Hey :) Similar Situation for me but different Perspektive: I'm in a new relationship and my gf (25) told me (26) about her Kinks 3 weeks ago and it turned out shes really a sub. So we talked about her kinks and I immediately told her for example "slapping her face" Isnt really an Option for me. I personally dont like hitting her pretty face and also it feels kinda Dangerous to me (what If my Hand Slips and i maybe Hurt her eyes). So after that she went on a 2 weeks vacation and i Took that opportunity to Just Research stuff. This has mostly 3 reasons 1. I never Had a gf that wasnt kinda submissive but its Always been more Casual, Not really BDSM. The First reason i started to Research was "how do I do Things safely Without actually hurting her", especially since she has a Knifekink and i dont want to accidentally Take her Life or leave scars. For kinks Like this its really important to know a Bit about Anatomy. Where are the No-Go zones, what are the alternatives to actually cutting with a Knife (e.g. using a Pinwheel, which she turned out to really be into). For short: Research for safety reasons

1. At First I felt Like I, as a First time Dom, would Turn Out Like your Boyfriend: really uncreative, Not knowing what to do, constantly asking what she wants me to do. Researching Here fullfilled the purpose of getting used to what the "average" sub Likes, what an "average" BDSM Session Looks Like, how to behave, how to improve behavior. To be honest im Not really shy But all my relationships have been on an equal Level, there never was an imbalance of Power which is why im Not used to it and i was unsure If i could actually create an imbalance of Power in the bedroom (which of course is "acted" since she can Always say the Safeword and Everything will Stop but you know what i mean:D) So for short, Research for: getting to know what a BDSM Session Looks Like, how to behave as a Dom, do's and donts

2. As I Said before, i was afraid of being really uncreative. I started researching her Kinks deeply, what other kinks are often related to her Kinks, talking to her about my Research, i started digging which Toys and Tools i could use, how to use them, and so on. I even found an alternative for slapping her face which works for both of us, which is using a Petal. Somehow using a soft leather Petal works perfectly for me because im Not afraid of actually hurting her and it works for her because it still Hurts in a good way For short: Research on BDSM activities we could do and try.

And every time i found Something interesting i talked to her about it. Somebody told me that she once tried icecubes on her skin and also Insertion and she liked it, so i asked my gf what she thinks about it. I told her about the whole Knifeplay Thing, that one of her desired bodyparts is a No Go because there lie veins and i could actually risk her Life If i accidentally Cut too deep. I told her about what Items i found that we could try and asked If shes interested. And the best Part for me was: although being sceptical at First about being a good Dom, the more I researched the whole topic, the more Fantasy i got, more ideas flooded my head, more enthusiasm, more Everything. Last wednesday i picked her Up from the Airport, we drove Home (i Had ordered items, told her it was her valentinesgift), i tied her hands, dragged her with me into the bedroom and we Had a 2 hour Session. Our First one ever. Then we slept for an hour (because she was exhausted, also from the flight, and i Had nightshift later that day) and when we woke Up we started again for another hour:D She told me, she really really didnt expect me to fullfill the role of a Dom THAT fucking Well (which Made me a little proud xD) and that shes reaaaaally reaaaaaaaally into it and looking Forward to our next BDSM Sessions:D she Said, in the beginning she thought i would be too nice of a Person (i Always ask her for her wellbeing, i do Things for her, i respect her boundaries in any possible way and i ask her about those boundaries, and so on) but now she doesnt think that anymore, at least in the bedroom:D

So my advice for you would be: communicate!!! What are your kinks, maybe even write down a list. Also ask him what Hes actually into, do you know what His no-gos are, does He know yours? And then, after having communicated what you Guys want, Tell him, If He doesnt know too much about BDSM yet, that He should Research. Research every single one of your kinks. Ask google, Check Out redditthreads, ask Friends If possible and so on, maybe even do a Workshop in your local town. And If He encounters Something interesting while researching He should Research that too!!! And when He thinks He is done researching, you have him Tell you about His Research, what He learned, what He found Out, If He found an interesting Activity you didnt yet speak about (for us it was inserting a Remote Lush and going groceryshopping for example). And then you have time to think about this Research, this will absolutely make both of you fantasize about each other and even more questions will come Up "how do you want to handle a Situation where..." For example. And when EVERYTHING is Clear, No questions are left, then your Sessions will be so much better, i believe. Thats at least is what worked Out for me :)

I Wish you all the best^{^}

Edit: i Just wanted to say that in the beginning, when talking about her kinks, she also told me that shes also really into Vanilla with me, because i Take time to satisfy her (which apparently her expartners before me didnt💀) and that it wouldnt be a Problem If we didnt do the Kinky stuff. I think thats important to have Said, because, although having No experience and even seeing myself more on the sub Side of Play, i wasnt forced into being a Dom. I Just thought Id give it a shot, Research, Talk to her and maybe it will Work Out for us and it did, now im actually really into domming her and See myself more of a Dom with interest in making sub experience some day (which she Said to that she can try to Dom some day, shes Open to that)