Yes it was profitable. That was one of the painful parts. I re-entered the job market in 2018 but my wife and I maintained the business in our free time with my employer's knowledge and consent. The business was feeding into our life savings, had a lot of assets and we had about 500k unique visitors per day (not huge but nothing to scoff at either). Our bandwidth bills were our major expense. All of that was taken from us because of prudish anti-porn attitudes and fear.
Also, from what our visitors often told us, there was a perception that our site was 100% ad-free. This is because the content was all there to promote affiliate programs. I know that it's common for people to ask "why would anyone pay for porn when there is so much free stuff out there?" My 18 year "career" in the industry taught me that it is a symbiotic relationship. The free stuff advertises for the subscription based sites, and neither would exist without the other.
Also, from what our visitors often told us, there was a perception that our site was 100% ad-free. This is because the content was all there to promote affiliate programs. I know that it's common for people to ask "why would anyone pay for porn when there is so much free stuff out there?" My 18 year "career" in the industry taught me that it is a symbiotic relationship. The free stuff advertises for the subscription based sites, and neither would exist without the other.