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Adult Entertainment Website

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

jick5555

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This thread will be my first progression thread on my first proper idea, any criticism is greatly encouraged and will be professionally consumed, tips such as book recommendations would also be massively appreciated.​

Idea: To create an Adult Entertainment Website that will greatly increase the end users experience as a result of the niche features that the website beholds, my close friend that has been seemingly unbiased in the past also thinks that this could be a great idea that can help alot of people. It's said that this past year 91,980,225,000 videos were viewed on a single site: To me, this sounds like there are extremely large masses of people that need or could benefit from the help I intend to provide.

Anticipated Requirments:
Time
✱ User-Interactive Website Features
✱ Books
✱ Research
✱ Domain
✱ Copyrightwork.
✱ Put time into researching successes of the adult entertainment industry
✱ Good Knowledge on SEO, AdWords, Advertisements
✱ Decision on Type of Ownership
✱ Officially Signing .gov Documentation to Initialize the Business

Important Decisions:
In my present state the primary choice I was faced with is whether...
You have most likely seen the following debate number of times on TFLF but it's necessary for me to mention as its a big decision in the start of something great *what this thread is all about.

I Should Learn to Enhance my HTML & CSS Ability Over Time?
Would be able to create the website exactly how I want it, without the initial capital, dispersing equity or surrendering an ugly percentage of company profits.
✱ These skills would be valuable when negotiating deals w/ freelancers in the future when I have the income to accommodate this option.
✱ Once I have honed my HTML & CSS skills it will open many doors for me in regards to what I can move onto next, whether that be new features to the site, possible freelance work to increase cash flow, subsequently this will mean that I will be able to increase expenditure in precise areas of the business which allows for this idea of rapid growth such as advertisement or a small number of developers.

✱ Time spent on learning code could be spent on other aspects of the business that are arguably just as or more important than gaining a good knowledge of how to code.
✱ Could take longer than most as I fear that my forgetfulness and poor memory will prohibit me from learning at the steady pace required to make quick but well thought out advancements in the early stages.

Or ...
Work a Weekend Job in Order to Afford for Developers to Work with me on the Website? since you're not allowed to have a full-time job whilst you're a student at Sixth Form.
Time can be spent elsewhere in the business whilst one of your main struggles is being tended to.
Money earned working would also be used to facilitate the rest of my requirements over time such as Books, Domain Name, Legal.

✱ Combining the long hours of school, work both uncontrolled environments could have effects on my stress levels and may be all too much.
✱ Potentially harmful on my grades
Potentially harmful on negotiations w/ freelancers regarding future developments of the site, due to inferior knowledge. E.g. Unclear Objectives, Very low value for money transactions between freelancer and temporary employer.
No experience in negotiating even with research will most likely not go smoothly, but could still work.

Answer: Enhance my HTML & CSS Ability Over Time! I understand that I will be missing out on the time I could be spending elsewhere but at the expense of keeping the company mine for now, allowing for negotiation skills that will be key further down the line of the businesses affairs once growth has shown its head, allowing for me to keep stress levels to a minimum regarding my current situation w/ education why I left my last job when I was in year 11 (USA: Grade 10) is fine for me. And besides, I will still ensure that I use at least some time to gain information m going to seriously need about other key areas of the business such as Marketing, Sales, and Advertisement.

Current Processes I am undertaking to Succeed:
Made a small start on HTML & CSS due to the uncertainty of what route I would go down to actually develop my website for my idea courtesy of Codeacademy.com.
Researched what type of ownership the companies behind the big sites are that would be similar to mine upon completion of the webpage, a large number of them are privately held.
✱ I am aware that this is a minor process but I have taken a quick look at domain name prices of NameCheap.com as recommended on a thread I previously found on TFLF as I had no understanding or grasp of how much it would set me back, from my time on NameCheap.com I have found that on average domain prices are roughly £5-7 and can go up to literally £65,000! These figures were established in a phone conversation between me and one of the friendly domain brokers from the agency hired by the original owner of the page. I do feel that this process that I undertook was a slight waste of my time.
✱ I have looked into the Princes Trust a government run charity set up to help young individuals in many areas: I heard they have a grant scheme for young people trying to start up a business in the UK so I took it upon myself to look into the requirements and I couldn't help but feeling that the industry I am looking to operate in wouldn't be accepted as they are most probably looking for more 'clean' businesses with ethical images and what not, however, I may be wrong about this prediction and will look into this procedure once I turn 18 which is another requirement I cannot satisfy at this moment in time.
✱ This is more of an indirect procedure to helping start my business but I have consumed a small number of posts from TFLF courtesy of the Tapatalk app and have seen some failures others have made, the successes etc. alot of this information I honestly can't completely recall despite this I do seriously intend to keep at it in regards to browsing TFLF, its wonderful community and all of its Gold/Notable threads.
✱ I have cleared my phone and computer of things that are of no use to me and gets you hooked for prolonged and unnecessary amounts of time not specifically for this but just to allow my day to run smoother. Procrastinating used to be a serial bad habbit of mine but as I have matured and changed my mindset I find it harder and harder to invest time into processes that dont equate to my ambitions an dreams.
✱ Research has also gone into Copyright, back and forth emails to the .gov information line. I think I have a basic knowledge of what I want to copyright for my brand! But once again I feel that my time would be better spent elsewhere at the moment as I believe am far from the stage that I need to protect my work.
✱ I did a bit more thinking ahead and thought of forms of Cybersecurity to protect the site. CloudFlare came to mind as a result of their company name being displayed before my eyes on so many different occasions for so many different websites whilst surfing the web in the past. The 'Business Package' they offer is currently around 200 USD p/m. Yet again this topic doesn't quite concern me just yet as a working site is far from completion at this present moment in time.

