Our work is unmatched when it comes to potential entry-level earnings. 

It’s also unmatched in the lack of training, information, and resources to help entertainers grow their businesses.

There are adult entertainers making $30,000 a year and entertainers making $300,000 a year. There are entertainers making far more than that too, by the way. 

It's absolutely possible- whether that’s by putting all your energy into the club, or by taking the same sales, marketing, and money management skills you’re growing at the club and bringing them to new businesses, investments, and other industry income streams.

But that is not what the vast majority of people in the industry know from the start- or even years in. Because most entertainers that do reach that level of success have done it the hard way. Educational content for adult entertainers is a very new concept- so those that have retired early, or built businesses, or moved into new areas of the industry didn’t write how-to guides or lead conferences and events. They simply moved on from the industry, and a new wave of entertainers started from scratch with only a few tips and scattered pieces of advice to help them find their way.

Sex work may be the oldest profession, but it’s also the most stigmatized one.

So, our stories and lessons have not been public, shared, or documented. Or had not been, until the last few years.

Sex, Work, and Power: Tied Together

That’s not to say there are no records, or no stories. There have always been powerful sex workers crafting their own narratives and building resources for themselves and each other. From the auletrides of Ancient Greece to the Oiran of ancient Japan, to the professionals in Storyville, New Orleans in the 1800s, there is a rich history of sex workers finding connections, building independent lives for themselves, and being paid for their charm, wit, intimacy, and pleasure. Entertainment, sexuality, and money have always gone together—that is unlikely to change anytime soon.

Sex work was legalized in ancient Greece, and regulated and taxed. Auletrides were prostitutes with skills (playing flute, dancing, and stripping), that seduced and entertained their customers. In Egypt, not only was prostitution legal- archeologists think it may have been a revered, respected profession that was practiced in Temples.

Oiran in 1600s Japan were known for full-service work as well as for their entertainment, performances, and style. They were educated in complex tea ceremonies, calligraphy, and music. Their wages for one evening could reach what other professions earned in a month.

When the city of New Orleans passed limitations on when and where prostitution could be practiced in 1897, they unwittingly ushered in a district of brothels, jazz houses, and bars that came to define the city to this day. Out of these brothels arose entertainers, businesswomen, and the start of the careers of many well-known jazz musicians.

Unfortunately, and especially in modern times (about 1500s to today) sex work is deeply tied in with guilt, shame, and stigma.  For a very long time, sexuality and control over who gets to show what and where has been a fixation for the powers that be. From puritanical laws around what you can wear out in public (“a nipple? Indecent exposure!”) to strict policing of how, when, and for how much we fuck (“for a dinner date? Carry on. For money? Soliciting! Lock her up!”) our society sends the signal clear and loud: profiting from our sexuality is the wrong thing to do.

And although the legal landscape continues to stifle and control one of the most basic human behaviors out there with regulations on everything from how you can word an online ad (FOSTA/SESTA), how many thongs strippers can wear, and just how much areola can be in an Instagram post, the internet has massively changed how the sex industry connects. 

Because instead of working entirely alone and without guidance or resources—or worse, relying on parasites and leeches that exploit and take advantage of inexperienced sex workers—we now have a world of our own at the click of a button. And that’s very powerful stuff.

It’s revealed that our community is all the things we always knew it was—loving, supportive, highly curious, entrepreneurial, hard-working, and very much focused on reaching big goals. And because of this, we’ve seen the growth of resources designed to help us help each other. 

Through these connections we’ve seen the other side of things more clearly, too. For many in our industry who lived shrouded in privilege, these spaces may have been the first chance to see that not everyone has it as easy or as safe.  For many who have never had their voices heard, online spaces opened a platform for them to share what has been going on for a very long time- and to rally others to change the conditions of our workplaces. And for many who may have felt alone, unappreciated, scared, or powerless, these connections have forged a powerful reminder that we are not alone. That we are all dealing with challenges, frustrations, wins, the rollback of rights, the scandalization of sex work, and all of the new opportunities opening up for our industry in our own way—and that we’re doing it together—digitally and in person. 

