Adult Webmastering 101: Remembering The Business Of The Adult Business
This is the latest offering in my Adult Webmastering 101 series of articles. As always, more articles and tips aimed at new webmasters can be found on my blog which is available in the resources section of the Max Cash affiliate area.
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The adult webmaster business may feel like a business like no other but it is still very much a business and that is something that a lot of new (and frankly more established) adult webmasters tend to forget. However, I have found that it makes for much smoother sailing on a number of different levels if you keep the business aspect of the adult industry at the foremost of your mind.
Here are just a few things that new webmasters can keep in mind when trying to approaching their work in the adult industry as a business:
Keep Records
If there is one thing that has come from the 2257 chaos of the last few years it has woken a lot of people up to the importance of keeping business records in this industry. However, the benefits of record keeping for 'regular' webmasters isn't just limited to those relating to content.
One of the areas that a number of new webmasters neglect when they first come into the industry is book keeping and accounts. This is probably because a lot of people 'stumble' into the industry and treat it more as a hobby than as a long term business. However, that can be a self fulling prophecy because if you don't start off by doing proper book keeping and accounting then it can be very easy to lose track of your spending and therefore cripple your profit.
Regardless of the tax keeping requirements in your individual country you should always keep a track of what checks or virtual payments that are coming into you from sponsors. Firstly, this will make it easier to notice is a payment is overly late in arriving but it also allows you to keep an easy to follow guide of what each sponsor is earning for you.
While you are at it, make sure you also record your outgoing costs. When you are first starting out if can be true that you have to spend more than you are initially earning in order to get your first lot of domains, content, hosting, etc. However, it can be really easy to just spend a little bit here and little bit there without full understanding how much you are spending versus what you are earning. So, if you keep records of every expenditure - ie hosting payments, domain registrations, content purchases, keyword and traffic purchases, etc - then you will be better able to quickly catch when the gap between your earnings and spending is getting too big.
Keep A Schedule
A good number of us were attracted to the adult industry because of the flexibility that comes with working from home and for ourselves. A good number may well argue that they don't need to keep a schedule but I find that when you are a new webmaster that it is a good time to set yourself a clear work schedule and try to stick with it.
Of course, you don't have to work 9 to 5 as you would in a 'regular' job. You can work the schedule around your own best working hours but it is a good idea to say to yourself, 'I will work between this hour and this hour every day' or 'I will work on these days of the week - every week'. Not only does this work to focus your efforts but it makes it easier to try to work the rest of life around you. Most of us are workaholics that would be glued to our sites if we had the choice but it is important to come up for air now and then.
Keep Your Professionalism
Adult industry message boards are a good way to network with other members of the adult industry and they can be very helpful. However, they can also be extremely relaxed in nature. While that can lead to a lot of fun it can also allow people to forget that they are still in a business environment. Whenever you are tempted to get into a slinging match on the boards just step back for a second and remind yourself that these are your business contacts and potential clients. There is nothing at all wrong with having fun and making friends in a relaxing environment but try to keep your professionalism about you and you aren't likely to regret it.
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The adult webmaster business may feel like a business like no other but it is still very much a business and that is something that a lot of new (and frankly more established) adult webmasters tend to forget. However, I have found that it makes for much smoother sailing on a number of different levels if you keep the business aspect of the adult industry at the foremost of your mind.
Here are just a few things that new webmasters can keep in mind when trying to approaching their work in the adult industry as a business:
Keep Records
If there is one thing that has come from the 2257 chaos of the last few years it has woken a lot of people up to the importance of keeping business records in this industry. However, the benefits of record keeping for 'regular' webmasters isn't just limited to those relating to content.
One of the areas that a number of new webmasters neglect when they first come into the industry is book keeping and accounts. This is probably because a lot of people 'stumble' into the industry and treat it more as a hobby than as a long term business. However, that can be a self fulling prophecy because if you don't start off by doing proper book keeping and accounting then it can be very easy to lose track of your spending and therefore cripple your profit.
Regardless of the tax keeping requirements in your individual country you should always keep a track of what checks or virtual payments that are coming into you from sponsors. Firstly, this will make it easier to notice is a payment is overly late in arriving but it also allows you to keep an easy to follow guide of what each sponsor is earning for you.
While you are at it, make sure you also record your outgoing costs. When you are first starting out if can be true that you have to spend more than you are initially earning in order to get your first lot of domains, content, hosting, etc. However, it can be really easy to just spend a little bit here and little bit there without full understanding how much you are spending versus what you are earning. So, if you keep records of every expenditure - ie hosting payments, domain registrations, content purchases, keyword and traffic purchases, etc - then you will be better able to quickly catch when the gap between your earnings and spending is getting too big.
Keep A Schedule
A good number of us were attracted to the adult industry because of the flexibility that comes with working from home and for ourselves. A good number may well argue that they don't need to keep a schedule but I find that when you are a new webmaster that it is a good time to set yourself a clear work schedule and try to stick with it.
Of course, you don't have to work 9 to 5 as you would in a 'regular' job. You can work the schedule around your own best working hours but it is a good idea to say to yourself, 'I will work between this hour and this hour every day' or 'I will work on these days of the week - every week'. Not only does this work to focus your efforts but it makes it easier to try to work the rest of life around you. Most of us are workaholics that would be glued to our sites if we had the choice but it is important to come up for air now and then.
Keep Your Professionalism
Adult industry message boards are a good way to network with other members of the adult industry and they can be very helpful. However, they can also be extremely relaxed in nature. While that can lead to a lot of fun it can also allow people to forget that they are still in a business environment. Whenever you are tempted to get into a slinging match on the boards just step back for a second and remind yourself that these are your business contacts and potential clients. There is nothing at all wrong with having fun and making friends in a relaxing environment but try to keep your professionalism about you and you aren't likely to regret it.
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