I Started Stripping Before I Was Even Technically Old Enough... and Somehow Built a Business Out of It

There's usually a moment in life where things could've gone one of two ways. For me, it wasn't a uni open day or a career counsellor chat. It was watching my older sister come home from the pub with a wad of cash... for "just serving beers" in lingerie.

Naturally, I thought, yeah alright, I could get behind that.

At the time I was living with her and counting down the days until I could get my RSA and legally follow in her footsteps. That was the plan.

But plans are boring, and life had other ideas.

The First Shift (aka Fake It Till You Make It)

Before I was even technically old enough, an opportunity landed in my lap.

My sister had a bucks party booked and her partner for the night pulled out last minute. The agency was scrambling to fill the spot, and somehow... I ended up stepping in.

No overthinking. No second guessing. Just thrown into the deep end.

I borrowed some of her lingerie, got told to come up with a name on the spot, and landed on "Leyla". There was a promiscuous girl at school with that name who had a certain reputation and, importantly, the boys loved her. Seemed like a safe bet.

Three hours later, I walked out with $300 cash.

Not bad for pouring beers in my knickers and keeping a bunch of blokes entertained.

I remember thinking, this is unreal... people work full days for this?

The Sister Duo Era

After that first night, I was hooked.

I started tagging along with my sister to more jobs, and turns out, blokes love a sister duo. Who would've guessed.

Once I got my RSA, I went all in. Signed up with the main agencies, worked all over Sydney, and even got my best friend involved.

We were young, having a laugh, and making money faster than we knew what to do with.

By 21, I'd saved $10K and took myself off to Europe. No boss, no roster, no stress. Just me, a suitcase, and a very flexible income stream.

I figured I'd cracked the code.

The Mining Boom... and Me Being Clueless

Then came Karratha.

I was in my early 20s, right in the middle of the mining boom, but honestly, I had no idea what that even meant at the time. All I knew was the money was ridiculous.

The nights were loose, the tips were flowing, and there was always a queue of blokes lining up for motorboats.

End of the night? Jugs full of cash.

I'd sit there counting it thinking, why would I work anywhere else?

That's when I gave myself a new title: FIFO skimpy.

I was flying everywhere. Queensland, Gove, Broome, Karratha, Port Hedland, Dampier, and Perth. Living out of two suitcases, couch surfing one week, booking a fancy hotel the next.

The routine was simple:

Make money. Spend money. Book a flight. Repeat.

I even managed to dodge winter for about three years straight, bouncing between Australia and Europe. There was a brief detour in Mexico involving a questionable romantic decision with a cartel member... but I made it home with all my organs, so we'll call that a win and save that story for another day.

Why Perth Stuck

Out of all the places, Perth just felt different.

I kept meeting girls from here while travelling, and there was this sense of community I hadn't really felt elsewhere. Less cut-throat, more supportive. It just clicked.

So I packed up and made the move properly.

And that's when something shifted.

Owning It

Up until then, I always had this story in my head: "Just one more year, then I'll get a real job."

Funny thing is, I was already running a business. I paid tax. I managed clients. I built relationships. I earned more than most people my age.

But I didn't see it that way.

Moving to Perth forced me to drop that mindset. I stopped treating it like a temporary thing and started owning it.

I stepped into being a showgirl. Properly.

I performed on stage, won awards, and actually took pride in what I was doing. And once that clicked, everything changed.

I even had a brief cameo in the first season of reality Tv show: Champagne Showgirls - a touring burlesque and striptease production that toured around Western Australia.

I started saving properly. Got my finances in order. I enrolled into uni and paid my fees upfront, which, if you've ever done a degree, you'll know isn't cheap.

The "Real Job" Detour

I completed a Bachelor of Health Science in Naturopathy and worked in the field for a year.

And look, I gave it a solid go.

But it wasn't it.

No matter how much I tried to convince myself, I knew where I actually thrived. Where I was sharp, switched on, and making real money.

So I went back.

But this time, it wasn't just about the work.

Seeing the Bigger Problem

Coming back with a business mindset, I started noticing things I'd ignored before.

Our industry runs on chaos.

Bookings through Facebook messages.

Last-minute cancellations.

No systems.

No structure.

No proper tools.

For an industry that moves this much money, it's honestly behind.

And I thought, why hasn't anyone fixed this?

So I decided to.

The Part I'm Not Ready to Talk About Yet

Here's the thing about spending over a decade inside an industry - you see everything.

The gaps. The inefficiencies. The same problems repeating themselves year after year with no one bothering to solve them.

And at some point, watching the same chaos play out stops being frustrating and starts feeling like an opportunity.

So I did something about it.

I can't tell you what it is yet. Not because it's not ready - but because the right moment matters, and this isn't it.

What I can tell you is that everything I've done - from that first chaotic shift in borrowed lingerie, to flying around as a FIFO skimpy, to grinding through a health science degree and back again - it all makes sense now.

It was all research.

If you've ever thought this industry deserved better infrastructure, better tools, a more professional backbone - you're going to want to pay attention.

Something's coming.

And when it does, you'll understand why it took this long to build it right.