WEBVTT 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:20.820 Welcome to another episode of Networking Unleashed, 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:23.839 Building Profitable Connections. The podcast 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:27.100 relationships aren't just built, they're engineered 00:00:27.100 --> 00:00:30.660 for success. I'm your host, Michael Forman, and 00:00:30.660 --> 00:00:33.020 today we're diving into a world where connection 00:00:33.020 --> 00:00:36.179 is everything, whether you're closing deals or 00:00:36.179 --> 00:00:40.359 finding the one. My guest is no ordinary connector. 00:00:41.079 --> 00:00:44.000 There's a professional matchmaker who works with 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:47.240 elite singles to help them find lasting love. 00:00:47.399 --> 00:00:51.880 And they do it with intention, strategy, and 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:55.179 heart. But here's the twist. The same skills 00:00:55.179 --> 00:00:58.020 that bring two soulmates together could build 00:00:58.020 --> 00:01:01.259 powerful, profitable relationships in business 00:01:01.259 --> 00:01:04.260 too. So whether you're looking to spark a new 00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:06.829 partnership, build your network with purpose, 00:01:06.989 --> 00:01:10.469 or simply connect on a deeper level, this conversation 00:01:10.469 --> 00:01:14.829 is for you. So get ready and rethink how you 00:01:14.829 --> 00:01:17.250 approach every connection in your life, because 00:01:17.250 --> 00:01:20.150 matchmaking might just be the ultimate networking 00:01:20.150 --> 00:01:23.829 strategy. April, how are you? Welcome to the 00:01:23.829 --> 00:01:26.750 podcast. And please tell us a little bit about 00:01:26.750 --> 00:01:29.170 yourself. Hi, Michael. Thank you for having me. 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:32.879 And yeah, my name is April Davis. I am the owner 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:36.019 and founder of Luma Luxury Matchmaking. It's 00:01:36.019 --> 00:01:38.459 a high -end matchmaking firm, and we work with 00:01:38.459 --> 00:01:40.799 busy professionals and executives and people 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:44.840 that are rather busy and very particular about 00:01:44.840 --> 00:01:46.480 the kind of person that they're looking to meet 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:49.760 in a match. And so they utilize our service to 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:52.060 find that person. So essentially, we're like 00:01:52.060 --> 00:01:54.019 an executive recruiter, but for people's love 00:01:54.019 --> 00:01:57.760 lives. Good, good. I like that. I like that a 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:01.180 lot. Okay, so let's delve right into this. What's 00:02:01.180 --> 00:02:04.599 your go -to conversation starter when networking 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:08.280 with potential clients? I think people... favorite 00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:11.900 thing to talk about is themselves right so I'll 00:02:11.900 --> 00:02:14.819 go into just you can always start with any kind 00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:17.960 of basic level type thing or just it depends 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:21.360 on what you know about them and you know I always 00:02:21.360 --> 00:02:23.360 will tell people one of the best things that 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:25.000 you can do is make an observation about someone 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:28.979 and try to elaborate on that so if you know somebody 00:02:28.979 --> 00:02:33.449 is did say ballet for 20 years or something that 00:02:33.449 --> 00:02:36.389 tells you that they have a, they're very persistent. 