By Amy Andersen, Founder and CEO of Linx Dating
As we commemorate our 20th successful year in business at Linx Dating. This is a moment to reflect on the incredible journey that has established us as the pre-eminent matchmaker in our space. Over the past two decades, we have had the pleasure and privilege of bringing countless couples together, helping them find meaningful and lasting connections. Our commitment to personalized matchmaking and our deep understanding of human relationships have been the cornerstones of our success.
Linx Dating has always prided itself on blending the art of intuitive matchmaking with the more analytical science of behavioral compatibility. Our meticulous approach involves understanding the unique needs, desires, and values of each individual. Through our bespoke service, we have created an environment where relationships can flourish, and our success stories are a testament to this dedication. From the first consultation “meet and greet”, to the moment our clients find their perfect match, we are with them every step of the way, offering support, guidance, and white glove service.
As Founder and CEO, I reflect with immense pride on the very early days of having started my business. It all began by reaching out to a few contacts whom I knew aligned with the core Linx brand – dynamic, successful, highly educated, motivated, Bay Area based, and marriage-minded. A matchmaker has nothing to go on without a deep and powerful network.
These keystone contacts opened up their respective rolodexes by offering me powerful connections to their like-minded single colleagues and friends. Slowly, I began taking all of these new contacts onboard, for free, so I could build a network, try to validate what I was attempting to do (play matchmaker to Silicon Valley’s elite), and build brand awareness and maintain a strong reputation. That was no small feat…those first five years set the entire blueprint for Linx Dating’s DNA. Eventually, prospects offered to compensate me for introductions, so as to get more attention and faster results, and the real business was born.
In the early days, the business was primarily an “offline” business, and all prospects ended up in my files, paying for memberships to be matched to each other. Remarkably, I was working off of index note cards and paper files (truly!) until my advisors finally insisted that I invest in building a database, which I did! 😊
When the business was about 10 years old, I took a serious look at our trajectory. Though we had been responsible for hundreds of exclusive relationships and dozens of engagements and marriages, we realized we could be better in two key ways and have worked to capitalize accordingly:
1. BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR CLIENTS
The market was telling me that there were really two basic types of clients… one group was very “active,” looking for guaranteed numbers of matches over a set time period and willing to pay accordingly. The other group was more “passive,” not looking to pay for matchmaking services, but willing to accept no guarantees and instead be ready and willing to be matched if they were a fit to be matched to one of my active clients.
Furthermore, within the realm of active clients, the VIP Membership category was born. For 5-10 of these members per year, Linx began to take on a role similar to a corporate executive recruiter, searching outside its own database to recruit prospects. In fact, now, our primary focus is representing a small elite group of ultra-successful individuals who desire a completely heightened approach to changing the course of their personal lives.
2. BETTER USE OF TECHNOLOGY
Though Linx had been tapping its vast, highly coveted network to search for matches within a database, Linx has recently led the matchmaking industry’s charge into technology via the AI capabilities it has built into the matchmaking process, allowing quick and efficient access to the right prospects buried in its robust database and also to better recruit outside the existing network for new prospects.
As an example of the latter, Linx has taken a very intentional, unique, and organic approach to social media and use of its website “real estate” by filming fun skits to provide tactical dating tips and approaches for our followers and featuring our VIP member profiles in various pages, spotlights and campaigns to highlight who they are and what they seek in a perfect match.
As a result of these growth initiatives, my business has grown from a small shop out of Silicon Valley to a global brand representing some of the world’s most desirable single men and women, and that has been featured in some of the world’s top media print, video, and audio outlets. I still do not advertise, nor have I relied on that as a way to grow my brand.
With all of that said, in an industry that has seen rapid changes, Linx has remained steadfast in its mission to create authentic and meaningful connections. While apps and algorithms may facilitate meetings and drive growth, we believe that the human touch is irreplaceable when it comes to true matchmaking.
