I have another crazy theory. I think that many of us got into this business casually. We entered the realm of the Internet pornographer with a tentative step. The reason I call it My Crazy Theory is because I have no proof. I have no anecdotal evidence either. I just know that's how I started out, tentatively.
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"After some point, one stops pussyfooting and clamps on - claws in. The adult webmaster begins to make money and wants to keep making it." |
After some point, one stops pussyfooting and clamps on - claws in. The adult webmaster begins to make money and wants to keep making it. Plans form. Vague, tentative plans with no overview or goal. Make more sites. Push that sponsor. Build, submit, promote!
It's exhilarating when you reach a plateau of success. For the newbie webmaster, the first few sales represent such a plateau. After a couple of signups, Newbie thinks: "This is it! This is the niche! This is the sponsor! I will do this a lot!" This is not a mistaken course but a thought to the future is always the smartest move. Will this niche remain profitable? Is the sponsor reputable? What will I do if this source of money dries up? What direction will I take? What can I do to protect myself from a volatile market? What are my goals?
As an adult webmaster, you are on your own. You are a contractor. A self-employed entity. You might have generated tens of thousands of dollars for your sponsors but they are not your employers. You are in control of your employment taxes, business and office expenses, operating costs and any sort of insurance or retirement plan. Are you going to be an adult webmaster - building galleries and running free sites - forever?
Of course not. The day will arrive when you realize that 'making money' is not a goal. You have to give form to your future. You want to build a personal foundation that is solid and secure. If you quit this business, you want to do so with something better in mind. If you stay in Internet porn, you will want to eventually create your own pay product and break free from sponsors. This is the stuff of goals and goal-making.
If you've begun to make money selling porn on the net then you've achieved a goal. Those first affiliate sales tell you something about this business that nothing else can. These initial signups show you that you can make money, but if you want to make a bunch of money, you're going to have to work way harder. There's a sort of Zen epiphany with a webmaster's first profits. Congratulate yourself, you've crossed the definitive goal off the list.
On to the next step. How do you set these other goals? Obviously, you'll need either paper or notepad for this exercise. If you already know what your goals are, you get to skip a step. For the rest of you, the goal itself should be your first step. If you don't know what your goals are, think of your future in increments of time:
1. Where do you want do be and what to you want to be doing in:
a) One Month
b) One Year
c) Five Years
d) Ten Years
Seriously think about this. Even if your goal is something as vague a 'make a nice living', write it down. Then when you've got your goals written out, in increments of time come the questions you ask yourself in step two:
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2. How will you achieve your goals?
a) How will you 'make a nice living'? Can this be achieved by doing what you're already doing? Do you need to work harder? Do you need to do something else as well or find a better way?
b) How long can you 'make a nice living' - taking into account the current and future markets? Are you looking to make a long-term income or are you wanting to profit a certain amount and then move into another field?
c) How will endowing time, effort and money into this venture affect your current/future lifestyle?
Lastly, the final step for setting goals:
3. Ask yourself, are these your goals?
a) When you're a year or ten years older, is this how you want to look back on your life? That time you spent in the porn business, was it worth it? Will the fact that you made money from smut get in the way of later goals?
b) Do you want to work as hard as you know you must? Is this really the business for you? Can you be your own boss? Can you make yourself work when you don't want to, be nice when you don't want to and work some more when you don't want to?
c) Do you really want to be a playa pimp in the yard with all the dogs? Is five or ten years of sex, broken down into body parts, HTML and 2257 statements really the way you want to 'make a nice living'?
My theory might be wrong. Maybe most of you knew your goals from the start. You had this thing all worked out. Of course you did. Just the same, just in case any of you are like me, try the steps above. Write stuff down. Think things out. Go for the Goal!