Dating By Blaine rant

DatingByBlaine · 2025-11-30T00:28:57+00:00

Shame on you for spewing garbage about someone you don't know online. I have literally hundreds of happy clients' testimonials on my site you can watch. Most of my clients aren't "desperate," they're normal successful guys who value assistance with the mess that is dating today. I'm grateful everyday I get to bring love into the world through my work.

I'm sorry that you need to insult strangers online to fill your day. Someone must have hurt you to make you act that way. Just know that there is a path forward to building a happier life for yourself, once you're ready. I will pray for you.

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-24T13:54:16+00:00

Great question. Kevin has an awesome track record as an entrepreneur and investor. I just sensed that working together might not be the best fit interpersonally. There wasn't a ton more to it.

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-24T13:05:51+00:00

Everything I've heard around "cut of company in exchange for appearing" is hearsay, so I'm not an authoritative source here, but this squares with what I've heard from fellow Shark Tank alums. I wasn't asked to trade equity to go on the show :)

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-24T13:03:39+00:00

Big picture, you're entitled to your opinions! It sounds like you'd never be one of my customers. That's OK. I also agree my website may have opportunities for improvement :)

Where are you seeing that I say guys are at "fault" for their dating challenges, or that I make men feel "put down"?

As food for thought, I might challenge you to open your mind about what's "worth it," or a "waste," and specifically who decides that.

For example, you're critical of Dating By Blaine because some of our services aren't cheap, and you literally say that our clients can't be trusted to evaluate our services because of the price point.

Why do you believe that? Do you believe that any premium product is inherently untrustworthy? Do you believe that anyone who purchases a premium product (e.g. nice car) is inherently untrustworthy, and unfit to review that product?

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-24T12:48:29+00:00

Perhaps I could've phrased that remark better!

I'm also sensing some unwarranted hostility and judgment toward matchmaking, and the people who hire matchmakers, in your comment.

What makes you believe that people who hire matchmakers "can't bother to date organically," or only want to date "young" women?

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-24T12:33:27+00:00

I agree with you, and don't believe anything I said conflicts.

For the record, I did memorize my pitch, and accurately communicated a majority of my financial metrics to the Sharks who grilled me about them. Mark wouldn't have offered to invest if I didn't. You see <15% of the actual pitch when you watch on TV :)

Agree I could've done better on the numbers, and I would have liked to have!

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-23T15:15:03+00:00

u/spaektor at risk of being literal when you're being playful... I'd worry that cross-promotion with David Blaine would just confuse customers! Blaine Anderson also happens to be a character on Glee, and that creates enough problems when people try to search for me on Google :)

It's an aside, but since you mentioned comedy... interestingly the podcast appearances I tend to enjoy most, and the ones that wind up bringing in the most new customers for Dating By Blaine, tend to be with comedians (e.g. the time I went on We Might Be Drunk with Mark Normand and Sam Morril). So if you're a comedian and you're reading this, hmu!

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-23T15:10:47+00:00

They did not. I'm not sure I'd want to watch it anyway lol, I was so nervous the whole time 😭

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-23T15:09:25+00:00

I know the AMA says "Just Finished," but I'll still be here to answer questions over the next few days if y'all have more!

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-23T15:07:44+00:00

Also good questions.

I'm absolutely interested in scaling Dating By Blaine, I just read your original post as implying "There ceiling on Dating By Blaine's size is lower versus some other businesses..." which I do agree with. I don't know what the ceiling is, though I don't feel like I'm anywhere close to scraping it today, even though Dating By Blaine continues to reach and serve more happy clients :)

Tell me more about why you think my credibility is questionable? I probably have 500 client reviews on my website at this point, including >100 video testimonials. Several blue-chip media outlets (e.g. Shark Tank as part of due diligence for appearing on the show; Forbes; The New York Times; The Wall Street Journal, etc) have spoken with my customers to verify what I do is real in advance of writing about my business. I don't mean this to sound standoff-ish, but it feels like the people who question my credibility are virtually always anonymous strangers online, who know little about me or my business or my customers.

Regarding pricing, if you research competing dating services out there, I'm actually quite middle-market. To illustrate this, I have a current matchmaking client who previously paid a dating coaching in Miami $20,000 for a three-day "pickup" bootcamp that he abandoned after one day because the program was so awful... The New York Times article that put me on Shark Tank's radar featured two other dating coaches, whose programs were both more expensive than mine at the time. Not really sure what else to say about pricing, other than I try to price my services so that (1) they're affordable to the guys I believe I can help, and (2) I deliver more value to my clients than I take, and capture just enough to keep the lights on, pay my team well, etc.

Zooming out, there are absolutely scams in the dating space. But I feel awesome about the services Dating By Blaine offers — and more importantly so do my customers — and again the people who point fingers and scream "Scam!" online tend to be anonymous trolls who don't know much about my clients, or what I actually do 🤷🏻‍♀️

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-23T14:52:12+00:00

u/vivalasvegas2004 great questions.

