Thanks so much for more wonderful replies! It's great to get such a range of opinions - as nice as a unanimous answer can be, this is risk management without a clear answer, but each and every one of you is a very useful influence in helping me come to my final decision.

I know my home setup isn't ready to host. I don't think it's impossible, though, for a select group of clients. As a general rule, I'll be hoping for repeat business rather than lots of new guys - I know you can never trust a client as a person and have to keep things professional and business - but I'd hope to be able to be quite selective about who I allow to visit me at home.

I'm definitely leaning more no nonsense in my profiles and communication than I was before - I was afraid it would put people off, but I think it's only really going to put off idiots and time wasters.

Oh, it'll take me a long time to develop instincts for time wasters, I always find I lack a woman's eye for people and can be quite trusting - but I've ended communication with easily half of the men who've contacted me so far, for one reason or another. I'm not just going to meet anyone - I'm lucky enough to not need this income to survive.

I stepped quickly back from my age limits. I'm willing to accept that guys over 50 may surprise and delight, dubious as I feel. I'll still probably do checks on very young looking guys, I'm happy to meet anyone 18 and over but need to be careful of course.

That's all great food for thought, much I'd already considered but great to read it all laid out so well. The low volume thing is something I should be more clear about on my profiles, up front. And the sideline for guys wanting to dress is definitely a possibility - I'm quite fussy about getting good stuff so while much of the latex that forms the backbone of my look is made to measure and I'd never let another touch it, in time I'll aim to have an expansive enough collection of other items that dressing sessions might be a good idea!

Sticking to my prices is already an area I'm failing in. When I started, I set them moderately, after looking at some of the local competition. I quickly decided based on volume of contact and pride to not sell myself cheaply and to be sure I restricted this to men who actively want what I am, not just guys who can't afford a real woman. I upped my prices significantly based purely on my own estimation of the value of my time, still not to real high-class levels but about on a par with most women. Contacts continued, I thought all was fine. About a week and a half ago, I felt about ready to start, edited my profile to say as much and sent messages to many who I'd told I wasn't yet available and who'd asked for updates when I was. Yesterday, over a week on, I started to worry that I was going to get no business. Now that was silly, despite being supposedly ready, I'd been asked about my availability multiple times and always given a very prohibitive reply since I had a lot planned in my own life this last week or so. Also, I never WANTED high volumes of contact. And, I still hadn't sorted a work phone, it's arriving on Monday and I'll be able to put it online to hopefully make me more approachable. Anyway, when I switched to outcall only, I also panicked and reduced my fees, in a way I already don't feel comfortable with.
Anyway, I'll be okay. I've already got 2-4 guys who seem some degree of serious about booking an outcall or hotel meet - some I've quoted the new rates so may have to meet at those the first time even if I put my prices back up. Two of them were interested before I reduced the prices, and one in particular seems very serious, with me having been the time waster so far in our correspondence, he would have met me days and days ago,.or this evening, if I'd had the gumption and had been free.

Anyway, yes, I just need to lean into my niche and be sure of what it is. I'm young and more physically fit than a great many crossdressers, I'm confident and a bit dominant which isn't entirely common among dressers (not uncommon either, of course) and while pre-op girls have a very significant appeal over me in their bodies, those men who want somebody as feminine as possible whilst being fully functioning and virile are likely to choose me. And of course the reasonable wide range of fetishes I'm happy to work with and the pro-Domme stuff is a very clear niche in which to market myself. Guys wanting to book in advance DOES seem to be the norm, not always, I've had a fair few same day requests but I think most of my work will be booked in advance - pros and cons to that, it'll make planning easier and could allow for a few meets to be stacked together in an afternoon at a hotel, but definitely suits incall work better than touring, I think.
Working out a way to direct guys here without giving my actual home address is a very good idea - there's no street name or number visible anywhere so I might be able to avoid my address ever being given out - I mean it could always be figured out from Google maps I'm sure but I do think I could give useful directions without giving too much information.

