Brad Mitchell

Brad's tried his hand at a few different aspects of the biz. He's been sucessful in hosting, paysites, free hosts, phone sex, and billing to name a few things. They have given him well-rounded knowledge that few others can hope to get. Already a huge success, this is only the begining for Brad. I'm speaking from my own experience, Brad's one of the better people in this game. I'm proud to call Brad a personal friend and I recommend him as someone you WANT to find a reason to do business with.

Pictures complements of Fubar - check it out for a photo archive all all webmaster events!

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GFY Ambush Interview thread on Brad Mitchell


Question #1
Is your marriage just a front for your homosexuality?

You have this way of always starting with the tough questions that everyone has always wondered but was afraid to ask! I always get a kick out of this subject. Really, I do. If you've ever heard the phrase "kids can be cruel" I would say that it's absolutely true. Sometime when I was in middle school, 7th grade I think, was the first time I was ever name-called "gay", "fag", "homo" or something hateful like that. I suppose that is the time in every guy's life when puberty is the issue at hand and awkwardness is par for the course. I was always a quiet kid, definitely nervous in social situations so I was an easy target. I had "girlfriends" even back then and throughout the rest of high school but that never seemed to stop some from making fun. I was so miserable, in fact, that I had decided to deviate from the public school path that I was on and went to a private school when I started high school in 9th grade. After an unenjoyable year at this local all boys Catholic school (with an all girl school next door) I realized the obvious... finally. Not only is the grass not any greener on the other side of the fence but hate and immaturity are part of too many people's nature to live you life trying to avoid it. So, I returned in 10th grade to public school with a drivers license and an attitude. Even though I always cared what people thought and said, I decided I wasn't going to let it affect me. With more confidence and more of a social life outside of school at that time things were decent, for sure. Fast forward 11 years to today... I'm tremendously happy, comfortable in my own skin and still make people think I'm gay all the time. It does not phase or bother me, in fact I probably revel in the attention more than anything because I'm so secure with myself. So, the answer to the million dollar question is that I'm straight. I'm not even the slightest bit bi-curious and never have been. I love my wife and children dearly and I think having had some of these challenges and adversity throughout life has built character and makes me a better person to be shared with all of the friends and loved ones in my life. This is a short list of the things that I like and do that SURELY bug the heck out of men that are insecure... most especially my redneck in-laws: * I hate beer. Give me a mixed drink, a wine cooler. Brad likes foo-foo drinks. Damnit, if I'm going to drink it then it better taste good. * I like high end, unusual clothes and accessories. Everything I wear, down to my shoes, is chosen purposefully every time I go out. My clothes always match and my shirts are always tucked in - except for when the style calls for leaving them out. * I like to shop for myself and like shopping for and dressing up a woman even more. Worse yet, I'm pretty good at it. * Massages, manicures, pedicures, facials (Not COHF style fellas) - bring it on. This is the good stuff in life. Any man that won't at least try all of these things once is a sad individual in my book. * I hate watching sports. I'll go to a hockey game any time, especially to see the Red Wings here in Detroit. But watching sports... well, I can be one of the guys and go out to the bar a few times a year and passively spectate something on TV.. but I'd never choose to watch a sport on TV unless it was a championship or title match or I was in excellent company. The bigger life lesson for me in all of this has to do with things like empathy and biggotry. I am very passionate about understanding people and trying to be a good person all of the time. I live to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. I really think hatred is ignorant and that it is taught. If I do one thing right with my own children it will be to raise them in such a way that they are good people and that it is unimportant to them if their friends or lovers are gay, straight, black, white, arabic, jewish or muslim. I honestly wasn't brought up that way, in that type of household. As an adolescent and an adult I had to unlearn some things and start practicing what I was thinking. The crowning moment in my adulthood where I dealt with this issue was shortly after I got married. I was having Thanksgiving for the first time in my first home and had about 15 people over for dinner. Someone at the table made an ethnic comment that I didn't like and that was IT for me. I stood up at the head of this long table in this little room in my little house and basically said "Not in my house. If you're going to talk like that then you can leave. My children are not being raised this way and if you insist on never changing then you simply won't ever be invited back." END, Question 1.


Question #2
What the fuck is 123 bill?

Don't worry everybody... I don't think you're going to nod off to sleep on this one! I know the subject of billing can be a bit dry but I really do think that 123Bill has an interesting story behind it. It's billing with a twist! Yes, everybody already has at least two of the four traditional forms of billing on their web sites: credit card processing, online check processing, 900 billing and dialers. This is good and to be expected. It's common sense that with a cascade of at least two credit card processors plus other forms of payment that you will be able to maximize your throughput and overall sales volume. My billing option is the completely unique new kid on the block. Perhaps it is the final addition to everyone's list of acceptable payment methods. We can sell free trials, cheap trials, full price memberships, long term memberships, do rebilling... and even just do age verification all by itself at a cost per transaction. Understanding how 123Bill works from the perspective of a merchant, affiliate or consumer is really quite simple and I will address that first. Your challenge is to have a complete understanding of exactly WHY as a merchant or affiliate you want your websites to offer 123Bill as a payment option. First.. what the heck is 123Bill? I'm going to explain everything in practical terms and not legal speak. For technical definitions please refer to our websites. So, excuse me while I take some liberties and really boil this down for you: I extend 30 day payment terms to any U.S. resident over the age of 18 regardless of credit worthiness. So, any adult with a pulse and a verifiable identity can get instant access to whatever it is that you sell online. They receive a discreet bill through the mail within a few days of their purchase and are responsible for sending 123Bill a check or money order by the payment's due date. Basically, the consumer gets to buy now and pay later while staying completely outside of the traditional system of banks and credit cards. They can even give an alternate address for their statement to be mailed to if they choose. >From the site's "pre-join" page they have a list of payment methods. Mine is typically described as "Instant Access - Pay By Mail". The consumer clicks that link and is sent to a secure join page on our server where they populate their personal information, pick what they are purchasing and then click submit. I approve or decline in real time but before this happens I put the consumer the next page in the process which reiterates the terms they have agreed to and the address that the bill will be mailed to. Our process is simple and straightforward, it doesn't screw the surfer and makes extra effort every step of the way to prevent fraud and inform of what the consequences are for non-payment. My merchant agreement is very straightforward. What does everyone in our business always want to know? Everybody wants to know how much they are going to get paid and when they are going to receive that money. For this reason, when I establish a relationship with a new merchant I tell them what percentage of the gross sales they will receive and when I am going to pay them. The consistency of the 123Bill business model allows merchants to develop a payout structure for their own affiliates that does not put them at risk wondering how much money they are going to net on every 123Bill sale and when they are going to receive it so they can disburse to their affiliates. I give merchants a guaranteed payout and the rates that I quote vary wildly from one merchant to the next. If you came to me today wanting 123Bill I would evaluate your business and make you an "offer" based on what my best guess is of the collectability of the traffic you would be sending to 123Bill. I put myself at tremendous risk when I bill for a merchant because if I don't collect enough then it's really very simple - I lose money. The low end of my guaranteed payout on gross billed dollars is 20% and the high end is 65%. Why the variance? As is true with everything in our industry, collections success is basically a result of quality of traffic and other factors like truth in tour marketing, quality of members areas, availability of customer support and reliability of the merchant's hosting and technical fulfillment. Merchant payouts are subject to change on a "go-forward" basis. This means that if I ever decide that a rate change up or down is necessary that you have ample time to make the decision as to whether or not 123Bill is still good for your business and can remove it from your sites if you choose. If I were to ever make such a determination I would share with the merchant all of the collections numbers and empiracle data available to me including any revenues generated from late fees and all collections activity. The important thing is that if you're a merchant you know you are always going to get paid, even if I'm upside-down on the collections for your sales because that is my guarantee. *** The big question: WHY would merchants add 123Bill as a billing option since the "fees" are so high? Right off the bat... Change the way you think, get out of the box. I don't charge a "fee" like traditional methods do. You know when your third party credit card processor charges you 11-15% plus a reserve that these figures are on collected dollars that they have received prior to paying you. If my business was simply "Fee Based" I'd be PRINTING MONEY here. My payouts are ultimately a direct reflection of what collections and the cost of doing business actually are. Here's the million dollar answer: We find new customers and new money for your web site. We serve a consumer demographic that has virtually no access to or does not trust any of the other payment methods on your web site. Remember, the last thing that any credit worthy person wants is one more line of credit or bill in the mail every month. If you were to implement 123Bill properly across your pay sites then you would see an increase of 2-5% on your gross daily transactions. Your realization, your "net out" on those sales will be less than with other methods but at the end of the day it is essentially NEW FOUND MONEY. I like to tell people that more than half of the payments we receive through the mail are money orders because I believe that pretty much sums it up. Do you go to Walmart after cashing your check to write money orders to pay all of your bills? No, if you're reading GFY I doubt that you do. Tens of millions of Americans that are poor to middle class, young, old, or that have recently moved don't have the regular credit facilities that the rest of us do. So now you're hung up on the idea that so many people "get away" with not paying. Because that's really what it comes down to, I payout less because not everyone pays their bills. Look, nobody gets away with anything. First, they can only screw us once - ever. Second, consumers that don't pay these bills end up going to collections and ultimately will have a mark on their permanent credit record if the balance does not get resolved. That is a consequence, a really important one. Forget about what you think your site access is "worth" because if you're sitting there thinking Brad might only want to pay me $9.98 on a $39.95 membership then you don't have your business hat on... you're taking the dollars and cents personally rather than seeing the real value proposition. Your payouts to your affiliates are relative to the dollars collected by you on a 123Bill transaction, not the gross billed dollars. So, if you're rev-sharing 50% then your affiliate is getting $4.99 and you are getting $4.99. I can guarantee you they would rather have $4.99 then $0.00. As a merchant you've spent the bulk of your money bringing the traffic to your website and once they are there if you don't make any sale then it's completely at a loss to you and your affiliate. ......................... So... the dollars netted out by everyone on a 123Bill sale are less than through other methods, except perhaps international dialers (if people are even doing that anymore with US traffic). But, what we have here is a completely new method that is reliable and bypasses all of the traditional means of billing and chargeback ratios. All these years everyone has talked about "growth markets" in Asia and worldwide and there has been one right here at home in the US - low and medium income families. I have the only solution that verifies identity, age and gives these people and any anyone else access to what you would like to sell online. Make of it what you will! Our merchants are very happy with the new money we are able to generate for their websites. I think that whether or not you come aboard now or next year, eventually everybody will be a client. If not, I respect their decision and wish them the best of luck. Cheers,Brad


Question #3
How can you compete with the big boys in the hosting marketplace these days? Does the yacht help?

Great question! We started MojoHost on April 1st, 2002 with the goal of being a high quality adult web host. With patience and persistence over the last several years, we have exceeded the expectations we placed on ourselves and today I believe we compete well with the best of our competition. We seek customers that demand high performance and excellent support. My clients have the wisdom and understanding that delivering both is a challenge and they will never meet their mixture of goals by going with the lowest cost host out there. Even though our pricing is usually "middle of the road", not the highest or lowest priced in the marketplace, we deliver on my promise of a world-class hosting experience. We create solutions for clients of all sizes, types and complexity. My team and I take a personal interest in working with every client to help them meet their goals of growing their business, managing their budget and relieving them of technical burdens by providing a fully managed service. Not all business is good business in my eyes. What does this mean? Well, for starters it means that my network has never hosted spammers and we have a better relationship with all of our upstream providers and other networks for it. To me, this also means that I won't sell something if we can't price with adequate margins to support the client properly AND contribute to the greater good through network expansion and improvement. This also means that on a case-by-case basis, even at the right price and with a legal operation, I won't host someone if I know them to be a dishonest person to others in our industry. Having the ability to compete against hosts much larger in size is something that has always been a challenge but is something we have fared well with, in my opinion. One of my better qualities is as a deal maker and from the very beginning I have always been a tough negotiator when buying bandwidth, facility and hardware. I set the standard of giving value, performance and reliability very high and to pull it off I have always had to be patient and persistent with my buying power. My sights have always been set a bit higher then on the competition I have in our industry. When I sit down to analyze hosting economics the challenge is never to figure out how the direct competitors in adult hosting "do it" because of the figures they sell at. My constant goal is to be looking at the bigger picture and understanding how companies like Ev1servers and RackSpace do what they do. When I aim higher, beating the competition in our vertical gets easier. I am always fully committed to my clients so setting pricing is always a challenge. Since we first started I have always sold at published prices and I've had price decreases maybe four or five times. We have never put contracts in front of our clients because my thinking has always been that every clients deserves to be happy. They should trust and know us so well that if they ever decide that they want to move they can call and ask us to help them move without hesitation because that is the way we are. Every time I lowered pricing I would go through all of our active client base and lower everyone's price because that is the right thing to do. Every time I've done that it's represented probably a 3-5% decrease in gross revenue but I chalk up our success to karma... because somehow we always bounce to higher than the decreased figure in new sales in no time flat. I believe we are tough competition because we do our job as hosts very well and always put our clients first. I make it my mission to create incredible amounts of good will with every customer so that we are the last host they will ever have.


Question #4
What ever happened to your paysites?

We had spent over a year in development with SinBucks and it's pay sites. The program was originally launched with over 20 sites and a complete set of marketing tools in the fourth quarter of 2003. I am, however, no longer the owner of either SinBucks or any of it's associated pay sites or content... SinBucks was sold to a private owner in 2004. Around the same time that we came to market with SinBucks the development of 123Bill was intensifying. Simultaneously, MojoHost (which was known then as SinHost) was experiencing tremendous growth. The decision to focus all effort on hosting and this new billing solution happened almost overnight. So, despite having brought SinBucks to market it never really had a chance to come into it's own because of my reprioritization of time and effort. I believed that we had a solid product in SinBucks with it's selection of sites and the tremendous amount of effort that went into it's development. However, I ultimately chose to grow 123Bill and MojoHost over owning adult properties because I felt that for me they presented the best opportunity. We had launched a program that did not have in it's portfolio any reality sites or exclusive content so even though it was diverse, it was immediately at a disadvantage at that slice in time because "reality" was all the rage. SinBucks essentially ran on auto-pilot but continued to received member area, marketing tool and tour updates until it was sold to a new owner in 2004. In early 2004 I let go of my brand and identity that I had been using since 1999, SinEmpire. At one time, it consisted of: SinTalk (phone sex), SinHost (hosting), SinContent (leased content) and SinBucks (pay sites). SinTalk was my first really successful online business and is absolutely huge today under the wise ownership of OmegaCash who purchased it from me in the 4th quarter of 2002. SinContent was primarily a unique collection of audio stories whose rights were owned by 'Oceania' and I simply returned those content leasing customers to her complete control. She is a wonderful person, probably the first friend I ever made in the industry in 2000. My final action was to rebrand SinHost to MojoHost and discontinue the use of my handle 'SinEmpire'. I no longer own any adult properties but am focused on serving our community with both MojoHost and 123Bill. I am proud of my decisions and how my business has grown and evolved over time without ever compromising my values of honesty and integrity. The last 6 years has been a whirlwind experience and I wouldn't change a thing... not any of the bad decisions that I've made or the the times that I was defrauded. That which doesn't kill us only makes us stronger, right?


Question #5
Talk about how you grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth?

I used to love watching the show Silver Spoons on TV. Hell, who didn't want to be that kid?! I honestly wouldn't characterize my childhood as such, but I did grow up very fortunate in many respects. I can't honestly say that remember ever dining with silver but I suppose it was probably somewhere in the house... I grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This is arguably one of the most beautiful suburbs with lots of trees, big lots, lakes and mansions that starts about 8 miles north of the Detroit city limits. A very pretty area and a great place to raise kids, Melissa and I actually live less than a mile from the house that I spent my first 18 years in. The youngest of four boys, I was pretty spoiled when it came to my GI Joes, Legos and eventually computers. Being much older and a ton more worldly now I really appreciate all the hard work it must have taken to provide us with so much stuff, family vacations and all of the opportunity and encouragement that we received. Although I was always shy, polite and pretty humble my perception of reality was pretty skewed growing up in that area. I used to think the people the next street over were poor because their lot and house sizes weren't like ours. Evidently, I didn't know what the fuck poor was. Hell, I after getting my drivers license when I was 16 stopping for gas in the city and having to pay first.. I was pissed, after all, how did I know exactly how much gas I would need? LOL Since before I was born my father had owned his own successful mail-order company, Universal Bodybuilding. In the mid 1960's he wrote a 12 step course on bodybuilding and weight training that over the decades sold over a million copies. His ads and even photographs of him were printed tens of millions of times over through the 70's and 80's. I was always proud of that. He was an entrepreneur and that spirit was definitely passed on to my siblings and I. Over the years I remember lots of courses and books being sold through the mail, including books on how to Cartoon for Money, Karate (in the 70's), How and Where to Pick Up Beautiful Girls and 1000 (2000, 3000?) Ways to Make Money. So between that, real estate, stocks and commodities and other companies I was a bit inspired to venture on my own someday. Weird thing is that with such a male dominated household these were all the things we discussed at the dinner table... pretty much everything but sports. My dad never liked them and we never watched them in the house, with the exception of one of my older brothers that was very athletically inclined and interested. I am sure that like all kids I was a whiny bitch every now and again when I didn't get my way... but somehow I turned out just fine. I had lots of friends with successful parents who were unfortunately unable or unwilling to take so many of the good things from their childhood and find fulfillment later in life with business and personal success. All I ever wanted to do was own my own business. I remember a teacher asking me in elementary school what I wanted to do when I grew up. When I answered that I wanted to own a business, she asked what kind of business and I believe my response was something to the extent of it not mattering to me very much. I respect and value teaching kids about the importance of a good work ethic. Everything costs, the idea of risk and reward... the idea that regardless what you are born into life is neither an entitlement program or predestined. We all make our own successes and failures and as a kid I had lots of them. SO... I grew up in a pretty charmed area and circumstance but always worked for whatever spending money I had whether it was creatively with a little business, by going in to work for my dad or eventually for my oldest brother I was always doing something. I've always wanted for more, I've always wanted to have accomplishments of my own to be proud of. Somewhere in my mid-twenties after I got married I actually figured out even bigger stuff about life.... and started to discover the real wealth of happiness which truly has nothing to do with money. Everyone has their drama and baggage from their childhood, even rich kids. I was always a smart little guy but knowing something and truly believing it are two different things. My baggage had a lot to do with my constantly comparing myself to my father, my successful older siblings (6, 9 and 11 years older) and thinking that my self worth had something to do with my net worth. I always knew that was an illogical thought but really believing that I had value as a person even if I had not achieved material success yet was a big milestone for me. My years before self-employment and even the first few years of it were tough and stressful. I aim to raise my children in a similar environment to the one I grew up in. I'll focus on teaching my kids to be kind, understanding, tolerant, patient and hard working. They'll work and be academically involved or active in sports. When I set them free at 18, though, I only have one goal. I want them to find fulfillment in life. That could be captaining a boat, being an artist, doctor - whatever, it doesn't matter. There is more to life than money and after battling with my own challenges in life I just know that I want my children to be grounded enough with their beliefs where they never do live to seek approval from society, only their own conscience and the ones they love.


Question #6
How many employees do you have? Have you ever had sex with any of them?

Currently, I have a total of six people on payroll at MojoHost (not including myself, obviously!). We run a tight ship! Everybody here works very hard to support our clients in all of their respective roles. The most important by far would be Corey, who since the day we shook hands and decided to start a hosting company has lived and breathed it. Corey is my partner who manages the network, participates in technical support himself and manages a staff of server geeks that also support our clients. Although my company has been incorporated since August of 1999 and had various online ventures, MojoHost has only been operational since April of 2002. Originally, it was branded and marketed as 'SinHost'. Realizing the true potential and future of our company, we made the decision to rebrand as MojoHost some time ago our business has more than tripled in size since that change was made. I am of the belief that even having started in 2002 with a rediculously humble setup that we started in an industry that was even then fiercely competitive and already consolidating. Pressures to raise service levels, performance and support while decreasing prices to our end customers are always top of mind. We're proud of what we have accomplished so far and are looking forward to the future. We have grown exponentially this year and last and I think we'll have a bunch more Mojo Men and Mojo Women working here as our business continues to demand it. To answer your real question... NO, I have never had sex with any of my employees! That would definitely upset my wife and my partner, Corey, as he doesn't want a third partner in the business as the result of a divorce! LOL


Question #7
What kind of education do you have?

Just a high school education for this guy. People always seem surprised when I say that, too. I was never really excited about the notion of going to a University to study, except for the desire to be someplace with thousands of women and no parents. LOL I started working while I was a junior in high school part-time for a company that my eldest brother owns. By the time I graduated, the business had already taken off and I was getting a whirlwind hands-on business experience with what I thought was some fantastic upside. I kidded myself the first year out of High School thinking I was just taking time off... Eventually, I enrolled at Oakland University which is local to me and took two classes to get the whole degree process started... but that's it! 8 credits in college. The schools where I grew up were recognized as being some of the best in the state.. so, I had the benefit of small classrooms and excellerated programs in middle and high school. I always enjoyed English and History. Was never very good at the sciences or math. I remember once in high school my counselor wanted my mom to come in because some of my grades were B-C. She wanted to pull me out of some of the honors classes and I told her I would rather get a C in a class that was interesting, even if it was only because I wasn't applying myself, then to get an A in something that was boring. Must have been the classes in debate that I took because somehow my curriculum remained unchanged! lol So basically... I'm am profesionally uneducated, just experienced in life and working on a degree from the School of Hard Knox.


Question #8
Why didn't you stay with the GAP?

Gosh, what was I a sophomore when I worked there? Maybe? I don't know, I might even have been a freshman. I remember being SO socially phobic and insecure. It was a great job to get a little bit out of my shell and start working on my people skills. I was always the kid that would clam up when a teacher called on him. I can't say that I was as into clothing then as I am today... definitely my tastes have changed, I can't say I'd buy anything there now. My budget, time, travel... all of those have definitely influenced my taste and shopping! But why didn't I stay working for the GAP when I was so young... well... Let's see, it was pretty close to my home and I did get like a 50% discount on clothes which was super compelling when you're in high school. I think I was making minimum wage there and eventually got a different part time job that paid another dollar or two more per hour. Really the reason I lost interest in both jobs was that I had just started my own side business that I worked in usually two weekends every month. Although I was never a reader or collector, I had started my own business buying, selling and trading comic books at conventions. Kind of a cool story, actually! I basically inherited a collection of maybe 5000 or so books, mostly from the 70's. My dad used to advertise, often with one or more full page ads, in every single issue printed by Marvel and DC. They would send him one copy of everything, every month. Since he read and collected comic books when he was a kid, he would just box them up and eventually they ended up in our basement. I think I discovered them when I was 15. My best friend read comic books and it was through him wanting to buy some off me that I discovered they had value. With permission and without ever going to a comic book show (just to a couple of stores), I began organizing my own collection into a traveling storefront. I alpha-sorted, bagged, boxed and priced thousands of books. Made some signs and registered for a table at an upcoming show. I was a huge hit my first time out of the gate and continued to do shows until my senior year in high school. It was so much fun to negotiate deals to buy, sell and trade books from other vendors, walk-ins, etc. Regular work lost a lot of it's necessity when I started making $300-$1000 on a Sunday afternoon once or twice a month and $3000-$6000 at one or two large conventions every year. I ended up turning that much smaller collection completely around into one that had maybe 20,000 books starting with the 60's silver age comic books all the way through current, which at that time would have been early 90's. I remember I scanned in covers and did a computerized slideshow and used to bring a notebook and monitor to attract attention, pretty cutting edge for back then. LOL Eventually, the greed of Marvel and DC imploded the whole industry as they continued to exploit the idea of "special editions" and obscene print runs. Basic business, supply and demand. Eventually, when there weren't enough readers buying the books anymore, only speculators, they had no inherent value. Back to the GAP... I remember I used to sell people, men even, different color socks to match the colored shirts they were buying. The early 90's were funny like that! One month, I sold the most jeans of anyone else in the store and I think it was worth... well, basically almost nothing except a small gift certificate and a pat on the back.


Question #9
What's the appeal to working in health care?

