Business Thread... The Secrets to Our Success ? Revealed in THIS Thread!!!

[Shap]

Hi everyone, thanks for checking this out. Last year I made a post giving some valuable info for those who were interested. The thread is here: http://www.gofuckyourself.com/showthread.php?t=558484
The post was very well received so I thought I?d make another one to kick the year off. This year?s post is a little different but applies to everyone - not just pay site owners. Hopefully, it will help you too.


Biggest Secret to Our Success? Working Hard and Sticking to OUR Unique Vision

--Part A--
October 10th 2006 marked the 5 year anniversary of the day we started Twistys. And let me tell you, what a grueling (and highly rewarding) five years it has been. We are proud because every year has been better than the previous one. The steady growth of Twistys continues to blow me away to this day. The interesting thing about our site is almost everything we?ve done to build it up is what most webmasters say would NEVER work. Here are a few things that are top of mind:

1. We started a site with oversaturated, non-exclusive content
We started Twistys mostly with Matrix and other popular, heavily sold non-exclusive content. Yes. That is what we did 5 years ago but even then people said it would NEVER work. We proved them wrong.
2. We concentrated on the members area over the tour
We spent the first year and a half working almost exclusively on the members area. The goal was to create a site with very strong retention. One key thing in business is that gaining a new member is three times as difficult as keeping a current member (happy.) This is the philosophy we still live by.
3. We stuck with a tour that works
Four years ago we came up with a tour that did well for us. We?ve used the same tour (with minor updates) to this day. Most people would expect the conversion ratio to get worse every month, right? Wrong. In fact, our conversion ratio in 2006 was our best conversion rate to date and we still have exactly the same tour. We DO have new tours in the works for those that want something different. However, my point is if you have a tour that works - stick with it.
4. We stuck with just ONE pay site
We?ve had the content, domains and plans for new sites for many years now. We have not developed any of these sites yet because we did not feel we had the pieces in place to create and maintain them up to our standards. Our first step was to make sure we had an amazing staff to handle Twistys. All new site development would come once we had Twistys 100% covered and kicking ass. Now, with these critical pieces of our success firmly in place for 2007 we are now ready to expand. The interesting thing is this: the fact we didn?t expand sooner doesn?t necessarily mean it cost us money. Twistys exploded last year so how can we gauge our success otherwise?
5. We took the time to build up a brand in the adult market
Most companies choose to ?whore? out their sites by picking generic site names and not bothering to build up a brand name to represent their content. The reason they do this is because they are in this business to make a fast buck, site after site. But we took the time to create and build an entirely new brand while sticking to one (1) site, doing it right.


-- Part B--
There is another point I?d like to bring up and it involves over-saturation of any particular niche. In each one of the last 3 years we have heard people say that Twistys is over-saturated. They have said that our content is everywhere and this is the reason (some webmasters) will not promote us. But we do not agree. Because if we truly are/were over-saturated then we believe our signups would have hit a plateau and either dropped off or remained stable. The surprising thing is that this has not happened. One reason may be because we are continually improving our product. Another may be because we?ve built a very solid brand and surfers know they can trust Twistys. To illustrate this point I decided to dig up the last 3 years of stats. Check this out:




As you will see from these three charts we have by no means hit a plateau. In 2006 we had month after month of record sales, re-bills and revenue. Since January 2004 to December 2006 our sales are up more than FOUR TIMES and our revenue is up close to FIVE TIMES. Hard work and a quality product go a long way. Back in 2001 when we got our first Twistys signup we had no idea we would get to where we are today. We stuck with it and never stopped working hard and focusing on delivering an ever improving, high quality product.

The beauty of building a quality product is that it is very difficult to copy. It has very stable long-term success attached to it. If you look at other companies who are doing the same thing (showcasing quality content) you will notice a trend. Here are some sites that come to mind as sites that decided to build a kick ass product from scratch: TheBestPorn, FreeOnes, Karups, Videosz, Ftv Girls, Matt?s Models, Sapphic Erotica and Simon Scans to name a few. As a direct result of their hard work, each of these sites are very successful and also own something huge. They Own Value. They are all quality-driven products suited perfectly to their members.