What Does This Have to Do with Sales?

Just about everything. This backdrop is what has made educational content possible in our space. Without it, leaders and mentors in our industry were speaking to only a small audience that wasn’t able to pass on information to others- no matter how valuable that information was. Because in any area of the industry, there is extremely high turnover—and huge privacy considerations that don’t pop up for other workers. So, for example, if you were an entertainer who learned a lot about how to make more money in the industry in the 80’s—where would you have gone to share information?

You certainly couldn’t put up posters all around town, like, say, a car salesman that wanted to fill up a sales conference. You couldn’t go do research on the topic- no commonly available written guides on how to make more money stripping, or acting in porn, or escorting. You couldn’t start sending out e-mail lists- what if someone wasn’t out as an entertainer? What if you risked their safety for your product? Plus, it’s not like you could go get it published by a “reputable” printing house, or get a banner taken out by the highway.

Stigma silences, and it has kept us quiet for a very long time.

So, there were no programs, courses, or groups just for us. Some housemoms who would step up and help baby strippers, sure.  Some more experienced sugar babies who would link up with a newbie to make sure she kept herself safe and that she kept her money out of the hands of her ex-boyfriend. An industry veteran being helpful out of the kindness of her heart, or for a few tips in exchange. No incentive for the mentor or teacher to build more resources, and no incentive for the younger entertainer to “inconvenience” this mentor with more questions and requests. 

An entire job field relying on trial and error, each person reinventing the wheel for their entire career. And there were, and still are, lots of people benefiting from this vacuum of resources:

-       Manipulative “partners” (pimps) going to clubs to find their next source of cash—a young entertainer naïve enough to believe that this “boyfriend” or “daddy” is going to look out for their long-term well-being. 

-      Managers of poorly-ran clubs, who’ve figured out they can keep hiring new entertainers- as long as we’re paying house fees, the building stays open- without training or helping their staff. All while exploiting and coercing dancers for massive cuts in the form of “tipouts.” 

-      More experienced entertainers that mock, ridicule, or “shark” customers instead of working together so that everyone can be paid.

-      Internet platforms, films, and entire industries profiting off our labor and image while censoring and policing the sex workers that make their businesses boom.

And yet, here we are.

This first edition of this book is coming out in 2019, and we have never had more resources, information, or content centered on the business management and growth of adult entertainers. We’ve never seen this level of solidarity, connection, and education on a global scale. It’s an incredibly exciting time!

And as we’re learning, it’s also a time for all of us to learn from each other. As we build resources, educational platforms, and industry content there will be mistakes. There will be growing pains for mentors, coaches, and educators who show up to the table, and who learn the hard way that knowing how to earn money and teaching how to earn money are very different skillsets indeed. There will be creators that exclude, that bully, or that get bogged down in negativity or insecurity. 

And there will be great content, fantastic connections, and unprecedented community support that rise out of these changes, too. These are the connections, resources and platforms that will be around for the long haul.  I mention this because if you’re reading this book, you care about your career and about the people around you. And that means that you are a mentor, a teacher, and a content creator just as much as everyone else in the educational space. As our industry grows and changes—and as new businesses and opportunities develop in our space—please remember the best part of our industry: each and every one of us.   

The love, connections, support, and appreciation that sex workers show each other are powerful foundations for big change.  While you may only be here for a short time, remember that to someone you may be a mentor, a leader, and a teacher- even if they never say it to you. Remember that you work with some of the most independent, intelligent, and creative people out there. Be the shoulders that others will stand on, and raise the bar as high as you can. 

I hope this course will remind you of the amazing power that you have within yourself, and encourage you to appreciate every single moment, opportunity, and skill that your time in the industry may bring you. I’m wishing you all of the success, joy, and happiness in the world. 

                                                                      Love,

Carmen.