# How to start an OFM agency: the steps in order

> Start an OFM agency in this order: set up a company and a bank account that accepts adult-industry income, sign your first creator under a written contract, build chatting and traffic around that one creator, write down what works, and only then add creators and staff. The order matters more than speed. The mistakes reported most often are an unprepared bank account, no contract, and taking on too many creators before the first one is working.

Source: https://ofm.market/guides/how-to-start-an-ofm-agency | Published 2026-10-14 | Updated 2026-10-14 | By the OFM.Market team

## Set up the business first

Most guides tell new owners to trade through a company instead of as an individual. It keeps business debts apart from personal ones and gives you something to sign contracts with. The right structure depends on your country, so ask a local accountant before you register anything.

Banking is where new agencies are most often caught out. Many banks and payment processors treat adult-industry income as high risk and will close an account once they learn what it is for. Open the account honestly, say what the business does, and keep creator money out of personal accounts. Losing an account that holds a month of creator payouts is a bad way to learn this.

Before your first creator signs, you should have:

- A registered company and a business bank account that has accepted the nature of the business
- An accountant or bookkeeper who knows how you will pay creators and staff
- A written management agreement reviewed by a lawyer (the [contract checklist](https://ofm.market/guides/onlyfans-management-contract-checklist) lists what it should cover)
- A way to verify every creator's age and identity and to keep those records safe (see [OFM legal basics](https://ofm.market/guides/ofm-legal-basics))

## Start with one to three creators

Several agency guides give the same advice: begin small. Each creator brings an inbox to cover, content to schedule and traffic to generate, so the workload grows with every signing. One to three creators is enough to learn the routine, get your reporting right and find out what your chatters and traffic channels can really do.

The first creator also becomes your proof. A documented result from one account, with the numbers behind it, is what you show the next creator you want to sign. Ten accounts that all do poorly give you nothing to show.

## The order of work

1. Sign the contract, and verify identity and age, before any work starts.
2. Onboard the creator: recover and organise existing content, agree who holds the login, write a content brief. [Onboarding a creator](https://ofm.market/guides/ofm-creator-onboarding) walks through it.
3. Set up two or three traffic channels, and expect some accounts to be removed. See [OFM traffic](https://ofm.market/guides/ofm-traffic-sources).
4. Start chatting coverage, even if at first it is only you. [Chatting](https://ofm.market/guides/ofm-chatting-guide) covers shifts and handoffs.
5. Track results every week by creator, channel and chatter. See [metrics and reporting](https://ofm.market/guides/ofm-metrics-and-reporting).
6. Write down what works as step-by-step procedures, so someone else can do it.
7. Add a creator or a team member only when the last one is running without constant attention.

## Who you need, and when

At the start the owner usually does a bit of everything. The first hire is most often a chatter, because round-the-clock coverage is the hardest thing to do alone. After that comes someone to supervise the chatters, then help with traffic and content. [How an OFM team is organized](https://ofm.market/guides/ofm-agency-team-roles) covers the roles and the rough ratios.

One warning that comes up in several guides: if every decision has to go through you, you become the bottleneck. Write procedures early and let people act on them.

## What it costs

Nobody has published an audited figure for the cost of starting. Some guides put a lean start at a few thousand dollars or less, but that is the author's own estimate. What you spend depends on how much you do yourself. The usual lines are company formation and accounting, a lawyer for your contract, chatting and tracking software, paid traffic if you use it, and pay for chatters. Plan for months before a new creator covers their own costs, not weeks.

## Mistakes that come up again and again

- Relying on one traffic channel, so that one banned account stops the flow of new fans
- Trying to optimise sales before the organisation around them works
- Hiring on what people say they have done instead of on a paid trial
- Working without a written contract, or with a vague one
- Pushing creators and chatters until they burn out
- Ignoring each platform's rules until an account is removed

> **Not legal or financial advice.** Company law, taxes, adult-industry compliance and employment rules differ from country to country. Use this as a checklist of what to ask a professional, not as a substitute for one.

## Common questions

**Do I need a licence to run an OFM agency?**

There is no single licence that covers it. Some countries regulate talent agencies, adult businesses or both, and some do not. Ask a local lawyer which rules apply where you and your creators are based.

**How many creators should a new agency start with?**

One to three is the figure most guides give. The aim is to get chatting, traffic and reporting working before the workload multiplies.

**How long before a new creator earns money?**

There is no reliable benchmark. One agency reports two to four months for a creator built from zero, and that is its own claim. Treat the first month as a test of whether your setup works, not as the end result.

**Can one person run an OFM agency alone?**

At the start, yes, with one or two creators. Round-the-clock chatting is usually the first thing to outgrow one person, which is why the first hire is often a chatter.

Part of OFM.Market, a creator acquisition platform for OnlyFans management agencies. All guides: https://ofm.market/guides