Major Secrets to our Success
Our hard work and commitment to a quality product is definitely the #1 reason for our success. No question. We figured saying this isn?t enough to help everyone so we came up with a few others for you. Here they are in no particular order:


Secret #1 We treat our sites as we would any long-running, traditional business.
Our industry is very casual to say the least. A lot of webmasters work from home. A lot of webmasters are very young. A lot of webmasters do this part time. Whatever your situation, the most important thing to remember is this is a REAL business. Treat it that way. A lot of people think this is a game. They make complete jackasses of themselves on the boards and at the shows. Whether you are a huge program owner or a gallery maker, there is no reason to treat our industry or your site(s) like a half-assed attempt to make money. Because that is exactly what you will get out of it. Half-assed returns on your investment! Follow our lead and have pride in what you do. Look your product square in the face and ask yourself honestly: ?Would I buy a membership to my site?? Start acting and thinking like you are confident in your product and the money will follow. We challenge anybody reading this to do a little research. Find any webmaster who is very successful and does NOT treat this like a business. You won?t find a single person. While some guys sit on GFY playing ?lap dog? and wasting time posting idiotic remarks, others are making really good money. The money makers are setting themselves up for the rest of their lives. So the choice is yours. Do not be one of the people here that looks back in 5 years and thinks ?DAMN I really blew my big chance.?
There is so much money to be made in our industry. And the inspiring thing is that it?s yours for the taking if you reach for it. I started off as a webmaster doing this part-time while living with my parents and going to university. Here I am 10 years later with a wife who is my partner and a 20+ person company packed with some of the most talented people I?ve ever met. It?s been a real learning experience every step of the way. I?ve made a lot of mistakes. But the most important thing is that I have learned from my mistakes. Do the same and you too, will be successful.

Secret #2 We respect our surfers/members. We treat them the way we would want to be treated.
One of the keys to our success has been treating our members and surfers with respect. Put yourself in your surfers?/members? shoes and think about how you would like to be treated. I know some people try to milk the surfers for every dime possible. But this has never worked for us. Being honest and treating your members and surfers with respect is the only way to go.

Secret #3 We respect our affiliates. We treat them the way we would expect to be treated.
As obvious as this may seem, most companies do not practice this. We were TGP webmasters before we started Twistys. I believe this gave us an edge. Why? Because we built our affiliate program based on the idea that we would treat affiliates the way we wanted to be treated. Take our advice and do the same. I?ve seen a few posts lately by people suggesting affiliate programs should not allow smaller affiliates. We completely disagree with this idea. We value every business relationship be it big or small. Every signup counts. Every member counts. Every affiliate counts too. Any person willing to promote our sites and send us traffic (legally) is graciously welcomed in to our program.
I also know a lot of companies try to find ways to make more money for themselves and do not worry about affiliate sales (hence: shaving.) We do NOT support this method of business at all. We firmly believe that more signups and more money we can pay out to each affiliate ensures a strong and long standing partnership today, tomorrow and even 10 years from now. The fact remains that if an affiliate makes MORE with us than any other program, the more traffic they will send us. The same goes for you and your program/surfers. We all want as much traffic and business as possible each and every day. So in order to prove this it is important to show affiliates as many signups as possible. If a webmaster trusts you enough send you their traffic, it is always in your best interest to do everything you can to make them the most money. Period.

[Shap]

Secret #4 We give back.
There is a lot of money to be made in this industry. Being greedy did not get us to where we are today. We realized that we could not get big on your own. When it comes to the people who work with us we try our best to treat them fairly. One of the most important things riding on our success has been building the Dream Team company. Good talent is rewarded and kept happy. Multiple smart heads and keen sets of eyes are better than one when it comes to growing a business. We?ve spent a lot of time finding the people that fit perfectly with our company and as a result, we have a truly amazing team. The day we get greedy or think we can do it without them would be the day we lose them and we?d take a huge step backwards. It?s not worth it. We are in this for the long haul. Our goal has always been to spend the time by finding and investing in the right people. Build a Dream Team of your own. Once you?ve found them, spread the wealth and keep them motivated. Your business will shine.

