.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781642937138
Publisher:	Post Hill Press
Publication date:	04/13/2021
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	475,213
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Chris Cicchinelli is President and CEO of the Cincinnati-based Pure Romance, LLC, where he leads business development, operations, sales, and marketing. He is also the founder, along with his wife Jessica, of the Living With Change Foundation—a nonprofit dedicated to supporting transgender youth and their families.

Table of Contents

Preface: If You're Reading This, It Means We Survived 2020 ix

Chapter 1 Humble Beginnings 1

Chapter 2 Facing Down the Obstacles 17

Chapter 3 It All Started with a Talk Show 34

Chapter 4 Be Proactive, Not Reactive 48

Chapter 5 Only You Can Sell You 65

Chapter 6 Commit to the Process, Detach from the Outcome 81

Chapter 7 Live Your Life by Design, Not Default 95

Chapter 8 Confessions of a Realist 120

Chapter 9 Call Me Coach 134

Chapter 10 Winning Resides in Repetition 146

Chapter 11 Making a You-Turn During a Pandemic 163

Chapter 12 Now It's Up to You 178

Afterword: How They Did It: Pure Romance Success Stories 186

Acknowledgments 205

Editorial Reviews

"No business leader today packs more wisdom, energy, and inspiration per page than Chris Cicchinelli. At last, his unapologetic passion for helping people find their own personal greatness is captured in writing. This book will leave you on fire. Chris's energy is contagious—you'll love his voice, his story, and most of all, his ideas. You'll never look at yourself at your business quite the same way. I've already benefited from the ideas in this book in my own work. So will you."

Sarah Klein

"Chris Cicchinelli has built a unique business that is knocking the light out. He took the risks and now is reaping the rewards, as his business is growing exponentially. In the process of building his business, he has also assembled a great team. Their momentum through the pandemic has been amazing. America needs more Chris Cicchinellis."

John F. Barrett

"Pure Romance is a story about the power of a dream and the will to break down the barriers standing in the way of that dream. Chris tells the inspirational story of how a business that started in a basement turned into a global phenomenon. But maybe more importantly, he clearly reveals that the same principles that were born in that basement, the bedrock of his company's success, still positively impact his company, employees, and customers today. Those principles can help anyone bring their dreams to life."

Rob Lynch

Finally, a book that shows you how to embrace getting outside of your comfort zone and how coaching, passion, dedication, and hard work are the foundation for accelerated sustained growth."

Bob Sumerel

"Chris Cicchinelli is blessed with the rare combination of both high IQ and street smarts. He's a charismatic, passionate, and extremely creative businessman as well as a marketing genius. I am continually inspired by who he is. Chris's book gives us all an incredible opportunity to get to personally know him—and anyone who reads it will be richer for it."

Britney Ruby Miller