We recently connected with Katherine Studley and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Katherine, thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

The transition from idea to execution was almost immediate for me because the idea itself was time-sensitive. The spark actually happened in the summer of 2020 during a phone call with a friend back in Buffalo who had an OnlyFans account. In passing, I mentioned that lingerie would be a tax write-off for her. She was completely shocked. To me it was obvious, but that moment made me realize that if she didn’t know this, potentially other creators didn’t either.

That realization was the turning point. I suddenly saw a massive gap between what creators were earning and how unprepared the accounting world was for them. My first step was simple: I wrote a short e-book, really more of an educational memo, to explain basic tax concepts for creators. It started gaining traction almost immediately and people began reaching out asking for actual tax help. That’s when the pieces clicked into place. This was my million dollar idea.

What followed was extreme urgency. I knew other accountants would eventually catch on, tax law is tax law, and platforms like OnlyFans weren’t going anywhere. If I was early I needed to move fast and intentionally. There was no perfect plan. I truly built the plane while flying it, a messy and beautiful experience.

At the time I was an accountant through and through. I didn’t understand marketing, branding, sales, or operations. I just started sprinting toward entrepreneurship, learning everything in real time. I binged entrepreneurial content on YouTube, met anyone who would grab coffee with me, and asked endless questions. Very early on I accepted that the first five years of this business would essentially be my internship…messy, imperfect, and likely not very profitable. I knew mistakes would be made. I knew I was gambling with my identity. I even joked that this would either make my parents very proud or very concerned. Either way I was all in.

The brand itself came in a lightning-strike moment. I remember scrambling eggs, thinking of the name The Only Consultant, creating the Instagram account, and just dropping it into the world. I knew immediately this was the idea. From there, I spent upwards of 13 hours a day on TikTok studying the platform. I knew creators were getting their leads there, and I wanted to live inside that ecosystem and algorithm. At the same time I was learning how to run a business, deepening my technical tax knowledge for this niche, and teaching myself social media from scratch.

For the first year, I took calls for free. Every conversation was a knowledge exchange. Creators taught me how their businesses actually functioned; I shared what I knew about taxes. When scenarios came up that I hadn’t seen before, I consulted with more experienced accountants behind the scenes. That’s how I learned. Case by case, problem by problem, client by client.

There was a moment early on when I spent two days panicking in bed, overwhelmed by the magnitude of what I had started. After that I accepted my fate. I stopped getting rattled by emergencies and uncertainty because I understood this was part of the process. I’ve been running ever since and now we’re entering year six.

If there’s one thing this experience has taught me it’s not to wait. Build it as you go. Resources exist. Information exists. If you have an idea and you feel that urgency, run with it. Sprint. Someone else will figure it out if you don’t.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a traditionally trained tax accountant who carved out a very non-traditional niche.I specialize in providing tax and financial services for people in the “spicy” industry…OnlyFans creators, strippers, exotic dancers, and other creative freelancers who are often overlooked, misunderstood, or simply judged by traditional accounting and finance professionals. What I offer isn’t just tax preparation, it’s a judgment-free, relationship-driven experience that prioritizes education, clarity and safety alongside compliance.

My background is pretty conventional. I started my career at regional CPA firms and spent about a year working within the government and intelligence community (a random detour). When the pandemic hit in 2020 I found myself at a crossroads. I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur but I didn’t yet know what that would look like.I immersed myself in entrepreneurial content and initially began working in social media marketing.

That pivot is what led me to discover OnlyFans early, before 1099s were even issued for the platform. As soon as I realized creators would be receiving 1099s and filing Schedule C returns, something clicked. At that point in my career, Schedule C tax returns were what I knew best. I felt like I was seeing into the future and recognized a massive gap – an entire industry of people about to be handed tax obligations with little to no guidance, and very few professionals willing to serve them with respect. I decided to take the risk and move early.

What sets me apart from other accountants is that I care deeply about client experience. We focus on building real relationships and explaining things in simple, digestible language. Taxes are confusing and overwhelming, I know that firsthand from struggling through accounting school and tax training myself. Accounting may not be my passion, but people are. Business development is. Marketing is. Creating systems that make people feel supported is. I truly believe the riches are in the niches, and this work allows me to blend technical expertise with human connection.

I’m especially proud that we’ve carved out a legitimate, visible space for a marginalized group of people to access high-quality tax and financial support. We market in ways that are approachable, honest, and even fun. Our clients feel that immediately. Many of them have grown alongside me; we’ve scaled our businesses in parallel, almost all through social media, which makes the bond uniquely strong. Before this business I didn’t even have a public online presence. Everything I do now is rooted in authenticity.