00:02:36.469 --> 00:02:39.229 They're very dedicated type of personality. And 00:02:39.229 --> 00:02:42.110 it can give you just some insights into the kind 00:02:42.110 --> 00:02:44.310 of person that they are. Cause what does it take 00:02:44.310 --> 00:02:48.069 to be that level of an athlete? And, and then, 00:02:48.090 --> 00:02:50.289 so maybe making a comment about that and insinuating 00:02:50.289 --> 00:02:53.629 something about them and relaying that back to 00:02:53.629 --> 00:02:55.810 them because people love to hear and love, they 00:02:55.810 --> 00:02:57.550 love to talk about themselves and they love to 00:02:57.550 --> 00:03:00.449 hear other people's insights on who they are 00:03:00.449 --> 00:03:05.979 too. That's very good because you have hit upon 00:03:05.979 --> 00:03:11.159 the intricacies of networking itself. So when 00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:13.599 you speak to somebody, you let them talk about 00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:15.699 themselves. And there's a mantra for networking. 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:18.740 Know you, you trust you, they'll do business 00:03:18.740 --> 00:03:21.860 with you. And I think you hit all those, all 00:03:21.860 --> 00:03:24.599 those bits right in your first sentence. So that 00:03:24.599 --> 00:03:30.180 was outstanding. I passed. Great. I got an A 00:03:30.180 --> 00:03:33.659 for the day. Perfect. But we still have a little 00:03:33.659 --> 00:03:36.340 bit to go and I'll let you know afterwards. You 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:39.539 know, I said, know you like you trust you. They'll 00:03:39.539 --> 00:03:42.400 do business with you. Now, of course, yours is 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:45.740 slightly different. But how do you quickly establish 00:03:45.740 --> 00:03:50.080 rapport and credibility in the matchmaking industry? 00:03:51.659 --> 00:03:55.199 Credibility, it's based on I've been doing this 00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:58.479 since I was 16 years old and I've created this 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:01.479 international. company that is also a part of 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:05.039 the Inc. 5000 list. So fastest growing companies. 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:08.360 And so got a lot of credibility there, been on 00:04:08.360 --> 00:04:10.900 a lot of, been featured on a lot of publications 00:04:10.900 --> 00:04:13.439 and TV shows and stuff like that. So I think 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:15.860 all of that lends to credibility, as well as 00:04:15.860 --> 00:04:19.759 I have a page full of clients that are testimonials 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:24.129 to what we do. And also one more thing, I am 00:04:24.129 --> 00:04:26.930 ordained. So I actually did one of our clients 00:04:26.930 --> 00:04:29.089 weddings last year. So that's pretty cool. That's 00:04:29.089 --> 00:04:32.350 another credibility checkmark. And so it's just 00:04:32.350 --> 00:04:34.509 going through all of those things. But I think 00:04:34.509 --> 00:04:37.529 too, just when people hear me talk about what 00:04:37.529 --> 00:04:40.170 I do and why, how I might put together a match 00:04:40.170 --> 00:04:43.430 and why, and I'm also married to a divorce attorney. 00:04:43.569 --> 00:04:46.269 So that kind of gives me some interesting insight 00:04:46.269 --> 00:04:49.170 into what works and what doesn't work with couples. 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:53.899 writing on the wall or something is probably 00:04:53.899 --> 00:04:57.279 not going to work out or you can pick up on different 00:04:57.279 --> 00:05:00.759 couples relationship challenges that they currently 00:05:00.759 --> 00:05:03.560 have or may have in the future and basically 00:05:03.560 --> 00:05:05.720 call it out because this is something that I'm 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:10.610 very focused on this is my career Good. I'm going 00:05:10.610 --> 00:05:12.709 to bring it back to networking again, because 00:05:12.709 --> 00:05:15.829 that's the crux of the podcast. But in networking, 00:05:16.029 --> 00:05:19.209 I use something called F -O -R -M. That's family, 00:05:19.310 --> 00:05:23.069 occupation, recreation, and a message. And you 00:05:23.069 --> 00:05:26.490 have that word in your head before you speak 00:05:26.490 --> 00:05:29.709 with somebody. So when you're getting them to 00:05:29.709 --> 00:05:32.490 try to speak about themselves, you pick any one 00:05:32.490 --> 00:05:35.370 of the four letters and you can get them to talk 00:05:35.370 --> 00:05:38.189 about themselves. So just a little correlation. 