Posts Tagged ‘love’

 “What if someone you never met, someone you never saw, someone you never knew was the only someone for you?” – Sleepless in Seattle.

Sleepless in Seattle

What if we could introduce you to someone you’ve never met, someone you’ve never seen, and someone that we know is that someone for you? Guys And Girls Next Door (GND) is the matchmaking service that combines face-to-face events, dating coaching and feedback. GND is designed to meet the needs of today’s busy singles and professionals, creating social scenes for people with an interest in dating and extending their social circle.

“This is what single people do. They try other people on and see how they fit.”

Since October 1, 2009 GND has been helping its members look at themselves objectively using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® MBTI before setting them up on dates based on their personality type. But GND differs from other dating websites.

There are three membership services you can choose from at GND.  If you want to expand your social circle and meet dozens of people in a single evening, you can sign up for GND’s matchmaking social events. If you want to receive one-to-one personalized introductions and go on dates, you can choose the Matchmaking membership. Or, if you’d like to find out more about yourself, your dating patterns, who your best matches are and receive feedback, you can develop a relationship profile plan using the Dating Coach service.

“When was the last time you put yourself out there?”

“ Uh… Jimmy Carter. 1978.”

 With a wide range of members including single parents, high net worth clients, middle class workers, and young, busy professionals, there is a dating service offered for everyone looking for a committed relationship.  “We have a social strategy that allows us to easily move in and out of different social circles in order to cater to a greater clientele,” says Angel Cruzado, a founder of GND. “Right now we are offering a free service. Anyone who would like to date our members can check out our website and sign up to be matched on a one-to-one personalized date.”

“If you just tuned in, you’re listening to Sleepless in Seattle…”

Angel and Mary Starks, co-founder of GND, will have a weekly radio show starting next year on 1150Am KKNW Progressive Talk Radio. It will air every Sunday night at 9 p.m. and feature authors, dating experts, and dating and relationship stories. People can call in on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. Pacific Time at (425) 373-5527.

For more information on Guys And Girls Next Door, you can visit GuysAndGirlsNextDoor.com or call (206) 866-5783. You may also send an email to contactus@gnd-seattle.com.

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Angel Cruzado, Executive Director

Do you know that according to the MBTI there are 16 different personality type preferences – each equally valuable with its natural strengths and weaknesses? Rather than limiting your understanding of yourself by stereotyping yourself, we use the MBTI to help our members better understand themselves and find their complements.

The feedback that we are receiving from our members (busy, single professionals, ranging from mid 20s to late 50s) is that they wished they had learned about their Type in prior relationships.  Understanding your Type enables each person to understand his or her values, drives, and motivations.

We use the powerful tool of the MBTI to provide our members with common language of their Type and their opposite/complement prior to introducing them to other members.

We are a new matchmaking company. We created this start-up from the ground up for Seattle singles.  We are investing in Seattle.  We are increasing our database every day.  If you have single friends, family members and business colleagues, please tell them about our new matchmaking company and our services:

• Matchmaking: one-to-one personalized introductions.
• Social Matchmaking: an invitation to meet new people in fun, comfortable social settings.
• Relationship Coaching: have a one-to-one session or take a dating class to develop the skills you need to enter a new relationship.

By discovering your Type you can learn how to understand, accept, and appreciate yourself and your new romantic interest for who they really are.  By investing in Guys And Girls Next Door, you and your Seattle single friends can Meet People… Not Their Profiles. Check out our MBTI services now in our Relationship Coaching webpage: www.GuysAndGirlsNextDoor.com/services? 

Why Social Matchmaking Dating?  NOW THAT is a very good question.  You are probably saying:  “Oh My God.  Another online matchmaking company?”  Let me answer that fast and hard.  Guys And Girls Next Door (GND) is NOT an online matchmaking company.  Nope. You can’t go online, complete a profile and then send winks, e-mails, and instant messages.  No emoticons.  No LOL  |  No  |  No    |   No :-p | No WTF!  Nope.  Nada.  Zilch.  If you know someone with an online profile, I am willing to bet that they don’t use their first and last name.   Hmm.  Do you see where I’m going? 

Before I tell you why Social Matchmaking Dating will change things up in the Bellevue, Kirkland, and Seattle metropolitan areas, I want to share with you my thoughts.

