Tuned Into Business:

The business of finding that special someone has become ridiculously profitable for dating companies. And it doesn’t matter if you are a big fish or a one-man band.

Consider the proliferation of dating sites like PerfectMatch.com and MingleCity.com. TV commercials have been cropping up for Chemistry.com and, for a hot minute, I noticed that Dr. Phil had hung his shingle up at Match.com. Meanwhile, Marcus Frind, founder and CEO of Plentyoffish.com, has managed to take the free dating site he’s been running out of his apartment since 2003 to the top (Number one in Canada, number one in the UK and number three in the U.S.) using artificial intelligence. He probably figured, why buy the cow when you can develop an AI to run your site for pennies on the dollar? Frind, a 29-year-old computer programmer who appeared on The Today Show last summer, works a measly 10 hours a week and rakes in net profits of about $10 million a year. Clearly he’s struck a nerve worldwide. So, from what I can see, dating and the search for love represent a culture on the rise that doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon.

Another observation is the growing trove of TV shows such as The Bachelor and Flavor of Love, not to mention the copycat spinoff shows now airing. I suppose people need something to talk about at the water cooler, eh?

Have you noticed that matchmakers are now the “new kid” on the TV chopping block? I suppose it’s time for them to bask in their 15 minutes of fame. I’m wondering whether some TV exec is going to get the ax when the first matchmaker show fails. Here’s a snapshot of the shows already airing:

Millionaire Matchmaker recently premiered on Bravo, starring third-generation matchmaker Patti Stanger. Boy is she a pistol! One minute she’s complaining because the chicks she’s selected aren’t what she considers hot (a seven on a scale of 10). Then she’s exasperated when her Gulf Stream-clad bachelors only want to date bombshell beauties (duh).

The other matchmaker newcomer is the tempestuous Patti Novak, star of A&E’s Confessions of a Matchmaker. Novak runs her business from her Buffalo (New Yawk) office and was recently seen on Oprah as “America’s Toughest Matchmaker.”

Based on most of what’s out there in the world of dating, my first reaction was, “Is that all there is?” I was feeling unfulfilled about the whole thing—I would compare my research to eating Chinese food; I was hungry an hour later. But I kept thinking, “There’s got to be a better way!” And there is. In fact, in my next blog post, I’ll share my findings about MatchMatrix.com, an exciting new relationship website that’s like a magic bullet for identifying your perfect match. You may want to take advantage of getting a free communication report at MatchMatrix.com.

If I were you I’d get a second free report for the person you are interested in to see if both of you share the same style of communication. I can’t wait to tell you how I personally tested MatchMatrix on myself as well as several friends, associates and a couple of journalists.

Your feedback is always a plus. In fact, some of my best ideas come from people like you. So keep those comments coming. Your feedback lets me know which topics are important to you.

Cheers!
Michelle

Troy Dunn was very entertaining on The Big Idea and had lots of great ideas that anyone can use to raise a self-sufficient kid. He should know. He’s a self-made millionaire and the father of seven children. His daughter, who is 10, has cancer.

Dunn’s Tips from his book, Young Bucks: How to Raise a Future Millionaire:

• Believe your children are capable of greatness.

• You don’t have to be a millionaire to raise one

• Identify your child’s business talents

• Light the learn-to-earn fire

• Start the startup

If you are wonderig who this guy is, here’s a snapshot:

1. Troy Dunn married his high-school sweetheart, Jennifer, and together they are raising seven beautiful children.
2. In 1992, Troy and his partner self-published their first book, The Locator, which drove revenue in excess of $10 million over the next eight years.
3. Troy enjoyed 14 years of national television appearances as “the reunion guy” on virtually every talk show on TV. From Good Morning America and Live With Regis & Kelly to 48 Hours and 60 Minutes.
4. He consults four corporate clients a year.
5. He’s the author of Young Bucks, a straightforward, practical and entertaining manual that debunks a number of parenting myths that work against financial independence, such as allowances.
6. Besides being a successful businessman, he is a public speaker, radio host and writer on the subject of financial success and personal happiness.

