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What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
The other post on fees got me started on this. What is the initial investment it takes in dollars for a brand new dancer to dance?
I'll give two geographic examples. The first Fulton County in Georgia.
The annual license is $350 plus time and transportation to the county building to do all the administrative stuff to get one.
Let's same minimum two nice starter stripper costumes at
$75 each and one pair stripper shoes (say white) with good heels and grips on bottom with 6 inch heels say $90.
Same time to audition is wsorth $100. Same 4 hours to wait around and get license is $100. Say misc expenses to get license
$30.
At "time zero" saying you got the job you are up to $790 of money that you are risking.
Let's look at chicago. As a new dancer you probably want to do the far suburbs, if anything so yolu don't run into anybody you know from the city. This means you need a car/ Let's say a used
four year old Honda $6000. No license. Gasoline at $1.70 gal.
Figure two hours commute time out of city and one an one half hours back at 2:30 a.m.
GAs $8.50, costumes $150, shoes $100. If you've got the car already you are set as the cost is about $275.
The major hurdle here would be have to have a car or access to one. I think your own safety would require that in Fulton county also.
What are the intitial start up costs for dancing where you are?
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
I invested $0 for my first night as a dancer. I started as a fluke and went in to apply for a waitressing position, but decided to dance instead. I came back with my ID and the highest heels and shortest dress in my closest, and just jumped right in.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
It can't be zero can it? I mean do all of you have shoes with 6 inch heels, gowns and velcro clothes in your closets? In license areas
you've got to spend the money within (My guess) two weeks or so.
If it is zero my barriers to entry follow up is out the window. Still I'm interested in finding out and my guess is that new dancers are also.
I know you've got to buy more than one outfit. The gown clubs
will require a gown..,. which ain't cheap.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
It can be $0 depending on what you have in your closet. And the location of the club you are starting at. For me about $30 for the shoes, $30 for a bikini. Then I got creative with what I had in my closet until I had money to buy more clothes. Most areas don't require a license.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
For me, it was $90 (shoes). I have a car...had some lingerie that worked fine for stripping...and had the make-up. Since I live in the Chicago suburbs, there is no license requirements. Truthfully, though, if you have a pair of nice 5" heels, which I have plenty of, then you don't need to buy anything higher. Those will work just fine. Also, depending on where you find your stipper clothes (I've found some awesome outfits being clearanced online for $15--including shipping) you really don't need to spend a lot. Right now, I have about 20 outfits that I use fairly regularly...and with the exception of 2 of them (they were about $90 each) the outfits only cost me on the average of $20. I bought a pair of clear heels, that way they go with anything. I love my shoes and am considering getting another pair like them.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
I as well as Susan invested 0. I went to the then Pure Platinum as a dare! already dressed sexy enough i guess because they asked me to come back. Lol
pamela
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
I spent money on a tanning membership because I thought I had to be tan (I was wrong)....so that was $100...that's all I spent. I already had stripper shoes and some suitable dresses. So if I don't count the tanning, it'd be nothing.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
My initial investment was also almost nothing. No license required in Austin, had a car, the club was probably $.25 of gas from my house is not less. I got a free regulation thong from the manager, who was cool like that. I wore my own stuff for the first week....
I bought shoes, clothes, thongs, etc...once I was already making a profit, so they would be operating expenses subtracted from real income.....
There is a financial risk to every independant contract venture....not too hard to minimize...
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
$5 for a garter. I had high heels and a bikini already (I just hiked the bottoms up so they resembled t-backs). I looked so sweet and young that a lot of girls started going through their old costumes and giving it to me. I picked up the rest of it as I went.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
Most newbies don't start out at gown clubs, and if they do, most clubs are a bit lenient with newbies and often start them on dayshift to let them work into it, and will also be lenient in the outfit department while making sure they're at least covering the legal necessities. Also most newbies can't walk or dance in 6-inch+ platforms, and most I see start out in $10-20 black chunky heels from Payless. Many even start out in some cheesy $5 lingerie from Wal-Mart or K-Mart. Most clubs will waive the house fee for the first day, so newbies don't even have to worry about that. The thing is, most clubs want to make it as easy as possible for newbies to get started - otherwise they'd be eliminating alot of much desired fresh meat / new house fee payers.
