Why your dream business partner could be waiting on Tinder
The firm status of entrepreneurs as the new rockstars makes it likely your matches will jump at the chance of adding ‘startup founder? to their profile
With the ubiquitous platform no longer just for dating, we looked at why Tinder could be the most effective way to make business-boosting contacts.
?Rumours that the dating is seeking to expand into a different type of matchmaking have been rife for years but so far the platform’s business networking offering has been limited to the 2, 000 members of Forbes influential 30 under 30 network.
But an increasing number of entrepreneurs are taking matters into their own hands. From the chef-on-demand app founder who used the platform to recruit cooks to the club promoters using the platform to fill their guestlists, the business potential of the app is vast.
Given that so many of the successful small business firms weve spoken to this year have emphasised the importance of not going it alone in business not to mention the challenges of managing development if you don’t have a tech co-founder youd be mad not to have a shot at finding a partner in crime. Here’s why.
?(1)it’s a better use of your time than trying to find a date…
Long hours and lack of holidays are an inevitable part of the entrepreneurial life, so if you’re serious about growing a successful young company, you won’t have time for a relationship anyway. On the other hand, the ten hours a week that many employees spend commuting offer ample time for swiping and discussing business ideas and the contacts will be much more use when you finally quit your job to pursue a startup idea.
(2) … and great pitching practice?The space available on your profile is hardly conducive to lengthy bios, descriptions and meanderings, so will force you to narrow down your fledging idea into something that can be described in a sentence or two. What’s more, whatever you say will have to be attention-grabbing enough to attract the interest of someone who doesnt necessarily have business on their mind great practice for when you happen to run into a famous angel investor at the gym.
(3) Youll find people who can sell?If a potential business partner has something to say which makes you want to swipe right, and manages to hold your attention through the awkward small talk that will inevitably ensue when you get into a typed conversation on a small screen, then the chances are theyll be able to sell your business vision to customers and bank managers too.
(4)?Everyone on there is a something slash something
Hannah Wilkinson is a reporter for Business Advice. She studied economics and management at Oxford University and prior to joining Business Advice wrote for Kensington and Chelsea Today about business and economics as well as running a tutoring company.
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