00:05:38.310 --> 00:05:42.589 So family, occupation. Recreation. Recreation. 00:05:42.649 --> 00:05:45.769 And a message that you can get the same level 00:05:45.769 --> 00:05:48.290 of whatever you're talking about. But if you 00:05:48.290 --> 00:05:51.790 go in thinking about, okay, your son, your daughter, 00:05:51.990 --> 00:05:55.029 you can say about youth sports, their occupation, 00:05:55.370 --> 00:05:57.189 what do you do? How do you do it? Why do you 00:05:57.189 --> 00:06:00.209 do it? And they would just tell you. Recreation, 00:06:00.209 --> 00:06:02.910 you may find two things that you do together. 00:06:03.689 --> 00:06:06.089 separately of course they can be snowboarding 00:06:06.089 --> 00:06:08.829 could be boating it could be skiing it could 00:06:08.829 --> 00:06:11.370 be playing baseball it could be anything and 00:06:11.370 --> 00:06:14.889 they would just love to talk about those items 00:06:14.889 --> 00:06:19.129 so before you get to any business so to speak 00:06:19.129 --> 00:06:21.769 you can start talking about all that and have 00:06:21.769 --> 00:06:25.449 them talk yeah for sure i love that i love especially 00:06:25.449 --> 00:06:28.399 the recreation one because People get sick of 00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:30.680 talking about, it feels so superficial too when 00:06:30.680 --> 00:06:32.420 you talk about, oh, what do you do? What do you 00:06:32.420 --> 00:06:34.639 do? But people love talking about their family. 00:06:34.740 --> 00:06:37.139 And I think, especially in a networking type 00:06:37.139 --> 00:06:39.560 situation, it's a little different to start by 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:42.319 talking about the recreational stuff or the family 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:45.019 stuff. Because most people do, they start with, 00:06:45.100 --> 00:06:47.100 oh, what do you do for a living? And then go 00:06:47.100 --> 00:06:49.860 from there. That's more fun when you talk about 00:06:49.860 --> 00:06:54.939 the recreation. Yeah, it's something that I often 00:06:54.939 --> 00:06:57.879 find, ask people, what do you do? for fun and 00:06:57.879 --> 00:07:00.699 hobbies, interests. What are you into? Outstanding. 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:04.959 How has digital networking changed the landscape 00:07:04.959 --> 00:07:09.839 of matchmaking? So it's pretty, it's opened up 00:07:09.839 --> 00:07:12.899 so many more opportunities because everybody's 00:07:12.899 --> 00:07:16.079 online, right? And you can find people anywhere. 00:07:16.339 --> 00:07:19.680 So people can be more particular about who they're 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:22.589 looking for because. especially with like online 00:07:22.589 --> 00:07:24.949 with all the apps and stuff people they feel 00:07:24.949 --> 00:07:27.490 like there's a huge amount of singles to be able 00:07:27.490 --> 00:07:29.329 to choose from when they're looking for someone 00:07:29.329 --> 00:07:32.009 and we don't necessarily use the apps to find 00:07:32.009 --> 00:07:34.949 matches for our clients but we have other tools 00:07:34.949 --> 00:07:36.709 of finding people and you can figure out if they're 00:07:36.709 --> 00:07:39.889 single and then and connect with them that way 00:07:39.889 --> 00:07:42.509 so it just has opened up a lot of different avenues 00:07:42.509 --> 00:07:46.290 and which is great for what we do do you ever 00:07:46.699 --> 00:07:49.139 i'm gonna say make a mistake but i'm sure i'm 00:07:49.139 --> 00:07:52.300 using the wrong word but did you ever find somebody 00:07:52.300 --> 00:07:54.399 and then find out they were married but they 00:07:54.399 --> 00:07:58.449 were posing yeah i know network with tons of 00:07:58.449 --> 00:08:01.209 people and we'll ask them if they're married 00:08:01.209 --> 00:08:03.930 or not. And so, yeah, I'll definitely connect 00:08:03.930 --> 00:08:06.290 with them. But we've had people that reach out 00:08:06.290 --> 00:08:08.709 to us and then we find out, oh, you are married, 00:08:08.790 --> 00:08:11.290 so you're actually not eligible. We can't work 00:08:11.290 --> 00:08:13.470 with you. No, we don't do that kind of arrangement. 00:08:14.149 --> 00:08:18.670 So how important is it to specialize in a particular 00:08:18.670 --> 00:08:22.009 demographic when building a matchmaking network? 