View Full Version : do you have an exit plan?
Melonie
05-02-2015, 04:22 AM
Point one - demographics. An increasing share of total dollars being spent in strip clubs now come from guys in their 40's, 50's and 60's. Stated bluntly, this age group has a disproportionately high share of top 20% earners.
do you have anything to back this up? ive personally noticed the opposite
there's a ton of official data on the income side such as ....
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WkitcrQjzEE/UPfzDvEC-KI/AAAAAAAAHW4/jyvJ9JQQCkA/s1600/us-total-money-income-distribution-by-age-2012.png
But where available 'discretionary' dollars to be spent at strip clubs are concerned, besides earning those dollars in the first place, there is also an issue of other financial commitments which may lay prior claim to those dollars. One obvious prior financial commitment is the existence of large debts. A major category of such debts is now Student Loans, having terms of 10 to 20 years, thus mostly affecting guys under 40. Hard data is a bit difficult to come by, but generally speaking student loan service will subtract $2000 to $5000 per year in available 'discretionary' dollars for guys in the under 40 age groups - mostly skewed toward guys under age 35 ( the 10 year standard student loan term after graduating from college ), but increasingly stretching out actual student loan terms to 20 years due to deferrals and delinquencies. So besides earning less to start with, guys under 40 are also more likely to have higher priorities for the dollars they do have available than buying private dances !
However, these are national trends. It's certainly possible that a given club in a given city can 'buck' that trend. Noteworthy exceptions are clubs in cities where technology based industries have a big presence ... for the obvious reason that technology work forces are skewed toward a younger age group plus skewed toward the top 20% earnings bracket. Same is true of the oil and gas industry, where the physical demands of such jobs favors a younger work force, and where the 'undesirable' job location translates into very high pay rates. However, other cities which have a big presence of more mainstream industries like banking, brokerage, insurance, manufacturing, import / export trade, government service, etc. will have far fewer high earning younger workers.
It's just a fact of life in today's 'new' economy that the typical costs of rent, food, utilities, insurance and other 'necessities' effectively prices out guys whose incomes are lower than, say, $45,000 per year from being able to spend any significant amount of 'discretionary' dollars in strip clubs as a whole. Most customers who can afford to patronize strip clubs on a regular basis, and also afford to buy multiple private dances / VIP / CR after they get there, need to have incomes in the $65,000+ per year range. This leads to a conclusion that, other than the occasional 'average' earning guy deciding to save up all month long in order to afford one night at a strip club buying one or two private dances, and other than running across the occasional younger 'trust fund' guy, tech entrepreneur, professional athlete, etc. this strongly favors the 40-60 age group.
miss1dancypants
05-02-2015, 06:09 AM
Thank you Melonie. It is true that things aren't the same as they were 20 years ago and it shouldn't be a reflection of me but of the times.
To everyone talking about getting in to real estate--that is what I am trying to do now that isn't the fairy tale it seems like. I work 12 hour days 6 days a week. Over 200 agents in my office and only 50 of them net more than 50k a year. That is the reality of the situation. Clients aren't loyal even after you bust your ass for them and you don't get paid until something closes. I made way more dancing for 1/4 of the effort. Trust me, I've given real estate an honest effort for a year and have a relevant degree and previous relevant job experience and sales skills. The real money in real estate is investing in it.
Just my 2 cents and something to think about for you ladies thinking about getting in to it.
Melonie
05-02-2015, 06:20 AM
It is true that things aren't the same as they were 20 years ago and it shouldn't be a reflection of me but of the times.
Precisely. But many younger people still cling to the notion that if they do the same things which their parents did 20 years ago that they should wind up achieving the same results ... leading to a mistaken assumption that failing to achieve the same results must be a 'failure' on their own part. IMHO this is total bull$#!t. And the anxiety it creates is arguably becoming a MAJOR problem. Unfortunately, as long as mainstream media continues to paint rose colored economic pictures, and as long as most of the parents generation is still able to hold onto their secure high paying full time jobs with benefits, actual admission that a far more difficult 'new normal' economy now applies to younger people isn't likely.
Over 200 agents in my office and only 50 of them net more than 50k a year. That is the reality of the situation. Clients aren't loyal even after you bust your ass for them and you don't get paid until something closes. I made way more dancing for 1/4 of the effort.
It should come as no surprise that the 'customers' who contribute the most toward the commission earnings of real estate agents are the same 'customers' who contribute the most toward dancer earnings. With 'average' earning guys being priced out of both markets, the majority of dollars come from 'customers' in the 40-60 age group who also fall in the top 20% earnings brackets. But there is one significant difference between strip clubs and real estate firms. At strip clubs, all dancers ( theoretically at least ) have an equal chance of selling private dances etc. to these customers. But in most real estate firms, management and 'senior' agents may glom onto such customers thus denying 'junior' agents an equal chance.
Melonie
05-02-2015, 06:49 AM
My advice to you is: save as much money as you can. As soon as you have a chance, leave stripping/camming/etc behind. Protect your identity as well as possible, never tell anyone, not even your best friend or family; because the future is too long and you will never know when a great life oportunity is lost because you were a stripper for 1/2 years.
This is an increasingly important point for girls who intend to pursue 'professional' careers where a paper trail ... or, increasingly, internet based photo / video evidence ... of having worked in the adult entertainment industry can serve as a negative factor when it comes time to actually finding a desirable 'professional' job. 1099 earnings reports being issued by adult industry related businesses were bad enough. Now there is facial recognition software providing search capability of images / videos posted to the internet to be increasingly worried about as well.
However, from my own self-centered viewpoint, neither of these really matters. If a 'serious, professional' dancer is able to maximize her dancing earnings potential for 10-15 years, and is able to save much of that money, once she retires from dancing the financial 'need' for a high paying straight job will be eliminated or at least substantially reduced, thanks to the passive income her savings and investments will provide. This in turn leaves the retired dancer in a position where she can obtain 'professional' credentials, but also in a position were she doesn't necessarily need to compete for the highest paying, most prestigious jobs ( which will have the most stringent background checks ) available for that 'profession'.
MyButter
05-02-2015, 07:07 AM
I'm pushing 30 and I still don't know what my exit plan is. People say, "Go to school and get a degree." But the idea of getting myself into a bunch of debt so I can ultimately get paid a little over minimum wage intimidates me. I mean, I completely lost my shit when my brother told me how much his first student loan payment was going to be. I saved a bit this last time around, and I guess I could use that to "better myself", but the thought of using it as a down payment for cheap house/piece of land sounds better (to me) than using it to pay for college classes.
Furthermore, the jobs that I'm passionate about are all basically volunteer/non-profit 'jobs'.
Melonie
05-02-2015, 08:08 AM
People say, "Go to school and get a degree." But the idea of getting myself into a bunch of debt so I can ultimately get paid a little over minimum wage intimidates me. I mean, I completely lost my shit when my brother told me how much his first student loan payment was going to be.
I don't mean to be the voice of doom and gloom, I truly don't, but ...
There are all sorts of statistics available which tend to show that, over a lifetime, a college degree WAS a good investment. But if you look at what should be a couple of obvious details, there could be a huge difference between what WAS and what IS. All of the lifetime studies inherently include earnings data from 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago. And as has already been pointed out with a reasonable amount of certainty, young people today face a 'new normal' economy which is far worse in terms of job and earnings prospects than was the case for their parents 20 years ago or for their grandparents 40 years ago.