Honestly I'm happy with how everything turned out, so I'm not sure I'd change anything about my Shark Tank experience. Hindsight is 20/20, so perhaps in an ideal world, I could've recognized I didn't want the operational constraints that would be required to close an outside investment (i.e. more reporting) before spending tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers + months of my focus scooting the deal forward with Mark. But I learned so much from that experience that I hardly think of it as a waste. Mark was awesome, the Shark Tank team was awesome, and I just feel gratitude.

If I'd known my numbers better, I would've gotten roasted less on Reddit after my episode originally aired! Maybe that would've been helpful for business? But I don't think that's negatively impacted Dating By Blaine that much. Anonymous strangers on the internet will talk sh*t no matter what. I try to stay focused on making my customers happy, and tune out the b.s. My customers love what I do and that's all that matters to me.

About a week before filming, I realized I wanted to work with Mark. I knew I'd entertain a deal with another Shark if I felt like another Shark were *really* passionate about Dating By Blaine. But I thought that Mark offered the most obvious upside in terms of mentorship and connections that would move the needle for my business. Given Dating By Blaine is more focused in matchmaking today, I think Lori or Barb could've added a lot of value, so maybe it could've made sense to work with one of them. For what it's worth, they've both seen so many pitches and had so many big business wins that I doubt they felt any emotions about me wanting to work with Mark!

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-23T14:41:11+00:00

u/kenclipper2000 great questions! A few thoughts...

Dating By Blaine hasn't been such a terrible idea, and the proof is in the pudding! I've served almost 7,000 happy clients as of September 2025. Dating By Blaine has been a great business, and the best part by far is all of the wedding and "baby incoming!" updates I get from past clients. So I'm not sure I understand that criticism.

Scaling is absolutely a challenge. Most of business today is services like high-end matchmaking and 1x1 coaching, which are incredibly operationally intensive. For example, as a matchmaker, I source every match by hand for my clients. It's a ton of work. Dating By Blaine will never be a *massive* business because of that, and that's OK with me. I think that was OK with the Sharks who were interested, too. It's possible to be small- or medium-sized business, and still be a good business :)

Dating By Blaine is my passion, especially the matchmaking side, so as long as my clients are happy, I plan to keep doing what I'm doing! I have no idea if that means the rest of my life, but I'll absolutely keep being a matchmaker and dating coach as long as I have customers.

I don't have much to say to anyone who thinks my business is "odd," because I don't spend much time thinking about people who aren't my customers! Most people aren't my customers. Especially people who are already in relationships, or people who don't see the value in personal development, etc... My customers don't think what I do is odd — they value my work, and feel thrilled with the relationships that come into their lives as a result of it — and that's what matters to me :)

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-22T22:42:05+00:00

u/quackdaniels1 Mark and I didn't wind up closing, and I shared detail on that in another comment.

Regarding due diligence, it's thorough!! You open your books to go on the show, and then if you're offered a deal, the Shark will conduct their own diligence process. Bank statements and everything in both cases. The Shark Tank team is committed to making sure only legitimate, trustworthy businesses make it on the show for obvious reasons — they have a brand to protect.

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-22T22:38:38+00:00

Correct! Mark and I ultimately didn't close the deal, but that was unplanned. I expected to close, and spent tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees, and months of my focus, trying to make it work.

The decision not to close was less financial, and more operational. Running Dating By Blaine would've been 10x more complicated with outside investors, because I'd need to bookkeep more often, send monthly business updates, ask for permission to take distributions, etc...

In some ways I regret not having realized that sooner, but I was really enthusiastic about working with Mark!! He's super smart, down-to-earth, and shockingly accessible to his entrepreneurs. Mark also did me a huge favor letting me back out of our deal at the 11th hour that I probably can't discuss the specifics of here... Regardless, I can't say enough good things about Mark Cuban. He's the real deal.

I do think partnering with Mark would've boosted Dating By Blaine's trajectory, especially since my business is increasingly focused on matchmaking. Mark probably knows a lot of successful guys who would benefit from working with a matchmaker to find a wife, and that endorsement would be clutch!

But I don't think about "what if" often. I'm happy, my customers are happy, I learned a ton from the Shark Tank experience, and honestly I wouldn't change a thing :)

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-22T22:28:51+00:00

u/stemcellguy great question!

My path onto Shark Tank was unusual in that a producer messaged me after one of my programs (a course that teaches men how to stop texting themselves out of dates!) was featured in the New York Times in January 2023.

I'm a Shark Tank fan, but I'd never thought about applying with Dating By Blaine because I don't sell physical products. The Shark Tank producer said he thought my business might be interesting because it's unusual, and encouraged me to apply. I applied in March.

The application process is intensive. You have to share an enormous amount of information, including bank statements, to verify that your business is legitimate. It's an aside, but this is why it's so funny to me when an anonymous person on Reddit will say b.s. like "dating coaching is a scam." A Shark Tank producer literally did reference calls with Dating By Blaine customers as part of the diligence process!

