Laurie Davis, founder and CEO of eFlirt Expert VIP, was an early adopter of online dating; she wrote her first profile ten years ago when she was 18. Davis soon pushed her friends to try online flirting but quickly discovered that many needed a virtual dating coach. Davis didn't see the business potential of helping others find love connections online until the Bernie Madoff scandal broke, impacting one of her biggest clients at her marketing job. Davis was trying to think creatively about how she wanted to make money when a friend called to announce she was moving in with a boyfriend Davis had helped her meet online. When Davis realized just how many of her friends she had helped meet partners online, eFlirt Expert was born. This year, Davis has expanded the a la carte dating services her company provides to a more comprehensive and personalized VIP approach to managing busy professionals' dating portfolios.
Shawn Alff: Are you in a relationship now, and did you meet online?
Laurie Davis: I am. I met my boyfriend on Twitter.
SA: Have you met many of your boyfriends online?
LD: Absolutely. I was an early adopter of online dating. I started ten years ago when I was 18 and no one was talking about it. I had a blast dating online. I met all these great people, some boyfriends, some casual
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2010.