View Full Version : I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now. Cam Girl Regrets
Scottish_Ruby
06-23-2015, 02:10 AM
I regret spending so much time on mfc trying to raise my camscore when I should have just switched to sm sooner.
1) Being LAZY. Not working enough, or hard enough. I slip hours, or am 15 mins late here, 15 mins early here, shaving off what little hours I actually do work.
2) Putting up with what I thought was just rude customers when they were just trolls.
3) Putting up with rude customers.
4) Ever camming on LJ.
doublerainbow
06-24-2015, 07:26 PM
I'm so loving this thread, great idea! Even if we can't do anything about our past mistakes, others can learn from them so this is super helpful!
For me, I don't regret not starting when I was way younger because I honestly wouldn't have been able to handle my shit the way I can now. I was so messed up for such a long time and with some of the crazies and creepers we have to interact with, I would have been dead meat.
HOWEVER, what I do kick my butt about all the time is the part where I finally started camming back in 2012 (when I didn't know how good the industry was), only to go for a couple months before dropping out of it for over 2 damn years! And I was doing SO GOOD!!! For being a total noob, I was becoming a very successful girl on MFC and the sky was the limit. Now trying to get back there again, well that went nowhere extremely fast and I had to bail for SM. It's clear how much more diluted the industry is and how much more guys expect to get for less money than a few years ago. I could have made so much if I'd just kept going....
Le sigh...
But you can't let it get to you! I'm on and working it now and that's what matters. No more regrets, other than obviously still not having the discipline to put in the hours I should be. But that's a regret for the future, haha!
AliceFun
06-24-2015, 11:46 PM
^^^ If u felt the cam industry diluted after 2 years try to imagine how it feels after 14 years. It;s nothing like it was believe me & when u getting older is even more difficult to adapt to the new trends & put up with the people who are this demanding for soo little when before u were treated like a princess/ queen. Plus u loose enthusiasm & energy over the years, this job is very consuming, more than a regular vanilla job, u can compare the stress level to pilots, journalists, air traffic operators, judges, so on. Working a few years on cam almost equals working a life time career a vanilla job, this is how it feels for me at least.
doublerainbow
06-25-2015, 01:05 PM
I can definitely appreciate the extra wear when the years start to add up, though for me the stress level overall is nothing like that... and even with the hassles and headaches, still less stress than a vanilla job for me. I hate being told what to do by condescending managers, being made to clean shit when my job description is dealing with customers, oh and yeah, having to force myself to be polite and professional with rude ass customers!! That's just a minimum wage job; air traffic controllers hold tons of lives in their hands and have to sit in that cramped room paying 110% attention to their monitors for hours. Lawyers and doctors kill themselves over the stress.
I don't mean to argue, but I can't believe even the most long-term or successful camgirl faces stresses comparable to those professions. It sounds almost insulting to them to suggest that. What's the most stressful thing we deal with? Shithead "customers" who waste time and don't pay? We can vent and kick them out of our lives without fear of being fired or reprimanded. Physically tiring? Putting on shows is great exercise and we never have to do anything at all that makes us uncomfortable. Self-promotion and advertising? Unnecessary on big box sites and really, tweeting isn't that straining. X) The main stress for me is not having a guaranteed earnings amount I can count on every month.... but with the sort of money we're able to make, that's more a complaint of how much savings I'm amassing than a worry about whether or not I'll pay my bills.
AliceFun
06-25-2015, 01:20 PM
Right, no intention to insult people here, for everyone it feels different then, glad u find camming lucrative & easy, i meant to say how it feels 'internally', guess i used innapropriate comparison, i meant to say how it feels FOR ME. Guess it's time for me to take a break from posting here, i think i am too much burn out to be of any help. Cheers!
doublerainbow
06-25-2015, 02:41 PM
Oh sure, I just enjoy discussing topics like this, not trying to argue your personal experience. Of course only you can know how any job affects you, especially with burnout.. that'll make things a lot more stressful than they need to be.
curvydancer25
06-26-2015, 02:20 PM
Not starting when I was 18! But, at the time I was living with my parents and 2 brothers, we had a small apartment and I had no computer so there was no way I could. I didn't get a computer until I moved out at 20 but didn't start camming until I was 23/24. I did use myfreeimplants before I discovered camming and got my implants payed for.
