When you’re a single parent, finding security for yourself and your children is a whole different ballgame. For OnlyFans creator Emily Mai, it took persistence, and not taking her eye off the prize.
Emily Mai’s a single mom of two, and she built her impressive six-figure career in adult content creation after moving away from years of dancing and working in strip clubs. During her time performing on a stage and a pole, Mai’s work came with long hours, unpredictable income, and no small dose of financial uncertainty.
“Home ownership felt extremely out of reach,” Emily said. “It was always drilled into me growing up that I needed to own a home for financial security, but coming up with a 20 per cent deposit felt impossible when I was only earning a few hundred dollars a week.”
Back before she started consistently bringing in more money, owning a home was a dream Emily felt was out of reach. She saved for YEARS, never knowing if it would pay off with her breaking into the property market.
Now that she’s bringing home a six-figure income, Emily still stays just as disciplined as she did before. Her income has built a growing property portfolio with two houses already in her name, paid for with her income.
This year, Emily earned $430,000 AUD, and has managed every dollar carefully instead of splurging.
“I was 28-29 when I bought my first property,” she said. “It was all income earned and saved from the adult industry. From my stripper days to my content creation days – it all went into that first home.”
When Emily noticed a spike in her earnings in 2020, she said that that was the lightbulb moment that made her realize the full financial impact that was possible with online content creation.
“It was when my income started going up that I realized I could make serious money,” she said. “I started reaching out to other creators and hearing about their experiences, and it opened me up to what was actually possible in the industry.”
When Emily hit her late twenties, she’d earned enough money via online adult content creation to step into the property market.
“I’m really sensible and smart with my money,” she explained. “Most of it is invested and I live quite a simple – but comfortable – life.”
Emily is now the proud homeowner two times over, and says that luxury wasn’t her motivation; stability was.
“For me, owning property means security,” she said. “I don’t have to worry about a landlord kicking me out, or asking permission to paint the walls. More importantly, it’s security for my kids’ future,” she said.
Housing affordability continues to become more and more out of reach for many Australians, and Emily says that her investment in property ownership is all about easing future pressure her children may face.
“Buying a house is getting harder and harder,” she said. “With these properties, my kids don’t have to stress about owning a home one day – they can focus on their own life goals and ambitions.”
The public has their own perceptions of OnlyFans creators, but Emily says that the reality is that her finances sit squarely in the middle between stereotypes.
“I get judgement from both ends of the spectrum,” she admitted. “Some people think I’m swimming in money and ask for handouts, while others think I’m ‘poor’ because they assume all creators make $100k+ every month. The truth is, I’m really sensible with my money.”
For Emily, securing loans as a self-employed worker in the adult entertainment industry was less complicated than most people think.
“Because my income was unpredictable due to the nature of the industry, it was tricky showing the bank that I was a reliable and trustworthy client,” she said.
“I had an ABN and a long history of regular deposits going into my bank account,” Emily explained. “My broker did say I was limited to certain banks, but I didn’t get knocked back for either loan.”
She has also proved her reliability, saying: “I have never missed a mortgage payment since being approved.”
In the future, Emily intends to expand her portfolio while keeping a finger on the pulse of the broader housing conversation.
“I’d love to own at least two more properties one day,” she said. “And before anyone judges me for owning properties – because I know some people don’t like landlords – I purposely keep my rent below average. I want the family renting from me to be comfortable and not spending a huge portion of their income on rent, even if my real estate agent hates that.”
Emily is also sending a clear message to others in the adult industry – and in general – about managing their money.
“Our income can be unpredictable,” she said. “You can’t control everything, but you can control your spending. I pay myself a set wage, and the rest goes towards investments and taxes.”
“I’ve seen people make insane amounts of money from going viral or getting lucky with a big spender, but then end up with nothing to show for it when it’s gone and they’re struggling to pay bills again,” she added. “No matter what industry you’re in, get a good accountant and financial planner – you have to plan for your future.”
May we all find ourselves with the same financial common sense that Emily Mai has honed over the years, and look for ways to use that financial savvy for good.
