Editor’s note: This article was first published in July 2010. Its claims that these businesses were still unexploited in Spanish-speaking countries and that Meetic and Match were the unbeatable leaders reflect 2010.
Every business starts by meeting a need. These days, a lack of affection and being alone is a problem that affects a large part of the population.
Love is beautiful, but loneliness and not having someone to share our day-to-day lives with open the door to new businesses that will provide more than a service: a very important social function that is also lucrative.
The business of love
Love moves billions of dollars a year, and I’m not talking about Valentine’s Day. The businesses we’re proposing are widely exploited in the United States, Australia and parts of northern Europe. But, as usual, in Spanish-speaking countries we still haven’t started exploiting them properly.
A travel agency for singles
There are thousands of travel agencies, and not one has thought of innovating with new services that I’m sure would be in demand. The business consists of collecting people’s profiles, straight or gay, it doesn’t matter.
Once their profiles, tastes and compatibility have been studied, the candidates are brought together and given a trip as a couple, in company of their choosing. An unforgettable experience (for better or for worse). If you’ve ever wanted to travel to an exotic island, or simply spend a few days at a hotel thousands of miles away, but had nobody to go with, you’ll know how important and valuable a service like this is.
Obviously, the business is exactly the same as a travel agency’s, but with an added service. Be a pioneer in it.
Rotating round table (speed dating)
We’ve all seen, in some movie or other, those American-style games for finding a partner. They bring together the same number of men and women. Each person talks to another for two to five minutes. When time is up, people rotate until every man has talked to every woman.
At the end of the game, each person chooses the partner they felt the most affinity with in that five-minute chat. The good thing about this game is that, whether or not they find a partner, they have a fun time.
The business lies in charging people to take part; you can include drinks in the price or charge for them separately. You can offer prizes and other kinds of games. Anything you want to add to make it more eye-catching and distinctive is welcome.
Organizing singles getaways
Two years ago, 7,000 singles were brought together at three different hotel resorts over one weekend. The price of this adventure was just 150 euros per person, which included two days at the hotel with everything covered. What is usually called all-inclusive, but for single people.
Agencies of this kind contact hotels, especially in the low season. The agency collects the fare for each place on the trip and then pays the hotel.
Let’s suppose in this case that the net profit was 10 euros per person after paying the hotel. €10 × 7,000 people = €70,000 in a single weekend. Profitable, right?
A dating website
I don’t think that nowadays you can dethrone the big players such as Meetic or Match.com, but if you can come up with a site built around an idea they’ve missed, draw up a business plan and a cost study, and go for it. These are businesses that generate millions.
Any of these businesses can succeed if you work out the right strategy, generate good publicity and make what you offer known. Someone has to be the first to make it happen, since businesses like these don’t need much investment.
Further reading
- Business ideas in tourism
- Business ideas in renewable energy
- Business ideas in body care and personal grooming
- How to be a successful businessperson
- How to start a business with no money
Featured image: al fernandez, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