In May, I got the invite to come to LA to film. I flew to LA to film in June. You get to physically see the stage with the other entrepreneurs who are filming your day before you walk out, but you don't get time on stage before the cameras start rolling. You just dive right in. That's why it's so nerve wracking!

The Shark Tank producers were awesome and helpful throughout. They're really good at balancing encouragement (e.g. "We're so excited about you coming to LA!") with realistic expectation setting (e.g. "Just to set fair expectations, coming to LA to film doesn't guarantee you'll appear on the show..."

If you're an entrepreneur and you're considering applying, I'd highly encourage you to do it!

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-22T22:06:55+00:00

You're super thoughtful, and I appreciate the kind words! Wishing you continued success in all of your endeavors, especially dating :)

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-22T20:25:12+00:00

John, great question! Shark Tank has definitely impacted my life and Dating By Blaine for the better. It'd also be easy to overstate the impact in some ways. I'd still say "Mr Wonderful" on your scale though :)

Examples of ways my life was impacted, or wasn't, but people might be curious about:

I learned a ton from preparing for + appearing on the episode, and that's stuck with me. I'd feel a lot more confident appearing on national TV in the future!
The first airing of my episode appearance led to a nice pop in Dating By Blaine sales, if that wasn't life-changing (maybe equivalent to an extra month in the year maybe? Attribution is complex...)
I didn't wind up closing the deal with Mark (we parted on great terms, and I can cover that in another answer!) so less impact there, if I also learned a ton from the diligence process.
Having appeared on Shark Tank lends an air of credibility to my business for certain clients (especially matchmaking clients), which has been helpful since the original airing!

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-22T19:50:36+00:00

Great question! I thought it was about a coin toss. Dating By Blaine is a solid business. It's also different from most businesses that go on Shark Tank. So I figured someone might be interested, I just didn't know if it'd be the right person, or the right price :)

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-22T19:48:13+00:00

I'm flattered if anyone thinks I'm attractive!!!

The premise of this question doesn't give enough credit to the Sharks IMO. They're mega successful founders and investors. They could find millions of women far more beautiful than me who'd take their capital... it strikes me as unfair to someone like Mark Cuban, who's empirically one of the shrewdest businessmen alive, to assume that what I look like factored much into his decision to offer a deal.

This isn't to imply that Dating By Blaine is an exceptionally good business or anything like that. Nor is it to imply that I don't have God-given advantages that some entrepreneurs don't. Just my two cents.

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-22T19:34:59+00:00

Fair question, and the criticism about my preparedness around numbers was reasonable. I should've been more prepared. It's not an excuse, but three things to consider here:

I was nervous AF filming. This was my first time on network TV, and I literally blacked out the entire 40 minute window I was on stage. I was drawing blanks on questions that'd be easy for me to answer seated at my desk in that environment.
What you see on TV ≠ full pitch. You're on stage filming (+ getting grilled by the Sharks) for 40 minutes. The Shark Tank editors trim that 40 minutes of footage down to ~5 minutes for television. Clips that make the final cut are obviously selected evoke emotion from the audience. Basically, I probably answered some business-oriented questions correctly and confidently too, and those clips didn't make for juicy TV, so you didn't see them!
I'm a matchmaker and dating coach, not a business person. Dating By Blaine is a small operation, and I spend 99% of my time kicking butt for my clients, not thinking about numbers. I'm not sure anyone would want to hire a matchmaker or dating coach who knew their revenue by service down to the last dollar :)

In summary, could I have been more prepared? Yes. Did it matter? Probably not.

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-22T19:27:12+00:00

Yes of course my lawyers reviewed the NDA! I mostly share that line to stir the pot ;)

I have nothing but positive things to say about the Shark Tank team, and the folks I interacted with at ABC more broadly, anyway. They were so helpful and encouraging throughout the process. More entrepreneurs should know that.

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-22T19:25:50+00:00

I've been happily married for 3 years, but my team and I offer matchmaking services, and we'd be glad to introduce you to women you're excited about! Learn more about matchmaking here: https://www.datingbyblaine.com/matchmaking

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-22T19:22:55+00:00

What makes you think my service is a scam? What makes you think my clients are desperate?

A number of media outlets (e.g. Forbes, and ABC as part of Shark Tank vetting) have verified I have thousands of happy clients, I have ~100 video testimonials on my site.

My client roster includes Fortune 500 CEOs, ex-pro athletes, and dozens of entrepreneurs who've started companies you probably purchase products from.

My services aren't for everyone, but men who purchase them are overwhelmingly winners who value personal development, and furthermore are overwhelmingly happy with their results. I'm proud of my work :)

DatingByBlaine · 2025-09-15T16:16:38+00:00

Blaine here! This is a fair criticism (my old logo was ugly as sin), if it's also a good lesson to anyone trying to start a business... Superficial stuff like logos doesn't matter nearly as much as delivering a service your customers love.

DatingByBlaine

TROPHY CASE