Well, my first job in that industry had no appeal and not much thought put into it. I was basically an office clerk doing filing, typing and stuff like that. I was 16 or 17 at the oldest and worked for a small business that was supplying medical equipment which was based out of someone's home, just a walk across the street from high school. In fact, I found the job in the co-op office. That lasted until I showed up to work one day and the State Investigators from Medicaid had raided the place for documents - I didn't work there for long after that. The guy was a dirtbag, breaking numerous laws including paying kickbacks to other companies for referrals (a big NO-NO in medical!) amongst other shady business practices that I began to understand more fully after I was no longer employed there. The irony of this guy, he was a disabled Korean War veteran and played that card as often as possible. Unfortunate, yes, but a good lesson that anyone can be a piece of shit no matter how unsuspecting they may seem. In general, though, what is the appeal? Having a job that is inherently good and helping people in need, I think. My career in health care actually started when I was still in high school, very unsuspectingly, after I left the job working for the crook. My brother had started a unique and new type of medical service that employed physicians, full time, to professionally do housecalls and visit the sickest of our senior citizen and disabled populations. I started working for him maybe 6 months after his business started. I remember working in the corner of what was a two room office in a strip mall in a less than mediocre part of town... with my desk and chair behind a stack of boxes! Because of my experience and seemingly natural ability with computers from a very young age, I was hired and trained by a former Blue Cross Blue Shield veteran to do all of their medical billing and collections. When I began, things were stressed out and the company had not yet collected hardly anything. When I left over 7 years later, the company was national and I had a large staff working for me doing the work I used to do all by myself for the first several years. I was incredibly challenged for my whole tenure there and learned worlds of information, I think. What an experience. At 21 and without a college education I used to sit on the Medicare Advisory Board for the State of Michigan. In addition to managing the entire medical billing process and accounts receivable, I worked in operations to enhance revenue and internal systems, I would work one on one with the physicians and teach them how to document their billings properly... I used to monitor and report on physician, office and overall company productivity. I developed all of the internal systems for working with the carriers and mathmatically deducing our billing systems to an utter science. I used to do all of the physician enrollment and credentialing with the different insurance carriers. I worked hard, a lot of hours and a lot of late nights. I really did give it my best for all the years I worked there. Beneath everything and what I feel was the biggest driver to my success and interest was the good we were doing as a company. We were an underdog with a new idea implementing it and creating an entirely new business model in a traditional industry like healthcare. And it was a fight, a constant fight. But my god, if you could see the joy and goodness that we brought to the absolutely sickest and most needy people out there.. it was motivating. I really believed in the mission. That is part of the beauty in healthcare, at least with seniors I think, is that everyone is covered to a large extent either through Medicare or Medicaid and they can all receive the best possible care regardless of their income. I had never seen such poverty as when I did a 'tour' through all of the offices in Ohio, going out on the road at each office with it's physicians and doing housecalls with them. I cried, quite a bit. Nothing makes you feel like an idiot with what you consider to be your lifes problems until you visit a 70 year old senior in the dead of winter who lives all alone, sitting by a toaster oven and stove for heat. It was just a big huge challenge and I'm the type that hates to be board. I lived for solving problems, for finding them even. It was a fantastic experience, the one I credit most in my life for preparing me for hopefully what are even greater things with the companies that I own now or may own in the future. I am proud to say that six years after my departure this company is *still* the largest of it's kind in the nation, doing hundreds of thousands of visits annually.


Question #10
Did you ever personally take any calls in your phone sex business and get the caller off?

Sorry to dissapoint everyone... but no, my work was not so dramatic with the phone sex business! What I really owned and operated was a marketing machine to consumers and webmasters. I recognized an opportunity in early 2000, really less than 6 months in the business, for webmasters to be selling phone sex on their sites. It was painfully obvious to me when I got lines of my own from a company called NTS that they didn't know anything at all about the internet. Not only did they not comprehend the new online business model, they did not see and were not addressing the opportunity. Simply put, I thought to myself that if I could teach other webmasters how to do what I was doing that therein was an opportunity. I partnered with a company out of Boston and launched SinTalk. They did all of the fulfillment of the calls, billing and webmaster payouts and I marketed the program and taught webmasters how to do this proper. I also worked to further develop more niche lines so that people could more effectively market to and convert their different types of traffic. It was a hit! I used to do very grass-roots marketing to find webmasters like write articles about how to make money selling phone sex and get them published on places like PornResource.com and CozyFrog.com. It was a slow grow to an income just making .25-.50/minute off of ever minute remarketers of my lines were selling but once the business was built it was a monster! The revenue was so diverse from the affiliate base and just kept growing by 5-15% monthly, compounded. Somewhere along the road I started MojoHost as I had some time and money to invest into a new venture. Eventually, there was significant value in the phone sex business and I sold out when the time was right for me. At that time, I already had income replacement from the hosting company and cashing out accomplished a great many goals. Really, it was my first incredible paycheck a few years into the business and I was able to pay off all personal and business debts that were a result of my learning curve of figuring everything online out. Phone sex pays! Everyone should have numbers on their websites. It is the only thing you can promote on your sites that doesn't take any bandwidth or traffic away, it only finds new revenue for you. The company I sold it to is the one I always worked with and they are known as http://www.omegacash.com now. The owners of the company are as honest as the day is long, the only people I was ever able to trust when I was working in that industry. They take care of their affiliates, they understand online marketing and they can be trusted to report accurately, completely.


Question #11
Why did you sell your paysites?

I think I sort of addressed this in question 4... what happened to them. But as to why? The reasons I sold my paysites were very many, really. My number one reason was that I had not built enough value into the program to justify keeping it. It was a undermarketed asset. It never really had a chance, just when I brought it to market I had the idea for 123Bill... so all of my marketing and development efforts were then split between the hosting and billing companies as they had what I thought was clearly the best opportunity for success. The question I posed to myself and the people that were working with me was a simple one, would I rather take a chance on something that might be a company with 9 digits in sales or a 7 digits in sales. There are only so many hours in the day... and at the END of the day, I have never wanted to be mediocre at anything. I did not have enough time, money or talent around me to do everything all at once. Another driving factor, I think, was at the point in time when SinBucks launched it was already outdated. It wasn't created out of a visionary moment of mine, it was a very basic program with niche sites but nothing that was unique to our marketplace. Online adult e-commerce was morphing again, everything switched to reality sites and exclusive content and in 25 paysites I didn't have any of that. There is no sense in throwing good money after bad money, my dad always said. In the back of my mind when I made that decision was the notion that with 123Bill I didn't want anything to distract from it's seriousness and credibility. I thought it was possible that if I still owned porn sites that some would not consider it credible. What I believe now is while that may be true for others in my shoes that would not be the case for me. I already have relationships and credibility in our industry and those that don't understand or don't want to take the time to understand don't matter enough. Besides, doing everything in seperate companies really does seperate liabilities enough. Will I never do paysites again? I wouldn't say that. If I did they'd have to be something unique and fantastic. Sometimes I think back to how I was "my own island" of sorts 6 years ago with completely vertical paysites (no affiliate program) and my own free sites and traffic sources... and that was nice, very nice I think.


Question #12
Why do you live in Detroit?

Probably the easiest question to answer.... Family, friends, family. We have three little ones under the age of three. I want my kids to know their aunts, uncles and cousins. We don't have immediate families that have seperated and moved out of state. My three brothers and their families and my parents all live within 10 minutes of us. Melissa's family lives about 50 minutes north of here. I can't say I wouldn't want to live thousands of miles from them, sometimes... LOL We really just are family oriented. I come from the type of family where we all get together on every birthday and every holiday... that's just what is normal to us. It is possible that we will move, someday. Obviously, since Melissa stays home with the kids and I own a somewhat virtual business we could live anywhere. I used to think I wanted to move to Florda... that comes naturally to us Michiganders, it's a straight shot driving down Interstate 75... 18-21 hours depending on where you are going in Florida. My parents used to have a second home in Clearwater, FL which is close to Tampa. We like it down there but home for now will continue to be here. If we did move, I don't know that it would be Florida now anyways. I have to be honest... all this shit weather makes me think it's not so bad here! Yeah, it gets a little cold in the winter but in Southeast Michigan the snow isn't that excessive and we do get four beautiful seasons. I look at the southern states now as being in a hurricaine nuisance zone... out west, well, that might be possible although there are some cities that I think have some frightening earthquake possibilities and too much traffic... Out east, well, they get worse winters than we do. Middle of the country a bit west then you get flooding and huge tornadoes. I would like to live somewhere that the winters don't get so cold, someplace that has more average annual days of sunshine. I find that the weather can definitely affect my moods... but I guess that's what frequent vacations are for! If I ever decide on island life, we'll move to St. Bart in the Carribbean. If you're going to live in Michigan and don't want to be in the middle of the countryside, we basically live in the nicest place. The shame of it is the actual city of Detroit and some of the other surrounding communities. I don't care what anyone says, it's utterly horrible. I would be shocked if in my lifetime the city of Detroit EVER has a renaissance. It is a vast ghetto wasteland and for it's size has virtually no redeeming qualities. The city has been raped and pillaged by it's politicians and residents for three decades and there is no industry now or on the horizon that will be coming here to employ the masses of poorly educated, impoverished people. The city does nothing to encourage new businesses to go there and it really is so damn terrible in every respect that it's basically hopeless. Doesn't help it's future that there is no mass transit system, either. I like cosmopolitan cities like Vegas, Chicago, Boston.


Question #13
What's the deal with all your philosophical bullshit answers?

