Community Profile:
12 Questions from Sweetums of LightspeedCash.com

1.How long have you been in the adult industry?

Sweetums: I first stumbled into the industry 4.5 years ago – spring of 2001.  I was at one of those ‘career crossroads’, was a little burnt out with what I’d been doing and decided it was time for a change.

2. Can you give our readers a little background about yourself. What did you do before you got in this business?

Sweetums: Prior to entering adult online, I was pursuing an academic career. I loved teaching, but wanted to work with adults so I figured I’d go after a PhD in sociology. I got about 2/3 of the way through having finished all the classes and core exams and started tackling the thesis. After months of feeling like I was getting nowhere except going in circles, I realized that I was suffering from a burnt out of sorts – mental burnout.  One morning I woke up and had an epiphany – I could stop doing what I was doing and try something else…heck, maybe I’d even end up really loving do that ‘something else’-  I had no clue what my skill set could do for me in the ‘real’ world, but I made the decision to find out.

3. How did your previous job/profession help you in what you do today?

Sweetums: Oddly enough, I think my previous profession gave me good people skills, strong marketing skills (since every time you get up to teach it’s basically a performance that you’re trying to sell), and a good head for analysis.  I hated stats…but somehow dealing with all those damn classes has come in handy these last 4.5 years.

4. What is your daily routine - of and with the maintenance of your website?

Sweetums: Being the Traffic and Affiliate Manager for LightspeedCash, my day tends to get spread between a variety of tasks – some days I tend to do more of some tasks then the others depending on what’s going on.   I deal with verifying and approving all new affiliates, answering affiliate inquiries, monitor and manage traffic trades and internal traffic sources, write promotional material,  and whatever else the LightspeedCash team needs me to do…haha!  Unofficially, I’m the ‘mental space maker’ for Steve.

5. What is the most important thing you have learned over the years in this industry?

Sweetums: I think one of the most important things I’ve learned over the years in this industry is to listen to my gut.  It’s usually right on the mark.  And, that if something seems too good to be true…it usually is.

6. Can you tell us about your website – what it is and what it offers?

Sweetums: LightspeedCash is one of the leading adult affiliate programs focusing on the teen & college girl niches.  We offer affiliates a RevShare program where affiliates are paid 60% on all trials and recurring billing, exits sales, & secondary processor sales!  We’ve also recently implemented our Long-Term Loyalty Bonus program – many site members have trouble rebilling.  They want to rebill, but their card has expired or over its limit. So their membership ends until they can correct the problem. When they come back, they join again as a TYPEIN – normally affiliates do not get credit for these sales since they can’t be traced back.  However, we've implemented a database-driven system that identifies these returning members and reconnects them to the original affiliate.  We will activate this feature for all affiliates who’ve sent at least one join within the last 6 months.

Sweetums: For affiliates who prefer to be paid through Pay-Per Signup.  LightspeedCash currently pays affiliates $35 per join for any of the LightspeedCash premium sites – i.e. LightspeedWorld, LightspeedGirls, TawneeStone, JordanCapri, etc….Affiliates are paid $25 per join for all sales generated through either of our sampler/trial sites – such as LightspeedsHotshots or LightspeedState. As well, we offer a Webmaster Referral Bonus of 10% for all webmaster referrals from our affiliates.

7. What is your favorite part about working in this business?

Sweetums: It’s hard to pinpoint one favorite part about working in this industry – first and foremost, I think, would be some of the incredible people I’ve met over the last few years.  This business is filled with some of the most intelligent, hard-working, and innovative people.  I also appreciate how I’m constantly pushed to learn new things, new skills, just to keep up with this newly developing industry.

8. What is your least favorite part about working in this business?

Sweetums: My least favorite part about working in this business would have to be its, at times, lack of professionalism and due diligence.  We move faster then mainstream, but unfortunately not always covering bases has led many people into situations where they’ve found themselves taken advantage of.

9. If you were starting all over today, would you do anything differently? And if so what would that be?

Sweetums: There aren’t many things I would change if I were starting over today – my experiences in this business over the last years have all been great learning experiences – if the ones that weren’t the most positive.  But, if there was one thing I would do differently, it would be to have walked in already having taken a few crash courses in basic programming and design.

10. What piece of advice would you give yourself if you were just starting out in this industry?

Sweetums: The biggest piece of advice I’d give myself, if I were starting out, is the advice I normally give myself.  Work hard, be patient, work harder, and be willing to learning from your mistakes – rinse and repeat and you’ll always reach your goals.

11. What are three things would you like to see changed (be it positive or negative) in this industry, tomorrow, a week from now, or a year down the road?

Sweetums: Wow…that’s a good question.  Over the last 4 plus years, there have been so many changes that have already affected this industry, and I expect that given that we’re still in our infancy there will be many more.  I think the biggest one that I’d like to see, in general, is for us as an industry to continue to move towards more self-regulation as an industry as a whole.

12. Any new projects in the near future you would like to share with our readers?

Sweetums: Over the next few months, we have 5 more new Lightspeed Girls on the way!  So 5 new solo sites are in the process of being shot and built in 2006, we will also see the return of the Lightspeed Adventure weekend!