Note: This list of Undertaken Procedures is ongoing along w/ replying to participants to this thread as time goes on

If you have made it to the conclusion I would like to say thanks for the small interest and hopefully, support you have shown in this thread.
 
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jfny

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As a software engineer, I will tell you that learning HTML and CSS isn't going to help you anywhere near as much as you'd think. I do think proficiency in them is a wonderful tool to have at your disposal but for what you are trying to create, their benefit will be minuscule at best. Let's say you do learn HTML and CSS, okay so now you know how to make your website look nice and pretty which is great, however, that's not what you're talking about. You're talking about adding functionality to your website. 99% of the features you would be looking to implement in a website like this are not written in either HTML or CSS. They are written in languages such as JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, etc.. A person can learn HTML and CSS in a few days. These other languages (the ones that actually matter) will take much longer to become fluent in. I'd still recommend you learning them, I just want to set realistic expectations for you. Aside from that, I wouldn't recommend your first startup attempt being an adult film website, but that's your call. Should you decide to go for it anyways, outsourcing would obviously be faster (and more expensive) but I would still recommend learning to program it yourself. The chances of succeeding at something like this being that you seem new to the idea are slim. However, the knowledge you would gain by attempting it yourself will benefit you for years to come.
 
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jick5555

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I appreciate your honesty, as you have pointed out I do clearly have a lot to learn in both in the industry I'm going into and the wide array of languages I am going to need on my journey. Can you disclose why you feel that the chances are slim? Aside from the fact I have minimal experience there is a large audience *see 'idea:'*, since my website idea offers very different features from what's commonly available, it causes me to think that once the website gains traction there is a high chance a market giant such as Mindgeek.com would like to buy the company to add to their large portfolio of successful websites in the Adult Entertainment Industry.
 
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jick5555

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Have done no coding today, will start after this post, however I did do some more reading of TFLF. Went to a university open day also went to the gym. Just as a recap: HTML & CSS then will progress onto other languages over the next year thanks to jfny
 
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Hyrum

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Detailed post, but so far you haven't mentioned what value you're going to provide to your potential customers. Just because the market is large doesn't mean you're going to get a slice just by throwing something together. Why would people choose your site versus some of the other, considerably more established content aggregators? What features are currently lacking on your competitors sites that you seem to think people want? Unless you're talking about original content creation, I agree that your chances of success are slim because theres no value creation here.
 

jick5555

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The reason why I haven't mentioned in detail what value I will create for the average viewer is that I wouldn't want my idea to be out there for anyone to take. The value that I will create is essentially to streamline the video searching process by greatly reducing the time it will take for them to find a video that will satisfy their specific needs and desires that they want out of the video they would be searching for. Furthermore, the end user will find if the site is well executed that they have never experienced such a slick, engaging and interactive experience whilst watching adult entertainment before. To put it simply: Value in this scenario = Less Time Spent, More time for the users to spend elsewhere + More satisfaction gained from what they are watching. You will just have to trust me when I say what I am planning to develop has never been done before. As I have previously mentioned I do feel that my experience is lacklustre but I CAN NOT let that stop me from taking action on this idea. Let us hope that I haven't disclosed too much information to get my idea stolen haha.

These outsider opinions are exactly what I need to combat the possibility of Tunnel Vision and to challenge my thinking and anticipate flaws in the present and the future, much appreciated.
 

Choate

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I think there is a lot of action faking going on and you should re-evaluate your approach.

I build and sell websites and have no knowledge of HTML/CSS or any of those languages. You can buy hosting + a domain for $100 a year and start by tackling the problem in front of you, one step at a time. Your end customer doesn't care what languages you know, how old you are, or if you did coding today or not. They just care about the value you can provide to them, not how you get there.
 
