Startups and Love. You might be surprised to hear that the two topics are not mutually exclusive.

Tech startups like Tinder, Bumble and Happn are rewriting the age-old rules of love.

The art of flirting in a bar has been replaced by Tinder in bed on a Friday night with a bottle of wine.

The first impression is now far more complex. We’re no longer reading facial cues and making small talk; we’re relying on a profile picture and a 5-emoji description to form an opinion of a complete stranger.

Dating has also been gamified. Apps give us the perception of infinite choice at our fingertips and it can be tempting to keep sweeping and miss out on love in the process.

Since it’s Valentine’s Day today, I’ve been thinking – Is it possible to find your soulmate by hacking the dating process?

Here’s my strategy for finding your Unicorn.

A Hacker’s Guide to Finding Love

Apply Lean Methodology

The Lean Startup methodology is all about finding a viable business model using the least amount of time, money and effort.

A Lean Dating methodology involves finding a compatible partner with the least amount of frustration and tears.

Both methodologies require you to work smarter (not harder) by failing and failing fast.

This means that you don’t waste too much time crying over the guy that ghosted you after the second date. The only way past failure is to re-apply the fake tan and keep swiping.

Find your Unique Value Proposition

Before you can attract your perfect customer, you need to understand your unique value proposition (UVP).

Ask yourself:

• What separates me from a sea of bachelors trying to attract the female of the species?
• What pain points am I solving for my potential partner? i.e How can I satisfy the needs of my partner?
• What value will I bring to my partner’s life? By this I mean – what do you bring to the table?

Entering the market with a knowledge of your UVP is the ultimate strategy to reel ‘em in!

Understand your Customer Avatar

Many startups fail because they don’t understand their customer avatar and the unique needs of that avatar.

Similarly, there is no point spending precious marketing dollars (and energy) searching for any partner in a flooded dating marketplace. This is a recipe for bitter disappointment.

Before you hit the dating scene, ensure that you’re clear on your non-negotiables, your needs and your desires when searching for a suitable partner.

Develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

A MVP is the first product that you enter the market with. It has  the basic functionality that your target customer requires in order for you to determine whether your business and idea has any legs.

Consider yourself a MVP. You’re still working towards becoming the adult you always dreamt you’d be so experiment with your product offering when looking for a life partner.

You may need to work on aspects of yourself (improve your functionality) so that you can begin to attract your dream partner.

I’m not suggesting that you fundamentally change who you are in order to attract a mate. I’m just saying, there are always ways to improve a MVP.

Gather Feedback

Customer feedback is fundamental while you’re trying to build your startup and validate your idea.

Similarly, every person you meet while dating is a valuable opportunity for you to gather feedback about what you want in a partner and to understand the needs of your target partner.

In coaching we say that there is “no failure, only feedback”.

Similarly, every dating experience becomes an opportunity to gather valuable feedback and move one step closer to gaining a competitive advantage and finding our soulmate.

Test. Iterate. Repeat

Dating is a waste of energy if you keep repeating the same patterns over and over again but you expect a different result.

You should constantly be A/B testing and trying out new things. Trying changing up your Bumble profile pics and get rid of that man bun (just a suggestion).

Test. Iterate. Repeat.

If you’re not having any success, it may be time to:

• Take a step back and gather feedback and data about your dating process;
• Objectively and rationally review all feedback and data;
• Identify what’s working and what isn’t working;
• Pivot or identify some possible iterations to your offering; and
• Get back out there and test again.

Growth Hacking

The old adage, build it and they will come is rubbish. Startups need to get out there and find their target customer.

Similarly, you cannot sit on your couch waiting for your Knight in Shining Armani to knock on your door (if only!).

Get out there. Try all the apps, tell your friends that you’re looking for a husband, get over your shyness, and work through any self-limiting beliefs with a coach.

Hire a Branding/Marketing/PR Agency

A classic mistake of early-stage startups is that they allocate all of their budget to web/app development without considering their budget for branding and marketing.

If market positioning isn’t your thing, engage a good Public Relations agency that can talk you up on your behalf and hook you up with some customers.

Notable agencies include: Close Friends & Co., Mum PR, Trusted Colleagues and The Housemate Agency.

Seek out the Early Adopters

An early adopter is a customer willing to use, test and pay for your product before the general public is onboard your startup.

Early adopters rock. They’re open-minded and are willing to take a chance on you despite the minor bugs in your product and your less than stellar UX (User Experience).

Similarly, you want to be with someone that thinks you’re awesome even if you’re still growing into the person that you’re supposed to be.

Focus on the innovators and early adopters that can appreciate what you’re offering and don’t worry about the rest.

Traction

You’ll know your hard work is starting to pay off when you begin experiencing some traction, Traction is also known as quantitative evidence of market demand.

If you have people begging you for a third date, you may be doing something right.  It’s either that or your Public Relations agency is doing a great job.

#JFDI

The more you put yourself out there and refine who you are and what you’re looking for, the greater your chances of validating your idea and finding the blossoming of true love.

As they say, throw yourself over the edge and Just F*cking Do It.

You will stumble, you will make a lot of mistakes and you’ll wonder why you’re doing it at all.
I promise it will be worth it when you find your Unicorn.

Happy Valentine’s Day!