Let’s talk about online matchmaking.  Let’s face it, online matchmaking can be lonely and isolating, but it works.  It doesn’t work for everyone, but for some people it truly works.  I have met a lot of people that have been married as a result of online matchmaking companies. The problem is: which service do you pick?  Do you sign up with one online matchmaking company or all the online matchmaking companies available?  Cost ranges from $0.00/month  to ~$50.00/month. Here is the problem.

Meet People. Not Their Profiles.

Let’s move this conversation to matchmaking companies.  Some matchmaking companies provide a lunch, dinner, or cocktail service to busy professionals at a contract cost of $1,000+ or a fixed number of dates (whichever comes first). Other companies create events for their members to attend on a weekly/weekend basis at a contract cost of $1,500+ (not including the event itself).  This is cost prohibitive.  We are in a recession.  I am sure these services work for some people as they do all of the planning, but what options are available out there if you don’t want to write a check for $1,000+?  The reputation of these companies vary.  Don’t believe me?  Check for yourself. Do a google search if you know them by name with the word “feedback” and/or “complaint.” 

This is now where we come in.  Guys And Girls Next Door is a new Social Matchmaking Dating company based in Seattle, Washington that combines face-to-face events, coaching and feedback. That’s right.  No winks.  No e-mails.  No instant messages.  We don’t do contracts.  We will earn your business every month.

Angel and Mary

When Mary and I sat down and discussed the options that were available to Seattlelites, we got pretty upset.  Actually, we were mad as hell.  We were lucky to find each other through a BEAN event, but our situation was quite unique.  So, we put pencil to paper, paper to computer, and computer to internet in June and started a company by the people… for the people.  A social matchmaking company where singles will meet people…. not their profiles. 

How Does It Work? How Is This Even Remotely Possible?  We first help our members look at themselves objectively using a personality assessment.  We then proceed to match them on Traditional Dates and/or Group Dates based on their interests, personality types, and membership profiles.

Let’s face it, online dating can be lonely and isolating — you don’t get to see the person behind the profile and you don’t receive feedback on why things didn’t work.  GND resolves these issues by:

• Helping to introduce members to each other that want to be in a committed relationship;
• Helping members learn about themselves and how they relate to others;
• Providing the option for individualized coaching to track members’ progress; and
• Providing facilitated feedback in a safe and comfortable group setting.

Mary and I are open, honest, and transparent with each other and will be so with our members.  We are excited about Social Matchmaking Dating.  It’s real.  It’s happening.  We BETA launch on October 1.  If you know someone who is single (friends, family, and/or business colleagues), please refer them to us.  Of course, we encourage you and your friends to track our fast progress and become our Fan on Facebook, Twitter with us, or just write a comment about your online matchmaking or matchmaking experience. 

Thank you for reading and THANK YOU for helping us take online dating offline.

Angel

Mary Starks, MA, LMHC

My name is Mary Starks and I am responsible for the psychology and science behind Guys And Girls Next Door. This is a dream job… who can say on their resume that they were a matchmaker?

I love Psychology… which also means that I love it so much that I have an undergraduate and master’s degree in Psychology. I deferred admission to my doctoral program to start Guys And Girls Next Door. I felt that this project would give me an opportunity to be part of a start up company that has the potential to develop a unique social matchmaking concept that can be duplicated around the world.

WOW! Did I just say around the world? Well, we have high aspirations. What can I say?   

When not working my full time job at Sound Mental Health, I am responsible for the: 1) social matchmaking process behind the Group Dates; 2) the curriculum and content for GND University (GND U); 3) and the GND Bi-weekly Meet Ups.

GND U, Meet Ups, Social Matchmaking… what does this all mean? Well, let me explain it to you in a Q&A format:

What is social matchmaking?
We first help our members look at themselves objectively using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI). We then proceed to match them on Traditional Dates or Group Dates based on their resume, interests, personality type, and membership profiles. Social Matchmaking is the process of providing coaching and feedback for constructive self-development and relational improvement.

What is the social matchmaking process behind the Group Dates?
There is no magic formula that will produce your perfect partner in minutes, but we have found through research that people have, what are known, natural partners who are often similar on core beliefs and values and different on personality traits. But this isn’t all we look at to select who will be present on the Group Dates. In our selection process we take in a wealth of collateral information, but as a starting point we capture from all our members their resume, membership profile, personality type (using MBTI) and interests.

What classes do we expect to host at GND U?
To be completely honest, it depends. It depends on which subject matter experts we partner and collaborate with and where the interest lies.  We will work closely with local learning and development consultants who have an interest in helping our members step outside their comfort zone and expand their knowledge base.

