In this chat with Quinn Everly, owner of Blue Rose Talent, we get an up-close look at her unconventional leap from academia to leading a business in the adult entertainment industry.
Quinn opens up about the motivations behind her career switch, the challenges of navigating a stigmatised field, and her commitment to ethical business practices. Alongside her partner, she’s carving out a space that prioritises the safety and well-being of their creators, all while maintaining a strong sense of work-life balance.
Quinn, I’m fascinated by your shift from academia to becoming a business mogul in an entirely different field. Could you share the turning point or key moments that made you realise the potential outside the traditional academic path you were on?
Initially it was definitely the earning potential that drew me to the adult industry. I started working in the adult industry dancing in clubs during my PhD due to financial necessity, really enjoyed it, and quickly started earning substantially more than I would have been in an academic position after my PHD, which certainly made me reconsider my chosen career path.
By the end of my PHD I was very burnt out and somewhat disillusioned about the academic industry – so I knew I couldn’t stay on that path. In academia, there is an expectation for you to give 100% of yourself to the job for your entire career, and I didn’t feel like I could do that, I wanted a better work/life balance.
When I left, all I knew was that I wanted to run my own business. It was certainly a leap of faith to leave that career and go into something so unorthodox!
We had a cosmetic medical clinic we had started and were operating at the same time, which was growing rapidly. It soon reached an inflection point where we could no longer focus on both businesses and we were faced with a decision; do we take the stable and secure path, or do we take a risk and do something really different?
Working with your partner, especially in such a dynamic and challenging industry, must be an adventure in itself. How do you two balance the personal and professional aspects of your relationship, and in what ways has your medical background influenced your business ethics and operations?
My partner Alex and I have very complementary skill sets, which means we work very well together running a business. We often joke that we each have “half a brain” and need each other to think properly!
In terms of the balance between personal and professional, to be honest there isn’t one – we are always discussing the business and brainstorming ideas, and have had to enforce blackout times where we’re both not allowed to talk about work. That has worked really well for us so far, but it might not be sustainable in the long term!
Both coming from a medical background, we have a strong sense of personal and business ethics, particularly around the way we treat the people who work with us. For example, in our previous career paths, work/life balance just didn’t exist, and so it’s really important to us that our staff have that.
It’s clear that ethical operation within the adult industry is a significant focus for you and Alex. Can you dive into how you’ve structured Blue Rose Talent to ensure the safety and well-being of your creators?
Ethical operation is one of the cornerstones of our business. There are so many bad actors in the industry, we wanted to do things the right way, and we believe it is possible to operate ethically in this (often unethical) industry.
Everything we do is structured to provide safety and well being to our creators. Our core service is to run every aspect of their business that they don’t need to run themselves – freeing up their time to create content and enjoy their lives.
We provide numerous services to protect their safety – including the use of stage names, scraping the internet of references to their legal name and image, taking down leaked content, monitoring and filtering social media comments, and everything else we’ve learned from years of experience in the industry.
We only work with creators where we firmly believe we can directly add value to their lives and their brands – both financially and by reducing their workload to improve their lifestyle. This means we turn down many prospective clients, and the business is smaller than it otherwise could be. A core tenet we hold is that if a client is to work with us, they must be substantially better off than they would be without us.
The hurdles you’ve faced, from banking restrictions to hiring challenges, highlight the stigma still attached to the adult entertainment industry. How do you approach these challenges, and what strategies have been key in advocating for your business’s legitimacy?
It’s very easy to give in and just cop it, especially as a young woman and a content creator myself. Alex, who is the most confident person I’ve ever known – has been key in helping me grow my confidence and assert myself. Our academic and professional backgrounds certainly lend legitimacy in the eyes of the outside world which has helped a lot.
The biggest aspect has been self belief, not just lying down and taking it, but saying no – we are a legitimate, legal business and we have every right to exist. We extend this to the way we look after our clients, and we have fought for them on many occasions, when they didn’t think they could advocate for themselves.
Recently one of our clients signed a lease for a rental property, and the next day the landlord realised what their job was and reverted the offer. Our client was really upset but didn’t think she could fight back. We were immediately on the phone with the agent and explained that this was discrimination, that we weren’t going to accept it, and explained the legal ramifications. They scrambled to apologise and the lease went through. If we hadn’t been there to stand up for our client, it would have been different. This kind of discrimination happens constantly in our industry, and often young women feel like they can’t stand up for themselves.
As for how we approach the stigma and restrictions – we treat it like any other problem and we find a solution. Everyday is an exercise in thinking outside the box and finding non-traditional answers to problems that mainstream businesses would not often face!
The landscape of adult entertainment is rapidly changing, with platforms like OnlyFans leading the way towards more mainstream acceptance. How do you see the future of content creation and monetization evolving, and what role do you see for Blue Rose Talent in shaping that future?
I think the popularisation of OnlyFans has overall been a positive thing for adult content creators, as it puts the power back in their hands to make money from their content, and I don’t see that genie going back in the bottle.
With the industry reaching mainstream acceptance, I hope to see more ethical businesses operate in the space. I hope that we can be an example for other businesses that it is possible for ethical businesses to exist in the adult industry, and for adult content creators to expect more from the businesses that service them.
The downside of the popularisation of OnlyFans is that there is now no ‘barrier to entry’ to the industry, and many creators end up disappointed, not earning much money, and having negative experiences. It is incredibly oversaturated, and recent statistics from OnlyFans revealed that 95% of creators make below minimum wage.
Considering the stigma associated with it, and the potential risk that you can do the work and not see any return, we frequently advise people not to enter the industry at all. I don’t think anyone should get into this lightly – you need to be really sure it’s what you want.
Breaking into non-traditional fields, especially ones as stigmatised as the adult entertainment industry, requires a bold spirit. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly women, who might be considering a leap into controversial or unconventional industries?
You certainly need to have a thick skin, that’s for sure! You need a lot of self-belief. If you can, surround yourself with people who support your vision and believe in you, but at the same time be realistic and aware of the potential downsides.
I think it’s important to follow a path that feels authentic to you and what you believe in. If you are doing something that aligns with your values and your authentic self, you’ll be able to push through and keep going when the path gets rocky.