I do have something of a buddy but she's very slow at responding to me these days - interested in the work and concerned about my safety, but not sure she's an entirely reliable person for a safety call - although that's not fair, the only time I ever called her in an entirely unrelated emergency she was incredibly quick to respond and switched right into crisis mode. She's older, wiser, a bit maternal and has never met nor know the names of any of my friends or family, just an old fuckbuddy who I trust very much.

Thank you all so so much for continuing to give me new things to mull over and lots of useful data points in making my decision. For the time being, I'm going to stick with the outcalls since I've immediately seen an uptick in interest since disabling incalls - I'll make a point of calling the local chain hotel (Premier Inn - I know it's not great but it's that or a guesthouse or pub) and ask about their situation with key cards to get out of the lobby. I know there's no lift, I think it's only 2 or 3 floors - but that would be a huge thing to know, if I can book a room, get dolled up and have a guy come right to my door, this'll all be fine and dandy, I've implemented a policy to take the hotel room cost as a bank transfer when I take the booking, so I can't end up out of pocket. If that isn't the case, I'll have to reconsider. I'm definitely feeling that I'll eventually do incalls, but whether I advertise them or allow first time clients to have them is up for debate, and either way, I'll need to get the home security up to scratch.

Thanks so much for all your help and patience!

some I've quoted the new rates so may have to meet at those the first time even if I put my prices back up

You could say to them, it's a special discounted price as you're new and have no feedback yet, so if they book the meeting via AW and commit to leave feedback, they will get that rate. (Of course you can't guarantee they'll leave feedback but I did this for the first few months I worked and never had a guy not give feedback.)

I think you will probably find you get a surge of calls when you have a phone number up. (Remember it's £1.50 a day to display it on AW, so make sure you buy some credits.) Lots of guys don't want to leave a "paper trail" of emails on AW, they want to browse incognito and just use a burner phone to arrange a booking. I imagine that goes double for guys who are into the more niche side of things. "He fucks hookers" is a lot less shaming than "He fucks men dressed as women, and he pays them", sadly.

People seem to love gossips in rural areas.

Yeah, cos there's fuck all else to do! I spent time growing up in one of these communities and everybody knew everybody else's business. It was suffocating.

I thought number display costs £1 per day?

You might be right Mirror, I may have confused it with Local Escort Search!

You know this is an open forum Lixi?

Regarding cultivating a small group of regulars. 'Regulars' don't necessarily mean they're going to be your cup of tea. Clients I'd love to become regulars for free rarely oblige. (That's just fantasy talking.) The irritating, needy, edgy, socially awkward ones I dislike keep repeating, can't get rid, like old chewing gum.

'- Client goes wandering around and knocking on the wrong door' - Very common, even with the best directions they get distracted, panicky. They jump willy nilly into the nearest gate or door. Ring any bell in front of their nose. Loose ability to tell left from right, ass from elbow.

'- Client loudly and indiscretely talks to me in the doorway where neighbours could hear.' Very common, they have no volume button, especially when nervous. Both when they enter and leave.

With practice you can control all those behaviours.

Masks-My male chum uses fem masks and body moulds privately. I can't say how your clients would react if it's on 100%  of the time or if it helps stop outting. There are more ways to out than seeing your face.

Thank you, yes I suppose I can well imagine all of that being the case salty... Forewarned is forearmed but what I can really do if/when I decide to try any incalls I'm simply not sure, yet. Oh I'm sure, regulars are unlikely to be the guys I'd choose - I was speaking more on the basis that I'll be quite niche, most punters won't be interested in me in a million years, this working will likely live or die based on whether the people I'm right for are keen enough to see me more than once. But who knows, that's idle speculation.

And yes, I've said too much, and can only apologize for breaking the rules with those photos - clearly I'm getting jittery and overexcited again - probably best to let this thread lie at this point, I hope it won't be minded if I go back and redact a little of the more clearly identifying details at some point. This waiting is just getting to me - either I'll calm right down once I've done a meet, or know it isn't for me. Until then, I just need to practice patience.

