Re: Starting From Nothing
i started camming about a year and a half ago when i was at my highest weight (almost 250 lbs). i was stressed out and on the edge of homelessness from leaving grad school and losing my job. i couldn't find another job. i didn't know what i would do. thankfully i'd hit rock bottom mental health-wise years before that so i had some coping strategies in place but i definitely started with nothing - no outfits, crappy computer, no external cam, not feeling sexy at all and i was really depressed about my job and living situation.
as soon as i had the cash, i bought a logitech - they're only $40-$50 and for me that was the best investment i made early on. for the first 12-14 months i cammed i had barely any lingerie or outfits - i only recently expanded my collection a bit (mostly raided the wal-mart lingerie section). after about 14 months my computer completely died on me and i had to get a new one, and that's something i wish i'd been able to do sooner - it was a great investment - but i managed without it for the first year. i also lost 40 lbs my first year - i'm still comfortably in the bbw/curvy niche but it's much easier for me to move around and be active on cam (as well as off) and losing the weight helped define my curves even more. at first i lived with roommates and had to cam without sound, and then when i moved 4-5 months ago i had NO furniture and was camming on an airbed or on the floor at first. i wasn't able to save money or find my way out of debt my first year and a half but i could make ends meet most of the time. now that i have that experience i am definitely optimistic about earning more, saving money and paying off debt in 2012.
bottom line: you can do this. you probably aren't going to start out making $100/hour but every little bit helps, keeps the lights on, the internet running, and a roof over your head. and eventually you will be able to make decent money. the biggest thing is to invest money in a new cam, computer, etc. as early on as possible - but you can start without that. and the guys will think you are sexy no matter what.
Re: Starting From Nothing
Congrats for having the determination to cam again. :)
From all the research that I've done so far, it seems like one can get off to a decent start with only the basics. I would recommend making the most of the lighting you have. Whether it's natural window light, or a lamp from a second hand store. Especially since it sounds like you don't have a separate webcam. It's important to try to improve the video quality within your means. When you start camming more maybe you can buy one or two toys, a couple of simple (cheap) outfits, and a better webcam...you should be able to do this for under $100.
But another thing that will be important, if not the most important, is to have confidence...in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with camming on a matress on the ground (my matress is on the ground too, lol), and I understand you want to loose the extra weight, but guys will be into it. Just think, once you start camming and moving around, maybe you'll loose some of that weight? Maybe you can give yourself a little pep talk before you start camming. Do something that makes you feel really sexy. Use the power of positive thinking.
I would go more into detail, but I gotta go...this is really simple/beginner type stuff though, I'm sure you're aware of these things, I'm sure someone else will be able to give you some better advice. :)
Re: Starting From Nothing
If you have a lot of hours to put it every single week, it will pay off. Its definitely not at all a get-rich-quick scheme, and you have to work each and every week or the money will be gone faster than it was made. But if you treat it like a job, it should pay off and you will have a pretty steady income like any other job.
Re: Starting From Nothing
I started camming because my ex-spouse pretty much left me with nothing. All I had were a few things that were mine that he had no need for, the small amount of money he owed me, and the clothes on my back. I had no experience to get a job and a bunch of mental issues that would prevent me from working away from home. It was an ex-boyfriend who mentioned to me that I should consider being a webcam girl. I didn't even know the first thing about being a webcam girl, other than it would allow me to work from home without having any work experience.
I had to beg and borrow everything I needed to get started camming and even though I certainly wouldn't consider myself a 'success'; I would neither consider myself a failure either. I am pretty much just breaking even when it comes to my life at this point, and right now that is good enough for me seeing I started at a loss.
Kudos to you for pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. It isn't easy thing to do by any means -- but it is sure worth it once you have enough time behind you for perspective. :heartbeat
Re: Starting From Nothing
Looking back, I think we all started in debt and scraping by, one week away from living on the streets. That's kind of the way people live now, they just don't realize it because they assume they will get a paycheck every week to pay back their debt that they keep piling up. I know now I am headed for an actual net worth for the first time in my adult life. You can also do straight up phone sex without a cam and make good money doing that too. Just be willing to sign over all your time to work and before you know it, you'll be snug in your shiny new place.
Re: Starting From Nothing
i started out working on a netbook, why people got shows ill never know the feed was terrible and i didnt have a good cam the first 2 months i cammed yet i still did ok, mostly becuase it was a pay hourly site.
ive started my life back over from nothing twice now. its hard but you can do it, stripping and camming are really helpful in those times of need becuase of the unlimited earning potential. throw yourself into your work.
ps, all you really need toy wise to get started is 1 dildo and one vibrator. you can always put a condom on a banana if you need too! a lot of guys are ok with just fingers and dirty talk. my first dildo was about 12 bucks. i still have it!
Re: Starting From Nothing
Work as many hours as you can and you'll make $. Upgrade your cam first when you get your first few checks. After that you can worry about the rest.
Re: Starting From Nothing
^and your internet package! but keep in mind if you have a shitty computer high speed internet wont help, you will want to upgrade your ram and make sure the speed is fast enough. im not good at specs though.
Re: Starting From Nothing
Well 1st off, you survived a lot! Sorry to hear about your losses, that's tough! But, most importantly, you're still here! This is where we come to vent & share so..
I have an extra logitech, an laptop one, not the newest model..if you want it, it's yours, free. I will sent it where you want in the US. Seriously, pm me. Good luck, you deserve it
Re: Starting From Nothing
Thank you so much girls for all the support, I'm so blown away. It's crazy how much something like the kindness of strangers can mean. I really do appreciate all the camaraderie. Hearing all your stories helps me look at my situation in a hopeful light.
Re: Starting From Nothing
It's so nice to see a person determined to turn their situation around! ;D That alone is a really, really good sign about whether you can make this work or not.
I started with practically nothing. My asset is my laptop, which is a pretty good one and luckily the cam is fairly good quality - I say luckily, because that's what I've been working with for a long long time.
Let me make a sum of what I had when I started:
- laptop
- few pairs of panties
- 2 bras
- 2 tops
- stockings
- 2 $4 lamps I positioned to ensure the best lightning possible
No toys, no outfits, no external webcam. All I had was my charm, a big smile and a big ass. ;D
In fact, practically the only improvement I made was get more lingerie and a new webcam (which no one noticed when I switched from my inbuilt one!). As long as you can send them off satisfied, you can make it. But you need to work, work, work, work. As you make money, you can gradually upgrade.
As far as the looks go - for a long time I thought I can only start doing this after I lose the pesky 25 pounds that are ruining my figure...now I LOL at my past self. Would it help and make me more self confident? Fuck yes. Does it prevent me from looking sexy to the guys who like me and making money? Fuck no.
Hope you turn this around! :)
Re: Starting From Nothing
Yes, just work the hours and you can upgrade as you go.
Re: Starting From Nothing
i wanted to add - don't get discouraged at first. for some people it's a REALLY slow start. when i first started i was making less than minimum wage. eventually i was able to get $10-$20/hour regularly. now i am up to $30-$40/hour. but if i'd quit in those first few months when i was barely scraping by i would have missed out on a lot. it might get really rough before it gets better - but it's worth it if you stick it out. *hugs*