By teaching young men how to date in the post-pandemic world, she's built a nearly million-dollar business

Blaine Anderson has started a nearly million dollar business to help young men find love, which is elusive for many in an age when so much of life happens on computers and smartphones.

Anderson, 33, runs Dating By Blaine, selling a course ($1,295) that teaches clients how to create a dating profile after a first date and a course on texting people with whom they go out ($149).

“I fell into it,” Anderson says. "I've always been really fascinated by dating and relationships." She found she was approached for advice by her friends, whose dating profiles often benefited from her edits.

Anderson, who previously worked in the travel industry in New York, never thought of teaching dating as a career path, despite dating for 15 years on six continents. Then she lost her job during the pandemic and she found herself unemployed overnight. "I was living in San Francisco at the time," she recalls. “I went back to live with my parents. Suddenly, creating a course made sense. “Course-based businesses are very scalable,” she says.

With travel around the world seemingly a long time coming, her boyfriend-turned-husband gave her the nudge: "You should just go for it. You've got nothing to lose."

It was 2020. She quickly got to work creating her first dating-based masterclass and spreading the word via Instagram and TikTok.

Many men who buy the masterclass think they have to behave like an "alpha male" to get dates, whether it's being rich, having a certain body type, or seeming very confident , according to Anderson. Many are engineers or in similar fields where they spend a lot of time behind a screen and may not have much time to develop their social skills.

What she found was that once women trust a man, they are generally attracted to men who are "high status" but their definitions of "high status" vary.

"You have to communicate a trajectory," says Anderson. “She needs to know that you go places. If you're unemployed, you need to explain why you're unemployed and how you won't be unemployed when you're together."

Ultimately, she says, "You have to have confidence in yourself and know how to sell yourself. It's different from acting like you think a woman wants you to act."

As for men, she says, "They all want someone they're passionate about. Someone excited to be with them. Someone they find attractive."

Even when men know what qualities they are looking for, she teaches them that not all women will be for them. "That's one less woman you have to worry about getting to know," she tells them.

Anderson's solo business quickly gained momentum. In 2020, she grossed just over $22,000. In 2021, it was $491,000. With the end of 2022, it had grossed $931,000 as of December 13. She relies on the help of a virtual assistant.

Anderson believes his decision to specialize has helped the company thrive. "I like to stay in my niche and get to know my audience really well," she says. "There are more dating coaches for women. Women are more willing to ask for help. I don't think men are as open. She intends to change that, a student at the times.