Yeah, cos there's fuck all else to do! I spent time growing up in one of these communities and everybody knew everybody else's business. It was suffocating.

That's the truth! 

Okay, so just thought I'd post a conclusion in here.
I think I've decided not to explore incalls. I want to be low numbers and keep this as a side gig, so the convenience and higher rates of interest in incalls aren't worth it to me.
With only outcalls listed and a work number up online, I've got my first actual booking made for tonight. Could be bs or a time waster but he got in touch over the phone, immediately gave a time and address and confirmed the correct price without prompting. I was talking in male voice and he seemed unphased, I explicitly asked for confirmation that he understood that I am male not trans and that I have a cock. He was cheerful and relaxed in his confirmation that that was why he contacted me. I've told him to call 1-2 hours before the booking to confirm before I get dressed up and head over. He's confirmed a private and discrete drive so my plan is to put on lingerie and makeup at home under loose hoodie and sweatpants, drive over, park up, if I consider privacy to be adequate I'll do my mask and nails and final spruce in the car before pulling up my hood and knocking at the door, if I am less confident in that I'll call and explain that I need to enter the house unmasked and give him the chance to unlock the door and step out of sight so I can finish my look inside the door.
I have informed one of my closest friends who is proven trustworthy as a safety buddy on unpaid sex meets and who isn't a security risk to my identity as a dresser, she knows the booking time, address, the guy's name and what time to expect a call or text by.


In other areas, the guys who'd been seeking bookings a little further down the line who I'm not sure are serious but at least one seems so to my instincts - have all happily accepted the idea of a hotel booking. That said, I contacted the only nearby chain hotel and they seemed to say that keycard was required to access the corridors which could prove problematic, further investigation will be required and hotel meets may prove unfeasible, most guys expressly want to avoid seeing me not en femme, and I wouldn't surprise and delight with my femininity met that way. I was hoping to be able to slip into an unlocked hotel room and into the bathroom, or to invite a client to the door of my hotel room with me all ready to go, but that may not be going to work out.  Part of me is tempted to just drive over there and try getting past the lobby myself to confirm - I suppose I could always give the client's name as the second person if I make a hotel booking? Would that enable them to pick up their own key card at reception? I've not spent enough time in hotels to be sure of any of this.


So home outcalls seem the way to go for the time being. Did a successful trial run on an unpaid meet with a local couple the other day which has me confident in my ability to get mostly ready under male/unisex clothes then switch quickly on arrival. Perhaps more risky, but I'm screening and have a safety buddy, so I feel safer than I would on an incall. I'd like to think that being overtly listed as a male TV, not trans, not convincing etc, answering the phone without much change in my voice and confirming they understand what I am could avoid some of the worst of the phobia. I'm SURE I'll get guys go weird and sullen and quiet. *I* got a bit upset and confused after my first time with a guy. But I'd be willing to bet that the worst of bad behaviour is more likely to be directed at girls who're actually trans and much more feminine than I'll ever be.


I've ignored 5 withheld number calls today - would you all say that's the correct course of action?


Additional points - a friend w/b in the nearest proper city a few hours away has offered me use of his spare room for touring - I don't know quite how that will work out, a bit concerned that he's going to expect a lot more favours than is really reasonable now that he knows about the escorting, but if it works out it'd be a great option, paying with sex for a safe location that isn't my home and where I'll have other people around to provide a sense of security, where I can safely advertise and tour from without risk of ending up out of pocket.


So I think incalls are off the table for now, too many better options. Thank you all for your help and support and putting up with my nonsense! I hope any questions or points I have in future will be significantly shorter and less wordy but I know what I'm like.


Also for those of you who told me to be careful about giving guys what they want over correspondence, point very clearly taken. I'm being a lot more curt now.