When I started dancing years ago, the industry was different from what it is today. Clubs were packed with clients, and there was plenty of money to go around and make everyone happy. These were the days before SARS, before the non-smoking laws were passed. This was the time before the recession, and before massage parlours, rub-and-tucks, and colourful sex ads in the back of NOW Magazine proliferated, luring strip club clients away with a promise of much more for much less.

Today, strip club owners complain about the shortage of dancers (some clubs, such as the House of Lancaster, Fairbanks and Jilly’s, run permanent WANTED ads in NOW, offering their potential dancers hourly wages and even benefits!).  Many of the dancers who have been in the industry long enough to remember ‘the good old days’, desperately migrate from one club to another hoping that being a ‘new face’ will make them a few extra bucks.

It is true, the situation has changed, and strip clubs are not what they used to be. But as every successful dancer will tell you, the potential to make excellent money remained. The key is in keeping up with the times, recognizing the changes in trends as they happen and adapting to them. More importantly, the secret to making a killing while stripping lies in steering clear of the common excuses that mediocre and unsuccessful dancers throw back and forth at each other in the dressing room while the rest of us are busy making money.

Here they are:

The economy is in recession, there is no money to be made.

There is always money to be made. Recession or no recession, there is always money that is waiting to change hands. When the economy is down in the dumps, the entertainment industry thrives. Why? Because people who are stressed out seek ways to make themselves feel better, they want reward themselves for all the hard work they do and sacrifices they make. Inside the strip club, that reward is you- access to your beauty, youth, sensuality. Offer your client the encouragement and reassurance of his self-worth, and he will reward you in return.

No one is spending.

If no one is spending, you are not doing your job. True, sometimes it takes as little as a smile and your perfect customer is following you into the VIP. Most nights, however, it will take a little more than that. Every man who walks into the club wants to feel liked. Talk to him, engage him, flirt with him and, at the very least, try to appear sincere as you do. Make his visit worthwhile, and he will reciprocate.

With all the extras that the other dancers are doing, I don’t have a chance to make any money.

If you know for a fact that there are illegal activities going on, and you are uncomfortable about that, change clubs and move on. In most cases, however, the only ‘extras’ that other dancers are performing is hustling- something that you should be doing instead of complaining in the dressing room.

Economy fluctuates, epidemics strike, and there is usually someone younger and more daring around.  But the fact remains: beautiful, confident, attentive and sexy women are always in high demand; and those of us who remember that always make money.

If you are thinking about becoming a stripper, your stage name is very important.  Your stage name is how you will introduce yourself to your potential customers, so you want to be sure that it helps you build trust and close a sale.  Careful name selection can also cut down on the “So what’s your REAL name” pestering that some analytical Greens seem to find amusing.

Every year we feel extremely generous on our birthday, so we roll back the price on DancerWealth Plus for our newsletter subscribers!  So be sure to fill out the box to the right with your REAL email address.  Once you confirm, we will send you the secret code you can use to order DancerWealth for just $49!

Hurry…Sale Ends Sunday May 6 at Midnight!!

Most clubs do not require a schedule.  The exception to the rule is areas where the larger chains dominate the region, like DejaVu in San Francisco, Spearmint Rhino in Southern California and Ricks in NYC.

For the most part though, strip clubs have open scheduling which and lead many exotic dancers to be  undisciplined because they can come and go when they feel like it. Although that can be fun for a while, it relies on a consistently BUSY club in order to make a steady living.  In this economy, that is hard to find.
One of the things we teach in DancerWealth is the Consistency Hot Button.  One of the MANY ways you can use the consistency hot button is to work a regular schedule. One of the biggest advantages of having regular nights that you work is that you can get regular customers—guys who come in specifically to see you dance. These are some of the most profitable guys you can get because they’re already sold on getting dances from you! There’s no need to warm them up.

To figure out what nights should be your regular schedule, record and look at what nights are most profitable.   Most new dancers assume Friday and Saturday are the best nights to dance because guys with nine-to-five jobs are off work. In some places this is true, but it is not the case in others.

