Getting back into escorting - how much can I earn?

[xtqlbz]

I was a fairly popular escort based in San Francisco, but I've been out of the industry for the past few years. I'm considering getting back into it full-time and am trying to understand what the market looks like today. I realize earnings can vary significantly depending on factors like rates, marketing, clientele, and hours worked, but what might a reasonably successful independent provider realistically expect to net per year in the current environment? 

Is $200K per year attainable? 

[Decatur Guy]

You could get around $180k a year with one client a day for two hours at $600 or two clients at $300 each, working 300 days a year. 

[la_connor]

If there's a steady demand for your services, yes. Big if.

I've seen some very hot guys fizzle and give up. That can be brutal on your self-esteem. 

[+ Pensant]

In my experience, $200k is a stretch unless you’re a super-star with a high-roller clientele. That said, back in 2006-8 I regularly saw a UCLA student who was very much in demand at the time and he earned around $150k, around $248k today! You could say he was addicting! He went on to earn an MBA at a top-tier school. I even had him and his bf over for sessions. Those were the days. Hell, he even introduced me to his mom!

[+ PhileasFogg]

I think it’s attainable with travel, but you have to factor expenses into it.

One guy I was regular with asserted he made 200k/yr (I was 1/4 of that) but it became obvious over time that expenses consumed 1/2 to 2/3 of that and that I was his only regular source of consistent income. 

[Becket]

13 hours ago, xtqlbz said:

I was a fairly popular escort based in San Francisco, but I've been out of the industry for the past few years. I'm considering getting back into it full-time and am trying to understand what the market looks like today. I realize earnings can vary significantly depending on factors like rates, marketing, clientele, and hours worked, but what might a reasonably successful independent provider realistically expect to net per year in the current environment? 

Is $200K per year attainable? 

If you have escorted before you probably know most of this stuff:

 

Guys who make that sort of money work their tails off. Lots of things that successful guys have to do on a regular basis may seem mundane, tedious, and unnecessary to the provider. These things often do not immediately pay off, and they take up a lot of your time. Some of these might be:

1. Polite and timely communication with a client or potential client. Do you respond to texts or emails in a timely manner, and with courtesy and friendliness, regardless of how the client may be communicating with you?

2. Being the highest priced guy in your market. Every time I see an ad with the phrase (and similar) "Upscale clients only," it makes me cringe.

3. Advertise. A lot. Get your name, FACE, and best characteristics on as many platforms you can find.

3.  Get used to the fact that you are going to be criticized; often times unjustly. You are providing a fantasy experience. No matter how hard you try, there will be some who will take potshots against you because the experience did not meet the clients expectation of the fantasy. 

4.  Clients will cancel on you. A lot. Clients will schedule a time and then back out. There are a hundred reasons why a client might cancel. Ran out of money; got too nervous to go through with the appointment; something came up; client decided he really wasn't up for a session at the last minute. And on and  on.

Much of this you probably already know. In answer to your actual question, "what might a reasonably successful independent provider realistically expect to net per year in the current environment? If you work all the time and dedicate yourself to (within reason) the old saying "The customer is always right," an income of high five figures or low six figure income is not totally out of the question. Unfortunately:

1.  The economy is a mess right now. Many clients are hiring less frequently  than they used to. Which for many of us creates fewer discretionary dollars.

2.  You are older now than you used to be. Experience is a great thing to have. I bet you're heavenly in bed. But many guys prefer than young dude, who, in my experience, often disappoints in the sack due to the lack of said experience. 

3.  If you will travel for work your expenses wiil eat you alive. Hard to believe how expensive everything is now.

4. Broadly and generally speaking, people are pissed off these days. Lots of reasons why; we all know them. I think it's harder now than it was ten years ago to create the fantasy potential clients are looking for. 

Anyway these are the things which popped into my brain then out onto this page at the beginning of another lovely day in Dallas. I'm sure other clients, wiser and more experienced than am I, can give you better feedback. But the subject was interesting. Thanks for posing the question and Good Luck.

[maninsoma]

I'm guessing that the providers who post here aren't too motivated to share on a public forum exactly how much they make -- or maybe even give a ballpark figure.  I could be wrong since I'm not a provider but I don't think it's possible to make a good living as an escort unless you develop a good reputation (so people are drawn to you beyond whatever ads you run) and treat clients well enough that many of them want to see you repeatedly.  Decatur Guy mentioned above the math for making $180K/year -- 2 hours per day at $300/hour, 300 days/year.  If you don't have people hiring you regularly, how would any escort attract 300 different clients every year for two hour appointments (or 600 if they only hire you for an hour)?  Even in a city with a large gay male population, it isn't like every one of them is hiring escorts.  All of the other work surrounding meeting one client also takes time, so even if one is drawn to the idea of having sex with a few hundred different men every year it's going to take a lot of work to reach that level of business and maintain it.

[+ PhileasFogg]

1 hour ago, maninsoma said:

If you don't have people hiring you regularly, how would any escort attract 300 different clients every year for two hour appointments

I think that anyone would point out that they have to have a handful of regulars who cover the fixed bills, then everything else is profit 

Edited 1 hour ago by PhileasFogg

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

1 hour ago, PhileasFogg said:

I think that anyone would point out that they have to have a handful of regulars who cover the fixed bills, then everything else is profit 

Remember the 80/20 rule for sustainability.  80% of the income should come from 20% of the customers.  Find a few regular clients and focus on retaining each of them for repeat frequent visits, instead of chasing a new client every day.

The same ratio is found in nature.  On peas, 20% of the pods produce 80% of the peas 🫛 

In a business, 20% of the employees perform 80% of the work.  Hang on to those 20% employees!

At a charity, 20% of the donors make up 80% of the donations.  Maintain good relationships with those 20%.

Edited 15 minutes ago by Vegas_Millennial

[+ Jamie21]

My regulars are roughly 45% of my business. Regular is defined as anyone who has been back more than twice. It takes a while to build up a regular clientele but it’s true, they are very important! 

[jeezifonly]

A few questions:

When you pressed pause on Providing, what was the reason? Has it been resolved? 

In the time since, did your income derive from somewhere in the service industry - hospitality, restaurant, retail, maybe? Or did you deliberately avoid service jobs?

What have you missed about Providing Service, enough to consider returning? If you've really missed the human MM connection unique to providing SW service, and focus on that, you'll probably reignite a good reputation - which is the hardest part. 
If the reason you paused is resolved, you've kept in touch with customer service somehow, and you are ready to offer the kind of connection you've missed, you'll be able to capitalize on your maturity and do as well as you can in the market as it exists now. Can the work you've been doing overlap with re-entry into the biz? A presence on OF/JFF or other SM will likely be an important tool, and for some, it can feel a little too exposed in real life. Good luck! 🍀