Beth Nielsen and her husband Marc have operated Dinner at 8 Matchmaking for three years.
SEMINOLE – When Beth Nielsen began to see the local real estate market slow down, she realized the need to reinvent herself.
A former head-hunter in Chicago, Nielsen and her husband Marc turned to a new business – matching single people of equal social and financial means to one another. She specializes in clients age 40 and older.
For the past three years, Dinner at 8, a Seminole-based dining and social club, has also offered the matchmaking service for high-profile persons who are not interested in or cannot be seen publicly on conventional online dating sites.
While Nielsen won’t give specifics, she said the numbers have been high and the success rate pretty good.
“I’ve worked with dozens and dozens,” she said, “and we have gone to quite a few weddings.”
The idea for a matchmaking business dates back to Nielsen’s real estate sales days when she noticed a need.
“I noticed that when I sold homes and condos to people they didn’t know anyone in the area,” she explained. “That’s what led to the dining and social club for adults 40 and older. Then I noticed most of the people registering were single and they asked me if I could help.”
That led to some research and Nielsen quickly discovered there are about 700 professional matchmakers in the country and many are former head-hunters.
Nielsen doesn’t accept just anyone for her services, which come at a nominal charge. But she is very thorough.
“I do turn people down,” she said. “They have to decide if they’re comfortable working with me and me with them.”
Once that decision is made, the process begins with a criminal background check and then a two- to three-hour personal interview with a client in a casual setting like a coffee shop.
After that, she selects a person from her database that she believes matches the wants and needs of the client and vice versa.
From that point, the two people are contacted and told where to meet for a dinner date. Both parties only have a name and a description of the person they’re meeting. That’s it.
From there, depending on the outcome, the relationship continues or it does not.
But Nielsen does her best to help. After the couple’s first date, she contacts both the following day to get details. From there, she coaches her clients on mistakes they have made and ways to correct their errors.
Sometimes it’s something very simple that keeps the relationship going.
“I had one woman that was upset the next day because the gentleman she met had not asked her for her phone number the night before,” Nielsen said. But that was quickly resolved and the couple went on to enjoy a successful dating relationship.
“My service is very different than online dating,” she said. “The people I work with are very serious about what they’re looking for. I can give them somebody they’ll be interested in but I can’t guarantee the chemistry will be there.”
Nielsen also has some rules her clients must follow. Anyone who breaks the rules is quickly discarded as a client.
“First, I require no sex until you have a continuous monogamous relationship,” she said, “and my clients love it. Also, I don’t allow any talk of sex, religion or politics (on the first date). I want them to keep it simple.”
So far, Nielsen said she has had no failures and has been “very successful.”
She finds matches everywhere. One time Nielsen was in a restaurant with her husband and spotted a bachelor with two other men that she thought would be a good physical match for one of her existing clients. As it turned out she was right.
Nielsen also provides services for those in need of some help.
One case involved a man who had not dated for a long period and had no idea how to dress for his first date. Nielsen went to his home and helped him select the right wardrobe.
She also has connections for personal shopping services, psychological therapy and hair styling.
Nielsen said she truly enjoys her new work and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“I love doing what I’m doing,” she said. “It’s not a job. It’s just a lot of fun.”
For more information on Dinner at 8 Matchmaking, call 320-6911.
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