Q & A with Evan Marc Katz, CEO, EvanMarcKatz.com – Helping Women Understand Men and Find True Love

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.

Visit EvanMarcKatz.com for more information and to change your relationship life.

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Landscaping Options to Increase Your Home's Curb Appeal

Home garden and porch

As anyone who has ever sold a house will tell you, you must prioritize curb appeal. Before a potential buyer even considers looking inside your house, they notice the outside first. Does it attract the right kind of attention? Does it take away from the feel you're going for? If you plan to sell sometime soon, you must think about these things. Here are some landscaping options to increase your home's curb appeal, so you can get the best price on your home.

Extensive Plants and Greenery

A barren front yard won't get you the price you want on your home. So, invest in at least a little bit of greenery to keep the surrounding area from looking too dead. Shrubs and bushes tie the house to the lawn that precedes it, and flower beds bring a pop of color to an otherwise drab structure. You can also strategically plant some trees to improve the overall feel of your home's exterior.

Lawn Care

As we mentioned, your lawn is one of the most prominent features of your home's exterior. A patchy, dried-up lawn will quickly drive your home's price way down. Some of the best landscaping options for your home's curb appeal involve improving your lawn for the next inhabitant. Overall fertilization, ground aeration, underbrush removal, proper mowing—all of these lawn care tasks contribute to a greener and more lively area that invites people to see your house, rather than stay away from it.

Paved Pathways

There's nothing like a broken and disheveled pathway to make someone think twice about buying a property. Just as you want the entryway in your house to be welcoming, so too should the pathway leading up to the house be inviting. The pathway from the street to your front door provides plenty of real estate to get creative with. You don't have to settle for a boring concrete pathway. Consider something more eye catching, like a cobblestone path or intermittent brick patterns, as a way to better welcome potential buyers.

Usable Outdoor Furniture

Landscaping doesn't just involve the ground you walk on; also included are the items you use as extras to the overall look. Outdoor furniture is one such extra that you don't necessarily need but can look quite attractive if done correctly. Staging is important with outdoor furniture. Old, broken-down pieces will only look like more work to the potential buyer. A few comfortable chairs, a bench, or a table with an umbrella really go a long way to improving your outdoor aesthetics.

A good tip for deciding on curb appeal items is to decide what you personally would want to see as a part of a welcoming home's exterior. You don't need to go overboard, but a little bit of forethought could net you quite a lot of extra cash in the sale.

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Common Mistakes Made When Giving to Charity

Unfortunately, giving back can sometimes go haywire. If you're ready to make a donation, first consider common mistakes made when giving back.

Many people strive to support their community by donating their time or their money. When you find a meaningful cause, you might be quick to cut a donation check. Though it's admirable to be quick to act charitably, you should be wary of several common mistakes made when giving to charity. Being mindful of these mistakes and learning tips for making informed charitable choices can help you make the most out of your generous check.

Acting Quickly Out of Emotion

Mission statements are meant to be compelling. If you're an emotionally driven individual, it's natural to pull out your wallet at the sight of a sad puppy on TV or when informed about food insecurity over the phone. Unfortunately, not all charities are as effective or official as they may seem.

Take your passion for helping others one step further by making sure your chosen charity is legit. Speaking with a representative, reviewing their website and social media accounts, and looking at testaments online can give you a better idea of whether the organization is worth your donation.

Forgetting to Keep Record of the Donation

Don't forget that you can reap some financial perks from giving back! With the proper documentation of your donation, you can acquire a better tax deductible.

If you donate more than $12,400 as a single filer or $24,800 as one of two joint filers, you're eligible to deduct that amount from your taxes. So, when a charity asks if you'd like a receipt of donation, always answer yes.

Donating Unusable Materials

Most charities can utilize a monetary donation—it's the physical donations that usually cause some issues. Providing a local nonprofit with irrelevant materials or gifting them with unusable products are surprisingly common mistakes made when giving to charity.

Always check your intended charity's website for a list of things they do and do not accept. The majority of places will provide a guideline to donating or offer contact information to clarify any questions.

Strictly Giving at Year's End

As more and more people get into the holiday spirit at the end of the year, nonprofit organizations see an influx of donations. While it's great to spread holiday cheer via a monetary donation, it's important to keep that spirit going year-round.

With regular donations, charities can more effectively allocate their annual budget. Setting up an automatic monthly donation with the charity of your choosing can maximize your impact. You can account for a monthly donation by foregoing a costly coffee every once in a while.

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How Much You Should Spend on Home Maintenance

Knowing how much you should spend on home maintenance each year is hard to figure out and may be preventing you from buying your first home. The types of costs you'll incur depend on the house you buy and its location. The one certainty is that you should start saving now. Read on to figure out how much to start setting aside based on the home you own.

The Age of Your House

Consider several factors when budgeting for home repairs. If you've purchased a new home, your house likely won't require as much maintenance for a few years. Homes built 20 or more years ago are likely to require more maintenance, including replacing and keeping your windows clean. Further, depending on your home's location, weather can cause additional strain over time, so you may need to budget for more repairs.

The One-Percent Rule

An easy way to budget for home repairs is to follow the one-percent rule. Set aside one percent of your home's purchase price each year to cover maintenance costs. For instance, if you paid $200,000 for your home, you would set aside $2,000 each year. This plan is not foolproof. If you bought your home for a good deal during a buyer's market, your home could require more repairs than you've budgeted for.

The Square-Foot Rule

Easy to calculate, you can also budget for home maintenance by saving one dollar for every square foot of your home. This pricing method is more consistent than pricing it by how much you paid because the rate relies on the objective size of your home. Unfortunately, it does not consider inflation for the area where you live, so make sure you also budget for increased taxes and labor costs if you live in or near a city.

The Mix and Match Method

Since there is no infallible rule for how much you should spend on home maintenance, you can combine both methods to get an idea for a budget. Average your results from the square-foot rule and the one-percent rule to arrive at a budget that works for you. You should also increase your savings by 10 percent for each risk factor that affects your home, such as weather and age.

Holding on to savings is easier in theory than practice. Once you know how much you should spend on home maintenance, you'll know what to aim for and be more prepared for an emergency. If you are having trouble securing funds for home repairs, consider taking out a home equity loan, borrowing money from friends or family, or applying for funds through a home repair program through your local government for low-income individuals.

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