As you are brainstorming product features, try to focus on how the end-user will feel navigating it and let that be your guide. All of our new features start with a user journey for how we intend to make someone feel. The result is a stronger user experience.

Better User Experience

Dating and starting a business aren't that different. The most important thing in both is making authentic connections. Whether you are looking to close a date or a sale, here are five tips from my love guru mom that can help your business grow into something long-lasting.

Dating Vs Starting a Business 

When you log on to Zoom, most people are not thinking about settings or how buttons feel where they are. They're thinking about meeting someone new, making a good impression, and building relationships. Some of the best product designers don't design nitty-gritty elements. Instead, they talk about the emotional journey of a user. Great dates don't talk about their hobbies or where they went to college. Instead, they make the other person feel seen. That might mean expressing curiosity in someone's experience growing up in a small town, or gratitude that they chose a restaurant close to you.

Dating Your Product

The statistics on co-founder relationships aren't great. Almost half end within four years. Narrowing down the right partnership was mostly about asking the right questions. When making reference calls for potential co-founders,  skip the former co-workers and talk to their brothers and sisters instead. The success of our business would not depend on great coding skills, but on who the person was at their core.

Dating Your Co-Founder

Why do most people go on first dates? Not to impress someone the most they've ever been impressed, take them to the fanciest dinner, or land the first kiss. Ideally, it's to lay the foundation for a mutually beneficial relationship.The most important thing about "dating for business" is that laying the foundation for a long-term relationship always wins out.  You never know if the person you're meeting will become your next co-founder, hire, or your best friend's future partner. And just like in dating, if you focus on building a relationship, then everything else will be far more fruitful.

People First

Just like any budding romance, you want to put your best foot forward by coming prepared. How do you do that efficiently when you're scheduled in back-to-back sales meetings? For a romantic introduction, a matchmaker might hand you a quick summary before your first date. Getting the facts early gives you time to think about who they are and what they might resonate with.

Dating Your Sales Prospect

The best conversations in dating weren't factual (conveying information), but emotional (conveying authenticity).As in relationships, vulnerability was critical. Get real with investors about the struggles of raising funds via Zoom during a pandemic. Instead of talking about accomplishments, share failures.

Dating Investors

The most important thing in both is making authentic connections

Discover the world of business and economics.