The number of lonely hearts looking for love via Scotland’s only matchmaker has risen by more than 350% in the last six months.
The biggest rise in enquiries on Match Made in Scotland is from men aged 30 to 45 - up by more than 520% - with a growing waiting list of applicants.
Laura Smyth, 34, a former headhunter and recruitment consultant established the agency two year's ago after realising her single friends were struggling to date and fed-up swiping to find a match. There was a tradition of matchmaking in her native Ireland, but Smyth, who was then living in Scotland, discovered a gap in the market here.
The start-up's turnover has tripled in the past year and she has been nominated for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the WeDo Scottish Business Awards, as well as being accepted for the RBS Accelerator programme.
“Many of our clients are established business professionals,“ Smyth explained. “They come to us because they are seriously engaged in looking for a suitable partner and happy to invest in their love life - and don’t believe their ideal person would be on an app.
“We vet applicants, check their photographs are truly representative and confirm their single status, as for us - and them - it’s not about screens or algorithms, it’s about authenticity, honesty and integrity.”
Thanks to the business, Smyth has already found success in her own love life – she’s engaged to a former boyfriend who was re-connected with through the agency and they are planning a wedding next year.
As a result, she is on a recruitment drive for additional cupids to help her keep up with demand.
“This role of professional matchmaker is to make the matching process run as smoothly as possible and provide excellent customer service - it’s a fantastic opportunity for someone to help shape the future of our business and the needs of our growing client list,” Smyth added.
Smyth currently meets clients face-to-face in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Stirling, Aberdeen and Inverness, bringing people together people who complement each other.
There are three membership packages offering six, nine and 12-months with a guaranteed number of matches. There is the option of joining the dating pool through a Little Black Book Consultation, where if the profile matches an active member, an introduction will be arranged.
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