Secret #5 We are smart with our money.
Having a good month is no reason to get silly and stupid with money. I see a lot of people throwing money around and it is upsetting. Be smart with your money because our collective luck in this industry just might run out one day. Get a financial advisor even if you are in this business part time. We did. We also re-invest back in to our business every month so we keep growing. We live well below our means. Practice good money management and reward yourself every 6 months for your hard work. You will appreciate your achievements far more this way.

Secret #6 We strive to build solid business relationships.
Once again, you cannot do it on your own. Spend the time to build good business contacts and nurture your relationships. This will prove to be very worthwhile.

Secret #7 We help others get ahead.
I know a lot of people get annoyed with smaller webmasters. But we all started somewhere. That person you are ignoring just may become the next Pierre (WorldSex.com). If you spend the time to help these guys out, it will come back to help you in the end. Trust me. Good people don?t forget the people that helped them on their way up. There are plenty of business opportunities and money to go around for all of us. Don?t be afraid to help people out and pass on your insight to help them grow. This will come back to you in a big way one day.

Secret #8 We stopped making excuses and started working on solutions.
It was easy for us to come up with excuses as to why we aren?t accomplishing certain goals. We know first hand that it?s much harder to come up with a solution than it is to keep making excuses for problems. For every excuse there is a solution. Spend your time working on that solution.

Secret #9 We never get caught up worrying about what others are earning.
We knew when we started that there will always be somebody that makes more money than us. We did not worry about who was ahead of us. Instead, we concentrated on ways to improve our business and our product. It could have been very easy for us to get caught up worrying about how much other people (supposedly) make, especially here on GFY. But if you go by the posts alone there are 5,000 + millionaires here. Instead, we focus on our industry goals and where our business is going. Not on the BS someone else is posting.

Secret #10 We do not make decisions based on someone else?s opinion.
Plenty of people disagreed with our pay site business model when we first started out. But we believed in it and we researched our decision, this is why it worked for us. Just because someone else doesn?t like your idea does not mean it is a bad one. The most important thing you can do for your future is to think through your ideas and research the validity of them. Doing this and coming up with a plan for executing your idea is 100 times more important than worrying what someone else thinks.

Secret #11 We set out and continue to create something of value.
Our industry isn?t known for it?s originality or its content value, for the most part. Take BangBros for example. They came up with original ideas that deliver quality content but for the most part, there are not many sites out there like BBros. What always happens after a good idea comes along is a huge caravan of companies that jump on the bandwagon and copycat everything. They do it exactly the way BangBros does and they do it without a single spark of their own identity. This is no way to run a business. These companies are relying on BangBros? ideas for their success. Why not rely on yourself for your own success? Take the time to build something of value that you came up with on your own. Put your heart and soul into it and be proud of it. Give it your own personal edge. Having one good quality site can be worth more than 40 mediocre sites ?and far more rewarding.

Secret #12 We never sit back on our success.
When something works for us, we keep working it. We never sit back and relax. Not even for a minute. We always keep this top of mind: ?things in motion tend to stay in motion, but only if you keep working at it.? Keep building on your successes instead of relying on them blindly to work for you. Because they will eventually slow down and freeze up on you. Keep pushing.