Thus attempting to make future predictions based on what WAS arguably needs to come with the same caveat as attempts to make future predictions about stock markets, etc. ... 'past performance is no guarantee of future returns'. And make no mistake, devoting 4 years or whatever toward college studies ( while side-stepping potential earnings from other activities ), plus spending tens of thousands of dollars for college tuition and other costs, is a major 'investment'. As such, like stocks and bonds, making an investment in a college degree today can potentially result in both winners and losers.
The overall statistics regarding 'return on investment' over the lifetime of former college graduates don't adequately communicate the fact that today's expected college graduate earnings levels are widely skewed based on the particular major of the graduate. Recent stats show that the ability of 4 year college graduates to land a job that pays more than $40,000 per year is almost entirely confined to majors such as engineering, finance / accounting, and computer science / IT. The sole exception on the top 10 list is registered nurses. However, college tuition costs ( thus probable student loan debt ) are rising equally fast for all 4 year graduates, including non STEM majors whose post graduation employment prospects may be less ( sometimes much less ) than $30,000 per year. This implies that 'investing' in a college education today which doesn't involve a STEM major is likely to be a losing investment.
However, all of the above really only brings us from the past up to the present. Trying to evaluate the cost-benefit return on 'investment' equation for a newly obtained college degree over a FUTURE 40 year career now brings in new variables which weren't a factor in any of the lifetime analyses. One of these new factors is the ( relatively ) high starting pay rates for engineering, finance / accounting, IT etc. majors now prompting prospective US employers to 'import' foreign engineering, accounting, and IT graduates under H1-B and other visa programs ... 'imported' workers who are willing to accept significantly lower pay rates than US workers. A news story regarding Disney replacing US IT workers with lower paid 'imports' from India just hit the news wires ... see . A similar news story hit the wires about a month ago regarding California state accounting workers being replaced by lower paid 'imports' ... see . This rising trend strongly implies that the current ( relatively ) high pay rates for engineering, finance / accounting, computer science / IT etc. majors may just be a temporary condition that can't be accurately extrapolated over a 40 year future career. Welcome to the 'global' economy !!!
Again circling back to my own self-centered viewpoint, where dancing is concerned the high earnings are available NOW. Saving and investing those high dancing earnings will result in passive income in future years which is not subject to competition from 'imported' workers who are willing to accept significantly lower pay rates. That passive income is also not subject to future layoffs.
Furthermore, the jobs that I'm passionate about are all basically volunteer/non-profit 'jobs'.
Having a sizeable 'nest egg' which was saved up from several years worth of 'serious, full time' dancing earnings could provide enough passive income in future years to allow you to ( help ) cover future costs of living, thus making consideration of lower paying but highly satisfying 'jobs' something which could actually be economically feasible. This prospect was a big factor in my own 'exit' plan from dancing.
However, in the way of full disclosure, I was 'lucky' enough to be able to achieve much higher passive earnings from my 'nest egg' of saved and invested dancing earnings than I had expected, to the point where I don't actually NEED to earn money from any other source for the rest of my life. But that was something which isn't likely to be repeatable. Along similar lines, my own decision to relocate 'way south of the border' to legally avoid taxes on my passive earnings isn't something which everyone is willing or able to do.
Tourdefranzia
05-02-2015, 11:12 AM
[QUOTE=Lady_O;2755437
My advice to you is: save as much money as you can. As soon as you have a chance, leave stripping/camming/etc behind. Protect your identity as well as possible, never tell anyone, not even your best friend or family; because the future is too long and you will never know when a great life oportunity is lost because you were a stripper for 1/2 years.[/QUOTE]
This is mostly good advice, except I would add in that you should tell anyone you are considering marrying. It will come out. It always does.
lighthouse
05-02-2015, 01:10 PM
I quit dancing two years ago and haven't been inside a club since.
I never had an exit plan for dancing. I planned on dancing well into my late forties and saving the money I made for retirement. My plan was to buy ten rental properties so I'd have enough rental income to retire by the age of fifty. I also planned on saving half a million to open my own club. I'm 26 and I own two homes and have well over six figures in savings. I'd recommend anyone that is dancing to save and invest while you're young. Its so much easier to quit and attempt new fields when you have a nice nest egg.
The only reason I quit was because I was introduced to another line of work that has a far higher income ceiling than dancing ever will. It started off rough but I'm at the point where I'm earning the same as I did dancing. College and corporate life isn't for me so I'm fortunate to have found a nontraditional line of work that allows me the freedom and flexibility to do whatever I want. I also work less hours!
Just keep an open mind to opportunities that present themselves.
Christina2013
05-02-2015, 01:17 PM
Wow great post!
I'm 45 at this time. When i was younger i had superior studies but couldn't find a job, i was living alone in a big city for first time and life twisted my plans, so i was a stripper for almost 2 years. I had a great body and beautifull face at the time.
One thing i found out is that we can earn a lot of money, but somehow it is very hard to keep it in our pocket and make some savings. Entering in this sex/erotic world changes our entire perspective about the world and about men, and at least for me i started to be in need to use the money to buy stuff and that was a way of feeling myself better about all the negative feelings.
After this years life changed again, i met my future husband and he didn't know what i was doing, and i hide it until i find a job. Now we were living together and the expenses were paid for both so i found a normal job. I'm a good employee, so along the time i became very well paid.
One day he found out i was a stripper. He was furious, never forgave me, we had so many fights, anytime he was remembering me about that, and along with other reasons the relationship ended. But he used it against me many times. I became a respectable professional and always lived in fear of him exposing me. I still live in fear that someday he will tell the children. He's not a good person.
In this days my life twisted my plans again. I lost my job, i'm 45 and in my country with this age it's hard to get a job, so i am working frelance but the money is not enough to provide living to me and my children. I remembered the days i was a stripper, but now i am a bbw, we have virtual world and i decided to use what i know about men to make some videos. Maybe camming. It's just another source of income. And is temporary.
But this time, i don't show my face. My kids will grow up. And information stays in internet forever. I don't know if they will become doctors, in politics or in a social position that will be known people, and what i am doing can always be used against me or against my kids. That's why i don't show my face.
My advice to you is: save as much money as you can. As soon as you have a chance, leave stripping/camming/etc behind. Protect your identity as well as possible, never tell anyone, not even your best friend or family; because the future is too long and you will never know when a great life oportunity is lost because you were a stripper for 1/2 years.
Christina2013
05-02-2015, 01:32 PM
Great post! I really like this thread.
I'm happy to hear someone who is still relatively young who quit stripping at an early age. Good that you bought homes, saved and now have a better career.
Most strippers always make comments that our pay is more than a regular job but that isn't always true.
I plan on quitting this year and hopefully never looking back. I have many older dancer friends and I have some who didn't save or own anything and they are still stripping into there 50s and have nothing and now they have health problems.
Its best to quit while your ahead or quit while your on top.
Plus its better to quit for your own sanity and to make strong lasting relationships with real friends, no strippers and to meet a good man. You dont want to have being a stripper hanging over your head all the time. Always having to hide from family too. All that stress, worrying about how much you'll make tonight, hiding from family and friends, all the drama with other girls and staff.
