You Do What?! 7 Businesses You Didn’t Know Were Legal

Businesses you didn’t know are legal

Below, explore seven examples of jobs and businesses you may not have realized are completely legal. Despite their unconventional nature, these entrepreneurs and their companies operate within the bounds of the law and provide valuable services to their communities.

1. The madame

Susan Austin has run not one but two legal brothels in Nevada. The establishments, the Mustang Ranch Lounge and the Wild Horse Saloon, are more like large resorts than so-called “houses of ill repute.” Although Austin’s services may not be typical, her company’s marketing efforts aren’t that different from anyone else’s.

“There are many challenges, as you can imagine, running two legal brothels,” Austin told us. “I’d say the biggest one is getting the word out to potential new guests that we’re here, we’re safe and our ladies are the most welcoming and wonderful in the world. Nevada law prohibits us from advertising, so we’ve had to work around that constraint with varying degrees of success.”

Working around an advertising ban requires the business to do a lot of nonsex-related promotions to drive interest, using some strategies that plenty of run-of-the-mill companies also employ.

“We provide guided tours to groups and individuals interested in the rich history of brothels in America, particularly ours,” said Austin. “We host many, many social and charitable events in our houses as well as motocross and off-road competitions on the exceptional courses we helped build adjacent to our compound. I do radio, TV and print interviews regularly, which have brought a lot of guests to our websites as well as our houses.” [Related article: 12 Tips for Building an Effective Business Website]

The brothels also use social media marketing to get the word out. As with any other small business tackling marketing, the goal is to create a lasting impression.

“It’s all about perception,” Austin said. “We provide a fun, sexy, welcoming experience for our guests. Everyone’s welcome to come out, have a drink in our bars, order some food, meet our ladies and simply enjoy their visit. Of course, they’re certainly encouraged to spend some private time with our ladies and most of them do. Sex and the ‘experience,’ like love, are inextricably intertwined.”

2. The sex consultant

Andrea Adams-Miller calls herself “The Sexuality Tutor.”

Did that get your attention? Yes, that’s right — she teaches people how to have good sex … and improve their relationships, of course. But try explaining that to someone on the subway.

“Often, when society hears ‘The Sexuality Tutor,’ they are taken aback,” Adams-Miller said. “Their initial impression is discomfort with the blatant terminology and their preconceived notions. However, the discomfort quickly changes to intrigue and curiosity with a desire to know more, followed by their personal declaration or confession of a problem in their own lives.”

After the shock subsides, Adams-Miller explains her calling further. “I ease their initial shock by following up with ‘I assist others in achieving healthy relationships and healthy sexuality by revealing to them the secrets to ignite the spark, fire and passion in their lives.’” 

Adams-Miller said that while her business might sound like it’s strictly about sex, it’s about helping people learn to communicate with each other better.

“These lonely or hurting partners needed someone they could trust to talk about their personal, intimate lives without judgment or shame so that they could figure out solutions to gain the love and intimacy they desired and deserved,” she said.

Adams-Miller’s marketing plan includes several components and tools. She’s hosted a radio show, has authored several books, is an avid user of social media and frequently appears as a “sexpert” in the media. She also offers counseling via phone calls and video conferencing and hosts events about her work and entrepreneurial success.

Despite Adams-Miller’s very public appearances, her most valuable marketing tool is her ability to keep things private.

“I offer a safe place for [clients] to talk, confess or cry without judgment and without preconceived notions on how they should live their lives,” she said. “I validate them without shaming them, without being embarrassed over terms a person may use and without being surprised by behaviors that a person may desire to engage in with their partner. Lastly, I give them the right to receive honest feedback, unconditional respect and utmost confidentiality, so they feel safe, secure and heard.” 

3. The affair facilitator

Noel Biderman was never surprised that some people find the mere existence of the website Ashley Madison, which he founded, a little offensive. Biderman’s comments here came before he resigned as Ashley Madison’s CEO in 2015, in the wake of a data breach scandal that left thousands of users’ personal data at risk.

Ashley Madison’s initial purpose was to help married people cheat on their spouses by finding willing partners on the site. After the data breach, the company rebranded itself to focus on “open-minded experiences” and “exploring moments.” It also tries to cater more to women, who were underrepresented on the site before.