Secret #13 We are our number 1 affiliate.
If we don?t know how to sell our site, how will others know? If you are a pay site owner it is important to know how to sell your site better than anyone else. Once you do, then you can help others sell it and everyone will make more money. It is a fact. From day one we have been our own #1 affiliate. We know how our site works with different traffic and that is why we are able to work with our affiliates to help them convert better. We know a lot of affiliates who like to come to GFY to complain about their ratios. We always ask them to come to us first, so we can help improve their sales. GFY certainly isn?t going to improve their sales for them. I know this for a fact. ;)

Secret #14 We ?learn? our members by listening to them.
Most integral to our success has been our dedication to learning our members. This has also been a key to us learning how to sell our site. By learning our members we truly own our business. Learn your members too and it will help you deliver what they want to see. It will keep them coming back for more. This will help you sell your site and be successful in this industry.


There you have it. Our contribution to GFY to kick off the year. ;) I hope it helps some of you. See you in Vegas!

[Shap]

Wow this turned out to be alot longer than i expected. It wasn't intended as a post. We (Beth and I) put it together for a new section we are building for our affiliates to help them out. I know it's a long read. Hopefully those of you who take the time to read it will get something from it.

[Joesho]

great read , shap.

[tony286]

great read thanks for sharing

[Sausage]

Mostly skimmed, but interesting and fairly detailed information. Will definitely check it out in full when I have more time .. thanks

[yota71]

Thanks Shap, learned a bunch..

[WiredGuy]

We both know the secret of the operation is Shapette. You're just around to pose as the pretty Ricky Martin look-a-like, lol. See you two in Vegas right?
WG

[Shap]

Originally Posted by WiredGuy

We both know the secret of the operation is Shapette. You're just around to pose as the pretty Ricky Martin look-a-like, lol. See you two in Vegas right?
WG

You know who wrote that then too right? lol

Definitely will be in vegas. See you there

[GTS Mark]

Shap should write a book on his experiences in the adult industry

Great tips there from someone who has learned the ropes the hard way and has come out on top.

DH

[_Rush_]

Read the whole thing. Very informative and detailed. I enjoyed it a lot.

It sounds a lot like my philosophy as well.

Congratulations on your success.

[Spunky]

Very interesting read Shap..

[Shap]

Originally Posted by DrinkingHARDEST

Shap should write a book on his experiences in the adult industry

Great tips there from someone who has learned the ropes the hard way and has come out on top.

DH

Thanks Mark. Now answer my email!!!!

[auscguy]

awesome post! Its great to read posts like that in here, its like one big family most of the time. I dont post alot as you can see but have been a member going on 5 years and thought Id put in my 2 cents and say thanks!

[themachinelavene]

thx for the info....good stuff here

[SetTheWorldonFire]

nice, thanks for posting this

[wdsguy]

great post shap.

[Big_Red]

very good read shap. i sincerely appreciate it.

[Shap]

Originally Posted by Joesho

great read , shap.

Thanks Joesho! Hope all is well with you

[grhawkins]

Hey, thanks a bunch, very helpful. The link to your previous post from the last year isn't working for me. By any chance can you post it again?? This was very inspirational to me. It's exactly how i've thought things out. I'm a noobie, but I've been doing my research and just read on these forums. I'm about to start my first thumb TGP just to get the gist of things and learn and accel from there

[adultchica]

What an excellent thread! I enjoyed reading your post.

[DeanCapture]

Very nice Shap'ster

[_Rush_]

Shap, I emailed your thread to our staff. I gave you credit for it though :D

It is just so awesome to see threads like this in the middle of so many dramas, fights and whatever.

Two big thumbs up, again. Sorry for sounding like an asskisser, I just liked it a lot.

[Shap]

Originally Posted by grhawkins

Hey, thanks a bunch, very helpful. The link to your previous post from the last year isn't working for me. By any chance can you post it again?? This was very inspirational to me. It's exactly how i've thought things out. I'm a noobie, but I've been doing my research and just read on these forums. I'm about to start my first thumb TGP just to get the gist of things and learn and accel from there

Hi. Sure thing. Try this
http://www.gofuckyourself.com/showthread.php?t=558484

or this
http://www.gofuckyourself.com/showthread.php?t=558484
Let me know if that works for you

Good luck with your tgp. Don't be afraid to try things that are a little different. Try to stand out. Most thumb tgps look exactly the same. If you are working on a quality tgp try to add a few touches that make your site different from the others. You won't regret it

[Shap]

Originally Posted by tony404

great read thanks for sharing

Thanks Tony. Enjoy your time with Dean. I'm sure you'll get alot from it

[grhawkins]

Those links still don't load for me. I don't know, it might just be me.