Somehow Sleazy, you just knew, didn't ya! Detailed and thoughtful, I hope... sometimes philosophical. But never bullshit. If I could just characterize myself as one thing, that would be honest. I like to talk and explain things and for me, personally, it's not just for the sake of talking or enjoying listening to myself. One of the more 'internally' rewarding things in my experience online has been moments where I have either helped or inspired others. Outwardly, the reward is better and bigger business, all the time. I'm a real person when I post here it's not some board personna or character, my schtick is just to be me. I'm never going to be the guy who shows off, throws the biggest party, basically starts engaging in a contest that is about anything except wits or ability. Your interview with me is invaluable as a marketing tool if I take the time to answer it MY WAY.. the long-winded, way. LOL Hundreds of people will inevidably read this, perhaps more if I am lucky. This will inevidably lead some new people to discover me and push some people that I already know to ask themselves why we are not doing business yet. Engaging in good conversation is the "good stuff" in life. I also enjoy writing and find that to be very fulfilling. To answer questions briefly wouldn't be nearly as interesting to me, you, or anyone else reading this thread! I remember Prague when we had that deep, philosophical pillowtalk back in our room! You know part of the entertainment around here is watching how presumptuous people are. I love just being in people's face about stuff that matters to me because I am not afraid of anything anymore


Question #14
Why did you leave the medical field?

I was 24 when I quit my job to do this. I had always wanted to graduate to some type of ownership in the company I was working for and after 7 and a half years finally accepted that was never going to happen. I felt that I was underpaid for the service and value that I brought to the company. I never wanted to have a "job" and once I realized that was all this was, I died a little bit inside and simply didn't want it anymore. I was in search of a business for sale, really interested in the idea of owning an internet business. I had never webmastered before, didn't know HTML. Nonetheless, when I found an established paysite business for sale, an AVS of sorts, I bought it. I gave about 6 months of notice and worked evenings and weekends on my new adult business, teaching myself as much as humanly possible. I learned everything the hard way. I didn't even get the benefit of buying a functional online business - I was completely defrauded, right out of the gate. I had figured that I would have the luxury of making changes to the sites slowly as I learned what I was doing... that I could simply enhance what was there and grow the income that way. Boy was I wrong! I bought sites from a crook and ended up with a huge mess of unlicensed content, non-unique designs for 1000 web sites and to top it off the bastard started redirecting a bulk of the traffic right before I assumed ownership. What revenue there was with the recurring billing decreased month after month and this led me to my first show in May of 2000 in New Orleans. By that time I had figured out that phone sex made money online so I was furiously trying to figure out how to make a business of that on a larger scale... and quickly! I started my business officially in August of 1999. All in this same month I bought a business, got married, bought my first home... all while already being 40k in credit card debt. What a cluster fuck. Everything in life really does happen for a reason. That which doesn't kill you, if you're paying attention, really does make you stronger and more enriched. Finally, that patience and persistence can pay off for "nice guys" they don't always have to finish last. I like to think that everytime I do something selfless or thoughtful that it's money in the karma bank. Have you performed a random act of kindness today, this week, this month or this year?


Question #15
How does one get an invitation onto your multi-million dollar yacht?

I have been anxiously awaiting this question! First things first… I would be remiss if I didn’t remind the reading audience that the 120’ yacht and crew are not mine! I have, however, had the distinct pleasure of many enjoyable trips on the motor yacht Sovereign and the last yacht, a 145’ beauty whose name was Indulgence. The owner of the yacht is my eldest brother. His generosity to make it available to me for both business and personal use has really humbled me. We are the best of friends and I have had enjoyed several trips with and without him and look forward to more fantastic voyages in the future. There are several ways that one might discover an invitation to join in on the fun. The first way, of course, is simply as a friend. These trips are always rather spontaneous, but both with and without Melissa I have had several vacations on the yacht. No matter what port it is in, it always makes for an excellent destination. There are six state rooms on the vessel and it sleeps up to twelve people comfortably. If you or you and your spouse or significant other are friends of ours then you just never know if or when you might be invited to join us. Every time I have used the yacht has been a special experience. Ideally, at least once a year or more I would like to use it professionally to entertain. I see a guest list divided into three categories, really: established clients, potential clients and ‘influential’ people… those with whom direct business is never expected to be done but the goal of developing a personal relationship exists. The first excursion to the boat was a tremendous success for everybody in both business and personal respects. We had such an eclectic group of individuals! Quite a bit of work went into selecting those who were invited, many of which I never had any expectation of ever doing business with but surprisingly ended up doing it anyway. I am anything but the expectant type! My primary motivation was to use the venue to create an environment that was comfortable, enjoyable and relaxing for everybody so that when they returned home they felt as if they just had a vacation, not like they needed another one. As a result, I believe we all share a special bond from sharing the experience and there are business and personal relationships that will last a lifetime… and come on! How cool is that?! Changing hosts to get invited on a yacht would be silly in my estimation. Sure, I guess it could be viewed as a 10-15k/day, once in a lifetime vacation for most, but I would hope that one would search a little bit deeper when making such a serious decision. Comforting to me, I suppose, is the belief that we truly are the best host out there and are ready to create competitive enterprise solutions. I’m a business person, always. This means that if someone doesn’t want to wait to be asked aboard, they could try and negotiate such a trip up front if they’re spending the right kind of money. Unfortunately, the invitation just isn’t available to everyone and never will be.


Question #16
How many conventions do you attend a year? Which ones? Favorites? Worst?

It seems that I am now attending around six or more events annually. This year there was Internext in Vegas, the Phoenix Forum, Webmaster Access San Diego, the MojoHost Experience (yacht trip!) which was in Ft. Lauderdale, that thing in Prague, Internext in Hollywood, FL, Curacao (Island Gathering) and now I am in Universal City for Webmaster Access. It’s possible that I’m forgetting something. Let me start with the worst: I just don’t like Vegas anymore unless I’m out there just to have fun. I did actually enjoy the change in venue last year to the Mandalay Bay but this year I am dreading the return to the Venetian. I hope it doesn’t royally suck in January but I have a sneaking suspicion that I am going to be incredibly frustrated with that trip. Vegas is slammed busy with CES and the two adult shows all running simultaneously. This means that every hotel is booked, the taxi stands are going to be a nightmare and finding others from our Internext just “congregating” around the circle bar isn’t going to work anymore. When I travel for business I can do without the crowds and spectacle, really. I enjoy quality interaction with my industry friends and acquaintances and so with each gathering I am always searching for the best venue to accomplish that. My goal is always to expand current relationships and come home with a few new ones. Quantity doesn’t matter, quality does. The odd thing about our industry is that you never can really guess where your next new client will come from or what the value of that relationship will be. Therefore, my preference is for smaller shows. If I could close my eyes and make a wish, that would probably be to spend a few months on the yacht each year and just bring people through as my guests. That would be awesome! Since that is, however, not reality based… YET… I would have to say that my favorite shows are the Phoenix Forum and the Hollywood, FL Internext. I very much enjoyed the Island Gathering this year, too. Next year I definitely plan on bringing Melissa to that one, it was just the perfect pace for a spouse. I was regretting that decision about 5 minutes into checking out the pool area after arrival. Phoenix Forum has been a great show for me throughout the years. I actually miss when it was a smaller venue with just a few hundred attendees. The Hollywood show is always an excellent one for me. I like that show a lot because the common areas really do make it so easy to see everybody. Whether it’s lounging in the hotel lobby or drinking and eating at the poolside restaurant, if you just plant your butt down in one of those places and work it right… you can do fantastic business and show some excellent client appreciation with the drinks! The one I went to in Prague was probably the worst organized tradeshow I ever attended. It was, however, a beautiful city and as this was my first time to Europe I really did enjoy the trip and made the best out of it. My primary objective with that show was really just to spend time with a couple of people that I knew were attending so everything else was really secondary. I can’t speak for the future of our industry but I can speak for myself. My future business travels will be very much focused around small group encounters. I hate crowds and I don’t like having to compete to spend time with someone or being inaccessible to others, myself. It is very obvious, already, that others share this same view as I believe this year had a record number of very small events spread throughout the world. I look forward to participating in more myself, next year.