00:08:22.670 --> 00:08:24.939 Yeah, I think it... It was really important. 00:08:25.160 --> 00:08:27.379 That's what we started. When I first started 00:08:27.379 --> 00:08:29.660 the company, I was just meeting with people every 00:08:29.660 --> 00:08:32.299 day. I would have five meetings in a day. So 00:08:32.299 --> 00:08:34.960 I have my corporate job and my background is 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:37.720 in process improvement. And I just, and I've 00:08:37.720 --> 00:08:39.159 always been a connector. And then I realized 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:41.940 that this matchmaking is an industry. So I'm 00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:43.779 like, oh, I'm going to. just start doing it and 00:08:43.779 --> 00:08:47.100 for fun. And so the first year I was doing it 00:08:47.100 --> 00:08:49.679 for free and just would meet with people building 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:53.919 up my network. And then eventually it grew and 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:56.039 I, and then I left my corporate job and just 00:08:56.039 --> 00:08:58.899 did this full time. And I was eventually then 00:08:58.899 --> 00:09:01.399 I started going to Chicago almost every other 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:03.860 week and then Denver almost every other week 00:09:03.860 --> 00:09:08.039 and just kept building it from there. Wow. That's 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:10.899 good. Okay. So let's go on to referrals a little 00:09:10.899 --> 00:09:14.190 bit. What strategies do you use to encourage 00:09:14.190 --> 00:09:17.830 client referrals and grow your network organically? 00:09:18.269 --> 00:09:22.149 This naturally does it. We do, we get naturally 00:09:22.149 --> 00:09:25.889 a lot of referrals from people, but also it's 00:09:25.889 --> 00:09:30.470 in our signature line asking people. And we also 00:09:30.470 --> 00:09:33.759 will send out. An email to our network. So we 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:35.720 have our own proprietary database of individuals 00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:39.320 and we'll say we have a client that we're looking 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:42.620 for a match to and we'll blast that client's 00:09:42.620 --> 00:09:46.460 information to the people that are in that client's 00:09:46.460 --> 00:09:49.299 area and say, is this you or someone you know? 00:09:49.620 --> 00:09:51.779 And then that way we're able to get feedback 00:09:51.779 --> 00:09:55.039 from people. and find some matches that way as 00:09:55.039 --> 00:09:58.519 well. So I think it's when you go to BNI, they 00:09:58.519 --> 00:10:01.460 tell you to be very specific in who you're asking 00:10:01.460 --> 00:10:04.700 for. So that's the strategy that I'm utilizing 00:10:04.700 --> 00:10:08.269 there. Yeah, I think the more focused you can 00:10:08.269 --> 00:10:11.809 be, the better off your end result will be. Yeah, 00:10:11.809 --> 00:10:14.649 because if you say, oh, send me all your single 00:10:14.649 --> 00:10:17.590 friends. Sure, but if we say, okay, do you know 00:10:17.590 --> 00:10:19.690 anyone that is this age and blah, blah, blah. 00:10:19.730 --> 00:10:22.250 So then that helps people to narrow it down. 00:10:22.409 --> 00:10:24.850 And they're more likely then to reach out instead 00:10:24.850 --> 00:10:28.389 of just in general terms. And isn't referrals. 00:10:29.370 --> 00:10:32.169 really the basis of seeing how well you're doing. 00:10:32.429 --> 00:10:35.409 Because the more referrals you get, I think the 00:10:35.409 --> 00:10:37.730 better off you're doing, aren't you? Yeah, word 00:10:37.730 --> 00:10:41.009 of mouth is huge, especially in this industry. 00:10:41.649 --> 00:10:45.269 Word of mouth is really the best of any industry, 00:10:45.389 --> 00:10:49.090 any networking you can do. It's gold. It's gold. 00:10:49.210 --> 00:10:52.450 Okay, let's switch over to industry events. And 00:10:52.450 --> 00:10:56.070 which networking event or conferences have you 00:10:56.070 --> 00:11:00.110 found most valuable for matchmakers? For me, 00:11:00.129 --> 00:11:04.350 I think I go to any kind of business or marketing 00:11:04.350 --> 00:11:07.450 type events I really like because it's all about 00:11:07.450 --> 00:11:11.809 learning how you can grow and improve and running 00:11:11.809 --> 00:11:15.370 your business in general. There are matchmaker. 00:11:15.929 --> 00:11:18.509 With other matchmaker type events, those can 00:11:18.509 --> 00:11:20.970 be really beneficial too, because people share 00:11:20.970 --> 00:11:24.610 best practices and you can network with other 00:11:24.610 --> 00:11:27.289 matchmakers. So we have alliances with other 00:11:27.289 --> 00:11:29.470 matchmakers. So if we're looking for a match 00:11:29.470 --> 00:11:32.090 to a client, we can reach out to other matchmakers 00:11:32.090 --> 00:11:34.809 and see, okay, does anyone have a match for this 00:11:34.809 --> 00:11:39.090 person? And we help each other that way. Good. 00:11:39.549 --> 00:11:42.090 Good. Okay. So let's change this a little round 00:11:42.090 --> 00:11:45.210 to partnerships. And how do you cultivate mutually 00:11:45.210 --> 00:11:48.769 beneficial relationships with other professionals 00:11:48.769 --> 00:11:53.450 in adjacent industries? Yeah. So we have a partnership 00:11:53.450 --> 00:11:58.570 with wardrobe consultants. And so we will basically, 00:11:58.590 --> 00:12:02.539 we will offer a complimentary. wardrobe stylist 00:12:02.539 --> 00:12:06.960 session with these wardrobe consultants and they're 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:10.159 through their outside parties and so we introduce 00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:13.600 them they get and the client gets either they 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:15.820 help them to pick out their first date outfits 00:12:15.820 --> 00:12:17.840 or maybe if they're going to do a photo shoot 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:20.039 they'll help them figure out a photo shoot help 00:12:20.039 --> 00:12:22.559 them put together outfits so they can do like 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:24.279 a closet edit where they go through and say okay 00:12:24.279 --> 00:12:26.539 what do you have for dates maybe you need to 00:12:26.539 --> 00:12:29.059 go and get a jacket like this or a shirt like 00:12:29.059 --> 00:12:32.139 that, and then go from there. That way, then 00:12:32.139 --> 00:12:34.879 the wardrobe consultant is meeting someone, the 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:37.639 client is getting something out of it as part 00:12:37.639 --> 00:12:40.419 of their membership with us, but then they're 00:12:40.419 --> 00:12:42.980 getting the introduction to the wardrobe consultant 00:12:42.980 --> 00:12:45.019 so they can take it from there if they want to 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:48.309 do more with them. That's good because you're 00:12:48.309 --> 00:12:51.490 offering more of a well -rounded service and 00:12:51.490 --> 00:12:52.909 you're not saying, all right, you'll have to 00:12:52.909 --> 00:12:55.350 go here or you have to go there. You're like, 00:12:55.409 --> 00:12:57.669 no, I have somebody who'll come to you. He'll 00:12:57.669 --> 00:13:01.950 call you and it's on us. Yeah. And it's neat. 00:13:02.029 --> 00:13:04.549 I think it's really beneficial, especially in 00:13:04.549 --> 00:13:07.409 this industry. You want to have appearances so 00:13:07.409 --> 00:13:10.970 important and whether it's your photo on your 00:13:10.970 --> 00:13:13.090 profile or even your LinkedIn profile, because 00:13:13.090 --> 00:13:15.909 people will do research on you afterwards and 00:13:15.909 --> 00:13:18.029 they will, they'll be able to see your picture 00:13:18.029 --> 00:13:19.970 online. So you want to make sure you have a good 00:13:19.970 --> 00:13:23.450 image out there. Yeah, you really have to be 00:13:23.450 --> 00:13:26.610 careful with social media. Now, that's part of 00:13:26.610 --> 00:13:29.590 my next question. But with social media, you 00:13:29.590 --> 00:13:32.610 have to realize that LinkedIn is for business. 00:13:32.710 --> 00:13:35.970 That's what I always do for business. But you 00:13:35.970 --> 00:13:40.399 have all the social. media also which is facebook 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:44.220 instagram even tiktok and you have to be aware 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:48.460 who's on it who's not and how do you dress so 00:13:48.460 --> 00:13:51.700 you don't become like over anxious yeah it's 00:13:51.700 --> 00:13:55.440 interesting it's social media has become such 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:57.779 a status symbol especially for younger people 00:13:57.779 --> 00:14:01.639 it's not about how much money that you have or 00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:05.399 anything they people look at status now is like 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:07.429 how many followers how many likes or whatever 00:14:07.429 --> 00:14:11.169 you have, that is about, it's almost as valuable 00:14:11.169 --> 00:14:14.610 as actually having money in the bank, if you 00:14:14.610 --> 00:14:18.490 will. People will try to find, I've had people 00:14:18.490 --> 00:14:21.009 with this like mindset where they're looking 00:14:21.009 --> 00:14:24.110 for somebody that has at least so many followers 00:14:24.110 --> 00:14:26.809 because that says something about their status 00:14:26.809 --> 00:14:30.049 in society. They could be broke, but they have 00:14:30.049 --> 00:14:33.909 millions of followers. So that is a status symbol. 00:14:34.809 --> 00:14:38.289 Okay. Okay. Let's just stick on the social media 00:14:38.289 --> 00:14:41.909 level here. What role does social media play 00:14:41.909 --> 00:14:45.230 in networking and client acquisition efforts? 00:14:45.450 --> 00:14:48.850 I think it can be really beneficial where, because 00:14:48.850 --> 00:14:52.750 especially say if I'm reaching out to someone 00:14:52.750 --> 00:14:57.070 and seeing if say on behalf of a client and reaching 00:14:57.070 --> 00:15:00.070 out to a woman to see if she's, if she is single, 00:15:00.210 --> 00:15:05.960 then it's going because I. say the owner of this 00:15:05.960 --> 00:15:09.019 company. And if I have a blue check mark by my 00:15:09.019 --> 00:15:11.480 name or something like that, they're going to 00:15:11.480 --> 00:15:13.759 see this is a real person. This is not just like 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:17.899 some sleazy bot. And then they're probably going 00:15:17.899 --> 00:15:20.919 to be more apt to listen to meet my suggestion 00:15:20.919 --> 00:15:24.779 for them to meet with my client because I'm vouching 00:15:24.779 --> 00:15:28.740 for my client. I'm a legit person and I own this 00:15:28.740 --> 00:15:32.039 company. And it's not just some like random. 00:15:32.649 --> 00:15:35.009 person from a foreign country saying, hey, will 00:15:35.009 --> 00:15:39.649 you meet somebody for a date? It's so important 00:15:39.649 --> 00:15:42.269 to have a presence. And I also, I've heard people 00:15:42.269 --> 00:15:44.789 say, yeah, I checked out so -and -so online, 00:15:44.929 --> 00:15:47.509 they haven't posted. And so then they think that. 00:15:47.870 --> 00:15:50.450 It's just, it doesn't exist anymore that it's 00:15:50.450 --> 00:15:52.809 maybe it's fake or it's gone out of business 00:15:52.809 --> 00:15:56.009 or whatever, because they haven't been keeping 00:15:56.009 --> 00:15:57.769 it up to date. So I think it's really important 00:15:57.769 --> 00:16:01.409 to maintain it, you know, depending on what you're 00:16:01.409 --> 00:16:04.669 doing, of course. Absolutely. Or at least have 00:16:04.669 --> 00:16:07.389 the right, have the right job. If you're a business 00:16:07.389 --> 00:16:10.429 owner, make sure your LinkedIn is updated. Always 00:16:10.429 --> 00:16:13.490 make sure it's updated. That's one thing I absolutely 00:16:13.490 --> 00:16:17.070 say. You have gone through the corporate world. 00:16:17.259 --> 00:16:20.480 and you've come into your own into having this 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:23.940 business, I'm sure you've made mistakes along 00:16:23.940 --> 00:16:27.559 the way. So why don't you give us a mistake you've 00:16:27.559 --> 00:16:31.299 made and how you overcame it? How do you know? 00:16:32.559 --> 00:16:35.000 Because you're a business owner and every business 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:39.100 owner has mistakes. I think the mistake I keep 00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:42.000 making and I keep kicking myself and I'm like, 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:43.720 why do you keep doing this? It's the definition 00:16:43.720 --> 00:16:48.659 of insanity, right? You have to trust your gut. 00:16:48.779 --> 00:16:50.940 Like usually something's not going to be right. 