As for my thumb TGP, I'm actually starting out with a style/look like the rest, but I knew absolutely nothing about coding/ftp, the scripts, the licenses and trades until over christmas break when I did a lot of my research. My brother and I are going to run our first thumb sites so we can get familiar with everything and we eventually wanted to create our own site like twisty's. I have twisty's on my list to sign up for as an affiliate :D

I definately have the motivation to do this, as I'm looking for it to help pay for my college. and I won't quite just because of a few bumps in the road!!

[Devin]

Nice way to kick off the New Year. I especially enjoyed number 1 and
number 8. Treat your business as a serious business, even if you are new
and part time. And dont make excuses.

Check out the story of Chris Gardner "Pursuit Of Happiness" if you want to
see why there should be no excuses.

Thanks for the post.

[Pipecrew]

Originally Posted by shap

Secret #11 We set out and continue to create something of value.
Our industry isn?t known for it?s originality or its content value, for the most part. Take BangBros for example. They came up with original ideas that deliver quality content but for the most part, there are not many sites out there like BBros. What always happens after a good idea comes along is a huge caravan of companies that jump on the bandwagon and copycat everything. They do it exactly the way BangBros does and they do it without a single spark of their own identity. This is no way to run a business. These companies are relying on BangBros? ideas for their success. Why not rely on yourself for your own success? Take the time to build something of value that you came up with on your own. Put your heart and soul into it and be proud of it. Give it your own personal edge. Having one good quality site can be worth more than 40 mediocre sites ?and far more rewarding.

Great post! look forward to seeing you in vegas!

And to all the copiers, I have a list of all of you on my wall, it motivates us!

[martinsc]

great thread
bookmarked

[Shap]

Originally Posted by grhawkins

Those links still don't load for me. I don't know, it might just be me.

As for my thumb TGP, I'm actually starting out with a style/look like the rest, but I knew absolutely nothing about coding/ftp, the scripts, the licenses and trades until over christmas break when I did a lot of my research. My brother and I are going to run our first thumb sites so we can get familiar with everything and we eventually wanted to create our own site like twisty's. I have twisty's on my list to sign up for as an affiliate :D

I definately have the motivation to do this, as I'm looking for it to help pay for my college. and I won't quite just because of a few bumps in the road!!

Sounds great. If ever you have any questions hit us up

Btw that link works here. Maybe try copying and pasting it. If that doesn't work go to advanced search and search for 'twistys stats thread' and select search titles only.

[Shap]

Originally Posted by Pipecrew

Great post! look forward to seeing you in vegas!

And to all the copiers, I have a list of all of you on my wall, it motivates us!

Looking forward to seeing you as well

The number of roundasses named sites is just retarded.

[Mr Bond]

Just Signed up

I've always been afraid to join your program...

... because...

When I look at your girls...

...
..... I touch My-Self ..... and there goes the day

Mr.Bond

[spasmo]

Excellent post, shap. You reminded me of a few things I had long forgotten.

[sexykat]

Shap you are great. Got so much inspiration from you. Read both yor posts. Even took down some notes. There are not many people who like to give away their secrets and spend so much time in helping others.
I am new to this...been hanging around the forum trying to learn stuff. Now my aim is to start up a nice TGP. Learn the ins and out and then eventually start a paysite.
Will love to learn stuff from you.... you are my idol

[minusonebit]

#12 is very, very true. Couldn't be more true. When you have a breakthrough, you have to double your efforts and not only maintain the current level of activity but plow forward further at three times the pace.

