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LadyEllen -> Not Another Pro-Domme Bashing Thread! (1/19/2007 9:56:36 AM)
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OK – so a friend and I are going to start doing some paid Femdom sessions! Without going too much over ground that has been done to death in previous “Pro-domme” threads, I have some questions for the Ladies and the boys and would appreciate any advice and information that can be offered. NB – we are going to offer domination services only – no sex!
Venue
She has what looks to me like an ideal set up – a large play room, a toilet and shower and a kitchen, which are all self contained in a mini apartment adjoining her home. The only negative there that I see, is that it is attached to her home and clients would have to enter through her home to reach the apartment area. Is this a security/privacy issue? (either during or even long after a session). We know of others who operate out of private homes and they at least, don’t seem to get any problems, but wondered what the view was out there?
Security
We are taking this very seriously. Although we will be interviewing potential clients before they ever get near to a session, we are both somewhat concerned about the potential for a client to “turn nasty”. We are fitting panic buttons in the play room and adjoining areas, an intercom and CCTV at the main door to the house and of course there will always be two of us around at all times, even if only one of us is with a client. Are we unduly worried here? Are there any precedents for clients becoming violent? Is there anything more we could/should do in this area?
How Should We Portray What We Do To The Outside World?
Here, we’re thinking about the likes of the tax man, snooping law enforcement and social worker types, nosey neighbours/friends/family, neighbourhood associations and the likes of the local council, mortgage lenders and insurers (who don’t like people running businesses out of their homes, period). We’re not at all ashamed or abashed at what we are or what we’re going to be doing, I should perhaps clarify. We’re interested only in keeping the whole thing on a respectable level to the outside world.
Having spoken to pro-domina friends here in the UK, it seems they put themselves down as anything from book-keepers to cake decorators as far as the outside world is concerned. However, we’d like to choose something for this purpose which is not such an absurd deception! Our best ideas so far are “lifestyle counsellors” and “personal therapists” or some such. Anyone have any other ideas?
Identity & Confidentiality Issues
Confidentiality is absolutely paramount as far as we are concerned. However, at the same time it is also important, in case of emergency and the like, that we know the client’s name and have some means of contacting someone who knows him. Are we worrying overmuch about this?
Also, should we use new aliases in our activities? Both of us are well known in UK Femdom by our current aliases, and very few even in those circles, know our real names for the usual reasons. On the one hand, Lady Ellen for instance is known to be me, and might therefore be useful in garnering trust from potential clients. On the other, Lady Ellen is me, and is it a good/bad/neutral thing to have a professional identity linked with that name, when I’m also a non professional in everyday Femdom interactions, seeking a LTR? I guess it boils down to, does it make the search for a LTR more or less difficult, if one is known to offer services for payment?
Payments
We’re going cash only. Whilst we will declare to the tax man, we don’t want huge paper trails such as credit card transactions produce, and we don’t want cheques – which of course also produce a paper trail, and can bounce! Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing and know of any pitfalls of sticking with cash, or any benefits we don’t see, of using cheques/cards?
We also intend to interview potential clients, well before and outside of any session appointment. We don’t intend to ask for payment for the interview, or tribute or whatever at that stage. However, if the potential client wishes to book an appointment at the interview, then we will ask for a non refundable cash deposit to secure that appointment – say 25% of the eventual charges. Is this normal practice? How do the boys feel about it? In the case of appointments booked by phone/email then we may have to use cheque deposits – with sufficient notice, a cheque will have cleared before the appointment anyway. How do the boys feel about this in respect of confidentiality, in that their cheque will of course have their name on it?
We will also insist that clients coming to an appointment, pay on entry rather than before leaving. The cash received will then be locked away in a hidden place. Is this normal practice? How do the boys feel about it? And one other thing – receipts; is it normal or even desirable, to issue receipts?
Charges
This is probably the most difficult element. We know friends who charge several hundred pounds for an hour session, and others who charge less than a hundred. In our view, we need to charge enough that the whole thing is worthwhile for us, and has perceived value to clients. We don’t see ourselves as being in the premier league as regards charges, but we also are not going to be the bargain basement domination service for the Midlands! So, if we were to charge a flat two hundred pounds per hour, would this be adequate to satisfy the perceived value to the boys, and keep us competitive in the market, even though its pretty much a seller’s market?
We also had the idea of offering bespoke “package deals”, consisting of a range of scenarios each individually described and priced. So, for instance, we might have a schoolroom scenario, a pony-training scenario, an Amazon scenario and so on. Is this something that anyone else does? Would this be welcome as far as the boys are concerned? Is it too prescriptive, not allowing for our creativity and our pushing limits as we see fit?
And also, a menu arrangement, where basically, the client could pick what he wanted from a menu, each item on which had a charge associated, for example a beating would be twenty-five pounds. Working this way, there would be a flat fee for the appointment, say a hundred pounds, then additional charges for each item he wants. Is this something that anyone else does? Would this be welcome as far as the boys are concerned? Is it too prescriptive, not allowing for our creativity and our pushing limits as we see fit?
Involvement/Connection With The Client
We’re going to do interviews and questionnaires, so we will know at least as much as the client wants us to know, about him. But, we do see an issue here with regard to our perceived need for some sort of connection with the client that is over and above basic facts and wants, in order to provide what he is paying for with the degree of emotional/psychological investment that we feel would be required. On the other hand, we don’t want to get too close to these clients! Any ideas, anyone?
I have dominated a guy in the past, in whom I was not the slightest bit interested – I should have charged, but it was marginally better than watching the TV! I managed that OK, but only by drawing on what I’d call acting. Is acting a part inherent to providing domination service on a professional basis, when you have no emotional connection with a client? Not that it troubles me particularly, as I can shift quite easily between characters, so its really just an enquiry. I also expect, should we get regulars, that this aspect will dissipate as time goes on and some sort of connection is established, anyway.
Advertising
We are both well connected in terms of societies and so on. We will also have a website up and running (albeit with our faces not shown). However, we do want to be discerning too – this is not an open to all service, hence the interviews. We also don’t want it to be a full time job – we’re looking for a few sessions each week, when we have time. Does anyone have any advice on how to promote the whole thing, with those aims in mind?
Insurance
This is a tricky one too. Is it even possible to get insurance? We’re thinking along the lines of someone getting unintentionally and permanently injured due to accident here, and what this would mean in terms of a claim against us, however unlikely it is that a client would break cover and reveal what it is he gets up to in his spare time.
Now, we are going to do medical questionnaires and all that, to establish what might be risky, and we are going to do the usual disclaimers – although under UK law it is not possible to deny liability in respect of injury. My friend with whom I am going to do this is a nurse, so we should be able to discern all this, and treat anything that arises as an emergency in respect of first aid at least. Does anyone have any advice on this please?
Additional Services
We have already come up with the idea of deriving additional income from such services as key holding for those who like long term chastity, dressing services for crossdressers which don’t include domination necessarily, and so on. We will not be taking on “financial slaves”, getting involved in “blackmail” scenarios and the like. But are there any other additional, non-session services we could offer?
Thanks in advance for all your help and advice!
E
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