Dating

There’s a lot to love about entrepreneurs. They’re creative. They’re passionate. They’re positive. They’re ambitious. They’re often confident and extroverted. Any one could be the next Elon Musk or Richard Branson.

You wouldn’t mind dating someone with a private island, would you?

Thought not. The problem is, entrepreneurs come with a special set of challenges that can make dating hard - even harder than it is for non-entrepreneurs. Starting a business takes an incredible amount of time, energy, and concentration. Entrepreneurs eat, sleep, and breathe their projects - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

In other words, date an entrepreneur and you’re also dating their business. Even the most dedicated employee will never reach that level of commitment with their work. As a result, dating an entrepreneur can be exciting but frustrating, and being an entrepreneur who’s trying to date can be confusing or discouraging.

There’s a lot of dating advice out there. Maybe you’re overwhelmed with what you should and shouldn’t do when you’re online dating, messaging, or just sorting through your matches, and that’s okay. You learn as you go, one step at a time.

In my experience with dating and giving dating advice, there are a few things that I think are overlooked by the experts. Most advice centers around the practical: what types of photos to use, what messages get the best response, and why you shouldn’t talk about politics on the first date. These are all great tips, but I want to offer a few additional nuggets I’ve learned along the way.

Tinder is like dessert. A little bit is a welcome addition to your life, but too much indulgence - or worse, addiction - isn’t healthy for anyone.

A spokesperson for the company once claimed that the average user spends a whopping 77 minutes a day on the app. Imagine what you could do with that extra hour - hit the gym, read a book, learn a language, cook a meal, work on your side hustle, grab a drink with friends - things that make your life more interesting, thereby making you more attractive and, yes, more dateable.

Spend too much time on Tinder and you risk entering unhealthy obsession territory (and might actually be hurting your chances of finding a date). Not to mention that hours spent swiping doesn’t guarantee you’ll be hit by Cupid’s arrow. What you might be hit with instead is exhaustion.

So what do you do if you need a break from your smartphone? Take a digital detox and remind yourself of what it takes to date IRL. Below, a short refresher course:

We hear a lot of daters complain about how tough it is to find a boyfriend or girlfriend. Because there are people who casually date over apps, behave badly with each other, or mislead their dates, it’s discouraging to think about finding a serious relationship. Many of us paint men and women in broad brushstrokes – good or bad.

But this is simply not accurate.

Instead of stereotyping someone else as the "bad guy" or falling into old patterns when a date doesn’t work out, or getting discouraged that there are “no good ones out there,” change your perspective. There are ways to tell if a guy is boyfriend material before you get your heart broken:

If there’s one complaint I hear from single women more than any other, it’s “why do I keep meeting the wrong guys?”

Before you completely give up on dating and delete all those dating apps, it’s time to take a step back and do some self-examination. This isn’t meant to be critical, it’s meant to help you take a real look at how your life has been unfolding so far, so that you can make some changes for the better.

I know a lot of women who are very successful in their careers but have had no luck in dating. They are attracted to the unavailable types, whether it’s a married man, a man who is distant or aloof, or a man who can’t seem to get his financial act together enough to be in a real relationship. None of these scenarios is good, but too many women fall back on the wrong relationship with the wrong men because they are afraid of being alone, or worse – never finding someone at all.

When we think of romance, most of us think of scenes from movies or luxurious vacations. What woman doesn’t like getting all dressed up as she waits for her man to take her for a romantic dinner by candlelight, or whisks her away on a weekend getaway near the beach?

While these scenarios are great, they are also expensive, stressful, and a little bit cliché. Instead of impressing your date with how much money you can spend on her or what impressive vacation you can take her on, try thinking a little more creatively. There are plenty of ways to be romantic on a budget, so you don’t put such a dent in your wallet.

Following are some ideas: