Income Goals & Motivation
It’s important to have income goals to keep you motivated as a self employed webcam model, or self employed anything really. Some models do this by the day, and others do it weekly. I prefer to set a weekly goal, because I’m lazy and some days I just don’t feel like working.
I know, I know. I’m a hypocrite. Keep a consistent schedule! lol
As long as I reach my goal, anything I make in excess is considered a bonus. I can do whatever the hell I want with that extra money, like put it toward some impulse purchases and pampering for moi, or chuck it into a retirement savings fund. You know, depending on how responsible I’m feeling when I get my paycheck in the mail. lol.
If you haven’t already, I recommend checking out The World’s Sexiest Budget at this point since the rest of this post will refer to the method I outlined there. Go, I’ll wait!
Okay, moving on.
Once you’ve established your fan base and you’re making fairly consistent income on cam, you can pretty much gauge what a reasonable goal might look like for you. For me, I might make anywhere from $50-$150 in 2-4 hours and call it a day.
Now, I could make it a daily goal of $50 with a day off. OR I could make it a weekly goal of $300 (6 x $50). Either way I look at it, I keep my personal budget comfy and keep paying down debt. When I make over $300 I get to put those extra dollars into whatever budget category my little heart desires.
Remember?
I often make myself a goal of a little something on a personal Amazon wish list, and put a picture of it up on my desktop. Visualizing myself with that shiny new dishwasher keeps me motivated. And the maid in my head, well – that’s another story, lol.
Keep it Realistic
Keep in mind that starting out as a brand new model, the average income is closer to $20-$40 per hour. I personally started out making like $15 an hour, since I was pretty shy in the beginning. Put in the hours and some hard work and you too can make both the money and the confidence grow over time.
What if I’m new at this, I’m not seeing any money yet, and I’m frustrated?!
If you’re putting in the hours but not seeing any money coming in, another way to stay motivated is to give yourself a time goal instead of an income goal. This might work better in the beginning, since before you’ve established your fan base the income can be pretty unpredictable and vary by the day. This has worked for me during some slower periods, like around tax time when all my customers are giving their dollars to the government instead of me. Damn government… lol.
Don’t go crazy – if after 3 hours you haven’t made any money and you’re starting to get frustrated, log off and call it a day. As long as you get back on and try again the next day, keeping a consistent schedule (extremely important starting out!) – you will eventually start to see more consistent income, at which point you can work on income goals more easily.
Back to YNAB
One week this past month I was sick with the flu, and I didn’t work at all. Thanks to YNAB and Rule #3 (roll with the punches), it won’t affect my ability to pay for November with October’s income. I can simply move some dollars out of my Rainy Days fund and into any categories that might need a little more wiggle room.
Honestly, the YNAB method of budgeting has revolutionized the way I look at my money. Every dollar has a job to do, and I often catch myself saying “those dollars are already spoken for.” I mean, seriously, they’re working in another department and they can’t be in two places at once (contrary to some employers’ belief)! Many a needless impulse purchase has remained on the shelf because of that mindset.
Thank You For Sharing
Thank you for sharing this post. We really do appreciate it!
So, now it’s your turn.
What are your goals, and what’s motivating you to make more money?
I would as always love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
Until next time.
Hi Angie, good to be back on your website! I like how you’ve kept management of this “adult” website maturely. Seems to be like a good place of resource for others who may be potentially struggling or double-questioning whether or not to get into this field. In the end, I feel it is a highly demanded job, that can pay the bills, while giving you extra cash in your pocket, to let you live a better life. At the same time, I believe there are certain lines we should be careful not to cross. All in all, you have a very respectable website in your “niche,” possibly one of the best, in comparison to the many increasing adulterous websites.
Hi Peter, good to see you again! I appreciate your comment/feedback about my website. It’s definitely my hope to help people determine whether webcam modeling is for them or not. We all have our own values, and I think that’s ultimately how each of us will make such a decision. Again, thanks so much for your kind words!
Great post, These are great goals for anyone to follow
Thanks Jason! It’s true, this clearly doesn’t just apply to webcam models
It is refreshing to me to see that there ARE individuals who get the idea that sometimes the higher-dollar income is there because few others (for social stigmas are willing to approach the job. I agree with Wendy in the writing style. It comes across that “I have information to share, you’re here because you wanted to read, but I won’t blast you with so much you can’t take it.”
Great job!!
This is very true, and my raising awareness with U Camgirl may be to my detriment in the long run lol! But honestly I think it’s too great of an opportunity not to share it. Thanks very much for your comments and feedback Norm. Cheers!
I can see how you might be able to get away with not having any income goals when working a ‘traditional’ job that gives you a regular, fixed income each paycheck.
I never fully appreciated that with a casual or self-employed position it suddenly becomes extremely critical to consider this factor or else you could get into some trouble with your dollars pretty quickly!
It’s a simple concept and makes sense once you state the obvious, but not one that many people might actively think about – so thanks for this post!
Happy to state the obvious lol! But yeah, it’s definitely a factor many people don’t consider when starting their own gig, especially if they’re used to seeing a regular paycheck. Suddenly that paycheck is all up to you! Thanks for your comment Jolie!
I agree with you about setting realistic goals. When they are unrealistic it can become demotivating when you don’t hit them. Great post! Thanks for sharing.
That’s a great point Wendy. It’s definitely important to set realistic, attainable goals that make sense based on the potential that is there for success. Hitting the goals can be motivating on its own! Thanks for commenting!