When he was at the helm, Biderman tried to run Ashley Madison ads during NFL games but wasn’t allowed to do so. He said he was also banned from buying key search engine terms, such as “infidelity,” for certain search engines’ pay-per-click advertising programs.

“I know where my audience is, but I’m not allowed to reach them,” Biderman said at the time. “I don’t get to advertise [during the] Super Bowl or the evening news. Society has accepted they can promote alcohol and glorify violence. You’re allowed to advertise erectile dysfunction products, but society makes a morality judgment when it comes to marriage.”

Biderman, who invested more than $200,000 to start the company, said Ashley Madison’s setup allows people who want to have affairs to do so in an environment where everyone knows they’re married. Rather than pretending to be single on a site like Match.com or eHarmony, Ashley Madison users lay their cards on the table.

“The reality is, there are people who are married who want to stay in the marriage for their spouses, for their children, but the bedroom has become celibate,” Biderman said. “Those people are looking for intimacy and sexual fulfillment.”

Biderman pointed out that Ashley Madison isn’t just about allowing like-minded people to find each other. It’s also about creating a digital platform for communications that leaves less detectable evidence than an email or text message, both of which Biderman called “digital lipstick on the collar.”

“The bottom line is that we know affairs happen. Society seems to acknowledge that. Running a TV commercial is not going to convince someone to have an affair. It may keep people from going to prostitutes or having workplace affairs,” which, Biderman said, can be more damaging for those who engage in office romances or act on other desires.

In case you were wondering — yes, Biderman is married. While he and his wife, Amanda, said they were happily married and monogamous in previously published interviews, leaked emails from the 2015 Ashley Madison hack revealed he carried on extramarital affairs too.

Perhaps he was prescient when he told us, “You can be a divorce attorney while being married. You have to understand how and why people have affairs. If I woke up in a sexless marriage, I would probably stray before getting divorced. I think we accept that there are strip clubs, massage parlors and prostitutes. It’s reality.”

4. The online dating ghostwriter

A job can seem a bit dicey without being illegal, and being a ghostwriter for online dating profiles is another great example. Sure, you probably wouldn’t want to admit on a first date (or anytime later) that someone else wrote your dating app profile. You wouldn’t want to admit that someone was posing as you in conversation. But there aren’t any laws banning either of these activities.

There may also be a valid reason why someone enlisted such services. For instance, people who struggle to speak or write English may hire an online dating ghostwriter to complete their profile. In other cases, English speakers who struggle with writing might hire an online dating ghostwriter to liven up their profiles. Other people on dating apps may hand the keys to a ghostwriter if they’re boring in conversation. 

Online dating ghostwriters often find work through popular dating sites or freelance job sites. Discretion is typically a key part of their work, as are sharp writing skills.

5. The medical marijuana marketing specialist

While medical marijuana — and cannabis use in general — doesn’t carry the stigma it once did, the industry still deals with misconceptions. 

Elizabeth Robinson of medical marijuana communications firm Green Scene Marketing (formerly Grow Room Communications) treats marijuana like any other item to be marketed. She’s run the firm with a few strict marketing tropes in mind.

“This is a medicine,” said Robinson, who started her company in Denver, where medical marijuana has been legal for more than two decades. “The industry needs to act more like the pharmaceutical industry in the way it presents itself.” 

Misconceptions about the medical marijuana sector aren’t in short supply, with detractors often complaining that it’s just an excuse to use marijuana for recreational purposes. But such perceptions are rapidly fading. Robinson and many others like her have helped change that impression by assisting companies — including medical marijuana dispensaries, technology providers, schools, social networks, web designers and cannabis growers — with improving their public image.

Robinson’s goal is to help these businesses communicate a cohesive and on-point message about the legalization of marijuana in many places.

“If the wrong people go onto the national stage to deliver this message, they are going to precipitate negative perceptions,” she said. “This industry is made up of a lot of professional businesspeople who are transforming it.” [Related article: Cannabis Industry Growth Potential for 2024]

Robinson and Green Scene Marketing’s services go beyond marketing and public relations. Green Scene Marketing also guides medical marijuana companies through the traditional business development process, helping them brand themselves, find the best equipment and collaborate with the best business partners.

“We need to approach this industry with the same level of professionalism that you would in any other business,” Robinson said.

