Interview: Adam of MelissaMidwest.com
Adam aka Biggy from MelissaMidwest.com provides a pay site webmaster's perspective on how to improve your business. As well as talks about his own upcoming ventures.
WV: Fill us in on the basics: name, age, location, ballpark income, and favorite Muppets character.
Adam: Los Angeles, CA.
WV: What originally piqued your interest about working in the adult field?
Adam: I got involved through a friend who eventually went on to start an extraordinarily successful and very quality webhosting company, ISPrime. I dont know if anything in particular piqued my interest, but I had a genuine interest in the internet and making money, and over time my business expanded. A couple of years ago, I was actually debating leaving the industry to work on Wall Street, but my business grew to be large enough where I wasnt ready to walk away. I wanted to see how far I could take it, and since then I relocated to Los Angeles to produce my own web sites. At the end of the day, I love what I do, I think the business is very fun and interesting.
WV: After working in the adult field for the past number of years, what keeps things fresh and motivating for you?
Adam: New projects. With the internet, theres always new stuff, and if you are working on the same thing for years without pursuing or looking around to see what else is out there, you are simply setting yourself up for failure. Whatever you launch shouldnt take more than 6 months to put out. If it takes longer, for example a year, by then the landscape has completely changed. Things are so quick and fast on the Internet, and accepting and adjusting to that fact keeps the work always interesting.
WV: Many people seem to believe they can spend a couple of hours putting together a rag-tag adult site and become rich. How much time and effort do you put into maintaining your web sites?
Adam: I put in 10-12 hours a day, on average - but it’s always on my mind. Its like any other business, to succeed you have to put the time in. If you dont put the time in, dont expect to go anywhere. Its also important you do "smart" work, things that will actually add to your bottom line. And for those of you think theres all this money in the porn business, that could be the biggest misconception of all. There is money to be made, but its not being made hand over fist like many other industries, not even close.
WV: What innovation over the past several years has revolutionized the way you conduct business online?
Adam: I dont know if theres any one "innovation," but we work in an industry of change, and being able to spot those changes, adjust, and roll with them is a critical part of having continued success.
WV: What do you believe is going to be the next big "thing" to hit your area of the industry?
Adam: I dont know if there will be a next big "thing." In my opinion, there hasnt been something like that in a few years; I would say when videos started taking over for pictures, that was the last big thing. HD will surface, but the Internet isnt ready for it yet in terms of bandwidth capacity, however, it does make a good selling point, so there is a value of having it. I have a few ideas I want to incorporate with some new projects, nothing ground-shattering, just solid ideas people havent done, and adjusting the business models to maximize earnings. You never know until you try.
WV: What is it that sets your work apart? How is it original, and how does it stand out against its competitors?
Adam: Im a genuine believer that there is a true lack of quality in the pay site business. Back to question 4, a lot of people think they could buy some generic DVD content and throw a site together and do well, or they may even take the pictures themselves. But in the end, the quality just isnt there. Theres only a handful of programs, if that, with very nice content, who know what they are doing. There are a few programs out there who have managed to take generic DVD content and use a working business model to be very successful, and I definitely commend those companies. I think the market is somewhat open, and were striving to create pay sites that really outperform a lot of whats out there, and set the bar higher in terms of quality. Thats exactly what I had in mind when I teamed up with Melissa to do MelissaMidwest.com. Of course it doesnt hurt to have a model that looks like her with a great work ethic and personality as well. 18Yearsold.com is the first hardcore site I’ve come out with, and the response so far has been great. We just started production on a 2nd site. All the new sites will be put together in a program called Fuck You Cash. The goal is to make the program one of the premier programs in the adult entertainment business, through quality and leading by example.
WV: For any new webmasters out there, what should their main focus be when starting up their first adult project(s)?
Adam: Knowing the environment today, thats a tough question. I think it’s more difficult than ever to get into this business. I would say do what’s going to yield you the most quality traffic in as high volume as possible. Blogs, submitting TGP galleries, SEO [Search Engine Optimization], etc. I see so many people going right for the pay site game, it’s a huge mistake. I came up acquiring traffic, then when I had enough traffic, I realized it was pointless to send it to other pay sites, so I opened my own pay sites up. That’s a natural progression, one that makes sense. Jumping right into owning product without knowing how to move it just doesnt work.
WV: What is your best piece of advice for new (and seasoned) webmasters as they try and make their web sites(s) their primary source of income?
Adam: Treat it like a business. Think on your toes and as a businessman/businesswoman would. Put in the time and stay away from posting and reading boards. Go to the places where the money is being exchanged and produced, and that’s at the sites themselves. That’s what this business is about and that’s where to do your research. Also, dont listen to everything you hear, especially in this business. Its so important to find, sort, and evaluate important information on your own, rather than think you will read it somewhere or hear it from someone else. Everything I just wrote really goes back to treating it like a serious business, and using your own skills to get ahead.
WV: Is there anything that you would like to inform our readers about that you are involved in and excited about, a place we can see your ideas in action?
Adam: Just my pay sites. Theres no elaborate idea, just a lot of hard work with grinding it out, and striving to create the best possible product for affiliates to push. They can check out MelissaMidwest.com or FuckYouCash.com to see the pay sites. They really do convert.
