Twenty years Society Service, part 1

Our high end escort agency turns 20!

I still find it a strange idea when I say it out loud. Not because it feels like I have been doing this for so long, but because I never mapped it out like this. I simply fell into it, made choices, and kept growing along the way. And yet it is a fact: this month, Society Service turns twenty.

And in this industry, that is anything but a given. Escort agencies come and go, change direction, disappear, or exist mostly on paper. Continuity is not the first thing people associate with this sector. That is exactly why it feels extra special that I am still here, still doing it my way. For the occasion, a client suggested interviewing me. As a fellow entrepreneur, he was curious about a few things and that is how this three part series came to be.

Part 1: How it started and why I stayed

There is a photo of you online where you are literally hiking up a mountain while you are on the phone, coordinating a booking at the same time. Why does that photo feel so fitting as a symbol of twenty years of Society Service?

Marike: "Because that is exactly how it is. My work gives me freedom. I can travel, I can be in places while others are sitting at their desks. But I am also almost always switching gears. And yes, friends have been very patient with that. Sometimes I am in the middle of a conversation with them and the phone rings, and I still pick up. That photo captures freedom and responsibility in a single image, and honestly, it is exactly what those twenty years feel like."

And that photo also says something about continuity. Being in business for twenty years in this industry is really not self evident.

Marike: "No, and it’s worth saying out loud. This is not an industry known for stability. Agencies disappear, new ones pop up, there is a lot of noise, and plenty of people who think they can just “give it a go” and be done with it. So the fact that I am still here after twenty years is remarkable, and honestly: it makes me feel proud. Not because I think I am so amazing, but because it shows that with consistency, care, and hard work, you really can build something that lasts. And the funny thing is, I truly did not see it coming. When I started, I did not think this would still be my life twenty years later. And now I find it hard to imagine I will ever do anything else. Also because I still genuinely love it, and because I work with a team that keeps delivering this level, time and time again."

So how did it start, twenty years ago?

Marike: "During my student years. I was in between my bachelor and my master. I did not yet know which direction I wanted to go in. Marketing, HR, or something else entirely. I did two internships where I mainly learned that I am not such a good employee. I almost called my boss an amateurish mess. I cringe when I think back on it. And at the university where I studied, a master programme suddenly appeared where entrepreneurship played a much bigger role. That was the first time I thought: my own business, maybe that suits me. I had never really considered it as an option at all."

And then you came across the idea of starting an escort agency.

Marike: "Yes, through a woman who had that idea. So it wasn’t even my idea. But I immediately found it interesting, precisely because it’s not everyday. And I also thought: why not? Why would I start a cookie factory, but not this? I found it exciting, it sparked the imagination, and I felt I could really make a positive difference here."

What do you mean by making a difference?

Marike: "Because the prejudice is so strong. Many people immediately think of misery, coercion, lack of freedom, those kinds of images. And yes, of course abuses exist, that is awful and it needs to be addressed. But there is also a reality in which adults make a conscious choice, work legally, and where someone simply says: I enjoy eroticism and I want to earn money with it. Just like a physiotherapist earns money from sports massages, or an accountant from annual reports. And what I find beautiful about it is how much passion and professionalism the escorts bring to this work, precisely because it is such deeply human work. I wanted to show that this work can also be done in an ethical, transparent, and fully legal way. With attention to both sides, not only the client. And also with respect for the escorts’ craftsmanship, because without their commitment, humour, and sensitivity, there is no beautiful experience to facilitate in the first place."

Your first concrete step was registering with the Chamber of Commerce. You were 21.

Marike: "Yes, and it was more nerve wracking than I expected. I could tell from the reactions of the staff that this is not an everyday business for most people. I asked myself questions too. How does this work legally? Is it legal? Do you need licences? In the end, it turned out to be legal. But the tension was also about something else. If you do this, people will look at you differently. You know that. And you also know it can affect your options later on."

That’s why you didn’t initially present yourself fully with your name and face.

Marike: "Correct. That was very deliberate. Partly because I wanted to see whether I truly enjoyed the work and whether I was good enough as an entrepreneur. But also because I was still studying for a job. And I genuinely thought: if I ever want to do something else later, become a consultant or something like that, it will be harder if your name is directly attached to an escort agency. So in the beginning, I played it safer."

Until 2008.

Marike: "Yes. Turning point number one was buying out my former business partner in 2008. We turned out to have different views on the best way to do this work. We realised we were not going to align. So I bought her out and continued on my own. And then it also became a choice I said out loud to myself. I’m choosing this. And if I choose, then I’m going to stand for it. With my name. That does narrow other routes, but it also gives you strength. From that moment on, it felt like I was building something that would truly last. Not only my business, but also a way of working. And in the end you never do that alone, because it is always a collaboration, with a team behind the scenes and escorts on the front line. Besides, I ask my clients for this same transparency, so why would I not offer it myself?"

You often say: I did not start because I thought it would be easy. I started because I thought it would be a challenge and I could make a positive difference.

Marike: "Yes. And that line still holds up, maybe more than ever. Because twenty years later I know: it is a beautiful industry, but it is also an industry where you have to be strong. And at the same time, I also like that it shaped me in that way, that I know so clearly what I stand for."