TheOutlier
06-26-2015, 03:14 PM
Don't consider myself a "veteran" yet but..
*Not reading up on fetishes more in the start
*Telling an "oh so great" female friend about camming (she gave the link to a stalker of mine)
*Using a really cheap toy that hurt
Marina Starr
06-26-2015, 03:49 PM
That's not a friend because a friend wouldn't exploit or mistreat a friend!
Don't consider myself a "veteran" yet but..
*Not reading up on fetishes more in the start
*Telling an "oh so great" female friend about camming (she gave the link to a stalker of mine)
*Using a really cheap toy that hurt
PhatGirlDynomite!!!
09-02-2017, 01:47 PM
Bumping for the newbies.
Cutie101
09-02-2017, 03:06 PM
- Not putting the damn hours in!!!!!
- Not puttin the fucking hours in!!!!!
- Repeat
coco789
09-02-2017, 04:34 PM
Not starting sooner
SophieEmerson
09-02-2017, 05:11 PM
same train of thought as a lot of these babes.
consistency and hours.
consistency and hours.
also i still need to upgrade my cam.
illuminaughty
09-04-2017, 12:56 AM
My biggest regret is that I didn't put more effort in to it. For 3 years, I kind of half assed it. Always had money to get by, but there's no savings. If I got sick right now or for any reason had to take even a full week off, I'd be completely screwed.
If I'd taken it more seriously and put the time and effort in, I have no doubt that I'd have made a good amount of money and not be living pay cheque to pay cheque now.
Oh well, I'm doing it now so better late than never :)
The other regret is not balancing work life with a social life. I became quite the shut in for awhile and am now slowly getting out of that.
I could go days where the only interaction I had with someone was talking to typing on a screen.
Wow this is exactly how I've felt these past few years
AuroraJade
09-04-2017, 02:51 AM
Work harder: consistency and hours.
I wish I havent wasted my time on MFC , Snapchat and using too much social media
Hard work and determination will get you far.
Kiki_Jane
09-04-2017, 08:29 PM
Feeling like you have to be friendly and respond to everyone who talks to you in free chat on SM. Not keeping chat focused on negotiating what will happen in a show, and then leading the conversation to the show. Eg: answering a bunch of stupid questions about what kind of shoes you have, when it should suffice for you to say you have sexy shoes, show them on camera for a nominal tip, and then do a show.
minniesoporno
09-22-2017, 10:20 PM
Well let's see there is a lot might as well get them out now so I can move on to something more productive for myself.
Escorting
Not going to industry events regularly like annually.
no setting up my own production studio so I can make my own content on my own terms.
Not understanding or asking enough questions when I made those contracts to create my website.
listening to people who do not support me. I should cut off my family from day one.
Not consistently upload on my youtube channel going from 2007 to date.
Not putting every boyfriend or tinder hook sign a model release and record them for my content.
caramelcraze
09-23-2017, 12:32 AM
Not diversifying sooner. Stuck with the same token site for nearly 3 years and after about 1 year I was miserable and so burned out it made me start hating camming. My entire second year of camming was miserable. Adding phone, hardcore clips, and switching main cam sites has taken away my anxiety & fear of failure. Like I know I'm going to make x amount hourly on average instead of $9 for 3 hrs straight, followed by $150 the fourth hour.
I regret not taking better care of myself for the first few years. completely put my health on the back burner and it bit me in the ass last year. Changed eating habits, quit smoking, cut most processed sugar out of my diet, cut back on the drinking, allowed myself to put on weight, paid more attention to my skin, and really upped my supplements. Starting to up my exercise as well now. I just feel better physically and mentally than I have in a long time & wish I'd done more for myself sooner.
xBaby_Dollx
10-09-2017, 10:30 AM
Not starting sooner-
Being too "nice"
Not investing in better equipment early on.
AlyssaJane
10-11-2017, 03:42 AM
Not diversifying my income with more eggs in my basket MUCH sooner. Not listening to my gut enough to know that my approach to camming is totally legit and exactly what makes me stand out. So much wasted energy trying to adopt the attitude of how other girls approach camming when that just doesn't work for me. Not working way more hours.
seashell
10-11-2017, 05:27 AM
I wish I'd seen camming for the incredible money maker that it is! (stripping money had a hold on me, but now I make more camming by a long shot)
I wish I hadn't been so scared to throw myself fully into it
I wish I'd taken up travel camming sooner
I wish I'd signed up for Daily Pay sooner, as instant money was the main reason I chose stripping over camming
Teddy_Bear
10-12-2017, 03:45 AM
Hmm regrets not really regrets as I've learnt from all of them but things I maybe should have done differently:
Branched out to free chat sites sooner - yes they take up a lot of time and energy but the payoff is so much higher than no free chat sites.