We want to help our members gain self awareness and understand the impact they have on others so they can happily explore a long-term relationship. In short, help our members become the best version of themselves. As such, we will partner with local authors, psychologists, professors, and well known image consultants who can enlighten our members in their area of interest.

What happens in the GND Meet-Ups?
It depends on the membership level they select.  We offer two membership levels:
          1)  Individual and Group Membership
          2)  Group Membership

If members select the Individual and Group Membership, they will meet one on one with me twice a month for a highly individualized and collaborative session. Our first two sessions will identify measureable objectives that will help them achieve their goals.

This is a powerful aspect of the GND experience; I am passionate about results and witnessing the transformation that can be key in leading to their future mate.

If a member selects the Group Membership, we will host GND Group Meet Ups weekly where our members can drop in to discuss feedback in a group setting.  Feedback that our members have received directly or indirectly. The Group Meet Ups are confidential to the people that are attending the meet up.  Group Meets Up will be fun and we believe this is a good way to make new friends and develop a support system.  At Guys And Girls Next Door, we encourage openness, honesty, and transparency and believe that there is value in sharing experience and knowledge with others.

We have been working around the clock to start a social matchmaking company that makes sense. Our objective for our member is quite simple: Meet People. Not Their Profiles.

If you have a single friend, family member, or business associate who wants to be in a long term relationship and is ready to step outside their comfort zone, please have them sign up to our waiting list at www.GuysAndGirlsNextDoor.com

If you have any questions or feedback for me or our new socialmatchmaking company, please feel free to e-mail me at Mary [at] GND-Seattle.com

Mary

Meet People. Not Their Profiles

Thank you for visiting the Guys And Girls Next Door blog! 

On June 6 Angel and Mary are starting a social-matchmaking dating company. They are bringing the basics back to dating. They’re taking online dating offline. That’s right. No winks. No e-mails. No instant messages. How is that possible?

Here’s the scoop…

Angel Cruzado and Mary Starks were inspired to create a new company after experiencing and hearing how difficult it was to meet new people interested in a long-term relationship. They reflected on their own experience and how they turned to a couple of online matchmaking services. When they compared notes and started to have open, honest, and transparent conversations, they noticed a problem. 

What’s the problem?

People are unhappy. People are unsatisfied and discouraged with online and offline (professional service) dating matchmaking services. Simply said, they found that people were embarrassed and were often paired up with others who simply were not compatible to them.

They then proceeded to research online matchmaking companies and professional services by search “complaints” and the companies that provided matchmaking services. They were really disturbed with what they saw. They were disappointed and felt that there had to be a better way. Stepping back, from a pure economics perspective, using an online or offline service is expensive (e.g. membership fees, time, and money).

They brainstormed over several weeks, placed ads online, met people who were willing to share their experience and, well, decided to do what no company has done before — to take online dating offline.

What is the mission of the new company?

Guys And Girls Next Door provides direct real life coaching, feedback, and events to members seeking a fulfilling committed relationship. Our intention is to help our members see themselves more clearly, meet them where they are, and to build from there.

What is the vision?

·   We help our members look inside before looking outside for friendship and romance.

·   We bring the basics back to dating by ensuring members are open, honest and transparent with each other and themselves.

·   We help our members to:

o   Step outside their comfort zone

o  Raise self-awareness.

o  Attain personal self-growth

How are we different?

We created the term Social Matchmaking Dating™. Social Matchmaking Dating™ is the process of providing coaching and feedback to increase awareness in interpersonal relationships. We then create events where members can apply what they have learned while meeting their dating and relationship needs. All members must apply for membership. The application process includes an interpersonal awareness assessment tool, a membership questionnaire, and verification to ensure that all members are open to coaching and feedback and seeking long-term relationship.

In short, we don’t computerize matches to set you up on blind dates, or provide you with an overwhelming database of profiles to fend for yourself. Our new company slogan is: Sometimes people just need help. Real people. Real coaching. Real dating.

Your Next Steps

We expect an overwhelming response this summer given our unique social matchmaking service. To ensure you are not excluded from our membership, please sign up to our waiting list. We will be following up with everyone who provides us their information and lives the Seattle Greater Metropolitan area.

Please check out our blog frequently for updates and help our members have open, honest, and transparent discussions and debates about dating and relationships in Seattle. Our services will be coming on October 1, 2009!

Thank you for helping to bring the basics back to dating!

Mary and Angel