Violet Lim and Jamie Lee are in the business of connecting aspiring lovebirds. While matchmaking has existed for decades, the couple modernized the trade for the Internet era. After starting Lunch Actually in 2004 and Eteract in 2007, they founded eSynchrony, a website which matches singles through an algorithm that looks at 15 areas of compatibility.
Their success was why we brought them to our monthly Chillin’ With event on August 15, where we connect about 20 or so people who love starting businesses. The venue was Martell’s The Ultimate Startup Space at Boon Tat Street.
Photo: Jamie Lee and Violet Lim (center) with guests. Read more
Filed under Featured, Networks & Networking, Services, ToolkitTags: Chillin' With, Eteract, Female Entrepreneur, Lunch Actually, Matchmaking, online dating, The Ultimate StartUp Space, Violet Lim, women entrepreneurs
She has organized over 1,000 events for people to men and women to network and mix around. Armed with a keen interest to mix business and fun, Annie, founder of Club2040, ultimately hopes to make a difference in the lives of local singles through Club2040.
Why did you go into the dating industry?
When her events management company, Red Box Events Pte Ltd, was appointed by SDU for a 2-year term, founder Annie Chan ventured into organising events for Singles in 2003. Under the 2-year contract, Annie and team had to deliver no less than 1,000 events ranging from dinner dates, talks, workshops, outdoor activities to the all famous speed dating!
The “dating” bug caught on and after the end of the contract, Annie decided to setup Club2040 in 2007 to focus on Singles Events, while Red Box Events will focus on Corporate Events.
What’s unique about your service?
We offer matchmaking services for males only and we organise events on an ad-hoc basis. We want to focus on matchmaking and relationship coaching.
We have an in-house tool which allows clients to learn about his relationship pattern and by understanding his pattern, we will then coach and guide him to improve and hence increase his chance to finding that right partner.
Though our matchmaking service is not available for ladies, we encourage ladies to sign up for our in-house screening package to find out about their relationship pattern as well. By knowing how you will behave in a relationship before jumping straight into one can save singles much heartache!!
Our matchmaking service is at S$988 for 12 months and our in-house screening package (without coaching) is at S$180 for a one-to-one session.
Has the recession had any impact on your business?
In a way it has. When we try to organise events, we have to be mindful of the price to charge. For our matchmaking service, we offer our in-house installment arrangement for ease the burden of upfront payment.
Any last words?
Stay positive. Your special someone is out there, just stay positive, have the right attitude and love will soon find you!
About Annie Chan
Ms Annie Chan is a certified matchmaker from the Institute of Matchmaking, New York. Being a NLP Practitioner also means Annie makes a good relationship coach giving comprehensive guidance for her matchmaking clients and members.
Photo courtesy of dev null.
Instead of jostling your way around Lau Pa Sat alone, with WhoWorksAroundYou, you will now able to find a date to help spread your wings to find an empty table. Predicated on working dates into the busy lifestyles of members, WhoWorksAroundYou is a social network that focuses exclusively on allowing you to find suitable dates based on your preferred date criteria and location. Read more
When Kelvin was just venturing out as an entrepreneur back in 2001 during the dot com days, he met the love of his life and future wife, Sie Sie. She supported him throughout his entrepreneurial endeavors and they got married in 2004. Finally in 2006, both of them came up with the term ‘Singles Mingle’ and the company was born. We chat with Kelvin, co-founder of Singles Mingle.
Why did you go into the dating industry?
Singles Mingle is founded and driven by a team of dedicated professionals who are passionate about creating a 24/7 community network for singles to meet, mingle and find their life partners.
It is our goal to bring singles together in one place, creating wholesome opportunities for them to meet, as well as leveraging on all the resources in the community available to us, including married couples, families and mentors- as an integral part of our widening support network.
More importantly, we have always position ourselves as a socially driven organisation rather than being a commercially driven entity. Personally, as a deputy marriage registrar, it has always been a joy for me to solemnise the marriages for couples so having an entity that brings singles together just complete the picture.
What’s unique about your service?