Increased my rates sooner - I am now at the rate I am happy with across all sites and I just wish I had raised them this high from the beginning. Better behaved customers and longer private sessions what's not to love?
Got into the indie game sooner - I stayed big-box for far too long without realising I could have indie running in the background to bump up my free chat money daily.
Never tried token sites - Meaning I wish I had never bothered with them not I wish I had. They are such a waste of time for my hustle and I wasted a good year or so trying to be something I wasn't, the money isn't worth the downsides to me.
Firing regulars - I sooooo wish I had cut ties with a few regs sooner, this last month I've told literally all the dead weight (regs-turned-timewasters) to pay up or fuck off after months or sometimes over a year of them popping in every day with no money and no response from me either. A few paid up the rest will be seeing the satisfying 'you are permanently banned from this models room' next time they come lurking. I don't work on retainer and I don't care how much they have spent in the past either if they are not spending NOW it's buh bye from me.
Dailypay - I regret not signing up for dailypay sooner as it only encourages me to work extra hard every day knowing it's all going to be in my bank the next day. It also means I'm less likely to beat myself up for taking a day off as well - best of both worlds.
Nothxu
08-29-2018, 01:58 PM
Never taking advantage of my "New Model" status on ANY site. Dagnabit
how can I take advantage of being a new girl?
NitaBaby
08-30-2018, 06:14 AM
-Just for the sake of saying it one more time, I already regret not being consistent and I’m still a camming newborn.
-Telling any man about my job. I didn’t factor in any stalker possibilities. Never a-fucking-gain.
-Relying on one site to feed my kids and keep our lives afloat. You might as well gamble.
-Not reading up on different fetishes sooner. I’m just now learning what CEI and JOI means.
XO_Alice
09-01-2018, 04:33 AM
Being insecure about my love for whoring around online for $$$. Letting boys scare me off the internet. ANY stupid fucking trick I fell for so some cheapskate could get a freebie --and I am still learning what to watch out for! lol. And, like so many others, half-assing it! Not watching other performers and interacting with others for advice is a big one. If I allowed myself to be guided and inspired, things woulda been way different. Best to channel that sort of arrogance into a cam show :) Lol. I still have a foot in my vanilla career and after skimming this thread, that foot just got a lot more tired.
XO_Alice
09-01-2018, 04:39 AM
Stream as often as you possibly can! Most websites have a special section just for new girls, and paying members LOVE seeing a new face. It's a great way to introduce yourself to the site and you're not competing with as many other girls. Paying clients love seeing a new face.
caramelcraze
09-02-2018, 06:30 AM
Baby wipes are your friend and come winter baby wipe warmers are your bff.
Nikkixo
09-02-2018, 11:15 AM
hmmm
getting into camming sooner is the most obvious.
- Not letting the fear of guys who used me / did me dirty find me on cam sites. I told a lot of info in the past but now I have a 9mm and I won't hesitate if someone tries to get buck.
- Letting a serious boyfriend talk me down from camming AND dancing. His reasoning was that it would shoot my chances for a job out of college (got one and was severely underpaid for it, was hard to get out) and that I was " a smart girl... too smart for camming".. well what is smart is using what you have to get what you've got from these dudes rather than begging for a job to at least pay you AVERAGE salary. I'm now at another place but 5 years older. I was so scared of hurting him for camming, but the sex wasn't that great and now I have a vanilla cutie begging to be in my fetish clips LOL
Should have started earlier to keep my apartment, but now I'm in a different state & happier.
Ginnyyy
09-03-2018, 06:42 AM
how can I take advantage of being a new girl?
You ask the site when does the new girls status starts and ends. On some sites, it starts as soon as the support validates your account and on others the new performer promotion period starts with your first broadcasting and that is the moment you need to broadcast as often and as much as you can because the sites are putting you on higher spots, increasing your visibilty.
juliet_sparrow
01-05-2019, 05:33 AM
I know it isn't a regret but I was directed to this thread as something to read before starting, and there's so much knowledge here! you tough ladies inspire me <3 my biggest question from your collective experience- what is the best site to start with?