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MoreVolume

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You don't seem like someone that's worth taking seriously, and I say that respectively

I ran an adult website back in college, and my current business goes hand and hand with the porn industry.
You're focusing on things that aren't going to bring you any money. Your posts were kind of frustrating to read.
You can make a website, and it can be as pretty and complex as can be. That has nothing to do with generating $.

If you don't understand the world of porn/kink/pervetry, then you're just diving into waters that you won't be able to swim in.

Ive ran across plenty of people like you in real life and online. You see how lucrative the porn world is, and think that you will succeed just b/c you have the means to jump into the circle. You'll spend your time and money to build your site, but after a year or two you'll realize that you've made no money. You'll ultimately cut your losses and let your domain expire, realizing that you never set up a way to make any money.
 

jon.a

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Don't bring him down, I was going to volunteer to be a beta tester.

You don't seem like someone that's worth taking seriously, and I say that respectively

I ran an adult website back in college, and my current business goes hand and hand with the porn industry.
You're focusing on things that aren't going to bring you any money. Your posts were kind of frustrating to read.
You can make a website, and it can be as pretty and complex as can be. That has nothing to do with generating $.

If you don't understand the world of porn/kink/pervetry, then you're just diving into waters that you won't be able to swim in.

Ive ran across plenty of people like you in real life and online. You see how lucrative the porn world is, and think that you will succeed just b/c you have the means to jump into the circle. You'll spend your time and money to build your site, but after a year or two you'll realize that you've made no money. You'll ultimately cut your losses and let your domain expire, realizing that you never set up a way to make any money.
 

MoreVolume

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Don't bring him down, I was going to volunteer to be a beta tester.
Bringing him down? lol
He's about to go down the same path that 99% of the adult industry newbies go down, and it only leads to failure. I've seen it time and time again
As harsh as it sounds, hes basically just wasting his time right now.
I'd rather save someone from wasting time, than encourage them to travel down a beaten path. What's the point of being a beta tester if he won't be around in a year? You will have provided no type of value.

Getting into the adult industry with no knowledge of how the game is played will only lead to failure. Thats a guarantee.

OP, if you're serious about this then send me a PM. This is a business world that most aren't built for. Positive reinforcement will get you nowhere, if you don't know what you're doing.
 
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jick5555

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I think there is a lot of action faking going on and you should re-evaluate your approach.

I build and sell websites and have no knowledge of HTML/CSS or any of those languages. You can buy hosting + a domain for $100 a year and start by tackling the problem in front of you, one step at a time. Your end customer doesn't care what languages you know, how old you are, or if you did coding today or not. They just care about the value you can provide to them, not how you get there.

I am aware that the end customer doesn't care what I've done to provide them with the service, why should they?
 

AgainstAllOdds

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Have done no coding today, will start after this post, however I did do some more reading of TFLF. Went to a university open day also went to the gym. Just as a recap: HTML & CSS then will progress onto other languages over the next year thanks to jfny

Posts like this are action faking.

Don't post updates unless you've actually done something. Otherwise you're setting yourself up for a thread like this: Notable! - Fear and Action-Faking in Entrepreneurship-- a 19 year old's guide to askholing..

If you make progress, great, make a post. If you have a question, make a post.

But if you don't have a question or progress then don't post. Feel bad about not taking action and then take some action.
 
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jick5555

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Posts like this are action faking.

Don't post updates unless you've actually done something. Otherwise you're setting yourself up for a thread like this: Notable! - Fear and Action-Faking in Entrepreneurship-- a 19 year old's guide to askholing..

If you make progress, great, make a post. If you have a question, make a post.

But if you don't have a question or progress then don't post. Feel bad about not taking action and then take some action.

I see. Thank you. I just thought as learning the coding skills would take a while so my posts on this thread would be very distanced in time, I guess I was just too excited and now know to only post something worth showcasing.
 

jick5555

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Here are some of the insights that @MoreVolume has provided me within a private conversation we had. He mentioned that it might be a good idea to share what was said to other Fastlane Forum members who could potentially find great value in what was said. Once again props to Volume as he has experience and confident knowledge of the industry could have stayed silent and observed others fail but he has chosen to insert his honest opinions.

Traffic means nothing. It's porn. Of course, you'll get hits. But 70% of dudes out there have multiple sources for porn. You will just be one of many. There are sites that get tons of hits every day, but the owners don't make any money. Porn included.

Valuable information to me, I was under the belief that Hits = Money

You can't put time into researching the porn industry. It's extremely deep. You're dealing in an industry that is filled with broken spirits, perverts, and criminals. You're tapping into an unconventional part of the human psyche. The answers that you're looking for are not in a book, and the people that you need to talk to, just aren't going to talk to anyone.

More new information to me, I had no idea that a lot of things go on behind closed doors. Considering I had done little research of the industry at the time as I was learning HTML, I would have hit a research wall so to speak when I actually came to it.