You are correct better to quit while you are young. You dont want to be the 40 or 50 year old stripper who has to try to switch careers or go back to school in her 40s 50s.
I quit dancing two years ago and haven't been inside a
club since.
I never had an exit plan for dancing. I planned on dancing well into my late forties and saving the money I made for retirement. My plan was to buy ten rental properties so I'd have enough rental income to retire by the age of fifty. I also planned on saving half a million to open my own club. I'm 26 and I own two homes and have well over six figures in savings. I'd recommend anyone that is dancing to save and invest while you're young. Its so much easier to quit and attempt new fields when you have a nice nest egg.
The only reason I quit was because I was introduced to another line of work that has a far higher income ceiling than dancing ever will. It started off rough but I'm at the point where I'm earning the same as I did dancing. College and corporate life isn't for me so I'm fortunate to have found a nontraditional line of work that allows me the freedom and flexibility to do whatever I want. I also work less hours!
Just keep an open mind to opportunities that present themselves.
Neonsugar
05-02-2015, 01:33 PM
I was actually considering buying cheap forclosed properties upfront so no mortgage somewhere where the property taxes are lower...I live in Connecticut LOL so definitely not here somewhere down south, fixing it up as cheaply as I can I guess and then renting the properties out for passive income...the only thing that scares me is a tenant not paying rent and having to pay money for lawyers and ugh lol. I have such a high interest in real estate though
charlotte.
05-02-2015, 01:36 PM
there's a ton of official data on the income side such as ....
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WkitcrQjzEE/UPfzDvEC-KI/AAAAAAAAHW4/jyvJ9JQQCkA/s1600/us-total-money-income-distribution-by-age-2012.png
But where available 'discretionary' dollars to be spent at strip clubs are concerned, besides earning those dollars in the first place, there is also an issue of other financial commitments which may lay prior claim to those dollars. One obvious prior financial commitment is the existence of large debts. A major category of such debts is now Student Loans, having terms of 10 to 20 years, thus mostly affecting guys under 40. Hard data is a bit difficult to come by, but generally speaking student loan service will subtract $2000 to $5000 per year in available 'discretionary' dollars for guys in the under 40 age groups - mostly skewed toward guys under age 35 ( the 10 year standard student loan term after graduating from college ), but increasingly stretching out actual student loan terms to 20 years due to deferrals and delinquencies. So besides earning less to start with, guys under 40 are also more likely to have higher priorities for the dollars they do have available than buying private dances !
However, these are national trends. It's certainly possible that a given club in a given city can 'buck' that trend. Noteworthy exceptions are clubs in cities where technology based industries have a big presence ... for the obvious reason that technology work forces are skewed toward a younger age group plus skewed toward the top 20% earnings bracket. Same is true of the oil and gas industry, where the physical demands of such jobs favors a younger work force, and where the 'undesirable' job location translates into very high pay rates. However, other cities which have a big presence of more mainstream industries like banking, brokerage, insurance, manufacturing, import / export trade, government service, etc. will have far fewer high earning younger workers.
It's just a fact of life in today's 'new' economy that the typical costs of rent, food, utilities, insurance and other 'necessities' effectively prices out guys whose incomes are lower than, say, $45,000 per year from being able to spend any significant amount of 'discretionary' dollars in strip clubs as a whole. Most customers who can afford to patronize strip clubs on a regular basis, and also afford to buy multiple private dances / VIP / CR after they get there, need to have incomes in the $65,000+ per year range. This leads to a conclusion that, other than the occasional 'average' earning guy deciding to save up all month long in order to afford one night at a strip club buying one or two private dances, and other than running across the occasional younger 'trust fund' guy, tech entrepreneur, professional athlete, etc. this strongly favors the 40-60 age group.
yeah i noticed a strong slide in favor of under 30 and even under 25 for spending, which i think doesnt contradict your data but doesnt take into account human factors. for example i see a lot of under 30s with huge student loans and rent payments but they are childless and still in the honeymoon phase of their new incomes and think the small 401k contributions their employers are making are more than enough savings for them atm, as opposed to many over 40s who are worried about social security, retirement, or just have a higher cost of living in general. i have many male 22-30 friends who make 100k+ and still have a ikea furniture, 1 brooks brothers suit, & think grey goose is the nicest booze $ can buy, so go out and spend hundreds or thousands on vip tables. discretionary income is very relative to a persons situation. aka why you see many strippers in the 70-120k bracket who have 5 chanel purses and 3 pairs of red bottoms lol.
lighthouse
05-02-2015, 01:52 PM
I was actually considering buying cheap forclosed properties upfront so no mortgage somewhere where the property taxes are lower...I live in Connecticut LOL so definitely not here somewhere down south, fixing it up as cheaply as I can I guess and then renting the properties out for passive income...the only thing that scares me is a tenant not paying rent and having to pay money for lawyers and ugh lol. I have such a high interest in real estate though
I own rental properties so I can offer you some advice. I make about 18k/yr of passive income (32k gross) off my rentals and I can honestly say that I have no regrets being a landlord even though I've run into some major headaches along the way. I've had to evict two tenants in the past three years and it's honestly not that big of a deal. The eviction process largely depends on your state so you may want to read up on the landlord-tenant laws before buying in that state. You typically don't need to higher a lawyer even if you intend to take them to small claims for past rent.
There are definitely costs that come up when owning rentals (like maintenance) but overall, it's not too stressful. If you find it overwhelming you could hire a property manager. They typically take 10% but they'll deal with all the maintenance, lease signing, evictions, showings, etc.
If you don't want that responsibility, have you considered flipper houses?
missmolly21
05-02-2015, 02:01 PM
Find a private wealth management company and save at least 10% of everything you make, no excuses. They will earn you a great return in the market for your selected level of risk and you can focus on working and saving while your money compounds. Make sure the company you choose employs a CFA or CFP - be sure to ask. The Wall Street Journal Complete Money and Investing Guide explains these concepts very well. If you start saving early and save consistently you will have more money than saving large amounts sporadically. Starting early is by far the biggest factor! For example, if you dance for 10 years and save $1,200 per month and earn an average of 8% interest on your savings (this is where the wealth management company comes into play!) you will have $219,438 even though you only saved a dollar amount of $144,000. The difference is compound interest earned over time.
Then you can work part time doing something else and supplement your savings to make it last longer, or you can invest it in another career or business like other posters suggested. How you save makes a big impact on the dollar amount you end up with.
Want to save a million dollars and really retire? Dance for 20 years, earn an average of 9% interest and save $1,500 per month. You'll have $1,001,830.
Glamourmilf
05-02-2015, 02:21 PM
My exit plan has always been 'death'. I love to work and be active, so unless something of a vanilla option interests me, I will just keep on keepin on.
Melonie
05-02-2015, 02:42 PM
i have many male 22-30 friends who make 100k+ and still have a ikea furniture, 1 brooks brothers suit, & think grey goose is the nicest booze $ can buy, so go out and spend hundreds or thousands on vip tables. discretionary income is very relative to a persons situation.
Wow, that's an extraordinary circle of friends !!! Guys in their 20's with $100k+ annual incomes comprise something like 0.05% of their age group. I would also speculate that dancers aren't likely to find guys like that in neighborhood / suburban strip clubs !