Tonight on the Big Idea, Dani Johnson shared her secrets of success. What’s interesting is that Johnson was homeless at the tender age of 21 and, while living out of her car, she turned her life around. By the time she was 23 she was a millionaire.

Johnson’s Millionaire Secrets:
1. Prepare for a marathon, not a sprint.
2. Weigh your ego with your bank account.
3. Prosper where you’re planted.
4. The marketplace pays for value.
5. Create results.

Johnson has written a wonderful book, Spirit Driven Success: Learn Time Tested Biblical Secrets To Create Wealth While Serving Others. While in her early 20s, she made her first millions in MLM. Today, she is founder of Call to Freedom International, a coaching and seminar training company that she and her husband Hans operate. I had the pleasure of meeting Dani, Hans and her family shortly after I profiled her for my book, Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash.

If you want to be more and do more, or you are stuck and need a reality check and a roadmap to succeed beyond your wildest dreams, Dani Johnson is one of the finest trainers on the planet.

Start-Up Junkies, filmed over a nine-month period, focuses on the recently established Seattle-based company Earth Class Mail™, a global service that delivers postal mail online, much like an electronic post office box. It airs Thursday nights beginning tonight, January 24, at 10 p.m., ET/PT.

Last October I interviewed Ron Wiener, CEO of Earth Class Mail, and I have no doubt that he is on his way to stardom. This startup has generated so much buzz in the venture capital world that it attracted the largest venture capital fund in the Pacific Northwest and broke the all-time record for raising money from the world’s largest group of “angel” investors.

Tune in to MOJO HD over the next couple of months for a great adventure.

The series is part of a new programming block every Thursday, “MOJO Money Night,” that also features two original MOJO HD series about financial investors and venture capitalists: Wall Street Warriors (9 p.m. ET/PT) and Bobby G: Adventure Capitalist (9:30 p.m. ET/PT).

Wall Street Warriors’ season premiere is Thursday, January 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. This 10-part documentary series profiles six driven financial investors, fiercely battling to generate as much money as possible while worldwide markets vacillate.

The series also kicks off a new programming block every Thursday entitled MOJO Money Night, which includes two new series about maverick entrepreneurs and investors: Bobby G: Adventure Capitalist (9:30 p.m. ET/PT) and Start-Up Junkies (10 p.m. ET/PT).

The entirely new cast for the second season of Wall Street Warriors is composed of six ambitious players who deal in billions:
Larry: Buying and selling commodity futures on orange juice crops that haven’t even been harvested, working in the midst of the frenzied trading floor.
Brett: Co-founder and owner of a private equity firm focused on investing in and growing small and medium-size businesses. He also established a charity group that focuses on cancer and education, issues personally important to him.
Jessica: A cotton commodities broker who feels that being a woman on the floor works to her advantage and expresses her need to be mentally tough to succeed.
Jim & Lance: A pair of high-energy stock brokers who oversee a team of competitive young brokers building portfolios for high net-worth investors.
Laetitia: Just starting out (viewers join her at her graduation and first job interview) and trying to find her way into an entry-level desk trader position.

The Wall Street Warriors are followed throughout the trading day, beginning with the opening bell. Whether buying and selling on the exchange floor, networking the night away or working intensely to meet their monthly targets, these “players” are driven to win.

Wall Street Warriors was created by Scott J. Gill and Sean Skelton for Radius Productions Inc. Executive producer for iN DEMAND is Emilio Nunez. Siobhan Graham is supervising producer.

About MOJO HD (www.mojohd.com)
MOJO HD was created exclusively for the discerning upscale male, with attitude, wit and style.It is among the most widely distributed HD networks on cable. The company has been a pioneer in high-definition TV since 2003. Original shows are about wide-ranging men’s interests, including high tech, finance, comedy-reality, adventurous travel, music, cuisine and spirits.