Female Founders and CEOs | Talia Goldstein of Three Day Rule
Everyone needs a date at some point, why not get it right the first time (or three). We all have our types of attractions and it’s a difficult dating world out there. The women at Three Day Rule have set out to change that for all of us. And luckily I was able to catch up with Talia Goldstein the Head Matchmaker and Co-Founder of Three Day Rule for some Q & A. Who with her Co-Founder Valerie Brennan, left a high profile position to help make a difference in peoples lives.
Talia, tell me a little about yourself.
I grew up in Orange County and then headed east to Tulane University. After college I came back to Los Angeles to work in the advertising industry. Soon I moved towards TV and worked at large networks like, VH1, CMT, and E! Entertainment. While at E!, Val and I started this single’s website/blog just for fun and on the side. Soon after launching it started really taking off. We began doing singles events, matchmaking, and date coaching. After seeing its potential I left my job – during the recession. When everyone else was staying put, I decide to quit and run Three Day Rule full time. It was very scary and a HUGE risk at the time, but it did really well. I ran things for about a year until Val was able to join on full time.
When Three Day Rule was started, was it marketed towards women only or has it always been towards men & women?
We started definitely for women only. It was Citysearch for women to find guys. Both Val and I had the same issues and we went to different bars in terms of looking for guys, but had two different types. So we wanted to help other women on the best places to go and find particular guys based on type. Because we’re all so busy and you don’t have the time to go out and hunt down all these guys. So we narrowed it down to that.
The site itself was originally meant for women, but we began noticing a large portion of our readership was male. It was as if they were reading a Cosmo magazine to see what we were talking about. Because guys wanted the service just as much as women. As a result, a few months into the business we started doing the singles events and then started to bring in guys more. So it’s now for both.
What type of events were you putting together for singles?
They were events to bring single people together in a low pressured environment. Val and I had been to singles events where you had to do speed dating and it’s super awkward. So we just wanted to bring a group of single people together and leave them alone. And that’s exactly what we did and SO many people were meeting at these events. We would only do one ice breaker for a raffle prize, other than that we left them totally alone to meet and mingle. The greatest part of the events is that you already know that everyone there is single which makes it easier to ask for one’s phone number.
We started out with our first event at South Bar (in Santa Monica) with about 30 people in attendance. A few months later we did a party on The London’s rooftop (in West Hollywood) for over 500 people. So it grew really fast.
When starting Three Day Rule and the events, had you ever expected such rapid growth?
Not at all. We hadn’t expected such growth and we were doing event’s once a month which is pretty often. But what we were seeing was that one person would come and love the event, then they would bring five of their friends to the next event, and they would bring five of their friends, and etc. Since out first event we’ve done large parties at high profiled locations such as, The London, SLS (in Beverly Hills), and The Viceroy (in Santa Monica).
People these days are so busy and as professionals they’re probably only able to do this sort of thing once a month. To some our events have been seen as that one time during their busy schedules that they can go out to meet other singles.
Are you still doing events on a regular monthly schedule?
We are indeed. Over the next few months we have a few scheduled events. This month we’re doing a holiday party at the 31Ten Lounge (in Santa Monica). Next month we’re both together a New Year’s Eve party. Then in February we’ll have our Anti-Valentines party.
LA dating scene is tough. People in LA are really guarded.
Is the Three Day Rule your first company?
Yes.
Since this is your first company, are you having fun and excited about where things are going?
I absolutly love it. I love all the people we work with. I get to meet new people all the time and we’re really helping make a difference in peoples lives.
We started the matchmaking service a little over a year ago. Since then we’ve had people who have gotten engaged, moved in together, and met each others families. It’s truly the greatest feeling in the world knowing that we had a part in it.
What’s your favorite part of the Three Day Rule?
Definitely making people’s lives easier. I think being able to match people successfully is the best thing I can do.
As a first time entrepreneur what have you found to the toughest hurdle you’ve had to arise over?
The toughest thing for me was the understanding of tech. Whether is was what systems to use or the best way to build our product. We got stuck early on with technology and we had to learn from the past to make the process much smoother now.
What issues do you feel that women founders face in today’s entrepreneurial world?
Not yet. We graduated from The Founders Institute and haven’t had any issues thus far. However we haven’t gone out to raise money yet. So my opinion could change after that.
What advice do you have for women as entrepreneurs and those just getting involved with the business and entrepreneur worlds?
For a female entering this world you have to get mentors, ask people to coffee. If someone asks me to coffee I’ll gladly meet with them. We were fortunate to have people along the way that had our backs as we were able to ask them questions, receive help with the things we needed. It’s important to know that you don’t need to do this alone. Women as a whole are really good about having a support system. So for those who are entering, find yourself some mentors and don’t be afraid to ask them for a coffee meeting because it will truly help you in the long run.
What’s next? What does the near future hold for yourself and Three Day Rule?
First we’ll begin rebuilding Three Day Rule and turn it into the most kick ass website. Then we’re going to change the way people online date.
For those PHP or Ruby developers out there, Three Day Rules is looking to hire. Contact them with a link to your portfolio and let them know you’re interested – http://threedayrule.com/contact/
