What does it take financially to be a provider?

Ms Shea & Ms Foster, ya'll know i love and respect ya BOTH, and yes this is just discussing in general terms and not aimed at ANYONE

Ya'll made very valid points that i was not thinking of at the time i typed that last post, and i seen this thread going in a direction that made me think hey: i got some of those SAME expenses. IMHO, it would be great and educational for hobbyists if we can talk about the DIFFERENCES as Ms Shea & Ms Foster have above. Thank you ladies for keeping me on track.

Muahhhh,
CG

PS: That explains why Some Providers take a part time or full time job during the week and Provide on weekends. To get the benifits that an employer provides like Medical & Dental, and dollars they can DEPEND on.

Really? You may think so but it seems a huge portion of the general male membership believe the ladies don't have these same expenses like other people. So, yes, it has to be broken down for the ones who fall into the ignorant masses.
Originally Posted by Shea Veile

Really, I have never heard a guy say anything to indicate he didn't think ladies ate or had any of the normal expenses of just living. His point is correct: when discussing the costs of any business most people would not include expenses they would have whether or not they worked.

That said, I can't figure out why guys want to know so much about the money ladies make and spend. I wonder how many guys ask their doctor, lawyer, dentist or butcher these kinds of things.

I hate these types of threads and the break downs of our exspenses.... Honestly who gives a damn.... That is personal information as your monthly gross is personal.. would you guys like to share with us what you make a month and how you spend it and we will do a break down on yours.... So the next time some of you guys try to barter with a lady we can say seriously, you make $$$$$$$ a month and you want me to give you a special... either way its no one business what anyone makes or how they spend it or what they spend it on...

Besides every woman's circumstances are different..... Originally Posted by fawn

I'm with Fawn on this one. All the questions on how we spend our money or our time and why we do what we do is unimportant to you unless you're volunteering to be personal assistants or thinking about pimping a couple of girls, or collecting data for a study. None of this is any client's business. It should be apparent that no business runs for free, especially ours. Our toll is not only a financial one, or on our time, but an emotional one. These "now I get it! It's like a real business, with real people and everything!" threads don't really deserve a response from a lady. It's like discussing your barber's or your waitress's income and how they spend their money with them. Pretty sure they wouldn't want to discuss that with you, and you wouldn't ask them how much they make. You get a little of the top, eat the pie, pay the bill and tip according to the service you get, and leave. I'm trying to figure out how that courtesy is lost in this industry. Now I guess someone's gonna ask about how we keep our cooties from being sore next.

And threads like this aren't supposed to give one a 'new-found respect' for providers. The fact that we make ourselves available to you, regardless of our own issues and feelings should give you respect enough.

And threads like this aren't supposed to give one a 'new-found respect' for providers. The fact that we make ourselves available to you, regardless of our own issues and feelings should give you respect enough. Originally Posted by Tiffani Jameson

Damn that sounds very bitter Tiffani Jameson, last i checked this was a discussion board and this is not the FIRST thread about this subject and won't be the last. If you don't have anything to ADD or nice to say, why even respond? Respect is earned and not just because you make yourself available. Using a very well respected provider/mod's quote as your starting RANT don't give you the right to say negative stuff. Hope your not looking for compensation for the TIME it took to write that lol

CG

There are so many variables that tie into finances and relate to the hobby. It's almost too much to really get into any of it. Everyone's views and circumstances will be different.

I don't mind talking about subjects but discussing finances kinda remind me of debates about politics and religion. Not much good can come from them unless everyone can be nice and understanding without passing judgment or getting nasty.

Btw, I think we've been very good so far! Yay!

Fawn you said it.....What about the time we will never get back reading this...Lol

Amazing breakdown. A real eyeopener.
I see a young lady who brings me a cup of her own coffee to our session because I once told her how much i liked it when I tried hers once.
There are lots of big and little touches that can make a session memorable.
Cheers to you special ladies who go the extra mile!!

I think our frustration is when certain guys say, "who else do you know makes $$$ an hour?" My whole point was, yeah I might charge that much an hour....
I think we just want to feel like we are appreciated..the same way we show you guys appreciation for choosing us to spend time with.

Disclaimer: CG, this all was a general statement and not aimed at you.. You know I luv ya!! Originally Posted by Reese Foster

Reese do you really want to see a hobbiest who makes that statement
I see where fawn and tiffani are coming from, however this is a discussion forum. There are somethings i was not aware of but it's not going to make me pay more. If a provider is not charging enough to make a profit, then that is on the provider

Marla thanks for acknowledging those who own their own business like myself and understanding the issues involved

What about the time we will never get back reading this...Lol Originally Posted by Tabitha Love

ditto....

Reese do you really want to see a hobbiest who makes that statement Originally Posted by Thatdude

Hell no..... I want to see guys that respect me and like me and think that I am worth their time. I was just saying that it frustrates me that people say things like that.

