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Sincerity and Strategy: How Online Dating Relates to Entrepreneurship

In many ways, online dating relates to entrepreneurship more than you may think.

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In many ways, online dating relates to entrepreneurship more than you may think.

Over the last few months I have found myself in a position to give online dating a go. I’m merely a dabbler, but the process has left me wondering about what lurks in the murky depths below the surface of “matching and winking.” Even more so … how closely online dating ties to the world of entrepreneurship.

Online Dating Strategy: The Whole Truth is Not So Sexy

When I initially wrote my online dating profile, I made it big and bold. I used words like “ambitious” and “driven.” I reasoned that if a guy is turned off by that, he’s not the right guy for me.

But that is not the whole truth.

The whole truth is that ambition and drive are characteristics that don’t often lead to attraction. I don’t just say that because I’m a woman. Those same qualities in a man could translate into workaholism or keeping relationships at a safe distance. Not exactly sexy.

Four months into my personal experiment I can say I have come to one conclusion.

I put “ambitious” and “driven” at the front of my profile for one reason: I was not as serious as I thought about trying to attract attention. It made it easy for me to say “There are no good men on this site!” or “Men just can’t handle a woman like me.”

That same week I came across two online dating resources that piqued my interest. First, a book by eFlirt Expert founder, Laurie Davis called Love at First Click. The second was a Wall Street Journal article called “Hacking the Hyperlinked Heart.” Both are about online dating strategy. They are both based on loads of personal experience and tons of research.

Adjusting Strategy in Life, Love and Business

So after gaining more information about the online dating world, I decided to adjust my profile. I followed theWSJ article advice and toned down the work stuff, concentrating on what I like to do when I am not working. I talked about being driven by curiosity instead of ambition. I led with my love of travel, lattes, and wine. I talked about cooking and eating out.

It was true. It was sincere. It felt attractive.

Then I messaged a few guys, winked at a few more, and ate dinner. In the span of a few hours, I had more activity on my profile than I’d had in four months.

No telling where it will go from there, but I felt like I was taking myself and my goals seriously, all the while not allowing myself to blame anyone else.

So, what does this have to do with business?

I’ll tell you. Many small business owners nowadays do and say a lot in the name of sincerity, authenticity, and transparency. Sometimes this takes the form of blatant over-sharing, but it can also take the form of not following through on a big idea, not polishing sales copy, or simply ignoring solid practices because they want to do it “their way” in an effort to be different for different’s sake.

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