Last week, I was feeling pretty good about Project Fixup. We were coming up on a few cool mini milestones, including our 1000th signup and 100th confirmed date. People were buying credit packages, they were thanking me for organizing fixups that were leading to relationships, they were saying our Valentine's Day party was awesome. It seemed like we were on the right track.
Then on Friday I met with Logan LaHive, the founder of Belly and probably my favorite Chicago entrepreneur since, well, Andrew Mason (I will now and forever be on #teamandrew).
Logan said that during early days of Belly, he was out the door every day by 6am to hit the coffee shops before their morning rush. Then he’d hit the restaurants before their lunch rush. From 12-2pm he'd hit the pet stores, and then it'd be on to the bars. He'd just be zooming around on his little vespa, running to Aw Yeah Comics, pitching Belly to them, getting them an iPad, gluing it to a lock, and moving on to the next All Things Woof. 18 months later, they seem to be on to something.
Logan may have some things I don't have - i.e. a vespa - but much like small businesses are everywhere in Chicago, so are single people. They’re walking down streets, taking trains, hanging out in bars and coffeeshops, and all the while having no idea how much easier and more fun their dating life could be if they gave Project Fixup a shot.
And that’s not good.
Thus, come Monday I will be embarking on my own little Logan-style 70 hour marketing blitzkrieg and see the results I can get in a week.
I’d love to have a partner for this little experiment, a first follower to my lone nut if you will. Someone who shares our passion for bringing the human element back into dating, has the time and energy to try something like this, and doesn’t get embarrassed easily. Or perhaps a few somebodies depending on interest and availability.
A bigger summary of the role is here – it’ll include a stipend to cover food and alcohol while working, performance based compensation based on how many signups we get, and glory.
If it sounds like it might be up your alley, email me at [email protected] with a brief paragraph detailing your interest. If you have a friend who you think might be a good fit, please pass the opportunity along to them.
Feel free to also reach out if you aren't available but have Project Fixup ideas you'd like to share, marketing or otherwise - I'd love to grab coffee or a drink sometime and chat!
Maybe next week will result in a ton of new Project Fixup members, maybe it will result in a ton of learning, maybe it will only result in a few funny stories. Either way, game on.
