profile

WIA Profile: Cheri Poe

Cheri Poe joined Sportsheets about a year ago at the recommendation of her husband, and she has since settled into a new industry which she says has welcomed her warmly and with enthusiasm. While staying on top of communication with Sportsheets’ international clientele, Poe says she also focuses on instilling motivation and fortifying creative ideas among her sales team. In this month’s WIA Woman of the Month spotlight, Poe sits down with XBIZ to talk about her experience as part of the Sportsheets team.

What is your role and responsibility at Sportsheets?

It is incredibly rewarding to help a customer achieve their goals with our products and see their businesses grow, too.

I’m the sales manager for Sportsheets. My responsibilities include working closely with the sales staff targeting specific markets, potential customers and helping current accounts grow. Additionally, I’m here to be both a sounding board for ideas (the sales staff is quite creative and innovative) and a coach to encourage each team member to keep our customer approach fresh, authentic and innovative. Every day brings its own challenges and wins and I look forward to each day.

What is a typical day at the office like for you?

After getting a large cup of hot tea, I settle into making my European and East Coast check-in calls, once completed, layout my day, balancing between meetings and calling more customers. My main focus is to work the phone; respond to any orders or special requests then move onto working with the team on any areas in need of encouragement, strategic planning and hearing about “wins.” We are big on acknowledging individual and team goals when achieved.

How did you get into the adult novelty business?

I started in the adult novelty business a little over a year ago. It’s actually an awesome story. My husband heard about an opening at Sportsheets, and unknown to me, submitted my resume. He knew I was looking for a change – I didn’t know at the time how big of a change! This job continues to be the best job I’ve ever held.

What challenges have you confronted in your career and how have you overcome them?

The biggest challenges have come from outside of our industry, specifically with the general population’s perception of who we are and what we actually do. I’ve been completely confident, positive and open with friends, family and acquaintances in sharing about our business. The one thing they all find surprising is how many businesses are family-owned and operated.

Many say it seems that the adult industry is “final frontier of entrepreneurs.” I really like that perspective. I share how it’s a very tender thing to be involved in peoples’ intimate lives. It’s really interesting to see people’s attitudes shift from “oh you work in that industry” to “wow, that’s awesome and … uhm, do you have any samples?” With just the right balance of humor, honesty and joy, just about anyone will come around to see the benefit to society we offer as an industry.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

The people. Whether it’s a customer, a coworker or a counterpart in the industry, I have met by far more authentic, kind, business savvy, enthusiastic people in this industry than I have in 25 years of working in sales and marketing in other industries. It is incredibly rewarding to help a customer achieve their goals with our products and see their businesses grow, too. The best thing is to be able to walk through a show, feel a sense of camaraderie and warm welcome from our customers.

What is your personal motto or mantra that you live by?

“Be yourself everybody else is taken.” (Oscar Wilde) “Change your attitude to gratitude.”

What career accomplishment are you most proud of?

The cohesiveness and positive persistence of the sales team. We work as a strong, vital group. This helps not just each individual sales rep achieve personal goals but keeps us all moving in a focused, clearly defined direction of sustainable growth for the company. To have this occur is an awesome accomplishment.

What are your professional goals for 2013?

To assist our customers to continue to grow and thrive with our brands and to extend Sportsheets’ reach internationally with sustainable growth in the marketplace.

Each month, industry news media organization XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry's most influential female executives.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

Mitigating Retail Shrink Through Intelligent Video Solutions

Retail shrink isn’t just a cost of doing business — it’s an existential threat. Theft, fraud, operational inefficiencies and employee mismanagement chip away at profits in ways that many business owners don’t even realize.

Sean Quinn ·
opinion

The Power of Authenticity in Selling Pleasure Products

I’ve been working in the pleasure industry for more than two decades. For a significant chunk of that time, I thought that to be successful in sales, I had to fit a mold. I assumed that selling meant following a formula: say the right things, use the right voice and present myself in a way that was guaranteed to convert.

Kimberly Scott Faubel ·
profile

Dennis DeSantis on Building a Blockbuster Career in Adult Retail

The adult industry and the mainstream Hollywood scene often intersect, and few executives are more familiar with that crossover than Dennis DeSantis.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
profile

'Pleasure Professionals Place' Facebook Group Marks 5 Years of Fostering Connections

Where can you find the pleasure industry’s most tantalizing, trending and relevant conversational banter? For once, we’re not talking about a trade show after-party!

Colleen Godin ·
opinion

How Cannabis Culture Is Reshaping Sexual Wellness, Pleasure

April is a month of celebration: Lovers Day, Earth Day… and 4/20. Once a subculture symbol, “420” has evolved into a movement that bridges cannabis advocacy, wellness and an increasingly vital discussion around sexual health and pleasure.

Ian Kulp ·
profile

WIA Profile: Holly Corbella

Even during last year’s retail slump, the adult home party business continued to rock and roll — at least in New Jersey. Just ask Holly Corbella. Based in the Garden State, Corbella is the founder, CEO and lead party planner for Parties by Bellas, an intimate, in-home sex toy event company focusing on creating budget-friendly home parties for women on the East Coast.

Women In Adult ·
profile

Friday Bae Founder Benoit Palix Discusses Brand's Gen Z Focus

French sexual wellness brand Friday Bae is aiming to disrupt the market with its genderfluid, inclusive pleasure products. With bright pops of color for Gen Z and millennials to swoon over, Friday Bae is merging creativity and education for fans, dubbed the “Bae Squad.”

Namma Karp ·
profile

Self Serve's Matie Fricker on Promoting Sex-Positivity in Albuquerque

For 18 years, Self Serve has been providing a sex-positive space for adult toys and resources to folks in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The story behind its success is all about making connections: connecting with your passion, with your business partner, with your customers, with your staff and with your community.

Justin Goodrum ·
opinion

Why Inclusivity in the Pleasure Industry Is More Important Than Ever

2025 has kicked off with a series of unsettling events. Tension and anxiety are high across North America as the unknown impact of tariffs, climate change and attacks on human rights loom ominously. In times of unrest, seeking pleasure is not frivolity but necessity.

Sarah Tomchesson ·
opinion

2025's Top Tech Trends That Adult Retailers Should Know About

I just got back from the National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention & Expo, also known as “Retail’s Big Show,” where I walked the floor, sat in on key panels, talked with industry experts and influencers, and did my best to sift through the b.s. so I could report back to you all on the things you need to care about.

Sean Quinn ·
Show More