Finding the right partner can be tough, especially in the age of swiping right in the search for Mr. Right. Endlessly searching single women have commiserated with their equally dismayed girlfriends looking for love, as date after dreadful date they've become more convinced that their "Prince Charming" will never come… if he even exists. Meeting a decent fella at a seedy bar or through a well-meaning set-up gone south is a long shot, but the idea of living happily ever after with 5 cats doesn't make these gals look forward to growing old, all alone and covered in fur.
What's a woman who knows she has a lot to offer, but can't seem to get her romantic life in order to do? That's where Dating Coach Evan Marc Katz comes in, to help smart, strong, successful women understand relationships from a male perspective and eventually find their match.
10 million readers are devoted to reading Katz's blog and thousands of satisfied clients have had their romantic world turned around for the better thanks to Katz's no-nonsense and honest approach to dating, mating, and creating a love life these woman never thought they'd be able to attain.
My Q & A with Evan Mark Katz was educational and inspirational, and thanks to his thoughtfully meaningful responses, it's no wonder he has empowered so many women. For women seeking a real connection with a special someone, EvanMarcKatz.com can change your life. Since 2003, he's been at it – thousands of his devoted clients have fallen in love and found true happiness. See what Katz is all about and why he's been so successful in his endeavors.
Q: When did you realize you wanted to start your own business?
A: My father was a small businessman and I have his temperament and work ethic. I prefer to control (or appear to control) my own destiny and that was further cemented by my experience as a screenwriter in my twenties.
I first came to Hollywood to write comedy in 1994 and despite agents, managers, meetings at every studio and network, the Warner Brothers Writers Workshop, and finishing in the Top 3 of Project Greenlight, I couldn't make a living. So in 2001, I went to UCLA Film School to get an MFA that would allow me to teach screenwriting. To pay the bills, I took a job in customer care at JDate. 9 months later, I realized that I had to write a book about online dating. Simultaneously, I had an idea that since most online dating profiles are generic, there should be a service that helps write profiles that attract better prospects, the same way that there are resume writing services. That service, e-Cyrano profile writing, launched in 2003.
My book, "I Can't Believe I'm Buying This Book - A Commonsense Guide to Successful Internet Dating" came out in February, 2004. Unlike my Hollywood career, I got lucky. The book was well-reviewed in Time Magazine, which led to features in USA Today and on CNN, which led to higher demand for e-Cyrano, which led to me dropping out of film school 4 months before graduation to become the online dating guy. That was over 13 years ago.
I have since evolved from failed screenwriter to dating coach for smart, strong, successful women. I have four books, I've given a TEDx talk, I have a blog that gets over 1M uniques each month and my latest program, Love U is a six-month video curriculum that is like a massive online course from a university. Long story short, everything I've ever done was to avoid having a "real" job and I'm very fortunate that I found my calling!
Q: What has been your biggest challenge with the business thus far?
A: Business itself. I've probably had a much steeper learning curve than serial entrepreneurs with MBAs and tech startup experience. I'm a writer who failed at his first career, discovered he had a voice in helping women understand men, and I've been making it up as I go along ever since. Despite my public label as a dating coach, I'm essentially running a small tech business - offering free content to get readers to opt-in to get more free content and potentially purchase the paid content. When I'm not talking on the phone with women or writing blogs, newsletters, or podcasts, 80% of my job is project management, user experience, sales funnels, click-thrus, and conversions. At this point in the business, the biggest challenge is scaling our existing assets and getting 100,000 women to graduate Love U instead of the 1000 that have gone through so far.
Q: What has been the most rewarding experience throughout the process?
A: I couldn't imagine a job that offers more positive affirmation coupled with the knowledge that I'm making a difference. Every day, I get emails from strangers who read a blog post and are now married, or wedding photos from private clients who I worked with three years ago. There's a very obvious and tangible benefit that women get after working with me, and I've saved literally every email I've ever gotten from a happy client who has found love.
Q: What is different about your business compared to others in its category?
A: It's hard for me to fathom, but I'm just about the first person to do what I do. First person to have an online dating profile writing business. First online dating coach. First male dating coach to specialize in helping women understand men and make healthy relationship choices. You know how they say, "Be first or be best"? I can't say whether I'm the best at what I do; I can say that I helped create a thriving niche. I'd like to think I differentiate myself by being a consistent content creator, by being happily married, and by telling the truth in an industry where truth often comes in second to wishful thinking and clever marketing.
Q: Who is this business/service aimed towards?
A: Smart women, 35-55, who have everything but the guy. That's 50% of my readers. 25% are older. 25% are younger. Ultimately, I'm a resource for single women who are not content with the state of their romantic relationships and want to do something about it.
Q: Where can people find your service/company?
A:
http://www.evanmarckatz.com/ - company
http://www.evanmarckatz.com/about-evan-marc-katz/ - bio
http://www.evanmarckatz.com/blog/category/the-love-u-podcast/ - Love U Podcast
https://www.facebook.com/EvanMarcKatzFan/ - Facebook
https://twitter.com/evanmarckatz - Twitter
https://www.youtube.com/user/EvanMarcKatz - YouTube
https://www.pinterest.com/evanmarckatz/ - Pinterest
http://www.wwsg.com/speakers/evan-marc-katz/ - Worldwide Speakers Group
Q: Where do you see the company going in the future?
A: I'm really excited to firm up the foundation of our business and work with third parties to drive traffic to our offers with a 50/50 revenue split. In the past two weeks, I've had good conversations with big brands (women's magazines, dating sites) with huge lists of women who would be receptive to things like Why He Disappeared, Believe in Love, Finding the One Online, or Love U, but don't even know that such things exist. As I said earlier, it would be my dream to have tens of thousands of women going through Love U every year.
Q: What advice would you give a budding entrepreneur or business-minded individual seeking to launch a new product, business, or service?
A: My three metrics for trying out a new idea are whether you're passionate about your idea, whether your idea is achievable, and whether your idea is potentially lucrative. People often choose two of the three and discover that they're cynically in a business to make money, not because they believe in their product. Or that they are passionate about an app that has no revenue model. You don't need a full-fledged business plan to hang out your shingle, but you do need to have a vision and a path to achieve it. No one will believe in you as much as you.
Q: How many people work for the company at this time?
A: I don't have any full-time employees, but I employ contractors for tech, customer service, strategy and project management, social media, and coaching.
Q: Sum up your company philosophy (or your own mantra) in 3 words:
A: Try, try again.
Q: What about your personality makes you a successful business owner?
A:
-Confidence that what I write can truly help women achieve their dreams.
-Belief that I have the power to shape my own destiny instead of waiting for outside forces to validate me.
-Honesty and transparency, so everyone who works with me knows I will never deceive them.
-Willingness to take responsibility for (and learn from) my mistakes.
-Insatiable desire to do everything better - be a better husband, father, coach, businessman, manager, person.
Basically, I believe in self-growth and personal responsibility, which is why offering it to others in dating is a natural extension of my personality.
Q: Anything else you'd like to share?
A: I'm honored to have the opportunity to share my story and hope it helps another entrepreneur change lives, too.