In regard to your observation about human nature, indeed some guys may spend more than they should, while other guys spend less than the could, at different stages in life. But, in the final analysis, the law of averages will win out ... i.e. guys who aren't earning big money can't spend big money in strip clubs or anywhere else.
Starting early is by far the biggest factor! For example, if you dance for 10 years and save $1,200 per month and earn an average of 8% interest on your savings (this is where the wealth management company comes into play!) you will have $219,438 even though you only saved a dollar amount of $144,000. The difference is compound interest earned over time.
Indeed this is a huge factor where dancers are concerned.
There is also a side note 'corrolary'. The same time value of money / compound interest factors also create a huge difference in the value of the 'nest egg' of a dancer who first decides to obtain a college degree, then decides she really doesn't like the available options in her chosen field, and then dances full time for 10 years ... versus a dancer who first dances full time for 10 years, and THEN obtains a college degree. The difference, of course, is that in the first case there is no savings to earn compound interest or dividends during the 4 college years, where in the latter case there would be ~$250,000 worth of 'nest egg' earning interest and dividends during the 4 college years ( = ~$90,000 over four years at an 8% example rate of return ).
There are definitely costs that come up when owning rentals (like maintenance)
so definitely not here somewhere down south, fixing it up as cheaply as I can I guess and then renting the properties out for passive income
In the way of full disclosure, there are a number of other cost 'risks' associated with owning rental property. One is the distinct possibility of rising local property taxes and rising insurance costs. Another is the possibility of local rent price levels dropping as the result of a decline in the local economy. Another is the possibility of successful tenant lawsuits over issues which are not covered by insurance. Yet another is the potential for large capital losses if the local real estate market were to go into a tailspin. The famous real estate saying of 'location, location, location' also applies to rental properties.
xxxGothBarbie
05-02-2015, 02:44 PM
^ Same here glam :) This industry excites me & allows me to do my own thing & avoid people outside work if I choose. I've never really wanted to go to school & get immersed into debt/school loans. It doesn't make sense to me esp if I have no idea what the hell I really wanna do just yet. Over the last few years I've kinda let the people with the whole "you should better yourself & get out of this industry asap blah blah" mentality flow thru one ear & out the next. In the end, it's only really YOU that can want/decide your fate. Sure, I do usability/focus group studies off CL that pay well sometimes $300 for an hr & if I wanna skip work that night then I can bc I just made more doing that than most 9-5'ers OR other dancers in my area would've :) I'm always gonna live a gypsy life & love it.
charlie61
05-04-2015, 02:35 PM
I wish every one of these threads wouldn't turn into a school vs stripping discussion. Haven't we exhausted that debate elsewhere? Seems like a thread jack in this case.
Let's get back to hearing about exit plans without judgment.
kaninchen
05-04-2015, 04:57 PM
Even though I've been dancing for three years, I feel like I don't so much have an exit plan as I do an entrance plan. I've been simultaneously attending school full time so I haven't been able to devote nearly as much energy to dancing as I'd like. After I graduate this year, I want to fully immerse myself.
My plan for the next 5 years is to strip full time and find the most lucrative clubs I can, whether they're in LA (lol), San Diego, or Vegas. I saved $20k my first 9 months of dancing in a dive before I became too busy with school, and I want to go back to that level of earning. I also want to start self-publishing erotica and tutoring at the local university as side jobs. Of course, my end goal with all of that will be investing as much of my profits as possible.
After that, I'd like to find a way to make my money work for me, whether it's buying rental properties or a franchise. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!
Selina M
05-04-2015, 05:51 PM
Longish introspective post ahead. I've been kinda battling internally with the idea of retiring from dancing lately.
My teacher friend put the idea in my head to teach high school for a year before med school, so that's my current exit plan. It'll look better than my fake resume of family businesses. I can do fine on the pay, since we are a dual-income household, and will honestly probably save more $$ because I'll be too busy to spend it. Probably buy a small house on some land, which paystubs make much easier. I'm looking forward to being home by 4pm as well.
I've never really had the investment/long-term dancer mindset. This wasn't meant to be a career, it was always a side job when I needed $100, and when I went full-time it was meant to be 2 years tops where I could just be lazy and work 3 days a week. I always figured I'd be starting med school in 2016, so stacking mad paper was kinda like "what's the point?" since EVERYONE lands in 6 figures of debt anyway. Even if I saved $30k, it'd fly right out of my account paying for just ž years of tuition. "Opportunity cost" says I should start earlier and eke another year of 6 figure salary out, instead of trying to save to pay tuition.
Stripping is really not a fulfilling job in any way to me, and I know I can't do it full-time for much longer. I've only been doing it as my sole job for a year, and it's so mind numbingly boring. I don't think I can make it the 2nd year, not full-time at least. I basically did what I wanted to do with it; got set up in a nice apartment, got a new car that will last the next 5 years, kept a small emergency fund, and was lazy as fuck for a year. Oh, and I wanted to 'prove myself'; when I was a baby stripper, I was so bad at it, and I'm not used to not being instantly great at things, so it became a challenge to get good enough to make $500 a shift. Accomplished that (thanks SW!)
It's been a nice little 'side excursion' off the ultimate path. I was never very girly/princess-y, but it's been fun sinking into the persona even outside of work, and being the spoiled little stripper who gets her nails done, wears rhinestone-encrusted heels, and expects men to do whatever she asks. It's made me simultaneously sad for women (seeing girls grinding for $10, trying to impress some scrub) and closer to them (yeah, sisterhood! we could run this bitch if we joined up!). I'd be lying if I said I didn't dislike men a lot more now, but I also appreciate the good ones that much more. I'm glad I went on this little adventure and will probably remember it fondly (when some of this burnout wears off, haha). But I'm pretty sure it's time for me to exit the industry for the most part.
missmolly21
05-04-2015, 06:49 PM
Stripping is really not a fulfilling job in any way to me, and I know I can't do it full-time for much longer.
It's been a nice little 'side excursion' off the ultimate path. I was never very girly/princess-y, but it's been fun sinking into the persona even outside of work, and being the spoiled little stripper who gets her nails done, wears rhinestone-encrusted heels, and expects men to do whatever she asks. It's made me simultaneously sad for women (seeing girls grinding for $10, trying to impress some scrub) and closer to them (yeah, sisterhood! we could run this bitch if we joined up!). I'd be lying if I said I didn't dislike men a lot more now, but I also appreciate the good ones that much more. I'm glad I went on this little adventure and will probably remember it fondly (when some of this burnout wears off, haha). But I'm pretty sure it's time for me to exit the industry for the most part.
Selina I can totally relate to this! I've never danced full time. I've been in college the entire time, so the most I am used to dancing is 3 days per week. I'm graduating this week and have a few months before I start my "real" job. I know I should use that time to work a ton and save, but I'm just not motivated to do more than weekends. Being in the club puts me on edge.
I also like having an excuse to spend money on myself for nails, victorias secret lingerie, etc. I'll probably keep dancing a few days a month even after I start my "real" job - at least till my license expires next year. And then I think I'm done! I don't have a ton saved from my time as a dancer, but I did finance my education without any student debt and I think thats a win
Melonie
05-04-2015, 10:51 PM
I did finance my education without any student debt and I think thats a win
Actually this is a HUGE win. Congrats !!!
