WSJ – May 25 - Patti Stanger is the owner of
The Millionaire's Club, an elite matchmaking service based in L.A. She also hosts Bravo's reality show "The Millionaire Matchmaker."
Q: Your first real job in matchmaking was at Great Expectations, the oldest dating service in the U.S. What do you consider your first professional match?
A: I dated a guy and he liked me but I didn't like him. He said to me, "If I give you $10,000, will you find me my wife because I want someone like you?" And within a year, he got married.
Q: Why did you stay in the corporate world so long?
A: I was a VP of marketing. I was always a corporate Fortune 500 girl. I had to realize matchmaking was a business. Silicon Valley was booming with millionaires coming every weekend trying to get their "hottie patottie" and find their future wife. They didn't know how to date, they didn't know how to talk to girls.
Q: So, your job isn't just about matching people up for dates or relationships?
A: Coaching is three-quarters of what we do in matchmaking.
Q: How is your club different than other dating services?
A: We offer unlimited dating because the process is never-ending.
Q: How much do clients pay for your services? How are they chosen?
A: Fees range from a base membership of $40,000 for a year of unlimited dating throughout the U.S. and Canada to a VIP or Diamond Membership, which runs from $150,000 to $200,000.
Q: Why don't the potential dates have to have money?
A: Successful men want to always take care of their women financially.
Q: How do you stay in business, considering love is so unpredictable and can go sour?
A: I have a great track record, and I have never been sued. If I can't find someone for someone, I refer them out. I have an affiliate division of matchmakers all over the world that I work with.
Q: If you weren't a matchmaker, what would you be?
A: I'd be a chef.
FULL ARTICLE @ WSJ
WSJ – July 15 - FriendFinder Networks has made a proposal to acquire Playboy Enterprises, Inc. for $210 million. FriendFinder Networks owns over 30 000 web sites with over 350M registrants in 180 countries, offering a wide variety of online services. With ~200,000 affiliates in its network, FriendFinder Networks maintains one of the world's largest internet affiliate programs, providing the Playboy brand the ability to help extend its global reach.
