educational

How Hard Could It Be?

The first thing I asked when I started working in the adult industry was, “How hard could it be?” That was the last time I asked that question. I got a fast education in just how hard it can be.

Don’t get me wrong, working in the adult industry is still the only thing I’ll ever really want to do. The hours are great because I get to set them. The rewards are great because I earn them. And here’s the best part: I AM the boss.

At the same time, however, I fall peril to the same difficulties that any self-employed person finds. I have no insurance benefits save the ones I pay for myself. I have no job security, for at any time, any of my clients can decide to cut me. I have to market myself and my abilities well enough to continue to bring new clientele, because without clients, there’s not any cash!

Those of you who are sitting there, building sites and galleries, are working for yourselves. You are learning how difficult it is to get noticed. Traffic only flows to those who have managed to market a site.

It isn’t easy. It’s a lot of work and persistence. Long hours of gallery building, site building, marketing and traffic control can turn into absolutely nothing. So it seems, anyway.

The key, however, is persistence. Persistence pays off, especially when coupled with a liberal dose of patience. Those long hours of working your butt off with no return should have taught you some things. Take the lessons learned and turn them into the next set of galleries and sites.

If you’re coming into this business with no capital, then you’re in for a rude awakening. It takes money to make money. The days of just throwing a site online and making money from it are long gone.

Now if you’re one of the people who not only are new at this but also quit their 9-5 jobs to work at this, you might consider finding another job. I’m sorry, but there is no such thing as an overnight success in this business. It’s going to take time and patience.

Getting Down to Business
That’s another thing: this is a BUSINESS. You have to treat it as one. Treating it like a hobby is going to earn you nothing but frustration and annoyance.

Now I’m not trying to scare anyone away from the adult business. Quite the contrary, I wouldn’t work anywhere else if I could possibly help it. Many people I know feel the same way. It’s our job and we love it.

However, I am trying to help keep things in a realistic perspective. Next time someone asks, “How hard could it be”, remember what I’ve said here. It is hard to get started, it’s hard to grow, and it’s hard to keep your head above water.

But in the end, it’s worth every moment, and anything worth having is worth earning. You’ve got to want it, and you’re going to have to work hard for it. Best of luck to you.

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