How we convinced angels to invest in our porn startup

> However, quite simply, porn is not inherently evil. (If you refute that, you’re engulfed by the Victorian-era hyperbole of the sinful and tasteless expressions of sexuality.)

You can rewrite it in the general form as:

> Assertion X. (If you disagree, you're clearly unreasonable.)

Making an assertion and then following it with a parenthetical over-simplification, and quick dismissal of, an opposing viewpoint. It lets you say what you want, take a quick jab at the opposition, and quickly scurry away.

If you're going to write that kind of a one-off statement you raise more questions about your own understanding of the issue than you answer and you may as well not write it. (And if you don't understand why, you're clearly an unpersuasive writer.)

Porn might not be as addictive as psychoactive drugs, but it is dangerous left unchecked. It is violence against your mind itself.

"Well it would've happened anyways" is an incredibly poor justification of doing anything.

Removing oneself as a source of a problem, while unlikely to turn the world upside down, is anything but a naive gimmick.

While I have nothing against porn, it's frustrating that the author is resorting to the same demonization of hypothetical villains that is frequently directed at porn itself. Anyone who doesn't agree fully with his stance is participating in a naive gimmick, or a Victorian-era sex-Nazi.

The portrayal here of people's concerns re: porn are treated with the same oversimplifications that is frequently directed at pornography.

Great article; best of luck to you guys :)

- Supply chain: how do you source models? How do you negotiate fees? What is the average fee, and how do they charge?

- Are there inter-business politics? Like, will some models refuse to shoot scenes with other models?

- How do models work legally? Do you contract them or employ them if they've never done a shoot before?

- What are your profit margins like, and what are your breakeven numbers like?

- How often do you demand STI testing data? Are models worried about this?

- Are models your main source of COGS? What are your major expense items?

- What are the most challenging decisions you have to make on a daily basis?

- Is porn really a hyper-competitive market?

I've seen business cases from a ton of different industries, but adult entertainment has been completely secluded. Any information would be wonderful :)

  > This post isn’t about how we pitched [...], but rather how we reasoned 
  > through our fears (and, later, the fears of our investors).

I think that 'myth' probably wasn't a myth 40 years ago when porn was very much on the fringe. Currently, porn is as close to the mainstream as it's going probably to get. It's easier to access than ever, there are nice, clean, well-lit stores in regular shopping areas that sell sex toys, and there are prime-time specials where women walk down a runway in lingerie.

I'm curious, though - why start a business in an industry where you've had to spend time writing essays 'reasoning through your fears', instead of just doing something you're not conflicted about, and can get fully behind without any reservations, qualifiers, or arguments?