DeepThoughts
01-05-2019, 07:02 AM
I would say SM, MFC or CB. or pretty much all three and find out what suits you. Are you competitive? Are you willing to give it all to get some back or are you more reserved and will only give to those who pay? The questions are rhetorical so dont answer here but if you work those three site you will get a complete sense of how every site works and what style suits you best.
Just remember to take advantage of new girl status so maybe try one one week another the next etc.
LetsGetHazey
01-24-2019, 08:03 AM
I will always regret depending on My biggest tipper.
It can seem easy and like you have to be there 24/7 for someone who's paying all of your bills, but you'll only fuck yourself. Money comes and money goes and when it's more money than you've ever seen, everything can, and will change. That doesn't mean they deserve all of you.
If you get a whale who you give up everything else for, when he decides to cut you off after you don't answer for 30 minutes all of your fans that gave you their last $10 are gone because they were hurt.
Even if he's paying you to NOT go online (a bad sign, trust Me, I learned) broadcast one day a week. Stay relevant to the people who supported you before they came along. Just as quickly as they came they will leave. Don't depend on them.
SapphireXO
01-25-2019, 06:06 AM
1. Get a PO box or UPS box and use it for panty selling and Amazon wishlist items
2. Hire a reputation company that will cleanse the internet of your real identity as much as possible in case of a slip up some how. I use DeleteMe.com now.
3. NEVER EVER post any of your persona pictures to your real life social medias or vice versa. In all reality to protect yourself, just delete your personal social media as it's a waste of time and doesn't make you money. Your persona social medias DO make you money.
4. Anytime you have new girl status on any site. Be ready for 10-12 hour days EVERY day until that ship has sailed. You'll easily make $100-$800 a shift if you are personable and understand the webcam hustle.
5. As a new girl have everything set up before your first stream (Twitter, Snapchat, payment apps, Skype, Amazon wishlists etc.)
6. Track your hours and your earnings like a business every hour/day/week/month. Realize when you make the most money and work those peak hours instead of wasting your time.
7. Invest at least 10% of your earnings back into your business for the first year (new outfits, new webcams, new mics, lightening, make up, wigs, eyelashes, new toys.)
8. Don't chat for free, even with seemingly innocent regulars. They want something from you and what you have costs, even your time. PERIOD.
9. Open a new checking and 2 savings accounts for your camming money ONLY. Then link that checking account to Quickbooks Self Employed. Automatically transfer a percentage to one account for taxes.
10. NEVER MIX VANILLA MONEY WITH CAMMING MONEY. EVER!
shysara79
01-26-2019, 04:04 PM
I will regret when I first started camming I took what these idiots said to heart. I was reminded of this in a show I did yesterday with a guy who wanted to see me in leggings and nothing else.. after appx 8 min in private of telling me how beautiful and sexy I was, bla bla bla,
He proceeded to tell me that I was a pig and to make sure I never turn sideways in leggings if I am in public.
( Mind you I am older and list myself as a MILF) Guess he was under the impression that all MILFS have hard bellies...
Many years ago when I first started, this would have made me lose confidence, and thrown me into a full blown panic attack.
Now I just remember that these are guys that are paying to whack off, and i still got my $23.00 from the $65.00 he spent.
oink oink motherfu**er :)
anonymous camgirl
01-26-2019, 06:59 PM
Back then there was NO free live video, I wish I would have known how much of a damper that was going to put on cam and quit...LOL..Life was really good then.. They had to pay or never play with your or even see you.. Loved those days.. they were so relaxing.
Panthera
01-27-2019, 01:04 PM
Back then there was NO free live video, I wish I would have known how much of a damper that was going to put on cam and quit...LOL..Life was really good then.. They had to pay or never play with your or even see you.. Loved those days.. they were so relaxing.
I am 100% with you on that one :((( I kind of knew what was going to happen but I kept hoping that free video will not stick ... silly me. Should have started saving and quit :(
anonymous camgirl
01-27-2019, 02:16 PM
Right? I used to be able to sit on cam from 8 am to midnite minus a few errands here and there... and then when all the sites switched to free live video I found sitting on cam for 6 hours a day to be completely exhausting!!