Question #17
What's it like to own a black card? pic

I'm guessing that you're talking about my American Express Centurion card, not my Armani Exchange discount card. LOL What's it like... well, it works pretty much the same as any other credit card except it has a few other advantages like a 24 hour concierge and travel services. They do a few nice things for you like give you instant gold status on Delta, Continental, US Airways, Hilton Honors and platinum status with PriorityClub Rewards and Starwood resorts. It is pretty convenient for traveling and entertaining... sometimes when you go to a strange city it's nice to get reviews on restaraunts and reservations for dinner, tickets to entertainment, transportation, etc and they make that simple. The card has mixed success obtaining entry into places that are otherwise booked but usually fares pretty well. The concierge service is a time saver. I've used it to send clients gifts before and have them figure everything out, like the time I wanted to send a bottle of nice red wine, white wine and some cigars to someone that treated me as their guest when I was in town. At the end of the day I think it's a good value if you use it in more ways than just to pay for stuff at checkout. I have always preferred American Express and I enjoy the membership rewards program quite a bit. Sometimes it illicits a funny reaction at restaraunts and while shopping. The closest thing I can compare it to is the same kind of reaction you get when you arrive someplace in a Ferarri. I don't really think it's too shallow to say that usually the special attention is good fun if you know how to play your "card". I would definitely say that when entertaining a group of people the black card can be leveraged to obtain stellar access and service in most environments, especially if you don't otherwise know the owners or wait staff. There seems to be quite a bit of mystery and legend surrounding the card and I think most of the hoopla is inaccurate. I would like to see them come out with something better in the future and raise the bar a little bit. It seems that everybody has one of these now! LOL



Question #18
What kind of cars do you own? Real estate? pics

My lifestyle really isn't all that fancy! You know, Melissa and I are both basically 30 now and the last two and a half years has been consumed by kids. First, our daughter and then shortly thereafter our twin boys. I am shopping for a third car as we speak but basically Melissa drives a Toyota Sienna (minivan) and my daily car is a midnight blue Porsche Carerra... whose days are limited now that it is snowing. Literally, today is the first time I've driven it with any snowfall and I am resolved to get something different after thanksgiving. We live on a quaint street here in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan on about an acre. It's a nice quiet neighborhood to raise kids in a beautiful area with good schools. The shopping and nightlife are only fair, but if you're going to live in Michigan I think this is one of the best places to be. I don't have any recent pictures of the house but these are from when we purchased it about a year and a half ago. We have redone much of the pool area with new pavers and landscaping, but it's just basically a very traditional 4 bedroom midwestern home:


Question #19
How did you get involved in porn? Why?

Well.. for me, unlike many others, this didn't start as a hobby or past-time. I really jumped in head first when I quit my day job. I had worked for someone else for long enough where I was just burned out and very unhappy because I didn't feel like I was challenged and definitely was not meeting my goals. I was searching for a business for sale and pretty much looking at everything out there - online businesses, retail, restaraunts. Originally, my goal was to buy myself income replacement and then build from there. I have always been a computer geek so my focus was really on finding an online business. I had never really done anything online except for surf, I didn't even have Frontpage experience let along HTML skills. My brother came to me with a porn site company that was listed for sale on BizBuySell and things progressed from there. I was stubborn and instead of borrowing money from a bank or family I took on a business partner, we did the research and closed on the sites on August 20th of 1999.. the day before I got married. There is some baggage with that partner experience as I ultimately ended up partnering with a loser who defrauded me and had a gambling problem.. who later ended up trying to extort a resolution from me and never ended up making good on the funds he stole.. but that's another story. Thankfully, he was out of the picture within the first 12 months. The reasons for picking a porn business were simple and many. I have always enjoyed adult material and valued our first amendment rights to view it both online and offline. Without really having ever been to a convention, read webmaster boards, seen an AVN Online magazine... I just knew there was opportunity for people that wanted to work hard and build a better mousetrap. I knew this was something I would enjoy working with and that was important to me. I got defrauded on the business I purchased from the seller but it really expedited my learning curve in many respects... merchant accounts, traffic, search engines, web site design, graphic design, content management, customer service. What I purchased was an AVS (not really) that consisted of around 1000 sites across 15 domains. The sites had SE traffic, a couple hundred thousand visitors monthly and were doing about 10k/month with new sales and rebills when I first took them over. What I later learned was that the previous owner wasn't doing any scrubbing so the rebills and new sales were filled with high risk transactions. I also soon discovered that everything I purchased was unlicensed, the designs were not original (copied and in commerce 8x over across 8 different sets of 15 domains) and that buried within this 1000 sites was some obscene content and that was where the sales were coming in. So, within months of operating this I had to nuke everything and start over with new sites. I struck up a deal with Max Candy to buy everything he had produced to date and those were the first 40,000 images I spun into dozens of sites and new members areas. Birth by fire... but you know what they say, that which doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. I love being in this industry and wouldn't change anything in the past because the experiences, even the really bad ones, were all growth moments for me and I think make me who I am today.
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Question #20
What's the most outrageous thing that you've ever done to someone else as a joke?

Here's the most disappointing question of the lot for me and the reading audience... I'm not a prankster. I can't honestly remember the last time I ever played a really good trick on someone. At Phoenix Forum 2004 I paid you, Sleazy, $1000 to wear my badge and that was pretty out of the box for me! That started the whole badge swap fiasco and confused the hell out of everyone since by the end of the show everyone was wearing someone else's badge. Oh, the poor NewB's! Seriously, though.. I do envy those of you (YOU especially) for your comedy. I think I have a good sense of humour but it's just not in my personality to straight-faced come up with good pranks and jokes to play on people. I enjoy watching and hearing about them but I'm just not often a participant. There is definitely no lack of opportunity, it seems people would never suspect me! LOL


Question #21
Who do you look up to in this business? down on?

With over six years in the business I have really met a ton amazing people, all different kinds. I'm not impressed by money, I am impressed by things like intelligence, creativity, hard work and strong ethics. Those that I look up to posess some or all of those traits, some of which have made it really big and others are just successful in their own right. Then there are other people that I admire for specific qualities or accomplishments, perhaps because I don't know them well enough to appreciate more. In no particular order, here are some of the many people that I have a great deal of respect for.. Mark (Corvette) from CCBill - No doubt the Cadwells deserve special recognition for their accomplishments... but really, they have some of the finest people working in their organization and I admire that. Take Mark for example. Here is a guy that works his ass off! He is patient, wise and represents well in social situations at webmaster events. He takes time out for everybody whether they're a 'VIP' or a newB and whenever you are talking to him you just know he is being sincere. I appreciate that! We always get a good laugh with one another fighting for the bill. I'm having to get more and more creative to just make sure it never appears. LOL All those first many years when I was new in business and working hard to figure everything out, CCBill's hospitality was always enormous and never went unappreciated. Now that things are a bit different, I like to treat this group as often as possible. I look forward to getting to know Ron better in the future, too, as it seems that we have only ever spoken in passing. Pstreetmedia guys - you know who you are... so far under the radar you don't like anyone to know who are... LOL You are all innovators and some of the hardest working guys in porn. I am looking forward to your continued future successes and have appreciated the faith and trust you placed in me as your hosting provider while growing your business these last several years. Looking forward to helping you all out with your new projects in any way possible. JFK - Always a gentleman, this is the guy who chronicles so well the days of our lives at the tradeshow. The master of being seen and not heard, always mysteriously there to take the candid photos and he is just so damned good at it. I know there is more greatness in store for Julius with his new endeavors and I am excited to see those unfold this new year. Truly, he is a quality person who is always thoughtful and that goes a long way in my book. Tony Morgan (SweetT) - Driven, smart, no bullshit kind of guy with a sense for graciousness and hospitality that constantly exceeds expectations. Long before I ever became a hosting company, I admired their positive contributions, presence and reputation in our industry. They set the bar high when it comes to serving their clients and I am happy to have them as competition because unlike so many other companies they also do things right and always put their clients needs first. Sean from New Sensations - Honest, hardworking, successful, bright. I just trust this guy like family and I know he places quite a bit in me too. I admire how he cares for his business, employees and marvel at his patient dedication to continuing to grow their business the right way. Tom from Omegacash - The most honest, hardworking guy in phone sex. Really and truly, the only person that I have ever trusted in audiotext. We have learned so much from one another and he was one of the first people I met in 2000. We are still friends and sometimes still do business. One of the few people that I have been able to do business with on a handshake. If you don't promote phone sex lines on your sites you should be and this is the only provider worth talking to. Lou from KarupsPC - I am still getting to know Lou... and Charlie and David. But I enjoy them more and more every time we meet, chat, email. These guys epitomize what I believe is the perfect adult online business. They are hands on, never screw the surfer and have never taken their eye off the prize. They are truly their own island, one of the few that could do without their own affiliate program. They have been online forever and are tremendously successful. Everyone should read Lou's Ambush interview - the guy still personally goes through every content update and everything on their site is exclusive, thousands of sets. In my honest opinion, this accomplishment of just having a superior, honest adult web site for years upon years puts Lou at the top of my list for people that I look up to. Dave and Dan from PlatinumBucks - They are driven and brilliant, good innovators. They started somewhat late in the game and today operate what I think is probably one of the most successful affiliate programs. I used to think Dave was just aloof and cocky but now that I know him a little better I realize he is extremely smart, somewhat quiet and with a very dry sense of humour. They work their business in an organized fashion and continue to expand and diversify, successfully, and I commend them because I know how difficult it is to do that on all fronts. Mark, Brad, Magnus, Rob, - the whole crew from Toronto that is all of the different companies... GalleryTrafficService, P2Pads, YourBrainMedia. Holy shit! I don't know what to say except I'm floored that there is such a group of bright and honest people that are all friends, spouses and more just really succeeding. I think of my business as being a family and it is refreshing to work with them because the sincere interest and vibe I get from them, in return, is the same I always try to put out there. Good business people and good friends, I look forward to many more years of knowing them. Allison from TopBucks - Strange, but one of the few people that actually makes me nervous, socially. LOL She is brilliant, a tough negotiator, driven, respected and beautiful. TopBucks is tremendously successful and she is charged with a great amount of responsibility. I just believe Allison deserves special recognition for being one of the few leaders of our industry that is an uncompromising woman. I appreciate her taking the leap of faith with me, the new guy, way back when I was in the phone sex business and in the not so distant past when I came to market with 123Bill. That took balls and demonstrated to me that she works on the cutting edge and in the best interests of TopBucks, not like so many other people that work to keep a job. Even as recent as in LA at Webmaster Access, I recall at the billing seminar she asked an important question about processing to CCBill and Epoch about how other merchants aggressive sales and cross sales potentially affect the overall portfolio and other merchants that don't have the same chargeback issues. Kudos first for her even being there, as a veteran that does more sales than 99% of the programs out there. And second, for asking questions that matter and are in the best interests of her affiliates. I could go on and on... other people I admire are Eric from GFY, you Sleazy, Steve Lightspeed, Mike Strouse, RogerV, Rick Latona, Legendary Lars. As for the question of who I look down on... that's easy. People that lie, cheat and steal. I passionately dislike people that don't make their money honestly. I just don't like people that screw the surfer. I'm not one of those people that thinks it is ok to shave stats or sales, regardless of payout. Call me a simpleton, I just wish everyone was honest with the numbers and just had a fair payout. There isn't a gray area when it comes to being honest - right is right and wrong is wrong. I still believe that it is important to not only be honest to consumers when it comes to sales, marketing, disclosure, cross-sales, etc but I think it is important to GIVE A GOOD VALUE. Yes, many tens of millions of people are dumb. I actually default to making an extra effort to do right by them because some of them are so damned stupid. Special mention in the "look down on" category is Hooper. So far as I know, he is the only person in the industry that truly hates me. I put my ethics first and didn't want his program's business and because of that he doesn't like me. He took pissing me off to a whole new level and for a moment I actually let him get to me. He's just another (presumably) rich asshole that has come by his success dishonestly and it doesn't matter what he has to say he'll always be a loser in my book. See, business is just business but for me it's always personal too because I have a need to believe in the work that I do. I sleep well at night. Heck, I believe even Hooper probably does, too. However, I believe that karma has a way of catching up with people. It's not my responsibility to dish out punishment. I'll leave that up to people like the feds - they don't like installs, spam, or defrauding consumers either.


