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.
Providing an excellent example of the equality and empowerment the adult entertainment industry offers for those seeking a career path forward, Analized Network parent FPNcash’s CFO Shannon Kaehny combines personal drive with professional perseverance.
I want to be able to look back and say, ‘Shannon, you beat the odds of being a single mom and have helped to build this empire of networks.’
From her roots as a model to reaching the No. 2 slot at one of the industry’s most dynamic operations, Kaehny embraces the roles of single mom at home and corporate “mom” in the workplace — handling the company’s purse strings and every random task that comes along, all to get the job done.
Touching nearly every aspect of the company’s operations over the years, Kaehny has an enviable grasp of the complexities and synergies of the brand, which makes her an invaluable asset to the team.
To gain an insight into her rise from performer to CFO, XBIZ sat down with the Woman of the Month for this interview.
XBIZ: What did you do before joining the adult industry and what brought you to this business?
Kaehny: I actually started in the adult industry as a performer when I was 19 via the standard “friend of a friend” gateway. While performing, I met my current boss, whom I stayed in touch with over the years. I left shortly after entering and ended up working at a record label doing marketing before moving on to accounting at a credit card processing company. When my boss reached out to me to help him with his web store, I jumped at the chance to be on the business side of the industry.
While the performing side was not something I was interested in returning to, I’ve always loved the industry and the power that women have in it. Even though the business aspect of adult is no different from any other industry, I find the people and other companies to be much more enjoyable to work with. Plus, I get to see a lot of boobs, which is always a plus.
XBIZ: The Analized Network seems to be hitting a homerun and shows a commitment to excellence with an aggressive production and update schedule that must take a real team effort to deliver. How involved are you in the network’s day-to-day operations?
Kaehny: Our growth really is due to our fantastic team and the work environment we’ve cultivated. We just love what we do. When people enjoy their work, it shows in all facets. I try to set the example there — I’m heavily involved in day-to-day business operations. If there’s money, a contract or a business decision, it comes across my desk for input and approval.
XBIZ: Growing at a strong pace requires strong partnerships. How do you develop the relationships you need in your role at FPNcash?
Kaehny: I believe that transparency and respecting others’ time is crucial to building strong partnerships. By being upfront with your intentions and what you want out of an interaction, you’re able to avoid a lot of unnecessary conversations and wasted time for all involved. Even if you can’t necessarily build a working relationship at that time, you’re able to leave the door open for the future.
You just never know who you’re going to want to work with or what you’re going to want to dabble in later. Our industry is tight-knit, so building bridges and respect is going to be a lot more beneficial than distance. In the past six-and-a-half years of my job, I’ve definitely made mistakes and burned bridges that I shouldn’t have, but as I’ve grown, I’ve come to realize that relationships are really going to help your business thrive.
XBIZ: What attracted you to joining the FPNcash team and did you always serve as CFO or has your role at the company evolved?
Kaehny: Rapport, flexibility and potential. My boss is incredibly ambitious and hard-working, so being able to work under someone that I can learn from and respect was attractive to me. I also have flexible hours, which are important to me as a mother. My boss understands the need for work/life balance and we run on the belief that “it doesn’t matter when you do it, as long as it gets done on time.”
The potential to climb the ladder as I have is another huge interest of mine. My CFO title is a technicality — my position ranges at any time from CFO to COO to Vice President. I started out part-time running our old web store while working on my other accounting job. Eventually I moved up to generally assisting with any project that needed a spare set of hands, then supervising PR and marketing, then COO, and eventually to where I am now.
XBIZ: “Financials” doesn’t sound like the most compelling topic but it really underpins a production’s viability. Could you tell us a little about how tightly budgeting constrains production or marketing in 2019 and do you have any pro tips for stretching a buck on set or afterward?
Kaehny: I will definitely say that our budget doesn’t constrain production and marketing. A company in porn is not as simple as just producing content. There are a lot of other expenses that go into having a successful online brand that needs to be taken into consideration when budgeting. Content makes up about one-third of our budget. If we’re over budget or the quality suffers, then a conversation is had about expectations and money management. I trust our producers and content team to manage the money I give them wisely. I don’t believe in stretching a buck, I believe in being realistic with the amount of money you have and what you can do with it. My pro tip would be to stick to your damn budget and don’t go into debt.
XBIZ: What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome and the best score you’ve made in this industry?
Kaehny: The biggest challenge I’ve overcome is being a young woman in a position of power, which is also coincidentally my biggest score. I’m only 28 and despite being the one who writes the checks and signs the contracts, I’m still removed from email threads, called pet names from people outside of our company, or just blatantly ignored. Sometimes I get a dose of Imposter Syndrome and think “what in the world am I doing here,” but at the end of the day I’ve worked my ass off and I’m damn good at what I do. The disrespect that I deal with is absolutely a tribulation, but having those same people turn around and give me the respect I deserve is incredibly rewarding.
XBIZ: Is there anything else on your plate, business-wise?
Kaehny: What don’t I have on my plate? Recently, we successfully filed the patent for adult gift cards. These are available for FullPornNetwork.com and all sites within FPNcash.com. This means customers can now buy an online membership with cash if they so choose. Getting traction for that is taking up a pretty big piece of my plate. I’d like to see our gift cards in every adult store and every gas station right next to the dick pills. At one point I was literally gluing gift cards onto card backers because sometimes you just need to do things yourself.
The launch of the Analized.com Network has also been a huge chunk of my time. Being able to give members niche sites with exactly the kind of content they want has been a really fun project. Anything we do to make members happy is going to be fulfilling for us.
XBIZ: What does a typical workday look like?
Kaehny: Oh man, there really is no typical workday for me. Usually, my day starts with throwing on some 90s hip-hop while catching up on the 100-plus emails from the night before. I’ve gotten a lot better about not working when I get home, but it totally makes for an unfun morning. I look over our bank accounts, sales numbers and outgoing expenses to ensure that there’s nothing out of place. I check our sites and social media because I have control issues and like to see with my own eyes that everything is working as it should be. Then I attack my to-do list, which can range from doing sweet interviews like this one to reading/signing VOD deals to hiring new employees and running financial reports. I have a wide array of hats, so my day is never slow or boring.
XBIZ: What does a day off look like — or is it a matter of all work and no play?
Kaehny: My days off are wild! I’m talking about 8 a.m. kid’s lacrosse games, two tons of laundry, LEGO building, library/museum visits and pizza/movie nights. I try to be as present as possible during the weekend. It has taken me a long time to allow myself days off.
I had to realize that I’m still a good employee even if I don’t work on the weekend and that my inbox will survive going unanswered for two days.
XBIZ: How do you stay motivated and what do you define as “achieving success” in your life?
Kaehny: Positive feedback from other companies and our members, as well as praise from my boss are definitely positive pushes when I get worn down. Achieving success in my life and career is just about stability and pride. I’ve achieved a stable life that provides me with what I want, including fresh Nike Air Max ’90s and Twizzlers always on deck.
I also want to be proud of my work. I want to be able to look back and say, “Shannon, you beat the odds of being a single mom and have helped to build this empire of networks.” I’d say I’m well on my way to achieving the success I want.
XBIZ: What does 2020 hold for you and the company?
Kaehny: Well, hopefully 2020 has me staying in my current position because I don’t want to be demoted and the only other position to obtain is CEO. The only way that’s happening is if my boss up and dies, which I would prefer not to happen. As for the company, we plan to continue to grow our rank in the industry and expand the Analized.com Network even more. We’ll continue to release products that we love and continue to build on our incredible team while keeping our DIY attitude.
