You know that “webmasters click here” button on adult websites? The first time I ever clicked one was about a year and a half ago. Even though I had been a porn surfer since 1994, using mosaic to download pictures of Cory Nadine, I had never clicked that link. Why? Probably only ‘techie’ info there; no porn so why bother? And I was like a kid in a candy store at that time, because I have had a healthy appetite for porn since the days you had to wait a month to get the next issue of Hustler. So I had never clicked on the Webmaster link. Until about a year ago.
Disappointed and still reeling from the Internet bubble burst, I began thinking outside the box, re: my career and finally thought about online porn. I had certainly shown my interest in it since the beginning. And having been a part of growing several Internet start-ups into viable businesses, I knew a thing or two about how the Internet worked. At least on the business side. So why not combine the two? Sure, that’s what they all tell you to do to be happy: Combine your hobbies and skills into a product or service that provides added value to someone somewhere, and the money will come - or so they promise.
So I clicked on the webmaster button. I felt like an interloper. Shhh, I wasn’t a Webmaster. I felt like I had snuck backstage at a concert. It was within this restricted zone that I discovered that there are adult Webmaster resource sites. What the? There are places where y’all hang out? An Xbiz banner happened to be the first one I saw, and since I was clicking into uncharted territory, I clicked on it. And it was here I began my research into this business, and how I could make an impact on it. But I had a problem.
No, it wasn’t being ashamed to work in this business. By now I had come to realize the hypocrisy of porn; many people enjoy it but few admit it. I decided I didn’t want to be that way and came out of the closet about my penchant for erotica. The problem was more of what exactly was I going to do here? Because the more I clicked on all those newbie guides and links, the more the problem became clear. The overriding answer to THE BIG question was always the same. To start in this business you build sites. Get one right, create a template and begin creating more and more of the same. The goal should be to create X# of sites per week. Then there’s search engine optimization, scripting, blah, blah, blah, and therein lies the problem. I don’t do sites. You see, I’m on the business side of things. Creating X# of sites per week does not synch with my skills and interests. I knew right then and there that under that scenario I could not be of value to the industry. Or true to myself. Besides, I could never catch up to the level of expertise of those who blazed the technology trail before me.
Nope, my particular mix of interests, skills and expertise did not lend itself to anything that was currently happening. So I had to step back and ask what I want to accomplish here to feel successful. Well, making a shitload of money has always been important. But more importantly, I had to contribute. Make a difference. That’s where the big bucks are anyway. Provide something of value and the money will come. So I knew that if I could create a business that made a major contribution to the industry, I would be equally rewarded in cash.
Oh yeah, I also wanted to be able to work directly with the women in this industry. I was tired of the knuckleheads that made up my world. Nope, I want to work with people like Danni Ashe. Come on, to go from the boardroom of her own multi-million dollar empire to posing nude in the hot tub? I want to work with people like her! I realized that I have the utmost respect for people like her.
It was then that I realized I was going to create a business that provided a service to adult business owners, not to surfers. This had reminded me of a saying I had latched on to - Do you know who became the richest of the gold rush of the 1800s? It wasn’t the gold miners, it was the businesses that provided the miners with the picks and shovels they needed. I decided that my business would have to provide new tools to online adult businesses.
But what? An industry this young, no matter how fast it is evolving, cannot have all the kinks worked out. It couldn’t all be done yet. There has to be new business practices yet to be embraced. Nope, a brand-new industry just a few years old needs brand-new business practices to help maximize revenue and add new revenue streams. What was it that I had that I could offer? It was time for more research. XBiz had a ton of articles as well as message boards to check out so I began reading all the articles and lurking on the boards. My hope was that a unique business idea would come to me through spending time here. It did, and I will share it with you. Next time...