Then, plan your schedule around your most profitable days.    Typically, weather doesn’t matter much, unless you’re in a hurricane. In fact rainy nights can make guys all the more lonely and they’ll seek out the club to keep company, so don’t let a little weather discourage you. Looking at your actual take home cash when you work consistently will show this to be true.

As a dancer, I understand how uncomfortable it can be to approach female customers.  In the distant past it was uncommon to see a female patron at a gentlemen’s club.  Then about 10 years ago, mainstream media outlets suggest that couples should frequent strip clubs as a way to spice up their sex life.  As a result, Saturday night became known as  “Couples Night.” Mastering how to sell to couples is one topic that we cover in DancerWealth.  If you aren’t a member you can see a sneak preview of that lesson on our YouTube Channel.

Nowadays its very common to have mixed groups of male and female patrons any night of the week.  This was the case for us this past Wednesday night: 2 girls, one guy.  It is always interesting to take notes on how entertainers approach me (especially when they have no idea who I am or what I do)

The result at this particular bar (obviously NOT the one I work at) was what I have coined The Drive By, which is even less effective than The Wanna Dance Approach.

For those of you not familiar with The Wanna-Dance Approach, it is when an entertainer approaches a customer and tries to close the sale immediately by saying, “Wanna Dance?”  There is no hello, no how are you tonight, no building of value or getting him interested in her.  For the Wanna Dance Approach to work, one of two conditions must be present: a. the supply of dancers does not meet the demand of the customers or b. it’s the last 3 songs of the night and it’s now or never.  The one thing that makes the Wanna Dance Approach just slightly more effective than The Drive By is that the dancer makes eye contact with the person whom she is selling to, which isn’t hard because she is only selling to person.

During The Drive By approach the entertainer basically tries to sell to everyone at once.  She doesn’t look at anyone at the table, instead just announces that she can give dances.  I reminded me of the newspaper guy who walks up and down the beach at the Jersey Shore “I’ve got the New York Times, The New York Post, The Philadelphia Inquir-er-er, People Magazine….”

In club Variations of The Drive By sound like this:

“Do any of you want a dance?”

“Who wants a dance at this table?”

“Which one of you guys wants a dance?”

“I’ll dance for whoever wants me first”

Needless to say, the entertainers at this particular establishment did not make any of us  want a dance using The Drive By Approach.  Isn’t that the key to making customers have a GREAT time at the strip club….making them WANT a dance rather than just offering them?

If you are a “Wanna Dancer” the first place you can go to learn a better approach is our brand new ebook Step by Step Stripping.  It will give you a bunch of easy introductory lines that are a zillion times better than “Wanna Dance.”

The Cost of Business for a stripper can add up quickly.  If you haven’t read my taxes blogpost from the early days of the blog, be sure to click that link about how to write off  certain items that every stripper uses in order to do her job.  I am not a Certified Public Accountant, and any specific questions should be directed towards one.  I have, however, filed taxes as an entertainer for the duration of my career.  Part of becoming a SuperStripper is being accountable for your income, saving and investing in assets that will allow you to retire gracefully from this business when you are ready.

If you have never filed taxes as a stripper before, the first thing you want to do is hire a Certified Public Accountant.  We have references here at SGR and can direct you towards accountants who are familiar with the business write-offs associated with being an entertainer.  You can also ask around at your club, most veteran dancers can at least point you in the right direction.  What you want to avoid is a standard tax preparing office like HnR Block, Jackson Hewett, and/or prepackaged software programs like TurboTax.  The likelihood of getting audited is much greater when using these resources.

The easiest way to keep track of your earnings and expenses is the SuperStripper Business Expense Log.  You can purchase the 2012 edition here.  In this manual the SuperStripper Tax System is explained and it walks you through each month with an Monthly overview, a weekly expense log, and end of month totals and review. There is also an annual report section at the back to present to your accountant at tax time.

