I'm a financial dominatrix. People send me $1,500 a month to be humiliated and 'owned' – here's how it works.

• Hope Vicious is a financial dominatrix whose "owned subs" send her money.
• The 30-year-old used to perform as a camgirl but switched because she didn't enjoy performing naked.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed interview with a 30-year-old financial dominatrix who uses the name Hope Vicious. Her sources of income have been verified by Insider. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

When I was 18 and living on my own in Maryland in a superexpensive apartment, I started using a webcam to sell sexual content to pay the bills.

I did this for about two years but didn't like it that much. I researched other kinks and found financial domination, which sounded too good to be true.

It means dominating people financially. People I connect with on kink sites or on regular social-media sites such as Twitter will send me money, through an app like CashApp, either for no reason at all, in exchange for some attention, or for a specific request. It's often online but sometimes in person.

The people I dominate are mostly men, but there are sometimes women and nonbinary people. Often they are people in positions of power — a CEO, a boss, or a breadwinner of a family — and they want to submit to me in the form of money.

I decided I wanted to put myself out there

I didn't have a lot of experience with being dominant. Before putting myself out there, I did months of research. There's a lot of free information out there — articles, educational websites, YouTube videos. Then there are women who teach classes or offer guides.

In 2012, I made a Twitter, now X, account and started advertising myself as a financial dominatrix. A lot of people reached out. Many were time wasters who didn't end up sending money, but within my first month, I was making money.

Time wasters often make bait posts along the lines of: "Oh, I just can't find a findomme to serve anywhere!" Then, of course, about 50 women will reply to them saying that they can approach them. But then they get all this free attention with no real intention of sending money.

How my findomme business works

Some people send money because they want to be humiliated or ignored, or I'll do a session with them. This can mean a bunch of different things — anything that falls under the domination umbrella can be a findomme-type session, such as humiliation or foot-worship sessions combined with them sending me money.

For most subs, I'll be sent money, and I'll acknowledge that they sent it, but it doesn't go past that. Some financial submissives don't expect acknowledgment or anything — they get a rush from sending the money itself.

There's also a thing called "drains," where they'll send you money over and over while you maybe chat for a little bit.

I don't get super explicit; I don't do any nudity. I do censored content, where I pose in a photo but my whole body is pixelated.

I'm fine with clients being nude, but they don't speak with me sexually.

Where to meet subs in person

The first sub I met in person was someone who lived 20 minutes from me. I was very nervous as I was still learning the ropes. I had no idea what to say or how to act. Even when you do the research, it's a big jump from just having to say thank you online to meeting someone in person to "dominate" them.

He followed me around the mall carrying all the bags and swiping his card in the stores, while I essentially made fun of him. He bought a pair of shoes for my boyfriend at the time, some clothes for me, and video games for both of us — totaling about $250. He then took out $150 at an ATM and gave it to me.

I was with that boyfriend for seven years, and he was fine with what I did. I've been with my current partner for two years, and he's equally OK with it. Communication is key to keeping everyone involved happy.

While my boyfriend doesn't typically participate, some of my subs will send him money, and sometimes he'll come along to an in-person session for my safety.

An "owned sub" is someone who wants to serve one domme and not serve anybody else. It's a lot more intimate — you get to dive deeper into what they like.

I have up to seven owned subs at a time. I require them to send me $100 a week on a set day, but then I expect them to be consistently sending more than that through CashApp or buying me things on my Amazon wish list.

This means that I demand $400 a month from them but expect about $1,500. If I had an owned sub that wasn't consistently hitting that, I'd warn them. If they kept missing that figure, I'd have to tell them that it's not working out.

I love my work

I love being a findomme. It's exhilarating and a massive confidence boost. I'm essentially paid to live a life of luxury.

It helps fund my hobbies of gaming, music, and art. I can spend $1,000 a month on collecting Magic: The Gathering cards and $500 a month on "Fortnite," and I go to a lot of concerts.

I don't have exceptionally luxurious taste. I don't buy limited designer and high-end brands. That said, I'm looking to treat myself to a Rolex for Christmas and another BMW for my birthday.