We offer a full range of services including events, personalised introduction, pre-marital talks, post marital workshops and also wedding flavours offered through Affinity Lodge. We are also the only private dating organisation that offers a clubhouse (The Arts House @ Old Parliament) for members to meet, dine and connect with other singles in the community. Our matchmaking centre is also located at the easily accessible Civil Service Club in Bukit Batok.
Has the recession had any impact on your business?
Whether in good times or in bad times, there will always be singles out there want to widen his/her social circle or even finding that special someone.
Any last words?
As a dating practitioner, it is important to first have a passion for people and to bring them together. Along with relevant trainings, only then will one be able to provide the service effectively and manage the expectation of the singles professionally.
Photo from left: Husband and wife team – Sie Sie and Kelvin.
About Kelvin Ong
Mr Kelvin Ong is the Director of Singles Mingle Pte Ltd. He also heads a training organisation In Tandem and is a partner of Affinity Lodge, an entity that deals with wedding flavours and solemnisations. He is a knowledge-based consultant by profession and has developed and facilitated many programmes and workshops for both the government and private organisations over the last decade. Since 2005, he has also facilitated several hundred of events for graduate singles for Social Development Unit (SDU) as well as for Singles Mingle Pte Ltd. He has also designed and conducted Marital and Family Bonding Workshops for staff from both public and private sectors. As a resource speaker for MCYS Family Life Education and a Family Life Ambassador, Kelvin also provides valuable pre-marital advice to couples before he solemnises their marriage in his capacity as a Deputy Marriage Registrar / Licensed Solemniser with Registry of Marriages (ROM). He has been happily married for 5 years.
Photo courtesy of dev null.
The co-founders of Lunch Actually needs no introduction as they are well-known in the offline dating space for matchmaking professionals and executives. While expanding Lunch Actually to Malaysia and Hong Kong, the founders of the team have now embarked on a venture that translates the dating business from offline to online and vice versa. Their new dating portal, Eteract allows singles to conveniently and instantly meet new friends by doing interactive and efficient online speed dating activities together to determine if there is chemistry and connection between them. So, we interview Violet about the story behind Eteract. Read more
Filed under InterviewsTags: Dating, Dating Agency, Dating Industry, entrepreneur, Entrepreneurs, Eteract, Female Entrepreneurs, Jamie Lee, Lunch Actually, Matchmaker, Matchmaking, Singapore, Startup, Valentine's Day, Vday09, Violet Lim, woman entrepreneur, women entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurship, Zam Ong
The dating industry worldwide isn’t new, neither is the scene in Singapore. Mr Ong Peng Tsin is one of those Singapore entrepreneurs who has made a mark in the dating industry when he founded Match.com in 1994. It is now owned by IAC/InterActiveCorp, a media conglomerate. Read more
With the mood of love surrounding Valentine’s Day, here at SGEntrepreneurs, we’ve prepared a special series of articles, reviews and interviews on The Business Of Love in Singapore. We’ll be taking a look at the dating industry landscape in Singapore, dating agencies and companies, and also hear from the entrepreneurs behind those companies whose main business is love.
Bookmark this page to view fresh posts in this series and maybe even find a service you can use to get a date on Valentine’s day. Let’s start making some love.
New Poll: Will You Consider Using A Dating Agency?
Stealing Cupid’s Bow – Dating Industry Landscape In Singapore
Wanna GoMovieDate With Me?
Interview with Matthew Tan, GoMovieDate
In Conversation with Violet Lim, Eteract and Lunch Actually
Interview with Kelvin Ong, Singles Mingle
Flirt With He or She WhoWorksAroundYou
In Conversation with Vary Yong, WhoWorksAroundYou
If You Have HIV Or Are A Vegetarian, There’s A Dating Agency For You
Interview with Annie Chan, Club2040
In Conversation with Lydia Gan, Wow-Her.com and Clique Wise
New Poll: Will You Enter The Dating Industry?
Photo courtesy of linhtinh
Filed under Featured, Special CommentaryTags: Clique Wise, Dating Agency, Dating Industry, Eteract, GoMovieDate, Lunch Actually, Matchmaker, Matchmaker Industry, Matchmaking, Valentine's Day, Vday09, WhoWorksAroundYou, Wow-Her
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