I had (and still have) a mainstream site that I was spinning my wheels on for a couple of years. Then one day I got it wrote up in the media (big publication, nationwide). Traffic poured in and the site became super popular. That was almost two years ago and my traffic has never went down since then, not because I sat on it and "enjoyed the success" but because I never stopped pushing the site, never stopped trying to exchange links, never stopped checking up and never stopped trying to get one more user to sign up and start using the site.


Bookmarked this thread for when I have more time to read instead of skim, but lots of good ideas here. Thanks for posting.

[RRRED]

You're so right on the money with so many things Shap! Excellent post!!!

[shadowsdrop]

Great post!

[Shoehorn!]

Awesome post. Definately a TON of great information there. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

[Roald]

I think Twistys and Freeones are very much alike.

Great post Shap!

[$5 submissions]

I like #7. There's a saying "in order to receive, you have to learn how to give first". Powerful and effective.

[travs]

truly inspiring! i like it! it's like Pursuit of Happyness

[Turf]

great read.. thanx for sharring.

[scottybuzz]

thanks, bookmarked.

[Violetta]

Originally Posted by shap

Our industry is very casual to say the least. A lot of webmasters work from home. A lot of webmasters are very young. A lot of webmasters do this part time. Whatever your situation, the most important thing to remember is this is a REAL business. Treat it that way. A lot of people think this is a game. They make complete jackasses of themselves on the boards and at the shows. Whether you are a huge program owner or a gallery maker, there is no reason to treat our industry or your site(s) like a half-assed attempt to make money.

word...

[DeadFidel]

I marked this thread. It's a pretty nice fast read. Thank you.

[Pornwolf]

Shap, I've been around since the beginning and I must say you have never posted 1 thread that wasn't helpful in a meaningful way. Thanks for that.

[Pornwolf]

Shap, I've been around since the beginning and I must say you have never posted 1 thread that wasn't helpful in a meaningful way. Thanks for that.


(and I'm includng the threads about Mrs. Shap too. They were helpful in another kinda meaningful way... she's hot! )

[.:R I O:.]

Something really need read and remembered! U rocks!

[jayeff]

Originally Posted by shap

Secret #10 We do not make decisions based on someone else’s opinion.

The smartest thing which you and other operators such as those you named earlier have done, was to go against the flow of popular practise and opinion in this industry. Instead you adopted the approach which has been proved to work in other industries.

Ironically, the success many people have enjoyed is exactly what will cause (in quite a few cases already has caused) their undoing. True entrepreneurs will always be fairly arrogant - it's a necessary part and product of believing you have what it takes to stand out from the crowd - but that should never be allowed to get in the way of objectivity. Unfortunately, far too many people in this business have ignored that and credit themselves and their methods with the success they have enjoyed.

Many others simply copy what they see already being done, with the consequence that the vast majority who work in online porn do so in ways which could only have any long-term future if our product, customers and our colleagues were all somehow unique. But none are unique. It doesn't make the slightest difference whether you are selling bare breasts or breakfast cereal, once the market stabilizes it will be governed by exactly the same rules as any other.

Whether you realize it or not, your approach to this business represents a recognition of "rules" which have been proven over and over again. Because you have applied them well, you have been successful.

Sadly, you are in a tiny minority. Most people, sponsors and affiliates, refuse to acknowledge that they have succeeded in spite of themselves and they continue to reflect methods and attitudes which have been out of date for years. This is why online adult is still such a small part of adult entertainment as a whole. It is why, particularly in the last 2-3 years more "names" have been disappearing. And it is why we are increasingly turning towards feeding on each other, rather than staying focused on our real customer: the surfer.

You have also proved the concept expressed by Tom Peters in his book "In Search of Excellence", namely that excellent businesses actually live and breathe certain principles. Others print them out on posters and use them to decorate the office walls.

[Anthony]

Awesome thread, thank you Shap!

I haven't seen a post like this, in years. Concise, valid information.

Blueprint to printing your own money in this industry.