I want people to know that I’m a real person and that my brand is intentionally built to evoke comfort and trust. So much of sex work and kink culture is centered around creating safe spaces, and I see it as a responsibility to mirror that same care and respect in financial services. I also didn’t fully understand the level of discrimination in this space until I started working within it and that reality has only deepened my sense of purpose in this space.

At the end of the day my goal is empowerment. Taxes are the buy-in to society, adulting, wealth building, and ultimately to financial freedom. If I can help people understand and navigate that system without fear or shame, then they’re free to build whatever life they want next. Being one of the first to truly show up for this community is something I don’t take lightly and it’s an honor I’m deeply proud of.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Resilience for me isn’t tied to one defining moment but an ongoing pattern. It’s a collection of decisions made over and over again to keep going when stopping would have been reasonable, understandable, and sometimes easier.

Early on, I accepted that building a startup would be chaotic. Every day brings some version of a crisis: running out of money, systems breaking, missed details, decisions that feel existential in the moment. You learn quickly that if you let each fire convince you it’s the end you won’t last very long.

One of the most formative experiences came in late 2022, when I started Prisma Tax Group with a business partner. At the time, I had more demand than I could handle and felt backed into a corner. I moved too quickly and didn’t vet the partnership as thoroughly as I should have. While the compliance work itself was solid, the operational backend, processes, project management, client communication, was not where it needed to be. After nine months I made the difficult decision to dissolve the partnership. What followed was nearly a year and a half of undoing and rebuilding: repairing systems, reworking workflows, and having direct, uncomfortable conversations with clients to explain what was happening and take full responsibility.

That wasn’t the first financial breaking point either. In September of 2022, I completely ran out of money while living in Washington, D.C. I ended up moving overseas for three months, renting a friend’s living room in Germany just to stabilize and regroup. Then after ending the partnership in July of 2023, I had to rebuild again, this time with more clarity, stronger boundaries, and a much deeper understanding of what I would and wouldn’t compromise on.

More recently in May of 2025, my Instagram account was suddenly deleted when Meta’s AI incorrectly flagged my work as human trafficking because I serve sex workers. There was no investigation or nuance – it was just over. At that point quitting would have been understandable. Instead I kept going, appealed relentlessly, rebuilt where necessary, and stayed focused on the mission rather than the setback.

Looking back it’s almost surreal how many moments existed where I could have stopped. But resilience for me isn’t about powering through one dramatic obstacle. It’s about choosing again and again to stay in the game. To be pragmatic and relentless. I’m now able to support hundreds of clients, work with a strong and values-aligned team, and have opportunities like this one to tell my story.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Building a reputation in this market has been uniquely challenging because, quite frankly I’m an outsider. I’m a civilian. I’m vanilla. I’m not a sex worker, an adult content creator, a sugar baby, or a dancer and I’ve never pretended to be. That reality matters especially in an industry that is understandably tight-knit and deeply cautious due to long-standing discrimination, exploitation, and misrepresentation.

In the beginning that created real friction. There was distrust and I don’t blame anyone for it. When you’ve been marginalized or mistreated by systems and professionals, skepticism becomes a form of self-protection. I had to earn credibility in a space where trust is not given freely and where proximity does not equal understanding.

What ultimately allowed me to build a reputation wasn’t trying to blend in or borrow someone else’s identity. It was radical authenticity. I was transparent about who I am and who I’m not, even when that meant being a little awkward, overly honest, or “cringey” online. That transparency was intentional. Building trust required a careful balance, being deeply approachable while remaining clearly credible enough to do your taxes. Even the lighthearted or silly content served a strategic purpose to lower people’s guard long enough for them to feel safe listening.

Reputation in this space is built slowly. I gave people time to observe me, question me, and decide for themselves whether I was trustworthy. I stayed consistent. I showed up the same way over and over again. I never overpromised or sensationalized my clients, and never treated their work as a gimmick. Over time that consistency did what marketing alone never could.

Today, we serve clients across nearly every corner of sex work, and that trust didn’t come from virality but from showing up and actually doing the work. You can’t buy a reputation and eventually shortcuts will reveal themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theonlyconsultant.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_only_consultant/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-studley/
• Twitter: https://x.com/TheOnlyConsult
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theonlyconsultant

Image Credits

Lani Lee Photography