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:53.559 Something's not going to work. And you just have 00:16:53.559 --> 00:16:56.039 to, you definitely have to lean into that. But 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:58.519 at the same time, I also, I think I'm very optimistic, 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:00.480 obviously to be a business owner, I think you 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:03.179 have to be an eternal optimist. And I was also 00:17:03.179 --> 00:17:05.000 like naive when I started this business. I'm 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:06.519 like, oh, I'll just put people in front of each 00:17:06.519 --> 00:17:08.200 other and they'll fall in love. It'll be easy 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:10.059 because I love everybody. Everybody else should 00:17:10.059 --> 00:17:13.299 love each other. But so I think with hiring, 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:17.730 it's really important too. I think you have to 00:17:17.730 --> 00:17:19.410 give people a chance because you never know. 00:17:19.549 --> 00:17:22.390 But also you have to pay attention to those things 00:17:22.390 --> 00:17:25.369 that are like, yeah, this is a bit of a red flag. 00:17:25.589 --> 00:17:28.150 Because usually those things will come back and 00:17:28.150 --> 00:17:31.329 be the final strong way you end up. That person 00:17:31.329 --> 00:17:36.720 won't work out. And I also. I have a strong rule 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:41.700 with don't hire friends or family. So that's 00:17:41.700 --> 00:17:44.119 my rule. My friends and family do not want to 00:17:44.119 --> 00:17:46.900 work for me. I don't want them to work for me 00:17:46.900 --> 00:17:49.039 because I want to keep them as friends and family. 00:17:49.160 --> 00:17:51.839 And I have really high standards from the people 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:55.119 that work for me and expect a lot because my 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:58.960 clients expect a lot. So you don't want to blur 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:01.799 that relationship. It can be really... a challenge 00:18:01.799 --> 00:18:04.299 to blur those lines and those relationships. 00:18:04.759 --> 00:18:09.019 As a business owner, you have to learn not to 00:18:09.019 --> 00:18:12.420 deal from your heart. You have to deal from your 00:18:12.420 --> 00:18:16.119 head. And that's a rough thing to get used to 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:18.880 because usually everything's from the heart. 00:18:19.019 --> 00:18:20.980 You're like, you're a good person. So you think 00:18:20.980 --> 00:18:23.599 everybody's a good person. You have to put everything 00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:26.859 in check by things that are right in your head 00:18:26.859 --> 00:18:29.809 or right in your heart. And as you said, it's 00:18:29.809 --> 00:18:31.930 that gut feeling. And being a business owner, 00:18:32.130 --> 00:18:35.190 you have to rely on that gut feeling more times 00:18:35.190 --> 00:18:40.910 than not. All right. So I already asked the biggest 00:18:40.910 --> 00:18:44.430 obstacle. So how do you measure success of your 00:18:44.430 --> 00:18:47.509 networking efforts in terms of business growth 00:18:47.509 --> 00:18:52.529 and client satisfaction? We can see. I have reports 00:18:52.529 --> 00:18:56.329 for everything. So I can see because I have recruiters 00:18:56.329 --> 00:18:58.869 on my team, right? So their job is just to network 00:18:58.869 --> 00:19:03.349 and to find matches for clients. So we track 00:19:03.349 --> 00:19:05.670 it. We track every person that they bring in. 00:19:05.769 --> 00:19:08.750 They get paid based on their commissions of what 00:19:08.750 --> 00:19:12.670 they're doing. And so it's really important to 00:19:12.670 --> 00:19:15.569 us. It's front and center of what we do constantly. 