There are few industries where you get rewarded for the amount of work you put in, while providing a valuable service to the community you are a part of. Matchmaking is one of the best careers for those who want to be in control of their financial future, work on their own schedule and terms, while enjoying a high earning potential based on the amount of time and effort you put into it.
While the potential income for Matchmakers can be hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, that level of income certainly requires some key partners to handle the various aspects of this business, and a lot of hard work. There are also Matchmakers who operate in this industry on a smaller scale, making a few thousand dollars a year. Then there are hobbyists who are Matchmakers mainly for the satisfaction of providing a service to the community and making new connections. No matter what level of income and involvement you are looking for, you are your own boss and you will be as successful as you want to be.
Online dating Web sites created more revenue than any other paid online content category, as they netted roughly $470 million in consumer spending in 2004, up from about $40 million in 2001. According to Jupiter Media Metrics visitors to online dating sites in 2006 increased by 57% outpacing the 22% overall growth of the Internet.
The U.S. online dating market reached $932 million in 2011. However, mainstream dating site memberships are stagnating or shrinking. The proportion of paying customers (5%) has stayed the same over the last five years, according to Jupiter.
With total estimated sales of $436 million in 2011, Matchmakers are increasingly cashing in on customers disillusioned with impersonal online dating sites. Traditional Matchmakers have in fact benefited from the glut of Online Dating sites, and most Matchmakers now operate as a “Click & Mortar” business – marketing their services through the Internet, but still providing the personal service that clients expect from Matchmakers.
THE SINGLE LIFE – QUICK STATISTICS
102 Million
Number of unmarried people in America 18 and older in 2011.
53%
Percentage of unmarried U.S. residents 18 and older who were women in 2011; 47 percent were men.
62%
Percentage of unmarried U.S. residents 18 and older in 2011 who had never been married. Another 24 percent were divorced, and 14 percent were widowed.
17 Million
Number of unmarried U.S. residents 65 and older in 2011. These seniors comprised 16 percent of all unmarried people 18 and older.
89
Number of unmarried men 18 and older for every 100 unmarried women in the United States in 2011.
55 Million
Number of households maintained by unmarried men and women in 2011. These households comprised 46 percent of households nationwide.
33 Million
Number of people who lived alone in 2011. They comprised 28 percent of all households, up from 17 percent in 1970.