I am 100% with you on that one :((( I kind of knew what was going to happen but I kept hoping that free video will not stick ... silly me. Should have started saving and quit :(
Quinn.Addams
01-28-2019, 09:51 AM
1. Get a PO box or UPS box and use it for panty selling and Amazon wishlist items
2. Hire a reputation company that will cleanse the internet of your real identity as much as possible in case of a slip up some how. I use DeleteMe.com now.
3. NEVER EVER post any of your persona pictures to your real life social medias or vice versa. In all reality to protect yourself, just delete your personal social media as it's a waste of time and doesn't make you money. Your persona social medias DO make you money.
4. Anytime you have new girl status on any site. Be ready for 10-12 hour days EVERY day until that ship has sailed. You'll easily make $100-$800 a shift if you are personable and understand the webcam hustle.
5. As a new girl have everything set up before your first stream (Twitter, Snapchat, payment apps, Skype, Amazon wishlists etc.)
6. Track your hours and your earnings like a business every hour/day/week/month. Realize when you make the most money and work those peak hours instead of wasting your time.
7. Invest at least 10% of your earnings back into your business for the first year (new outfits, new webcams, new mics, lightening, make up, wigs, eyelashes, new toys.)
8. Don't chat for free, even with seemingly innocent regulars. They want something from you and what you have costs, even your time. PERIOD.
9. Open a new checking and 2 savings accounts for your camming money ONLY. Then link that checking account to Quickbooks Self Employed. Automatically transfer a percentage to one account for taxes.
10. NEVER MIX VANILLA MONEY WITH CAMMING MONEY. EVER!
This is SUPER helpful. Thank you!
Bananabunny
01-30-2019, 05:00 PM
I am sorry for not putting myself 1st & finish my studies when money were better, i did not waste the money but invested them in the house & renovations, buying new (very needed) things, instead i could have saved up to go to university & have a profession now. Tho i really did not have this option actually as a single mom here but still, i wish i could have the option.
I cant understand the girls who say they wanna be a career cam model, no offence pls for the ones who want this i just say i dont understand the desire.
For me personally i would be happy with a profession i can be proud of, to tell people about w.o fear of judgement, to be able to advance in knowledge & social status/ salary, to eventually become somebody who could be reminded for something extraordinary i did, so on.
I consider cam girls including myself to have a limited horizon like: u cant tell others u cam (most of the time), u dont earn more over time due to more experience but contrarily u'll earn less & at a point u'll get expired, not able to cam anymore cause nobody will pay u.
In my opinion cam work should be done for a limited time while u prepare urself for another career if u can, if u cant do this like in my case, u feel stuck, no way to go forward, no way back.
This is what i hate the most, to feel stuck. I regret for being in this situation but not because i did not plan things properly but because i had no other choice.
I know this post is veeeeeery old, but it descirbes my situation perfectly right now. I got kicked out of my office job and it was my apprenticeship at the same time. It worsened my depression and made me unable to work for quite some time due to the bad treatment over there. I cammed during that time and they found out so quickly. At the same time, it wasn't a profession I wanted to truly do...Sitting in a office was never my thing but my parents forced it onto me until I broke down. In the end, they noticed how fastly declining my mental health became, and now I do cam for a living and I'm scared to try new options as my parents disapprove everything I want to do, be it an art school or tattoo artist or what not. They always claim I'll fail and get kicked out again and I'm SICK of hearing this every time I want to start a new education. This is the reason why I never get to it in the first place because they try to foreshadow everything and make me hesitate for starting an education!! My education get's postponed every year...But this year I snapped and told them to fuck off as I'm done being their puppet.
With each year my earnings on cam get lesser and I have to give more and more effort to the point I get burnt out after awhile and start to lose control over my emotions. What I should have done is starting an education I TRULY wanted to pursue instead of listening to my parents who told me to "own it up and do as we say".
My younger brother was smarter. Instead of listening to my parents, he went on and does his dream education now against their will. And guess what? He's now happier and doesn't regrets not listening to our parents. We have our own dreams and don't have to pursue the dreams of our parents. Fuck that. MY life MY choice. And I'm surely not going back into an office education ever again!! That shit was hell for me. I'm going to find a way to make more money on cam and then move out of my abusive household because I feel absolutely horrible here and not happy at all. I want to be able to visit the educations I want, pay my own bills and get my own four walls so I can have control over my life again. Because I don't feel in control of it at all at the moment...