Gov't guaranteed student loan debt carried a 4.66% interest rate for 2014-2015. Thus for the average $30,000 borrowed, the actual cost over the 10 year standard loan term translates to ~$37,500 ... and the cost ( in after-tax dollars ) of monthly payments translates to ~$313. The amount of future pre-tax earnings necessary to wind up with $313 in after-tax money is likely to be somewhere between $350 and $450 per month or $4200 to $5400 per year, depending on future annual earnings level. That's a big chunk out of a $50k STEM salary, and an even bigger chunk out of a lower non-STEM salary.
Also, besides the direct money savings by not having to pay fees and interest charges on student loan debt, not having to pony up the monthly student loan payment for 10 years after graduation will allow you to start investing in your 'life' that much sooner i.e. buying a decent car, buying a house, etc. In the long term, this can make the difference between paying 10 year student loans until age 35, then paying a 30 year home mortgage until age 65, thus having very little in retirement savings ... versus paying a 30 year home mortgage until age 55 and having 10 years without mortgage payments left to save heavily for retirement.
"Opportunity cost" says I should start earlier and eke another year of 6 figure salary out, instead of trying to save to pay tuition.
Yup, with a six figure income potential after graduation, an extra year's worth of that income as a result of graduating a year sooner will easily 'outweigh' any student loan costs. You can also reduce those student loan costs even further via early repayment. But, obviously, this isn't the same situation for graduates with $30-50k starting pay rate expectations versus $100k+.
Lady_O
05-04-2015, 11:45 PM
I don't know how is in your country, but in mine, superior education is free, if our family doesn't have money to pay university feed, they are free, and we can receive a small ammount of financial help from government to help with expenses; we can eat and even a place to sleep. My country is poor but at least we can study if we put some effort in it. That's how i got my high degree. Along the years, stdying pays off in many ways, it gives you freedom.
So if some girls have to stripp, cam or escorting to survive, i see nothing wrong about this. I don't even see nothing wrong about making this a lifestyle. And i enjoyed dancing, i like erotic/sex world in many perspectives. From one side, we learn a lot, we become "experts" in so many subjects, our knowledge about sex, about how men think is so much ahead from other girls that never have seen or heard what we did... from the other side, is is bad for us because we became conditioned about many stuff and at some point we may be unable to look at man in a balanced perspective. We may tend to look at them as customers.
So, i guess the gain and the loss in this way of living will depend on each of us. I always wanted more: a carreer in big companies, to study more (wich i did). But in the end, and mostly due to the crisis in my country, studying didn't make me a wheathy woman. It could be different in other country maybe, or in different circunstances.
But in the end it doesn't matter if our passage in adult world is temporary or permanent: society will always look at us as sex related workers, ir means we are like second class professionals, and for some, we are worst that that, we are second class people. I don't agree, but we can't avoid what society thinks, and we will always be limited for that.
I believe the best option is to be in adult world not long enough to loose perspective of a life outside adult world work. For a short time, or short periods in life. If possible, not leaving behind any trace that can be a problem for you in future. It will be a well kept secret of you that you can use in your advantage in many forms, but never against you.
Sorry for my mistakes in written english, itīs not my native language.
dezire
05-06-2015, 10:19 PM
. When I started changing my beliefs, I started attracting men that mirrored those beliefs.
Brilliant, insightful and true.
kirakonstantin
05-07-2015, 02:44 AM
I'm working on my doctorate right now. Once that's finished, I'll likely be making more than I am now. I also have an IRA and some solid plans for retirement. Honestly though, I wouldn't mind dancing into my 40's. With the staggering number of sports injuries I've suffered, I'm not sure I'll be able to.
Nyla19
05-07-2015, 11:12 AM
I wish every one of these threads wouldn't turn into a school vs stripping discussion. Haven't we exhausted that debate elsewhere? Seems like a thread jack in this case.
Let's get back to hearing about exit plans without judgment.
Thank for writing this! There are many that lecture, demean and attack others on here. And many that attack don't even work in stripclubs. That's the rumor! We need to support each other on here. And not pull each other apart. Even if you don't work in a stripclub. Us women need to stick together!
kirakonstantin
05-08-2015, 01:04 PM
Thank for writing this! There are many that lecture, demean and attack others on here. And many that attack don't even work in stripclubs. That's the rumor! We need to support each other on here. And not pull each other apart. Even if you don't work in a stripclub. Us women need to stick together!
Totally agreed. College isn't for everyone and things can change over the course of a person's life. But, it's an individual choice based on an individual perspective. I'd never tell anyone that my way is the "right" way. Because, while it's right for me, it's definitely not right for everyone.
buttonpop
05-08-2015, 08:18 PM
Dancing is very empowering. I feel like I have more control over my financial future than my peers in college. I'll have the benefit of being able to save more, sooner, because I don't have student debt which will translate to thousands in additional savings after years of compound interest....
I love hearing about the cool things ladies accomplish by dancing.
Me too!!
When I came out to my mom about dancing, she asked if I thought it was empowering. I told her that at first, yes, it was empowering to be in control, to fairly compensated for my sexuality, yada yada all the typical feminist arguments. But eventually.... it just becomes a job, you get used to it, and climbing a pole in 6" heels and being worshiped by rich men becomes an everyday mundane aspect of the job. The REAL empowering parts are the fact that I can work in any city, I am my own boss, I can make my own schedule, I can call out for any reason for any length of time, I am in control of my own money, and I have enough money to have a huge variety of opportunities, without having to answer to anybody. Now thats empowering!!
I want to be a writer, and the statistics show that most successful writers were able to take a year off to write without having to work to support themselves at the same time (jk rowling being the exception to the rule). I also want to buy property to rent out and make some passive income. I'd also love to be a professor and teach college. Its becoming a new dream of mine to write a TV show.
All of these things require a pretty decent amount of savings (professors don't get paid as much these days.. and moving to LA to become a screenwriter will probably not pay the bills unless i get really lucky... and then it will!). Ultimately though, my plans might change as I get older. All that matters right now is the savings.
Sometimes its a little bit stressful because I know I wont be able to dance in 15 years, so I feel pressured to save as much as humanly possible and get the most out of my money now. Maybe thats a good motivator though. Sometimes I wonder if the best use of my time in my 20s to early 30s is by working so much though. Maybe I should be out falling in love. There's plenty of time for that in my 30s though, right? Anyway I'm getting off topic.
SAVE!!!
LaurenAus
05-08-2015, 08:28 PM
I'm pushing 30 and I still don't know what my exit plan is. People say, "Go to school and get a degree." But the idea of getting myself into a bunch of debt so I can ultimately get paid a little over minimum wage intimidates me. I mean, I completely lost my shit when my brother told me how much his first student loan payment was going to be. I saved a bit this last time around, and I guess I could use that to "better myself", but the thought of using it as a down payment for cheap house/piece of land sounds better (to me) than using it to pay for college classes.
Furthermore, the jobs that I'm passionate about are all basically volunteer/non-profit 'jobs'.
Maybe pick a degree that won't pay a little over minimum wage. Also getting a degree does not mean a bunch of debt. You can avoid that by staying in-state and attending a public, not for profit university.
LaurenAus
05-08-2015, 08:38 PM
I quit dancing two years ago and haven't been inside a club since.