How Do Strippers File Taxes?

If someone wanted me to tell them exactly what learning steps (and DOING steps) to take to make $500 a day, I would say this:

Before anything else – get the words easy, fast, and simple out of your mind. You are building a business. You need education. You need tools. You need support. But you do NOT need pipe dreams  standing in your way. If you want to learn how to make stripping starting with very little money to invest, these are the things you do. As you make money, you reinvest into your education, your tools, and your business.

Step One -Get the basics
Learn the basics of selling. Learn about how to approach customers (i.e not “Wanna Dance”)  and how to construct a conversation with them.  There are three parts of a conversation: The Opener, The Middle, and The Closing Line.  If you are not doing these basics then you are wasting your time (and breath) every night that you work.  Our soon to be released e-book will guide you through these three parts of the conversation.

Step Two – Get a Plan Of Action
As time passes, you will find you have a lot of knowledge in-between your ears, but feel a lot lost as to what to DO with it all. It is time to begin a daily plan of action so each day you have focused goals and can see yourself being productive… AND you get to see RESULTS. This is crucial…and this is the part where 95% give up.

Whats the saying? Fail to plan and plan to fail? Something like that…lol But you need a way to put it all together.   You also will want an action plan that is also a strong root system for your entire stripping business that you can build on.

That is exactly DancerWealth is.

Step Three- Get Support

You will also need support and a community you can count on for help and feedback. Working at a strip club can be a bit lonely at times and it can also be VERY over-whelming when you feel you are going at it all alone. Community is important as you move through this stage. It will help keep you motivated, involved, and also help you build a network of marketing peers that will be able to help you (and YOU help THEM) through-out your entire career.

Tax Day for me is tomorrow, which means I am getting my receipts and books in order.   trek across town to the best Stripper Tax Guy in Phoenix.  My SO and I  make a date night out of it and hit up the best restaurants in the Camelback area.  Last year we went to an Italian place called Avanti’s.  It reminds me of one of those old school mafia places in South Philly with red/black tile and mirrors everywhere.  Then we went to Bourbon Street Circus for cheap drinks, popcorn and  lap dances.  Later we stopped in at Christie’s, and I ended the night by puking in the bushes outside my house.

So, if you have a plan, Tax Day can be fun.

I hate when customers ask me, “How much money do you make?”  Its so tacky and really none of their business.  Would you ask your doctor, your accountant, or your child’s teacher that same question?

So, here is an idea of how much it costs me annually to do business as a stripper.

$6190 Stage Fees

$3300 DJ Fees

$2050 House Mom Fees

$2200 Security Staff Fees

$1500 VIP Hostess Fees

$3580 Christie’s Merchandise Fees (Yep I sold 358 Tshirts last year)

$2115 Personal Trainer (Legally Deductible from a Health Savings Account)

$800 Wig/Hair Extentions

$755 Cosmetics

$800 Nails

$420 Tanning

$1030 Costumes/Lingerie

$166 Maricopa County, AZ and Clark County, NV Business License Fees

$1200 Cell Telephone

$480 Internet

$67 Business Planner/Calendars

$337 Music/Ipod

$1350 Travel expenses to Vegas including airfare, hotel, rental car, food

__________________________________

$28340 Cumulative Total thus far

10,020 miles on my car (I don’t know what the 2007 rate is per mile but that is why I pay a professional to do my taxes….I’m sure he knows)  You have to work at more than one location to claim this deduction.  If you ONLY work at ONE club then it is considered commuting.

A certain percentage of my lease payment is tax deductible as well, since I use the 87 Grand Wagoneer to grocery shop and run my personal errands.  If you don’t lease a car for your business, then the vehicle license tax you pay every year is tax deductible.