Because you'll literally be one of about a hundred guys that pop up every month. You're going up against companies with budgets in the millions of dollars, and your methods of advertising will be no different from anyone else. This is coming from someone who uses the porn world to advertise.

The idea of going against companies with millions of dollars who don't currently have implemented what I dream to implement is what enticed me to partake in this venture, as in my mind if I somehow get a little exposure and momentum these market giants would notice the threat being me and either forcefully buy me out. But after getting this reality check I know see that even if they did somehow find out what I was doing they would simply just implement it to their own sites and most likely have a better version of it as they have far more to invest in a team of superstar coders.

Yes there are ways, but that doesn't mean people will actually pay. Ads don't pay jack shit, and getting a click conversion is rare. When I was your age when I used to believe in getting paid by ads. It's a joke lol. You might make like $20 over the span of a year. Membership/subscription is great, but you're going to have to have content that people want. Most dudes can get what they want for free, and nearly every niche is oversaturated at this point in the game. Pornhub, Xhamster (both companies operating in the 10s of millions of dollars), xvideos and a few other sites have the Content Promotion game sewed up. You can forget about being an option.

Again big eye opener. This is good. I share the same areas of Volumes mindset when he was my age: I thought ads = one of the main sources of income from a site. The membership subscription I thought would work as I would be doing something different to the large competitors, but I'm starting to see that I wouldn't really be able to advertise it well enough to even get to that stage.

All this HTML/CSS/Webpage stuff is a waste of time. If it came down to it, you could save up about $200 and find some guy on Fiverr to handle the technical stuff. Wasting time = wasting money. Wasting money = missing opportunities.

When it's put like this outsourcing does sound like a more effective option. This is useful information for future ventures. All I would have to do is work a job which I have tried many times over this summer to get (7 interviews, 50 Physical CV's handed out, 100s of online applications submitted) Once I eventually obtain another job I will save and invest into the next idea I have of course with a safe amount of research behind it.

The porn world is extremely profitable, as it will always be around. The only thing is, most people don't know how to position themselves to profit from it. Just b/c you're involved doesn't mean you will reap the benefits.

My thoughts were that I would be involved by doing something differently to the big sites not being involved just making a bog standard tube site essentially a shitty version of whats already available not doing anything different and then expecting to reap some sort of benefit.

Fun fact. There are porn sites out there right now that only make enough money to stay up and running. Some lose money every month LOL. There are porn stars out there who are literally living like slaves. They don't control their income, and most of their time is spent working (on and off set...) and making appearances. Very few people make real money. It's kind of sad

Do you think the struggling sites you're referring to are just generic, inferior clones or actually trying to change a defect of the big sites? If the case is these guys that pop up every month are trying to develop user experience and provide value then I will have no more doubts that it's a near impossible task to excel in the adult entertainment industry. I was aware of porn starts living with such poor qualities of lives before I started this venture, It was in my plans to possibly implement some sort of ethical advertising campaign to help those deeply affected by the porn industry whilst gain the brand an ethical brand image and corporate profile.


If I were you, id think about getting involved in something that ads value to the sexual experience. Sex toys, condoms, dvds. Something that's tangible.
I started my supplement company in February. I sell pills that increase orgasm power/duration. I'm almost at $70k in revenue, and I've formed connections with a few people in the porn industry. If you can find the right lane, you can really eat. But making a website is not the way to go.

This is arguably the most valuable part of the conversation in my opinion, as MoreVolume gives his advice regarding where to move onto next from the debunked idea. The value I was planning to add to the average porn watcher was to streamline the process of watching porn and essentially saving them time so that they can spend this time elsewhere instead of spending up to an hour in some cases surfing through many videos in one sitting just to be fully satisfied. Instead, creating tangible value was suggested which isn't bad advice considering that it most likely has fewer variables opposing you if you genuinely have a good idea, however, I can't help but think that whatever industry I decide to start something in will have issues and problems that limit my chances of success, for example would it be the case that If I made another thread like this but for the fishing industry what goes to say that another 'MoreVolume' figuratively speaking wouldn't voice his opinions that direct me to leave the fishing industry because of X, Y, and Z.

You can post my reply in your thread if you want. It will probably help some other people as well.

Thanks, MoreVolume you have helped me and possibly many others who will attempt to go down this path in the future. I was very eager to start something still am even if it did end in a failure it would have been my first real experience of owning a business. In my head this idea sounded like it had massive potential, as you have made clear have a lot to learn, I guess I hope the next industry I go into doesn't have as many opposing forces, factors, and variables?



 
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jick5555

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Progression Thread Closed Until Further Notice

I feel like I may be abandoning ship a tad too soon without physically proving anything to myself, seemingly a move of cowardice, however, whats been said is a strong sign that it wouldn't be a smart move as suggested by someone with prior experience and proven success in and around the adult entertainment industry. A part of me doesn't want to give this up I may return to this idea sooner or later who knows.
 
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