Patricia López Trabajo, CEO and Founder of MYHIXEL

Patricia López Trabajo, CEO and Founder of MYHIXEL, talks to The Industry Leaders about her role in the men’s sexual well-being industry, some of the difficulties of this business area, and her expectations for what’s to come.

How did you end up sitting where you are today?

After almost four years working in the sex-tech industry, I realised that the future was linked to health, tech and education: brands should invest in innovation to have space in the medium term. I also noticed that female-focused products were growing, but most of them were far behind in the case of males. I thought it was time to create a new brand that could bring together health, tech and education by offering innovative solutions for men. So, this is how MYHIXEL started. We invested in our scientific research and medical certifications to position ourselves as a medical-backed sexual health brand.

What kind of work does your role involve?

At MYHIXEL, we aim to answer and give solutions to all sexual concerns men have. As CEO and Founder of the company, it's important to make sure that the values and essence of MYHIXEL don’t change, and find the best people to fit with the company and our values. Of course, one of my primary roles is finding and getting investment to keep growing and achieving our company goals.

What gets you excited about your industry?

Technology is the future of companies, which also affects the sexual health sector, so I think this sector, in particular, will keep growing in the upcoming years. The first proposal of MYHIXEL, that men can learn to have control of their ejaculation to acquire new sexual skills, thanks to solutions that combine science and technology, has shown that these types of solutions can and will evolve as technology does.

What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?

I think it would be that "in life, you either win or you learn."

In my case, many doors have closed and will continue to close, but I always think that better ones will open, and, for that, I will learn from what’s happened and do much better next time. It is crucial to have a positive attitude, even when failures, disappointments, and defeats happen. They’re learning experiences from which we can get something positive.

How do you support aspiring leaders in your field?

Any support for innovative startups is a must. It is a way to help new companies that advocate for people's wellness. I always share my experience, knowledge, and information of interest to help their companies evolve. We also carry out co-branding actions that help to give visibility to both companies. We have already done one with a Lubets company, bringing out a warming lubricant, MYHIXEL by Lubets, with a therapeutic function to improve men's sexual health and help them enjoy more in their relationships, and the use of their MYHIXEL solution.

How do you keep up to speed with what's happening in your industry?

It is essential to be always up to date with the latest news in the sector. As a company based on science and technology, at MYHIXEL, we are in a constantly evolving field. Tech is always progressing, and we are regularly adapting to the novelties and possibilities it offers us. Also, we continue to study and develop new products and solutions based on science, and adapt them to every new development in the sector.

What was the most challenging project or situation you've overcome?

At MYHIXEL, the whole project has to face the stigmas surrounding male sexual wellness, which are still taboo, and we are working to break it and normalise it. We want to help people realise that male sexual well-being is as important as female. However, this leads to complications in communications that make it difficult to expose our product. One of our most significant challenges was being CE marked as a medical device and FDA registered as sanitary products.

You finish work today and step outside the office to find a lottery ticket that ends up winning $10 million. What would you do?

The first thing I would do is give part of the money to the company for it to become a huge and important brand that can change male sexual health. And then I would travel a lot, enjoying some holidays that I have missed while being a CEO, as I studied tourism, and travelling is one of my favourite experiences.

What do you see as the key ingredients for failure?

I think the qualities for success are perseverance, teamwork, and adaptability, so lacking these could be some ingredients for failure. Of course, not even trying is setting you up for it, but after you’ve started, you can’t give up; I have always believed in this quality. Being persistent has helped me not lose heart with achieving my dreams. Today, at MYHIXEL, we continue to work towards our goal without giving up.

If you had one wish for the future of your industry, what would it be?

I hope for it to grow and keep innovating and developing solutions for sexual health. For us, always under MYHIXEL essence, we’ll keep combining technical innovations and adapting our solutions to scientific and technological advances, searching, of course, to naturally improve men’s sexual health. And of course, I wish that male wellness and men's sexual health would become fully normalised and no longer a taboo subject.

What book or podcast should everyone know about?

A classic like The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, and Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters or Who by Geoff Smart and Randy Street could be good examples.

How should people connect with you?

People can contact me through Linkedin, but they can too at our website, MYHIXEL.com, and on our social media channels, where we share interesting content related to sexual wellness, as well as all our news on:

Instagram: @myhixel

Twitter: @MYHIXEL

Facebook: @MYHIXEL

LinkedIn: @MYHIXEL

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