What I Learned About Entrepreneurship From Strippers

Business principles you can follow while keeping your clothes on

Photo by Eric Nopanen on Unsplash

I worked with Howard Stern for two years when he was still on K-ROCK in New York. I met a lot of strippers, porn stars, and freaks. Howard and I share the same birthday. Back in those days, he did his birthday broadcast live from Scores Strip Club. There was never a dull moment.

I will admit there’s something intriguing about strip clubs. I've been known to go to one with friends just for the sheer entertainment factor. Of course, some guy always wants to buy me a lap dance for his jollies. This gave me the opportunity to talk to the girls and them the opportunity to give their feet a break and not be groped. The one thing we talked about: Business.

Sorry, buddy. You'll have to use your imagination and go wank off in the bathroom.

Anyway…

Strippers make a lot of money. You think these entrepreneurs who are claiming $100k months are impressive? I've talked to girls who pull that in a week!

And it's all cash. They don't get a W2 and benefits. Most are considered 1099 independent contractors. These gals are entrepreneurs, their own bosses. They make their own schedule, control their clientele, and set their own rules.

Sex is big business

Booze and sex: The two of the things people will always buy no matter how broke they are.

The porn business is a billion-dollar industry. According to IBIS World, the market size of the Adult & Pornographic Websites industry alone is $1.1 billion. That doesn't include films, strip clubs, sex shops, prostitution, and magazines.

In a recent Tweet by an alleged stripper @botticellibimo, "sex work has survived through every war, recession, the decline of empires."

But is it recession-proof?

Stripper economics

Strippers witnessing a decline in clientele is a good indicator of the markets turning south. For example, in 2007, one stripper allegedly told…