I would say that the main difference is that unless the hobbyist is a business owner himself he has no idea what it feels like to pour well over half of your gross income into things like maintaining an office, electricity, water, computer, phones, supplies, etc, all of which are for the sole purpose of the business.

Yes all the ladies do have REGULAR expenses, for example my rent where I live is never going to go away, but who amongst the hobbyists maintains a fully stocked incall just for shits and grins? So, you cannot LUMP that together as a regular expense like suggested. Same goes for supplies that we would not use at home. Since Traci is traveling she has expenses that most business travelers do not have because their company pays for things like flights, hotel rooms, and rental cars.

Another difference is that rain or shine, unless you get yourself fired or your company goes under, you as a hobbyist will always have a set income coming in that you can DEPEND on. You do not have to take off one week per month due to aunt flo. We don't, "get to," we HAVE to. Big difference. It's not like a paid vacation! We have to work that much harder the other 3 weeks in order to survive the week that we can't work.

Traci, I like how you also break down how much time you are spending as a provider along with the monetary break down. I think it helps the hobbyists to understand that we do work close to 8 hours per day. When you divide the time actually spent doing provider related things by the net income you really get a much more accurate idea of what providers are making.

I am curious why anyone would jump onto this thread and try to minimalize or explain away how much it costs to be a quality provider. Originally Posted by Marla

Marla, that may be true but, I think anyone who works does not like to see their gross wages going away. Someone who works for an employer receives their paycheck with a list of deductions that the self employed do not have. Gross wages minus federal tax, social security tax, medicare tax are mandatory. Other withholdings may be 401K, healthcare, flex spending/HSA, state tax, unemployment insurance tax and possibly garnishments like child support.

And most of those people do not earn $300/hr before all of that hits their pay. I'm not saying being a provider is a great job or a sucky job just pointing out that we're all in the same boat.

I've been on all sides, working for a large corporation, small business and, yes, I do own my own businesses as well. If you want to deal with complexity, try the self-employed retail environment where there are more profit variables than anyone could imagine.

I can understand the issue but I really don't see that much difference. Successful business owners are better able to control how much they can earn.

FYI, the average wage in the US is $19.57/hr. Before taxes.

We are paying for a service, so it really does not matter. Any business has overhead and must make a profit. A typical restaurant has food costs of 25 to 30 %. We aren't quizzing the restaurant owner on how he or she decides what the price of lunch should be and how they came up with it.

It costs money to make money. Whether you are a fortune 500 company or an independent business person.

Marla thanks for acknowledging those who own their own business like myself and understanding the issues involved Originally Posted by Thatdude

Your welcome I figure business owners are the only ones that come close to understanding it. Someone who has never had to spend tons of their own money in order to make money may not really get the big picture.

I still see comments about we make $XXX/hour. If a lady charges $300/hour, she is not MAKING $300/hour. She is MAKING what is left over after all expenses related to the hobby are paid and divided by the amount of time she devotes to the hobby (not just the hour she spends in session with you but the e-mails, screening, putting up ads, posting on this board, etc).

Also those providers that file their taxes do pay all that same stuff mentioned and sometimes more. I paid the IRS 3k last year. 3k cold hard cash out of my pocket. Not something that my employer deducted in small increments and matched for me like if I was an employee someplace. So there is another expense to add to Traci's list. And I thought the list was complete...always something else to add!

I see some claws out on this thread, which is OK...everyone has something that pushes their buttons! I totally agree that it isn't really anyone's biz what me MAKE or how we spend it. But I think the point of this particular thread was that the guys have no idea how many thousands of dollars a month many ladies are spending/investing just to be a provider and it is good for them to see it. Maybe they will get a ligh-bulb moment.

I also see some guys purposely having their dunce caps out, trying to act like they still don't get it even though it is SPELLED OUT right in front of them. To this I say c'mon dudes, nice try.

I find this thread more interesting and enlightening for the tone of the replies than for the topic which was expenses....not income which apparently became a hot button for some. Seems some people who replied to this thread are in favor or censoring others instead of simply ignoring a thread they deem offensive or useless. Some replies to this thread seem to have a tone of resentment and even anger towards potential clients. I also think some replies to this thread have a tone of condescension while some of the replies to this thread displayed an admirable professionalism towards an occupation that I believe those who engage in it do so voluntarily.

On this board everything we write contributes to the impression other members form of us and for that reason, I find this thread enlightening.

I paid the IRS 3k last year. 3k cold hard cash out of my pocket. Originally Posted by Marla

Unfortunately, Uncle Sam expects the self-employed to pay taxes too. That money was never really yours, you were holding it for him until you made your quarterly deposit to his account, while matching the social security tax rate of 6.2% as a self-employed individual.

3K is a bit below the national average, and would be roughly an average tax rate of 9.6% and marginal tax rate of 15% (not taking into account exemptions, dependents, filing status and deductions). It equates to $250/month being withheld from someones pay to cover Federal tax and FICA taxes. So, it's pretty much what every working person in the US faces.