The only reason I quit was because I was introduced to another line of work that has a far higher income ceiling than dancing ever will. It started off rough but I'm at the point where I'm earning the same as I did dancing. College and corporate life isn't for me so I'm fortunate to have found a nontraditional line of work that allows me the freedom and flexibility to do whatever I want. I also work less hours!
Just keep an open mind to opportunities that present themselves.
May I ask what your nontraditional line of work is?
MyButter
05-09-2015, 05:12 AM
Maybe pick a degree that won't pay a little over minimum wage. Also getting a degree does not mean a bunch of debt. You can avoid that by staying in-state and attending a public, not for profit university.
The jobs I'm interested in pay zero dollars an hour. Occasionally you'll find a position that pays minimum wage or slightly more.
I attended college as an in-state student for a year many moons ago, and at around 7 grand a semester it was still quite expensive in my book.
So for *my* situation, spending a substantial chunk of money on a degree that I would be using to do volunteer work--maybe even slightly above minimum pay if I'm lucky--just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Especially when getting your foot into the door of these NPOs without education is an option.
I should note that I'm not trying to shove my decision not to pursue education down anyone's throat. I do get extremely frustrated because I am lectured about the importance of education everywhere, and am regarded as sub-human because I don't have a degree. So I apologize for venting about it here, and didn't intend on threadjacking.
Eta: So to rehash my exit plan without going into forbidden territory:
I'd like to buy a cheap house on some acreage and have a small farm so I can be a fairly self-sustinent homesteader.
kaninchen
05-09-2015, 10:38 AM
I do get extremely frustrated because I am lectured about the importance of education everywhere, and am regarded as sub-human because I don't have a degree.
This is so dumb though! I go to an internationally-ranked university and even working 3 days a week I get paid as well as or better than some of my professors. Plus, with the exception of my French classes, everything I've learned at school I could learn on my own for free. Everyone knows the objective value of education has plummeted, as Melonie pointed out. I think the people who are lecturing you are either up to their neck in student loan debt and trying to make themselves feel better by putting you down, or haven't even been to school and don't know what they're talking about.
For me, the value of my degree is in networking and credibility. It's just something I can put on a resume if I ever need it. You're not subhuman and those people are assholes. Tell them I said to STFU!
Do you mind if I ask what kind of non-profit work you're interested in? I have a lot of friends who work for non-profits and they certainly don't get paid $0 an hour! Maybe it's not as hopeless as you think.
MyButter
05-09-2015, 11:10 AM
^ Wildlife rehabilitation! It seems like the salaries, if any, are meager unless you hold a DVM. But omigosh it would fill me with so much joy!
I'm thinking volunteering at an animal shelter would be a great starting point!
kirakonstantin
05-09-2015, 11:21 AM
^^ This is part of why I'm pursuing my doctorate. I'm more of an exotics kind of person, so being a zoo vet or working in a private exotics practice are likely where I'll end up.
Selina M
05-09-2015, 12:53 PM
^ Wildlife rehabilitation! It seems like the salaries, if any, are meager unless you hold a DVM. But omigosh it would fill me with so much joy!
I'm thinking volunteering at an animal shelter would be a great starting point!
That's basically the same field that my degree is in (wildlife ecology/restoration). You're right, it pays absolute shit. You have to work for a year as a tech ($13/hr) before you're eligible to be a "specialist" ($16/hr), and then you pretty much get to hope that a biologist dies, because it's nearly impossible to move up after that... and even the biologists don't make a shitload, maybe $20/hr I think. They actually have a DVM on staff for wildlife disease, and I don't think she makes a hell of a lot either, it's definitely not 6 figures.
You can't volunteer at a rehab place without a degree though? I would think that would put you in the door to be hired on. I know the places here that do rehab will take non-degree'd volunteers.
miss1dancypants
05-13-2015, 04:07 PM
I honestly miss dancing and the lifestyle. I think I am going to dance 3 nights a week and still do real estate but focus solely on getting listings. Buyers are draining my energy and enthusiasm. That way I can do what I want and the power is in my hands
MyButter
05-13-2015, 04:28 PM
^that sounds like a really great plan, miss1dancypants!
charlie61
05-13-2015, 04:41 PM
I honestly miss dancing and the lifestyle. I think I am going to dance 3 nights a week and still do real estate but focus solely on getting listings. Buyers are draining my energy and enthusiasm. That way I can do what I want and the power is in my hands
As I gain more and more experience, I'm finding that life truly is 100% about making shit up as you go. Yeah, it's great to have a plan n' all, but really, everyone around you is doing exactly what you're doing in various forms. We're all just taking things day by day, trying to figure out what makes us happy, and wondering what might happen tomorrow. You are definitely, definitely not alone!
miss1dancypants
05-13-2015, 05:11 PM
Thank you. I feel good about it because I need to do what I need to do now to pay my bills and be happy and real estate will always be there for me.
rareaspasia
05-13-2015, 06:26 PM
I'm in my exit plan right now. I returned to my company, which I'm not ashamed to say is Starbucks, after dancing full time for five years. I started at the entry level and am getting promoted soon. The pay is shit right now but gets significantly better as you move up. The benefits, though... they blow most companies out of the water. The work is hard but I enjoy it. And district managers start at 90 grand a year where I live. So I'm happy with what I've decided to do. I don't intend to quit dancing until I get my own store but in another year I'll be making enough to pay all of my bills and will dance for extra income. I'll be using that extra money to fluff up my stocks and my 401K.
ScarletKitten
05-13-2015, 11:21 PM
As I gain more and more experience, I'm finding that life truly is 100% about making shit up as you go. Yeah, it's great to have a plan n' all, but really, everyone around you is doing exactly what you're doing in various forms. We're all just taking things day by day, trying to figure out what makes us happy, and wondering what might happen tomorrow. You are definitely, definitely not alone!
^I love you for saying this! :-*
It seems like my exit plan changes every single day. My mind is a total mess. I have all these passions and dreams, but I can't seem to focus on any one of them for long enough to start getting things rolling. I have a love-hate relationship with dancing. I tried camming, it wasn't for me. I applied for several vanilla jobs but I dread the thought of working for someone else now. Stripping has spoiled me, in regards to making lots of cash and doing so whenever I feel like showing up. But there are plenty of downsides to this industry as well. I need something else besides stripping.
Eventually I would love to have a mushroom farm and grow various varieties of mushrooms, such as portobello, shiitake, and medicinal mushrooms like lion's mane. I would love to grow other food too, have a greenhouse, have some land and be self-sufficient. But in the meantime, I would love to get back into the floral industry, even though it pays shit. I think I will always have dancing as a back-up in my life so long as the industry still exists and I can still make decent money.
I'm still trying to figure things out in my life, but as Charlie said, "We're all just taking things day by day." :)
DorienG
05-14-2015, 04:59 PM
I will write more later, but I've saved $$, exited and re-entered more than once. Such is life/C'est la vie!:-\
I will be taking a test for a certificate in a new industry (for me ) tomorrow.
....and I'm back! I passed my CPT exam last Friday.:)
Now about exiting and entering the biz:
I started at 23 on a part-time basis, I had graduated college by this time and it was paid for. I quit my other job because I was young, immature and short sighted because stripping paid a lot more, by 24. Then full time until 25.