00:19:17.299 --> 00:19:20.059 That's outstanding. I have to tell you, I can 00:19:20.059 --> 00:19:23.619 probably ask you another 20 questions because 00:19:23.619 --> 00:19:27.039 I have them already in my head, but I don't have 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:30.720 the time for it. So, April, if somebody wanted 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:34.019 to get hold of you, whether they wanted to use 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:37.000 your matchmaking services just to be coached 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:38.900 by you or something, how would they get hold 00:19:38.900 --> 00:19:42.970 of you? Anyone can join our database and be considered 00:19:42.970 --> 00:19:45.650 as a match. We have over 50 ,000 members in our 00:19:45.650 --> 00:19:48.369 proprietary database, and it's just for us matchmakers 00:19:48.369 --> 00:19:51.829 to see. It's private. It's not for clients or 00:19:51.829 --> 00:19:56.049 other random people online to see. And so that's 00:19:56.049 --> 00:19:58.789 free. Or you can become a client where we are 00:19:58.789 --> 00:20:02.009 working proactively on your behalf. And to get 00:20:02.009 --> 00:20:03.690 started with that, you just go to our website, 00:20:03.990 --> 00:20:07.470 lumasearch .com. And Luma stands for Luxury Matchmaking, 00:20:07.630 --> 00:20:11.960 L -U -M -A, search. and fill out the profile 00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:14.359 form, then meet with one of our matchmakers and 00:20:14.359 --> 00:20:17.619 go from there. April, that sounds great. And 00:20:17.619 --> 00:20:20.180 I have to tell you, I love your name because 00:20:20.180 --> 00:20:22.819 that's my wife's name. She sounds pretty cool. 00:20:23.900 --> 00:20:27.960 She's definitely a pretty cool person. So April, 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:30.579 I'd love to have you on a podcast. I hope all 00:20:30.579 --> 00:20:32.940 of my listeners got something out of it. I hope 00:20:32.940 --> 00:20:35.380 they contact you if they need you, but either 00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:37.940 way, I hope to speak with you soon. Thank you 00:20:37.940 --> 00:20:41.069 for having me. Take care. You're welcome. Well, 00:20:41.170 --> 00:20:44.069 hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere. Let me just 00:20:44.069 --> 00:20:47.269 read a few of our sponsors that we have. Struggling 00:20:47.269 --> 00:20:50.809 to read success? Maybe it's time to quit. In 00:20:50.809 --> 00:20:54.650 Quit Your Way to Success by Rodney Davis. This 00:20:54.650 --> 00:20:58.269 reveals 27 steps to breaking bad habits that 00:20:58.269 --> 00:21:01.809 hold you back. 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Revved Up Kids is 00:21:35.450 --> 00:21:38.910 on a mission to protect children and teens from 00:21:38.910 --> 00:21:41.750 sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. 00:21:42.009 --> 00:21:44.690 They provide prevention training programs for 00:21:44.690 --> 00:21:48.329 children, teens, and adults. To learn more, go 00:21:48.329 --> 00:21:53.210 to revvedupkids .org. That's R -E -V -V -E -D 00:21:53.210 --> 00:22:00.390 -U -P -K -I -D -S dot org. Well, that's a wrap, 00:22:00.450 --> 00:22:03.299 folks. A huge thank you to our special guests 00:22:03.299 --> 00:22:06.640 for sharing such incredible insights today. And 00:22:06.640 --> 00:22:10.019 of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing 00:22:10.019 --> 00:22:12.940 listeners, for tuning in and spending your time 00:22:12.940 --> 00:22:16.839 with us. Remember, networking isn't about being 00:22:16.839 --> 00:22:20.180 perfect. It's about being present. So take what 00:22:20.180 --> 00:22:22.759 you've learned today, get out there and make 00:22:22.759 --> 00:22:25.779 some meaningful connections. If you enjoyed this 00:22:25.779 --> 00:22:28.740 episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave us 00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:31.380 a review, and share it with someone who could 00:22:31.380 --> 00:22:34.660 use a little networking inspiration. Let's keep 00:22:34.660 --> 00:22:38.380 the conversation going. You can find me on Apple, 00:22:38.519 --> 00:22:42.859 Spotify, YouTube, or my website, Michael. Remember, 00:22:43.140 --> 00:22:46.779 until next time, keep practicing, keep connecting, 00:22:46.940 --> 00:22:50.079 and keep building those relationships. This is 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:53.319 Michael signing off. Take care and happy networking.