Sisters Find Puppy Love After Launching Dating App

This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.

[Music]

What's up, what's up? Kinda great story for you today. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. So grateful that you are here.

Every day on this program, I'm telling different stories of real life people who are creating more freedom for themselves through the form of an income generating project. Most of these people have day jobs. Most of them don't go into debt. They use a skill they already have. They are essentially investing in themselves and they're doing it their own way.

So I have so much respect for all the people that I feature on this program, as well as all of our listeners. So thank you for being part of that. You know who else I have respect for? It is a good friend of mine named Marie Forleo. I have known Marie for something like eight or nine years.

I've been fortunate to be on MarieTV or a very popular online program two or three times, I believe. And the reason why I mention Marie now is because today is her book launch day. If you're listening later, while the book is already out, but for today's episode, September 10th, 2019, that's when that book is out. Now the book is called "Everything is Figureoutable." It is a sensation in the best of ways. If you wanna learn something, go and watch what she is doing for this book launch.

You're gonna see and hear about this book everywhere because she has put a ton of work into it. So I am in awe of her myself. If you wanna learn how to put out a book or anything else, just go and pay attention to what she's doing and also pick up a copy of the book itself. Again, it's called "Everything is Figureoutable." You can find it at your local bookstore or online. All right, in today's story, after a dog lover's boyfriend rejects her canine companion, she partners with her sister to build a dog-friendly dating app that's positively perfect.

Is there a dating app for dog lovers? Yes, there is. And if you're wondering how dating apps make money, especially when they're building up their initial membership base, pay attention. Lots of good details for you in this one. So stay tuned for "Sisters Find Puppy Love" after launching "Dating App." [Music]

Lee Isaacson and her sister, Casey, are dog people through and through.

They joined the estimated 85 million households in the U.S. who call their canine friends family. On top of their love for all things dogs, until a few years ago, they both had very demanding careers in New York City. Lee's background is in TV news reporting and Homeland Security, while Casey skews more creative as an art director. Their pupners in crime, also known as their dogs, help them relax and unwind from these busy lives.

Now, if you've ever come home to an enthusiastic dog who acts like your return is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to them, you know the feeling of unconditional love they can give. But finding love of another sort proved difficult for Casey in particular. A few years ago, she was dating a guy who wasn't really a dog person. He tried at first, always allowing her pup to come over when they were hanging out. But quite quickly, things began to change.

And toward the end of the relationship, he didn't want the dog in his apartment. The pangs of heartbreak followed. Before too long, Casey found herself single again, crying on her sister Lee's shoulder. "I wish I knew from the start that this wasn't going to work because of my dog," she said. "Just as every cloud has a silver lining, out of that sadness came the bark of an idea." Lee and Casey, like everyone else their age, had seen the recent rise of dating apps like Tinder.

They also knew that there'd been a corresponding rise in popularity of niche dating apps for those looking for a specific type of partner. With that knowledge, they were confident they had an idea worth chasing down. And with their expertise in media and design, they were positive from the outset that they weren't barking up the wrong tree. So together, they decided to launch a dating app, specifically targeting dog owners. They figured they could overlap the enormous pet industry with the rapidly growing online dating industry.

It seemed like the perfect idea with only one problem. Neither of the sisters knew how to create an app. Dog on it. Still, they were so... Sorry, I felt like I had to do that.

It was just too obvious. Still, they were so passionate about the idea that they decided they'd throw everything into it. That meant making some tough decisions about work. In Lee's case, she moved into teaching journalism and media part-time. For Casey, she quit her full-time job and switched to freelance-based work, a transition she was able to make given the contacts she developed over the years.

With time to dedicate to their idea, they applied to a local tech incubator and training ground for new businesses. They were accepted and received a hands-on developer who helped them turn their idea into reality over the next few months. The time flew by and soon they were ready to launch their creation, which they called Dig Dating, the dog person's dating app. It all happened around Valentine's Day, 2018. To attract their first users, they threw a dog-friendly event in New York City.

With Lee's background in media, she knew how to drum up some attention for the event and it turned into a huge success. Over 340 people and almost as many dogs showed up. They received their first few hundred downloads shortly thereafter. The event was such a success that they replicated the template in other cities across the country. It was a great way for users to meet in real life and for them to get the word out about their new dating app.

However, it wasn't all smooth sailing. You see, the dirty little secret about dating apps is that most of them don't actually make much money, at least not until they have hundreds of thousands or millions of users. At that time, they can charge monthly subscriptions for additional features. And if even a small set of people purchase, it adds up. However, Dig didn't have that many users, not even close.

The idea of waiting so long to make money seemed barking mad. So they began looking for unconventional ways to generate revenue. Eventually, the sisters landed on sponsorship for their dog-only events, as well as a daily deal section inside the app. Users would be shown a dog-centric offer each day when they logged in. Like a pug who learns to shake hands, the trick worked wonders.

It brought in some much-needed revenue through the doggy door, allowing them to invest funds back into product development. And total offers like these have brought them around $20,000 in the 18 months since launch. Over 65,000 people have downloaded the app and are searching for their perfect puppy-loving partner. They've already received stories of couples getting together, and in some cases, even a couple's dogs falling in love first. The sisters have a specific plan to start monetizing users directly once they reach certain milestones.

That will include monthly subscriptions and additional features, with pricing starting at just a few dollars a month. Even though the dig dating app has only been around for 18 months, that's around 10 dog years. So their track record is impressive. Lee and Casey have proven that combining the pet industry with online dating is indeed quite fetching. - Well, congratulations to Lee and Casey.

If you're into dogs and you're looking for your special soulmate, go and check out the dig dating app. Go and check out as well, not related, but go and check out as well. Marie Forleo's new book, "Everything is Figureoutable," including "Dating and Dogs." Now, I did some research. Other niche dating apps or platforms include the following. I thought this was fascinating.

I spent about five minutes on it, and I was like, I could probably spend 20 minutes on this, but we're gonna stop. Okay, so here's what I found in just a couple minutes. My 420 mate, which is cannabis-friendly dating. Gluten-free singles. Wingman, connecting frequent flyers before and during their flight.

Let's see what else here. Bristler, connecting those with beards to those who want to stroke beards. Salad match, where you can, and I quote, "Get lost in each other's eyes while enjoying a freshly chopped salad." Conspiracy date, this is one of my favorites here. If you don't believe in the moon landing, if you've got a different idea about who shot JFK, conspiracy date is for you. Go check it out.

And then last but not least, Equestrian Cupid, the biggest dating site for horse lovers, because all the others are just small, and perhaps somewhat related, farmersonly.com, which is dating for farmers or those who are into farmers. A lot of options for you out there, just like there are so many possibilities to start a side hustle and make money. There are all kinds of ways to find your co-conspiracist or somebody who really likes salads the same way you do, or whatever you're into. All right, my friends, thank you so much for listening. Inspiration is good, but inspiration with action is better.

Today's show notes, all right, sidehustleschool.com/983, episode 983. Do be sure to subscribe. Do come back tomorrow. It is all completely free. My name is Chris Guillebeau.

This is Side Hustle School. [Music]

From the Onward Project.