By this time, I had at stared an IRA. I got a job in retail management a few months later. I lasted 6 months. Started dancing again before I turned 26. This time it was part-time. I had another job as a make-up artist. I went back to school to study French. I switched to theater and completed a conservatory program. I was able to pay for the program with no debt. ( I also danced a bit in Houston during this time and also New Orleans).
At 28, I tried retail management again. I lasted nearly a year. I threw myself into acting: theater, commercials, indie films, some featured background on bigger budgeted films. I did fairly decent. I would work as much as I could between rehearsals, then take time off to work. This would be my lifestyle until I was 35. (I had made the mistake of getting engaged to a club owner. It lasted over a year,but I was gossip topic of the Silicon Valley club circuit during my entire relationship, not his fault. But when it ended, I was basically blackballed from working in any clubs in that area). I did dance in a club in San Francisco and one in Santa Rosa, but for a very short time.
I left the business and got a job bar tending at a B&B and continued the actor lifestyle. At 37, I got an offer to dance in Cabo San Lucas and jumped at it. Two months of paradise! I came back and continued to tend bar. I did tend bar at other places in the Marina neighborhood in San Francisco, from time to time. I had a good rep and worked well with others.
At 38, the main bar I worked was sold. I got a job in cosmetics for a huge, new company. At this time, it was a newish thing for companies to build websites where you could shop. I was offered to work in that department. I was really loving my job and still did theater. My income was really great!
Around this time, I made friends with an in demand stock broker. He and my mom taught me about investing. These little starts ups were everywhere! I made some money and found it really fun to day trade when I could.
I had to admit I missed dancing a bit, but didn't really need the income.
At 40, an actress friend of mine had a one woman theater show. I hadn't seen her for a while. She had a pole in her show. I found out she was still dancing...and she was older than me! I auditioned at her club and got hired. It was a strange little place in between San Francisco and San Jose, ca. So I danced on a very part time basis and didn't quit the day job. This was also the year I started dating my husband. He was fine with my dancing. He was/is also involved in the entertainment field and had an awesome job. Good Times!
A year and a half later, my man got layed off. I continued working another 8 months, then I got the pink slip. We got engaged. He couldn't find another job up there so he moved to LA. I stayed in San Fran and danced as much as I could. I saved more $$. Once he found a decent place and found a great job, I moved down.
I didn't dance for about 3 months. I was a bit nervous about the idea of auditioning for a dance job in LA. I figured every young beautiful wann-be actress was working as a stripper. And I wasn't the youngest, but looked young and always had tons of energy and been in shape, dancer shape. I researched and auditioned. (That's when I found this site).
I worked in a couple of clubs, but they were so depressing, I quit dancing for a year and did extra work in film/tv while auditioning/working. I got an agent. He was pretty cool. But within a few months, he told me to get a job other than background because I was looking tired at auditions. I really HATED the idea of dancing in LA, but it seemed like the only viable option. (Oh and that $$ I saved? Most of it was gone in less than two years).
At 43, I was hired at a small but reputable divey topless club in the valley. It turned out to be pretty cool. This woman was the best manager I ever had at a club. I loved working Saturday days. We would order brunch from this awesome cafe and one of the regulars usually got the bill! She had a reg who managed a Starbucks. She had an entire huge office cabinet drawer full of random lbs of coffee. We had the best coffee out of any club in LA! My co-dancers ran the gamut of beautiful award winning porn stars (Like Vivid girls) to nearly homeless women and ex-cons.
About two years after I danced there, I started getting jobs in pre-production hiring actors. I was pretty passionate about it. I didn't quit dancing, but I spent more time developing my career. I quit a couple of times (mostly because $$ started dropping) but kept on good terms. I worked there off and on until 2009. Then it turned out my fave manager made some huge mistake in paper work or just forgot about it and the club closed for nearly a year.
I worked at another club that was similar in NoHo and then my current club, that I have never been completely happy with.
I did go back to my original club when they re opened that fall, but my old manager was no longer there. I lasted maybe four months. It just wasn't the same.
In 2008, I started working with this award winning filmmaker. I was to be his casting person and associate producer until 2011. He passed away in 2011. However, in 2011 my man was involved with an extremely successful film that was enough to put a lot of $ in our retirement fund.
I had heard that the owner of my old little valley club had sold it, then bought it back. I heard they needed girls and there was no fee. I went back and worked part time until 2013 when he finally sold it.
In 2011, I got totally involved with take pole and aerial classes. By 2013, I was doing performances in venues, some red carpet events, placed in a big regional competition and was making a little $.
Last fall, I worked in stage club in Hollywood. It wasn't bad, but we had to do 15 min stage sets on a rickety stage and a fat short pole that sprained my thumb. I lasted two months. Left on good terms, but couldn't completely bend my left thumb for 3 months.
I'm now at my current club. The good news is-I don't have to make a living with the $ I make. The bad news is: In the last two weeks or so the $ has been horrible. Tonight a topless club near our bikini bar had their grand opening. We not only had a low turn out for custies, but girls as well.
This is a looonnngggg post. I have had the most passionate connection to dancing in this industry. At times I LOVED it! Sometimes, HATED with a passion. There was a time that I may have been addicted, because I felt the most attractive there. I am still in great shape and a passionate stage performer. I think that will always dancing on a stage somewhere, until I either have an accidental fall or if I start looking so old that they won't let me past the entrance.
But it doesn't really make me feel 'pretty' like it used too. I feel more attractive when I haven't been to the club in a while. I used to love changing my outfits four times a shift with change of shoes as well; now I just bring an emergency outfit. I don't feel the energy of any of the dancers when it comes to buying new outfits. I also used to prefer dancing in smaller clubs. I liked the sort of 'family vibe' it could have. Now, I prefer a bigger club because I DON'T want to get too close to anyone. It's sort of sad.
But nothing will ever take away the feeling of flying on stage. Exiting? Completely? I have no idea.:D
Novabynight
05-21-2015, 01:19 PM
I would like to call this more of a plan of action than an escape plan. I'm not escaping anything, that would indicate that I am not fully enjoying exactly what I am doing. I love dancing, my job allows me to feel free and abundant. Even on nights that I would say are not very good i still make more than being a cashier or barista. And those kinds of mundane corporate jobs make me feel trapped because i make barely any money working long hours for someone else's dream and wealth.
Right now, Im saving money for more traveling. In october I plan to go to costa rica and do a month long permaculture intensive program there. In the meantime, dancing gives me free time during the day to enjoy my summers exactly how I wish. Im making feather earrings, hula hoop videos, gardening, designing a blog (purrliving.com if you are interested), doing yoga, hiking in the wilderness, practicing acroyoga and aerial fabrics, and perusing thrift stores for cute clothes or patterns that could be made into cute clothes. I float the river with my friends and go to hot springs. I sell chocolates and earrings at the farmers markets on saturdays. Waiting until I am done dancing to live my best life seems ridiculous when I can do it right now.
