{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Financial Planning for Sex Workers with Lindsey Swanson","description":"Brian Thompson chats with Lindsey Swanson, a certified financial planner and founder of Stripper Financial Planning. Lindsey started her fee-only financial planning firm after noticing a severe lack of financial advice for workers in adult entertainment. Through her company, she offers tailored advice in a supportive, kind environment. On the episode, Lindsey shares financial challenges that workers in the sex industry face, including restrictions from banking institutions, payment processors, social media companies, and website hosting firms. She also discusses the importance of choosing the right people to seek advice from, and why she\u2019s thinking of changing her company name. Episode Highlights Mission-driven businesses have integrity that others can see. It can be hard for people within an organization to self-diagnose a mission-driven business, according to Lindsey. She believes that others outside of a company may be better at recognizing whether a mission-driven business is truly accomplishing a higher goal. \u201cSo many times, there\u2019s a business that alleges they have a mission, but I don\u2019t see any actions coming from that,\u201d Lindsey said. \u201cFor me and my own business, it comes down to having a direct line between what I\u2019m trying to accomplish and making a profit.\u201d Seek advice from supportive people. Although Lindsey knew the sex work industry is stigmatized, she was surprised that some people wouldn\u2019t give her good business advice if they didn\u2019t believe in her business\u2019s mission. \u201cOne of the things that I realized not early enough is that I can\u2019t ask for advice from people who don\u2019t want the same things as me,\u201d Lindsey said. \u201cI could talk to whoever in marketing or branding or whatnot, and if they don\u2019t think that what I\u2019m doing is worthwhile, they don\u2019t give me good advice.\u201d For instance, some marketers don\u2019t want sex workers to be seen or heard, and Lindsey felt their advice was tainted by a belief that they didn\u2019t actually want her to succeed. Now, Lindsey specifically seeks out advice from people who are supportive of sex workers. \u201cOtherwise, I\u2019m not going to get people who are supporting me,\u201d Lindsey said. \u201cAnd that sounds obvious if you say it, but I thought anyone could give me good advice because everyone has something they can bring to the table.\u201d Not all industries are treated equally online. One issue Lindsey faces is online censorship of the sex industry. She initially thought marketing and publicity would revolve around SEO and key terms, but she says the reality is more of a nightmare. \u201cA lot of my clients are starting to create their own websites and host them offshore not because it\u2019s illegal but because there\u2019s so much censorship that happens on Squarespace and Wix and Wordpress,\u201d Lindsey said. \u201cI built my site on Squarespace, but I\u2019m anticipating that at some point it\u2019s going to get taken down. \u2026 And it\u2019s so much harder for people in the business.\u201d Help your audience find you again and again. Website hosting is only one censorship-related challenge for Lindsey. One of the main words in her business name -- stripper -- gets censored on social media, which prompts the sex industry to use an evolving litany of alternative terms to outsmart the algorithms. While Lindsey is leaning into her company name as she grows her publicity and brand recognition, once she\u2019s successful, she\u2019ll likely have to create a more veiled version of her business so she can stay on the internet. It\u2019s a move she\u2019s learned from her clients. \u201cIt\u2019s just amazing how good these individuals are at branding and recreating themselves and having an audience that\u2019s so sticky that they are willing to find them again,\u201d Lindsey said. \u201cI have one client that has put up her TikTok 20 times. \u2026 She\u2019s been taken down, and she's recreated that 20 times.\u201d Resources + Links Stripper Financial Planning Lindey\u2019s Social Media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook Brian\u2019s Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook  About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast  Brian Thompson, JD\/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit. On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too. ","author_name":"Mission Driven Business","author_url":"https:\/\/btfinancial.com\/podcast","html":"