Re:Please clarify ladies

I prefer to speak to each and everyone of my gents that are interested in meeting me.  The initial phone conversations enables me to get a feel for the guy interested in visiting with me and vice versa.  

You can tell alot by a persons personality through a simple telephone conversation.

When you call me...you speak to noone else but me...unless you hear my sons voice in the background...he loves to talk to his mommy when she is on the phone...go figure.

Not a lady, but I'll answer anyway since I've explored this in depth.

The simple answer is who controls the clients and payroll.

In an agency, it's the agency's clients seeing the lady, and the agency pays her out of the fee that either the agency or the lady may collect.

With an independent, the lady's clients are just booking through an assistant and the lady is paying the assistant. The lady always collects the fee.

I can't go into details, but usually the agency makes a way, way higher percentage of a booked call than an assistant does, and assistants can be switched/dropped in a heartbeat by the lady.

I am MJ and I have an assistant named Rain.  She is very close to me, like a sister.  The only person I would ever trust to take my calls & keep everything discreet.  Now, she has a full-time job & no longer books my appointments.  I have always been %100 independent.  Was I independent before, when Rain took my phone calls?  Of course!  
Here is a difference:  An agency employs an escort.  They take her calls & book appointments.

*  An independent HIRES an assistant, and they take phone calls & book appointments.

So... I have never been with an agency.  I have never worked for anyone.  I have an assistant, but she works for me.

I've been criticized before for not being a "real" independent,because someone works with me.  My view is I am still independent, because I am in charge of my employee.  While I still have an employee, I am not fully "Independent".  I am "NonDependent".  You can't confuse nondependent with agency girls, because nons make their own paychecks & pay their employees.
Now, I have no phone assistant and have to schedule all of my appointments.  
So, for the record, I really prefer email.  The reason I had a "phone girl" was because for the last 3+ years I had a full time job as a phone operator.  Not just any phone op.  a graveyard phone op.  I still hear phones ringing in my sleep.  While I'm awake, I cringe when I hear one ring.  It's just a horrible, horrible habit I've developed.  Please, please forgive me!  And from now on, send correspondence to : [email protected]

*Disclaimer* I did not just respond to this for self promotion, I felt it was an honest query that needed to be answered.  And I would also like to share a quote:
"Come on girls. Don't take yourselves so seriously.  We need others to take us seriously and ourselves to lighten up."
-Unknown, Just a page on my calendar

You do make a valid point.  Sometimes it is easier to have somebody taking care of your calls so you don't need to answer your phone in the supermarket or when the kids are present.  I personally leave two phone numbers. If a client wants to talk to me instead of my assistant, I have no problem with that.  I understand the importance of chemistry. I have two phone numbers available.  One is my assistants number and the other is my personal number. As an independent I feel I am still making my own decisions.  How much I charge, where I want to advertise and who I want to see.  I have additonal help so I can be at my best for you guys.

xoxo
Angelina