Question #22
Have you ever been drunk or high at a webmaster event? Any thoughts on those that get wrecked at them.

After dozens of shows, I can say that I have been just about everything at one time or another. Drugs aren't my thing, they never have been, so I always pass on them. In many respects, I feel like I have grown up in this whole experience. When I drink now and for quite some time I drink in moderation and when it is appropriate. I know which liquor agrees with me, what quantities to consume and how much space to have in between my drinks. Fortunately for me, drinking only enhances my personality and social skills. LOL It definitely doesn't have that affect on everyone. Some people get mean, rude, sloppy - all kinds of BAD. I go to tradeshows to earn a living and grow my business. We are all human and we all have bad moments of judgement, I am no exception to that. So, with me everybody gets one or two "get out of jail free" passes when it comes to getting overly intoxicated or high if the resulting behavior is annoying. The exception to that is if such intoxication reveals a truly ugly side of someone's personality or nature. What I enjoy most about this industry and my travel is GOOD CONVERSATION. Through that, all things are possible - education, a good time, growing my business. Part of this whole experience is what you can learn from watching and listening to others. The people that I see get out of hand are those I am least likely to ever do business with or refer business to. There are some people that always seem like they are just coming back from or on their way to smoke a joint. Well, this just isn't playtime for me. Yes, I enjoy all this and have LOTS of fun with making the most out of the places I travel to... but I'm here to entertain my clients and meet new ones. I live for profound and sober 4am-7am conversations. Some of the best stuff in life happens around when the sun comes up and if you're wrecked or sleeping then you just miss out. This is why I am always drinking Red Bull! LOL I can't naturally be that awake for so many days on end. I don't judge the excessive drinking and drugs that I see. I simply make a mental note and if the time ever comes that I have to make a business decision about someone that I've observed I have to take everything into consideration. We all need to cut loose every now and again but those people that just find these tradeshows as only an excuse to party really should get out more often and find some balance. The reality is that those who endeavor to only get fucked up at tradeshows are destined to no success or short lived success because this industry changes so fast that one really does have to stay on top of their game.


Question #23
What's the worst move you've ever made business wise? best?

I think the worst thing I have ever done is spread myself too thin. We talk about things like this all the time, the idea that ideas are a dime a dozen it's bringing things to fruition that is difficult. I have definitely had my hands in a lot of pies over the years with different businesses inside our same industry. I have enjoyed my experience and really think that it makes me very well rounded... and maybe even that much smarter today. However, I always say that if I was to do everything over again I just would have picked ONE thing and worked to be the very best at it. That's kind of where I am at now in life with MojoHost - very focused, very appreciative that it is successful and as a result so am I. I think that it is good to have pet projects and diverse revenue streams but believe that timing is everything. When you have multiple companies that are experiencing exponential growth or are very needy that is when everything is in jeapordy, from my experience. With either all of the money in the world or all of the time in the world anything would be possible. But that isn't reality. So.. to sum up. Worst decision ever was having multiple "start ups" at once because the result was dissapointing, both personally and financially. It is best to venture out with new ideas when the time and money are right because you shouldn't ever jeapordize the goose that lays the golden eggs. The best move I ever made business wise... not sure. I always like to think the best is yet to come! SinTalk and subsequently MojoHost. Both powerhouse decisions that really panned out.


Question #24
Who really hates you in the business? Loves you?

Fun question! Who hates me... Confirmed hatred would be: - Hooper - Two bitches from Toronto that long since blew out of the business, can't remember their names. They stole some stuff from Python and I caught them in the act and turned them in. I've never wronged anybody and nobody else has ever made themselves known as being a Brad Mitchell hater. Who loves me? Hope this doesn't make me sounds like I'm full of myself or something... but a lot of people. Maybe even hundreds! I keep things real, always honest. I really do care about alot of people and woudn't hesitate to put myself "out there" for them. My clients are like my kids, I appreciate and take care of them the best that I can and I know as a result I get a lot of love back. I'm always looking for quality interaction and to make real friendships at the tradeshows and I know I have dozens of great friends as a result. It is my goal to be well liked and well respected and to come by this honestly. I'm probably never going to be "____ of the Year" (fill in the blank) because I'm not controversial enough to ever win a popularity contest. I am looking forward to many more years of the status quo. I like it!


Question #25
Why are women always so interested in you when they think you're gay and then disinterested when they find out otherwise?

Probably the biggest myth out there. Yeah, I like shoes, high fashion and all that stuff. The reality is that no women have EVER been interested in me. Not thinking I am gay, straight, married or unmarried. I have very few memories of ever feeling like I was being "hit on" or desired while at a webmaster event. It has been suggested to me before that this is because some people find me intimidating but I can't even comprehend that. I am shy, often socially nervous and incredibly average looking. LOL I haven't taken a gallop poll but it usually comes up in conversation, eventually, that most people do think I'm gay when they meet me. I don't know why. Perhaps it is my mannerisms, body language, dress, voice. Who knows, it's all crap anyways, people and their fucking stereotypes. Nothing ever gets to me, least of all when people mistake my sexuality because I usually find this quite entertaining. The reality is that I have lots of friendships and business relationships with gay people and the last thing I'm going to let someone mistaking me as gay do is offend me. The only thing that ever irritates me is when gay and straight people argue with me once I state the fact that I am both married and straight. It's one thing to joke around but another to sit there and tell me "I don't care what you say" blah blah blah. I am just happy to be me and I have long since accepted myself completely... and I have never been happier than I am today as my new, secure self.


Question #26
Why did you get married at a young age? Why stay married?

