I’m a woman who tweets, posts pictures, and simply exists on the internet. This means I’ve gotten a DM from a stranger that begins with “hello goddess…” and ends with a request to send me money. These requests are accompanied by profile pictures of older men—usually a selfie taken from below the chin. I’m sure most of these are scams. But there’s always a voice in the back of my head—an optimistic, financially savvy voice—that wonders…what if I’m missing out on some serious cash? Should I be a sugar baby? Is this even the same thing as sugar baby and sugar daddy relationships? After all, a lot of these DMs claim to want to send me money, “no strings attached.” So, before I take my chances on these supposedly lucrative offers, let’s dive into the online world of financial kinks.
What is findom, aka financial domination?
Financial domination, also known as #findom, is the sexual fetish where a submissive consensually sends money or gifts to the dominant. Findom is considered part of BDSM, with money serving as the ultimate power play. You may know about “sugar daddies” who spend money on their sugar babies, typically with the implication that there will be a sexual trade-off of some kind. Within findom specifically, “domination” is the key word. It’s not really about the money; it’s about the power exchange.
Getting money to humiliate men obviously sounds like a sweet deal, but how does it actually work? Well, like financial submissives (or finsubs, cash piggies, paypigs) everywhere, I slid into the DMs of a financial dominatrix (or domme, goddess, or mommy dom) who goes by the moniker Gutz. Only instead of asking for her to bleed me dry, I requested an interview, to better understand the world of findom, and how someone goes about making money through financial kinks.
How findom works
Being a financial dominatrix falls into the realm of sex work, but that doesn’t mean physical sex is involved. Like all kinds of work these days, findom has largely moved online. For instance, Gutz’s work starts when she gets a DM on either Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or even an email—you know, like in the olden days. In Gutz’s experience, her finsubs are “very upfront and say exactly what they want, which leaves no room for confusion.”
Other times, people will send her money wanting nothing in return. “Every customer is different, some want a gentle ‘mommydom’ to talk sweetly with, others want a raging ‘bitch’ to boss them around and demand money.” As with any sexual fetish, everyone person’s wants are different, and communication is key to a successful dom-sub relationship.
What is a paypig, aka a cash piggy, aka a money slave, aka a finsub?
So if doms are getting money to pay their bills, what’s in it for the subs? What do they get out of it? As Gutz puts it, “the submissive gets what they want” simply by giving money at all. Gutz explains that the fact they’re getting nothing in return is precisely what finsubs typically need out of the exchange.
Beyond that baseline reciprocal relationship, findom can take many different forms. “Some pay to do humiliating tasks, or even pay to be blackmailed by me,” Gut shares. Others simply want to receive voice messages from her. While the asks vary, Gutz says the common denominator is that her subs give up their power to her—a strong, dominant woman.
How much money you can make as a financial dominatrix
Any freelance gig is going to have a wide pay range. How much you earn depends on the services you provide, how often you provide them, and how much your clients can afford.
Some doms report they average a $15,000 monthly salary, or even $5,000 to $10,000 a day. On the day of our interview, Gutz earned $500 for making a “special long video” for a sub. This was admittedly atypical; she says a more basic voice message might go for $10. “If you’re good at what you do, and consistent, and make sure to put yourself out there, you can’t go wrong,” she adds.
Consistency helps keep the money flowing in, especially if you find loyal, repeat customers. A good findom has to do a lot of back-end labor, as well as have a lot of online savvy to promote herself and find trustworthy clients. For instance, Gutz advises any aspiring doms to beware of scams: “Never, ever let someone tell you ‘I’ll pay you after you send,’ or ‘Can we do a free trial?’ No matter how much money they ‘offer’ to give after you send your work, it is always a scam.”
If you’re interested in earning money through findom, Gutz says to make sure this is really something you’re into. Never let anyone pressure you into doing something you’re uncomfortable with—especially when you’ll be leaving a digital footprint. Otherwise, put yourself out there and have fun with it. For more, here are our tips for making money through online sex work.