6. The penny stock trader

While penny stock trading can be a fruitful endeavor, there are significant and deep-seated negative connotations surrounding the industry, said Peter Leeds, who calls himself “The Penny Stock Professional.” According to Leeds, “pump and dumps, promotional stocks, widows being tricked out of their money, the mafia, spam emails and scams” are just a few examples of situations that lead to a bad impression of penny stock trading.

“Penny stocks are the lowest-priced shares on the stock market,” Leeds said. “… penny stocks 

— and some even trade for fractions of a penny because they are not worth a full cent per share — are not regulated very well at all, and they spend a lot of time trying to cast their company in the best light. This leads to a lot of misleading info as they try to put lipstick on a pig.”

Most penny stocks pay promotional companies to go around and push their shares to potential investors through rumors, free websites and spam emails, he said. Unlike these companies, however, Leeds’ penny stock trading firm makes its money legitimately.

“I, and my team, uphold a very high level of ethics,” he said. “Unlike just about everyone else in our industry, we find only the highest-quality penny stock companies that have strong fundamentals, proven management teams and growing revenues. We do not take bribes or compensation of any kind from the companies we review, and we put all emphasis on protecting investors and educating them.”

Leeds said his business focuses on finding the 5 percent of penny stock companies that are great investments, making his service very profitable for his customers.

“Millions of people invest in penny stocks,” he said. “Few talk about it. Even fewer make money at it. Yet, done right, trading penny stocks can be very lucrative.”

7. The crypto meme artist

Perhaps 10 years ago, you wouldn’t have guessed that bitcoin would be widely known. Its success has stemmed in part from online cryptocurrency communities that love memes. As a result, other cryptocurrency companies are hiring crypto meme artists. Yes, meme artists. [Find out what small businesses should know about bitcoin and cryptocurrency.]

A job listing from the open-source crypto platform Gitcoin provides a great example. This listing sought a candidate who had “great vibes and already spends way too much time on Twitter and Discord.” In other words, the ideal applicant would be someone who knows their way around a crypto meme.

More seriously, Gitcoin sought someone with online community management experience and a passion for open-source projects. The lesson? Even seemingly “can you believe this is real?!” jobs require in-demand skills and a great resume. But the Gitcoin job’s final directive was a reminder that being a crypto meme artist can be impactful and fun, if unusual. “[T]ell us about your experience managing another Discord community,” it said, “and send some 10/10 memes.”

What to consider when starting a business in a highly regulated industry

Many of the businesses mentioned above, while legal, operate within highly regulated environments. These industries face stringent compliance regulations to ensure safety, legality and ethical operations. Navigating these regulations can be challenging, but they are crucial for success and sustainability. Before you start a business in a highly regulated industry, make sure you’ve considered the following.

Regulatory requirements

Each highly regulated industry has specific legal frameworks and compliance requirements. For example, brothels in Nevada must adhere to strict local laws, including health and safety regulations, while medical marijuana businesses must navigate a complex landscape of state and federal laws. Consult a legal advisor who specializes in your chosen sector for guidance.

Licensing and permits

Securing the appropriate job licenses and business permits is essential. This might involve obtaining business licenses, health permits or special industry-specific certifications. Failure to acquire the necessary licenses could result in hefty fines or business closure.

Advertising restrictions

As seen with Nevada’s legal brothels and Ashley Madison, online advertising in highly regulated industries often comes with significant restrictions. Business owners must find creative and legal ways to market their services without violating advertising laws. If you don’t want to deal with these hurdles, rethink your business idea.

Privacy and data protection

Businesses like Ashley Madison, which handles sensitive personal information, must implement robust data protection measures to prevent breaches and protect consumer privacy. Compliance with data protection regulations, such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act, is critical. [Learn how the GDPR has affected data privacy and impacted businesses.]

Tax compliance

Understanding and adhering to tax laws specific to your industry is vital. For example, the cannabis industry faces unique tax liabilities and challenges due to federal restrictions on deductions. Consult with tax professionals who specialize in the industry for help navigating these complexities and be sure to stay on top of tax season preparation.

Understanding the challenges of legal but highly regulated businesses

Starting a risque but legal business can be exciting but also daunting due to strict compliance requirements and potential legal pitfalls. However, these jobs also offer unique opportunities for those willing to navigate the complexities. By understanding the regulatory landscape, obtaining the necessary licenses and upholding high ethical standards, entrepreneurs can build and enjoy unconventional but profitable businesses without guilt or shame.

Amanda Clark and Max Freedman contributed to this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.