Sex work and the escort industry has its highs and lows, its peaks and troughs. The sex industry is one that relies heavily upon the financial state of the times we are living in. There is a flow on effect, and if many other sectors of the economy are not so strong then people will have less money to spend.

There is no doubt that the escort industry is currently going through a bit of a slump. Everybody has been discussing it, it is no secret.

Although nobody can deny that sex, companionship and intimacy are key issues in life that people cannot live without, at the same time an escort service is considered to be somewhat a luxury item. When times are tough, food, rent and the mortgage will be the first priority. Everything else will come after, in order of priority.

There will always be gentlemen that no matter what the circumstances will have the funds allocated to see their escort on a regular basis. They consider it to be a very important thing in their lives for their happiness, their entertainment, as well as physical and mental wellbeing.

But the clients who do not indulge in an escort service on a regular basis may be more likely to call less often. Although they will still contact an escort, they are generally spending less, and will stretch the time between visits a little longer than they would in good times.

What does this mean, and how does it translate to the escort industry? It means that business may be a little slower than usual, and bookings will be harder to come by. There will be more time spent waiting for telephone contact or email than there were in the peak times. Unfortunately there will also be more time wasters, and clients trying to negotiate prices and services.

These quiet patches can make some ladies a little nervous, as they think that perhaps it is just them. I can assure you, you are not alone.

The escort industry relies heavily on all other sectors of the economy, on the strength of the current climate and very much on consumer confidence.

Just like a boat, a sports car or a motorbike, an escort service is one of the luxury times that gentlemen can heavily indulge in the good times, but will be less in demand in the hard times.

The good thing is that the urge and natural tendency to want to spend time with an escort does not diminish, no matter what the state of the financial times. Sex work is the oldest profession for a reason, and will not be impacted in the long term by isolated events that are short term.

As a previous private escort of many years and now the director of a very prominent escort directory, I am fortunate to have an insight and perspective about the current climate that those who are less experienced would not understand.

Throughout my career I have worked through the busiest times ever, with a booming economy. Everybody had money to spend - and spend they did. I have also worked when the economy was on the brink of recession, with a complete downturn of the global economy.

What I have just mentioned were the two extremes, poles apart. And of course I have experienced the middle ground in between - steady, good and nice.

I would like to share some of the things that worked for me, and helped me be a long term successful escort. They are things that I believe strongly in.

In the best and worst of financial times, consistency is key to staying afloat and building good quality regular clientele. Treating your clients with warmth and respect, providing a good quality service, and looking after your regular clients will reap huge rewards.

Stay steady and strong, be punctual and reliable – somebody that your clients can trust, and somebody they look forward to seeing again and again.

Never negotiate your boundaries, no matter how quiet the week has been. Decide what you feel happy and comfortable doing, whether it is a particular service or a place that you will visit. Do not make exemptions on these set boundaries, on your health or your safety, no matter what the circumstances.

And if you decide to make adjustments to your pricing or promote specials, to give yourself a financial boost and be more competitive, just remember:
YOU dictate your rates, nobody else. Temporarily changing your pricing to reflect the current climate is common, and something that many industries do.
But the price you set must always be respected by the client, and should not be negotiated.

There will come a time when the economy turns around, and consumer confidence is on the rise. These are the times that most people look forward to, but once they arrive can be very physically and mentally draining.
I recall times I was working that were so busy that I simply had to turn many bookings down. There were just not enough hours in the day to keep up with the client demand.
In busy times like these, there were other challenges. But that is a story for another time.

In an ideal world, there would be no peaks and troughs. The amount of work filtering through would balance out every day, so we could control our work / life balance.
Unfortunately, a lot of the time this is not the reality of sex work.
You have to do the best you can with the times you are in. Make hay while the sun shines, and try to do your best with the hard times.

Just remember… the oldest profession is resilient. The sun will shine again. It always does.