I personally started out at the top gown club in town. To audition, I wore a miniskirt, $20 thong I'd bought at a stripper store down the street, a baby tee shirt and the birkenstock sandals I'd worn on the way in. (I'd already found out they did auditions on a side stage upstairs where customers couldn't see) After they hired me, the housemom told me what kind of outfits I couldn't wear, and that I needed at least 3" heels and a garter. I went right out to Payless and got the black strappy chunky heels on sale for $15, got a garter at the stripper store down the street for $6, and rummaged through my closet to dig out miniskirts and boobsie shirts (as the housemom always called them). I was in New Orleans; I lived uptown and the club was on Bourbon Street, so I had to drive into the Quarter and pay for parking a couple blocks away. I think the parking was $10 plus a couple bucks tip to the valet. I already had a car with gas in it. So my startup out-of-pocket expense was a whopping $53.
Of course, I could have started for less. Could have taken the streetcar down to the Quarter for $2.50 round trip (at that time), which would have lowered my initial expense to $43.50. I had been told I had to have a proper thong to work at that club, so the $20 thong was pretty much a necessity. I am absoultely positive that if I'd started at a different club, I wouldn't have needed that, so my initial cost could have been even less.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
Pardon my humor here… but I just couldn’t resist!!!
Makeup and false eyelashes: $50
Hairspray, bodyspray, lotion and misc beauty aids: $60
Shoes by Pleasers (one white, one black) $150
Three outfits to show off curves; $175
Three Bikinis (I work in a bikini bar) $60
CD’s to burn music onto; $15
Making men’s jaws drop: Priceless…..
However, my initial cost was $120- $75 for shoes, $20 for a bikini and then I found a reasonably priced dress to wear the first couple of shifts I worked.. then I purchased clothing from other dancers who were tired of their stuff and then started from there....
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
I think mine was somewhere around $300 (licenses, outfits, thongs, shoes, tiny purse). Had the makeup from modeling and doing promo appearances for my dot-bomb, lol. I probably could've started for less.
Now if I switched to the gown club here, I'd have to pony up $150-250 in new gowns.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
I paid $55 for a pair of shoes and first shift already had one costume and picked up two more for $25. After that I've kept adding - the most has been $25. I'm gonna start making tube outifts/dresses as soon as I can get to the fabric store for stretchy material.
For each night I pay $15 to dance and anywhere from $0-15 for a transport. I don't have a car, I either take a cab there or get a friend to drive, and usually share a cab back.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
When you start out you don't have to have all the "right" stuff. I shudder now to think of the outfit I auditioned in. But as was said earlier, clubs are often very easy on newbies--there aren't very many ways to "prepare" for the job and so everyone has to learn it as they go. For me it was "buy as you go" as well, I gradually bought the more professional looking stripper "gear" once I started making money.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
I think I invested 500 my first month. 5 new outfits, and some shoes but not all clubs are like mine either..... If I could have gotten away with the 15$$ outfits I would have but I'm glad now because I can travel and have outfits suitable for anywhere. Plus I get sick of my clothes pretty fast so I like to have lots of outfits.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
I get all of my shoes around $20. Take good care of the costumes that I have and have usually bought on sale. My car has good gas mileage and I would be driving to work anyway, no matter what industry it was. I see girls makin money in bra and panty from wal-mart and some buy tons and tons of expensive crap they don't need or don't take care off.
You must consider nails, hair, gym, and tanning. Super expensive and time consuming. But not necessary to make cash or just to start.
I live in Kansas and have got to say it's pretty cheap. But being the girlie girls that most of us are, we spend a lot to look pretty.
No license here.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
i dont quite remember the exact amount but i'm sure it was less than $100
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
How important is it to have a "real" thong when you first audition? I am definately broke and the subway to audition is already going to drain my money! (yes, pathetic) What thongs out of my drawer can I and can't I get away with in the begining?
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
Thongs: Just be sure they're not the g-string kind, ie, the kind that just have a triangle for coverage in front and a string up the back. No see-through. Lined. Well-fitting so it doesn't slide around when you dance. If you have a regular solid-color bikini you can just use that and hike it up like Lilith described to make it look like a thong. That should get you for the first day. After that you should at least have money to buy a proper thong.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
Note: As mentioned, some gals dance in bras. I do myself. However, I recommend that you keep your daily-wear bras seperate from your work-wear bras. It is not sexy to see a dancer in an old, faded bra. Satin demi bras are better than full cup (too prissy and grandma-ish) or lace (doesn't hold up in a like-new state long enough) or cotton (not flashy enough). Be sure to spend good money for something both sexy and durable. Wal-Mart just won't cut it. Have yourself fitted by the shop clerks; a properly fitted demi bra will show oodles of cleavage that you didn't know you had. Lastly, cut the wash instruction tag off.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
I started for $50. not counting gas to the store and the club which were only like 5 miles from my house. The money was for a dress. I borrowed shoes from a friend of mine. I also borrowed some clothes from her. I have never had to have a special licence anywhere. I did once have to get a FL drivers licence but that was only like $20 I think.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
part of the reason i've delayed starting is the expense. i got the city licence a year ago (60 bucks, still good for another year), and if i'd ever been like most women, my expense would've ended there. but until deciding to do this seriously (which i decided this month), i could count on one hand the times i wore full makeup and on both hands the times i wore foundation and/or lipstick. i've never taken care of my nails, am currently wearing my hair natural (which in my case meant getting a wig in a colour similar to my own hair, cost-- 50 bucks), and am pretty clumsy in heels.
i originally posted here thinking i could just jump in this time, but for me it's probably going to be 200 bucks or so, not assigning a value to the time i spend the next couple weeks teaching myself to do all the feminine-wile things i've avoided for 25 years and counting. and when you throw in 100 or 200 bucks to cover the possibility that i might not make a penny the first few days and be paying out house fees, doing this will be a real investment of both time and money for me.
but i'd rather take a few weeks and get myself ready mentally and physically and go in to clubs confident and polished-looking than go in shy and nervous, which is what i did even as recently as when i first posted here a few weeks back.
this is kind of long and digressive, but i post the background to illustrate that it depends on the chick and the area she's choosing to dance in. for me, a tomboy, it'll be expensive (at first) and involve several dozen hours of preparation in addition to the expense. for girlie girls, they already own a lot of the relevant stuff and feel more comfortable all dolled up and flirting.
i don't know, i'd rather spend a few extra bucks upfront and come in looking extremely attractive and also able to do some basic lap dancing moves and pole tricks than try to learn on the job right off. if i feel awkward, i look tense and frightened, and that's not going to earn me any money dancing naked. so i'm taking the next few weeks to crashcourse myself in dancing naked and if i'm overprepared, oh darn.
so anyway, the point of all this is that it's sometimes pricey, sometimes not, depending on circumstance.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lilith link=board=27;threadid=6842;start=msg77049#msg7704 9 date=1077590352
Lastly, cut the wash instruction tag off.
ESPECIALLY if you work in a club with a blacklight. I learned this the hard way.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
$43.99 for shoes, $19 for outfit, $3.50 garter $11.99 for thong. Once I started I realized the only things needed were thong and shoes, I could have covered the rest with cute nighties and slutty bras my guy liked which I'd already had.
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Re:What is the intiial investment in $ to be a dancer?
I noticed that even Victoria Secret has things you could wear in the club now - kind of dancer-like. But I didn't spend very much to start. I notice a lot of new girls go crazy with bunches of different outfits. I really don't think it's necessary. I think money is better spent (once you have the right g-string and one pair of real dancer shoes) on good make-up and a great haircut and a gym membership. Cute outfits are nice to set yourself apart, but I think it's what's beneath that makes you the real cash.
By the way, when I started I wore these goofy high-heals I already owned just b/c I didn't know any better. But I worked in these for 3 months! Eventually for my birthday another dancer got me a pair of real dancer shoes (kind of like "hint-hint"). Every birthday since I remember that and am so grateful - I was really chicken when it came to those glassy platforms.