After my permaculture intensive I want to get my yoga teacher certification and then go back to the states to save more money by dancing and trimming. I have a friend in costa rica who is helping me look for cheap property down there. Next year, I want to buy some cheap land and build a cute little house and a tiny little cafe for tourists. I want to have my own permaculture farm and grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables. I'm going to sell my chocolates, smoothies, juices, sandwiches, freshly baked sprouted grain bread, earrings that I make, other jewelry and clothes on consignment that my friends make, and hula hoops. I plan on having a big open room with mirrors where I can teach yoga, hula hoops lessons, acroyoga, aerial fabrics, pole dancing, and whatever other flow arts or dance people are interested in. I can also sell weight loss programs and cleanses for people new to raw vegan foods and looking for the retreat experience. Using the internet I can also market to people all over the world via ebooks and skype lessons. I would eventually like to build cabinas and have dorm accommodations to make it more like a hostel/ retreat/ bed and breakfast. It would also be nice to have a booth we can bring to music festivals to sell raw vegan treats, teach people about healthy lifestyles, and make money while enjoying my favorite festivals. Then at night when the booth closes I can be a performance artist on stage. Endless possibilities are available so I choose to think big.
As far as education goes, I recommend only paying for a college education if you are actually passionate about the career you are pursuing and 100% sure about it. Don't go to college just to go into debt to make more money in a job you dont like but maybe you feel is more acceptable to society or as an "exit strategy". Figure out what your actual gifts and passions are first, and then decide if college is right for you. When I decided I wanted to be a farmer/entrepreneur, everyone told me to go back to school for agriculture. But why would i do that when i can go volunteer on an actual permaculture farm for a few months and be fed and given housing for free? All while learning way more hands on and in way less time than it would take in a classroom setting? Sometimes the best way to learn something is to just go out and do it. Don't go to school just because society says that you should. Only go to school if your chosen career/passion would really benefit from that type of education. You don't need a $50,000 business degree to start your own business. But if you want to be a physicist or engineer you are probably better of going the university route than reading books about how to build aircraft or whatever. Be smart and creative, college isn't for everyone.
Seems like a fantasy but everything is possible so I say dream big. Dancing has made my dreams into a reality. I think a lot of the negativity around dancing comes when we ourselves have a problem with what we are doing and the way that we are doing it. Attitude is everything. Make the decision right now to love your life and make the best of it, design it to be exactly the dream life you have always wanted. Stop waiting until you retire to be happy, or finish school, or have X$ or a nice house or the perfect husband. Be grateful for everything you have, live the best possible life you can right now, find ways to be happy. And then you'll discover that the other aspects of your life just fall into place.
In other words, it doenst matter what you do or how much money you make as long as you are truly passionate about what you are doing. Follow your dreams. Some of us might be way happier volunteering on a farm in indonesia than living the 9-5 corporate lifestyle, suffocating in the consumerist culture. Some people might thrive in the corporate world, enjoying the rat race. Stop worrying about what will make you the most money and do what you love. If you are truly passionate about what you are doing, the money will come eventually. Or at least you find you can be happy with way less when you are being true to authentic self. Until then, keep dancing but only if you enjoy it.
And remember that we create alot of limiting beliefs about stripping and the way people perceive dancing in the outside world, which might be true in some cases but just remember we can't control what other people think about us. The people that truly matter won't care, especially if you are an expert in your chosen profession. When you are passionate about what you are doing and good at it, the clientele will come - whether its opening a business, being a massage therapist or personal trainer, making cute clothes and selling them on etsy or wherever, being a farmer, whatever. If you have confidence in yourself so will other people, regardless of your past. Oftentimes we project a fear of being unaccepted onto other people because we don't truly accept it ourselves and that is because society has made it socially unacceptable. But on a case by case basis we already know how to market ourselves and make people like us, and once someone likes you then no societal conditioning is going to stand in the way of that person liking and respecting you. We just need to like and respect ourselves first of all and then others will follow suit.
#end motivational schpeel
Cupid213
06-03-2015, 06:10 PM
I absolutely Love this thread ladies...
Bad_Wolf
06-03-2015, 08:13 PM
Absolutely true. With such an exit plan, the eventual 'exit' will be into a true retirement ... since the ongoing passive interest, dividend and capital gains earnings stemming from the saved up 'nest egg' will be enough to cover normal living expenses for the rest of your life without an unescapable need to earn additional money from any sort of 'straight' job.
In 'real world' terms, you're probably right that a total of US $ 1,000,000 worth of 'nest egg' savings will be necessary these days to generate a comfortable $ 40,000 per year or so of passive future annual income after retiring from dancing. But being able to save $1,000 per week from age 18 to age 35 would yield a $ 1,000,000 'nest egg', even at today's terribly low interest rates. And even saving $500 per week for the same period of time would still yield a $ 500,000 'nest egg' capable of providing a minimal $20,000 per year of passive future annual income ... which in turn would provide 'flexibility' in regard to the pay requirements of any future straight job or business endeavor.
Since I myself started dancing rather 'late', and also had a son whom I had to provide for, I was not able to save as much as I would have liked to by the point where I decided to retire from live dancing. However, I addressed that problem from the opposite direction, moving to a country 'way south of the border' which has both a significantly lower cost of living, as well as zero taxation of my passive income. I have also been 'lucky' with some of my investments, thus able to achieve a passive earnings percentage that was significantly higher than the 'safe' 4%. As such, even after paying for several years of retirement living expenses, my 'nest egg' is larger today than it was when I retired.
Please just do all the strippers of the world a favor and write a book. Please!
ScarletKitten
06-04-2015, 07:05 AM
Novabynight, that was a very inspiring post. Thank you so much for sharing! I would love to go to Costa Rica as well, and the permaculture and vegan lifestyle- I would be in heaven. We have similar passions. ;)
Melonie
06-04-2015, 11:10 AM
Please just do all the strippers of the world a favor and write a book. Please!
I've thought about doing this. I also thought about 'cutting to the chase' and directly writing a movie script. But then I had a 'reality attack'. Hollywood could never find an actress with big enough boobs to play the lead role !!!
SnuffleUffleGrass
06-04-2015, 11:22 AM
Warning- this is a bit of a "devil's advocate" type post.
I didn't have a real exit plan when I got out of the adult industry. I had an opportunity to settle down & took it. It wasn't easy but I am far better off. My health was suffering both from working too hard & not having medical insurance.
I never enrolled back into University while still in the adult industry b/c I wasn't sure about what I wanted to do. The upside to that is I have ZERO debt from school. My income is way lower now but I don't have debts and I can find an employer to do tuition re-imbursement.
In an ass-backwards way my lack of planning/education worked out well due to the financial meltdown of 2008. I really lucked out.
I would never recommend such a "hands-off" plan for a dancer with dependent kid, or a girl who absolutely wants to rely on her own ability to make independent income.
I am also successful b/c I never had addiction issues. I worked consistently & never had to deal with DUIs or being too strung out to work. I'm not preaching, but making a point that if you don't treat stripping like an occupation, you might as well be working part part time as a waitress. If you aren't willing to maximize your income potential as a dancer & work consistently..why are you doing it?
tempest666
06-17-2015, 05:40 PM
I am going to save up to buy my own island and create my own Jurassic World. Then I will appoint myself Supreme Reptilian Humanoid Empress and feed my loyal vassals stupid people.
Starling
06-17-2015, 06:35 PM
For those of you wondering what to do with yourselves school-wise, but aren't sure what to do, did you know MIT offers free online courses?
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
It would be a good way to get an idea of some classes for a major you want to pursue without spending money, and see whether or not it's for you.