So, if you got a 1099 from your club and you don’t know what to do with it.  DO NOT go to HnR Block.  They don’t understand the business.  Find a qualified accountant in your area. Yes it will cost you about $250-$600 to have your taxes filed properly, but this is what grown ups who own businesses do.  Ask the SuperStripper in your club who she uses.  Your club may even have one to recommend.  Just DON’T ignore it.  If your club does not issue a 1099 for cash recieved from funny money, you must account for every dollar you deposited into your bank account.  If you don’t have a bank account, ask yourself this question: do you want to remain a SubsistenceStripper forever?

How Do Strippers File Taxes?

A feature dancer is someone who travels the country and is contracted by the club to provide 3 stage shows a night for 3-4 nights.  The feature performer is someone who is famous enough to draw a large crowd into the club.  Most often feature dancers are porn stars.   Sometimes their contract states that they cannot sell lapdances in the club, but they can sell their DVDs, posters and polaroid pictures.  Other times you may find the feature dancer sells lapdances for an expensive premium so that she does not take money away from the  house dancers  who are working that night.  The club typically pays for the feature dancer’s transportation and lodging in addition to her performance fee.

Feature dancing sounds like a much better deal right?  You get paid and you can sell more expensive dances!!  Well, in order to become a feature entertainer it is necessary to be famous.  Remember…the reason clubs book feature dancers is because they hope her fame will draw new customers into the club to see her live.    If you don’t want to do porn, there are other methods to break into feature dancing.  Poledancing and Regional Showgirl Competitions are one way to earn titles like Miss Nude Idaho or Best Newcomer 2010.   Other feature dancers like Kylea Killeen have a background in burlesque dancing.  Some of the girls from Rock of Love have been able to build a feature name for themselves just from being on that Reality Show.

Both positions have their pros and cons.  House dancers have the freedom to choose when and where to work, if they want to be part time or full time, and can more easily keep their stripping career a secret.  Feature dancers are more professionally focused and have made the commitment to be in the industry for the long term.  Since their face is on DVDs and other promotional materials,  it is harder for a feature dancer to hide her profession.

Keep in mind that feature dancers are represented by an agency who negotiates their rates and performance schedules with clubs.   There are several agencies, and the most reputable ones I have worked with are Continental and A-list.  They even have a feature school for dancers who are interested in becoming feature dancers.

1. Communication skills. As you’ll be spending most of your time talking to your clients, exceptional communication skills is something that you cannot do without.  You must know how to listen actively to your clients and you must know how to effectively communicate your ideas.  Slurring, stuttering, and passing out do not communicate “I am an entertainer you should spend lots of money on and come back to see again.”

2. Active listening skills. Although it’s your job to entertain, that doesn’t mean that you should do all the talking! The customers are there to relax, and for some that means complaining about work, their wives, their kids, and their weight.   Communication is a two-way process.  Make sure that you give them undivided attention and that you capture all the information that you need to better understand the situation.  Once you are settled into VIP, encourage them to talk about their problems and their dreams.

3. Problem-solving skills. As an entertainer at a high end club, you’re in contact with a lot of stressed out business execs who are trying to escape.  Although you aren’t expected to know all the best solutions to his business problems,  he does expect someone who can solve his problem of getting his mind OFF of his business problems.   Thus, it’s important that you have exceptional problem-solving skills.   Then, list down the possible remedies. Weigh all the pros and cons. Then, present the most effective solution to your prospects.

4. All-around Entertaining Skills. Having great pole dancing skills will benefit you in one stage clubs, but what if  you work at a club with multiple stages.  Having great lapdancing skills can sometimes work against you (the object is to keep him there longer…not to the point of, well…you know)   Don’t just be someone dancing, have a skill.  Whether it’s joke telling, origami, seated chair massage or magic tricks, find something that sets you apart from the other dancers.  Even if it’s something new to you (we had a magician teach card,  matchbox, and  cocktail napkin magic tricks at  our last SuperStripper Bootcamp)  Even if it’s awkward at first,  hone that skill by simply practicing on a regular basis.  It’s taken me three months…but I’ve almost mastered the turning a $1 bill into a $10 bill trick!!