Let me start by saying, I wouldn't change anything, really, because everything happens for a reason.. My wife and I both reflect back and think we got married too young, that weren't ready for each other and marriage yet. We did like so many others, we moved in together and eventually that led to an engagement and marriage. We definitely have grown up a lot since we got married 6 years ago and since we started dating around 9 years ago. I like to say to single people that they ought to be out there choosing their relationships, not letting their relationships choose them. I really think that such laziness and complacency is common and that is why so many people end up together, out of convenience, rather than because they are a great match. Our first couple years of marriage were very difficult. Making that harder is everyone around you saying that it's supposed to be like a "honeymoon". Well, we had anything but that and almost didn't make it... Why to stay married, that's a whole different question. Something I put more thought into then when I originally decided to get married. I stay married because I love my wife and children. I stay married because my wife and I have grown up together and grown closer to one another. We worked hard at it and now we are happier than ever before. We are still challenged, regularly - what with the stresses of my work, with the three children under three at home - but we get through things and share moments of happiness. There is lots of stress for both of us but I really have to say the most important thing is just understanding each other's needs and really being able to empathize. I couldn't handle being a full time Mr. Mom any more than she could deal with my work and travel. Understanding that and appreciating one another goes a long way, I think. It takes a special person to put up with me! I don't think most would. The very nature of our business travels is very stressful on relationships. After my own childhood, I did decide that I will never stay married just for the kids. I can't ever imagine not living with them - that to me sounds like hell, not being able to see them every day... but if Melissa and I ever weren't truly happy together I think seperating is something that would be healthiest for the kids. Thankfully, we ARE happy and I wouldn't change a thing!


Question #27
Talk about your personal hygiene in detail.

Let's see... I always keep my hair short, I hate when it gets over my ears or when I feel the back of my neck and it's unkept. I can't start my day without a shower. I absolutely have to take one to wake up. I definitely shave my face every day, maybe there is one day a month when that doesn't happen. I like to brush my teeth in the morning and at night and then gargle with Listerine. I never forget to brush my tounge! Smoking stinks, I can't believe I still smoke cigarettes. I often go wash my hands and face after smoking, frequently. I don't smoke in my house, that's disgusting. I don't smoke around other people's kids, even if they are idiots enough to bring them into the smoking section. I unfortunately still bite my nails. When I get a manicure it makes it easy to not do that anymore. Unfortunately, a stressful moment or movie brings me right back around. Considering seeing a hypnotist for that! LOL If I would just make the time for regular manicures and pedicures there is no way I'd have this issue anymore. I use Acqua Di Gio by Armani as cologne. Usually this changes every few years to something else that my wife picks out for me. I like to get theraputic massage. Sometimes it's once a month, sometimes it's once a week for a 60 or 90 minute massage. Good for relaxing, collecting my thoughts. I like to be well groomed and as such would be open to the idea of getting a facial more often but can't seem to make time for that or anything else like that. So, I make an inconsistent but real effort to keep my eyebrows and nose hair in check That's about it for hygiene... I always remember to wash behind my ears. For my birthday this year my best friend and his girlfriend got me this great facial skin care regimen - it is my new years resolution to start using it... like all 5 steps of it. LOL I just turned 30 a few months ago and I'm noticing some wrinkles... I have to keep my skin healthy! I'll be wearing it for a while hopefully.


Question #28
Tell us about the most outrageous sexual experience you've ever had in detail.

NO! lol. Melissa and I mix it up pretty good by keeping things very interesting, creative and spontaneous... but I can't post any of that online unless I want to be without sex for a while! My sex life before I was engaged, married was always pretty good but nothing like the outrageous trailers to porn video we see posted here on GFY.


Question #29
Have you ever been in a fist fight?

I can think of two times I was in a fist fight although I am sure there must have been one or two more in my lifetime. In middle school I got my ass kicked by huge kid with an IQ of probably around half mine. I remember that the WWF was really popular back then and while he was kicking my ass he was making sound effects. Crazy, eh? I think this fight had something to do with the girl I was dating. In high school, once, over a girl to a guy that was also predestined to also kick my ass. I want to say he was athletic or on the wrestling team or something. Didn't matter to me what the odds were it was throwndown time defending the honor of my girlfriend at the time. See a trend? LOL Man, I'm a lover, not a fighter. As an adult I wouldn't consider it unless it was some strange bout of self defense. I'm not tempermental and I think it's more fun to just outwit people anyways. Besides, most people that deserve it so bad have already lost in life, anyways!


Question #30
What kind of watch do you wear? pics

I don't have it on me today to take some photos... but I wear a simple, elegant, solid 18k yellow gold Movado watch with matching bracelet. They don't make this anymore and I can't ever seem to find an equivalent or even nicer one at any of the stores or online. It has sentimental value to me, I picked it out at a Movado company store when I was on my honeymoon with Melissa in 1999. As far as Movado goes, it's the nicest watch I've ever seen made by them with the exception of one I saw once that was all blinged out with diamonds everywhere. It usually goes unnoticed and I like that. I love watches and look forward to buying a new one soon. Someday I hope to have a whole drawer of expensive watches but for today I have just the one! My everyday beater watch is a Kenneth Cole one that Melissa picked up for me the last time I had my other watch in for repair. Already, it's a bit scratched and due for replacement.


Question #31
Post some pics of your phone sex operators. Are they sexy or ugly?

This one is easy. I don't have any phone sex operators! I never really did. When I had the thousands of lines they all terminated at CTG in Boston. If I had to guess, I would say that they didn't look anything like they sounded on the phone!


Question #32
If you weren't able to work in adult anymore - what would you do for money?

I would just buy or start some other business. In what industry, I really don't know. If everything went to hell in a handbag, quickly, I would probably return to healthcare management or sales in some capacity. Eventually, I will return to writing. I could see self-publishing courses or manuals of some sort and selling those online and through the mail.


Question #33
What kind of porn do you like personally? What gets you off?

Personally... Well, I like all kinds. If I had to pick favorites, even that would be a long list. I enjoy watching pornography online and on video but like many people only as a last resort to "get me off" as there's nothing like the real thing! I like some stuff that's just sexy and other stuff that's hardcore. Sexy stuff would simply be photos of beautiful women in lingerie and thigh highs. I find some of the online 'slightly' mature and pregnant porn entertaining... Most of the reality site trailers are good for a quick fix, too! I don't like freakishly skinny girls, I prefer women to have a waist-to-hip ratio that isn't 1:1. When it comes to hardcore, I am like most men - I will watch anything! LOL Overall both online and offline, I like a good tease. Somebody that is well groomed and put together, starting with a sexy outfit and then digressing (or undressing!) from there.


Question #34
Why come to GFY?

What a great question to be asking, I think. My answer is quite simple, to grow my business. There are many boards and spheres of influence online but none as active and informative as GFY. Lots of people would disagree about the latter but I think that's because when they come here they simply get overwhelmed before they even start reading. GFY has been good to me and my businesses. It IS a great source of information and current events, both in our industry and out of our industry. When things happen in the world I usually read about them here, or if I'm hearing them from someone else I'll first reference GFY before clicking over to a CNN or weather site. I choose to post here because tons of smart people will read what I have to say... and they're not all the posting type. There is a silent majority of readers who keep abreast of what is said here but never post anything. This is a place that can be bad for business if you're tempermental or impatient. If you don't know how you plan on starting or finishing a conversation, you're best off not participating in my honest opinion. Because, the sword has a double edge - as good as it can be for business it can also do quite a bit of harm. I think that one of the reasons I continue to post so much on GFY and enjoy the community is because it's easy for me. It moves fast and there is no time to get bored or wait for a response. I don't have multiple personalities so my opinions and story are always "straight" which doesn't lead to any confusion or drama for me here like so many others get involved in. I have actually met webmasters that first learned of this business through GFY and are actually working in the business and successful now. The reality is, if you want to stay in touch with "newB's" this place has tons of them passing through. It used to be years back that you could go to tradeshows to meet people that were new to the industry and now it seems that isn't possible anymore. Maybe the barrier to entry is to high, I don't know. But staying in touch with the part of our business that is new and even sometimes uneducated is important to me - I feel that it's important to give back every now and again, to not forget where I came from. There are lots of idiots and inflammatory posts that go up here on GFY but if anything I feel they're just a smoke screen. There are some spoils and I think they go to those of us who can decode the madness and get to the heart and pulse of what is going on in our industry. Anybody that thinks this isn't represented here is just plain wrong. There are lots of adult boards and informational sites but this is the one board where you are guaranteed that everything comes together on and passes through. It's not possible something newsworthy would appear elsewhere and not here. I like to stay informed and this is the place to do it. Outside of all those reasons... I seem to emulate some type of adult attention deficit disorder so this feeds my need for mixing up my time and days when I need to look at something interesting or see my friends, online. GFY for some is informational. For others, it is entertainment. For some other people it is a tool to get things done.. like finding designers, programmers, traffic trades, the list goes on and on. For me it is a mix of all those things, every day. Unlike in years past, though, I only really ever post during the business day. Occasional evenings and weekends when there is a lull... Too much of a good thing is NOT a good thing. Thank you SleazyDream for interviewing me! I hope that you and everybody else enjoyed my answers. I regret that it took me so long to answer all of the questions but in the end I think all is well that ends well.

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