We recently connected with Tim Washington and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tim, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Have you been on dating apps lately? Let’s share a laugh here, because I’ve been on and off dating apps in a serious way since 2011. I was on a quest for my forever partner, my comrade for life, my significant other. Regardless of the labels given to the apps, I always had the same expectations: to find someone I could focus my attention on, get to know intimately, and hopefully share an ever-ending life together – all that cutesy stuff I see many of my friends enjoying.

The most significant problem I encountered was people not being honest with their intentions. The second biggest issue was people not effectively utilizing their profiles’ bio section! It’s the tool to sell yourself, the lure for your pole to catch a fish!

And the worst part? When people did have a bio on their profile, it was often so outdated that when I initiated a conversation based on something in their bio, they would respond with a confused “What?” or “What are you talking about?” I mean, I only complimented or referenced your bio!

I found myself stepping into the shoes of so many others using dating apps. I can perfectly understand why eyes roll when the words “dating app” are uttered and how being on one can turn you into the butt of a joke. The world of dating apps almost feels like a continuous jest! However, it is the companies that create these apps that should carry the blame for this situation as they have failed to allow people to socialize on them in a way that gets their desires fulfilled.

Identifying these problems led me to seek a solution, which is the reason I welcome all to Mood Social & Dating!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, For folks who may not have read about you before, can you please tell our readers about yourself, how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc, what type of products/services/creative works you provide, what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others. What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc. Please provide as much detail as you feel relevant as this is one of the core questions where the reader will get to know about you and your brand/organization/etc.

If you didn’t pick up on it, MOOD Social & Dating was born out of my frustration with the existing dating apps. What I’m trying to solve is the ambiguity you’re left with when you are on a dating app. People join these platforms for various reasons: to browse photos, find someone to talk to before bed, or even chat with someone not on vacation with them. Then there are those looking for sexual encounters or love, sometimes both at the same time.

I created this to cater to all these needs and more. The only requirement is to state your intent. Whether you’re looking for casual conversations, new friends, dates, or even kink and fetish fun, MOOD Social & Dating is a one-stop-shop for all those requirements. You have full control over who you see, when you see them, and you can switch ‘moods’ as your needs change.

This replicates real life because we don’t necessarily want or need the same things every day. So why get stuck on apps, restricting you to a narrow definition of their purpose? With MOOD Social & Dating, you don’t have to conform or feel the pressure to fit a specific label that is advertised or socially or publicly accepted. You can change what you’re looking for at any moment, without any shame or judgment, without needed 1, 2, 3 or even 4 different apps.

This approach also ensures that when you say hello to someone for the first time, communication won’t fizzle out due to a mismatch of expectations or pressure to fit a certain label. Essentially, MOOD Social & Dating eliminates one of the most commonly asked questions on dating apps – ‘what are you looking for?’

It’s laughable, in fact, astonishing, how many times this question is asked every minute of every day on these platforms. In MOOD Social & Dating, you’ll know exactly what others are looking for as soon as you log on, without even having to read their bio. So, look forward to fun and adaptive interactions designed to break the ice and make online dating more enjoyable and effective in addition to the core functionality of common desire representation.

Recall when I spoke about pride, about being proud of something? Even though this app is not yet popular and barely counts as recognizable since it has just been released, I take immense pride in it. It might take a year, two, or even five for people to catch on and start using it, but I’m proud of initiating this company.

I started from nothing and managed to spark interest in the concept, even securing a small user base of 200 people. I assembled a team that believes in the product. They don’t receive a salary, but each has a piece of the company and they work on it every day. This, in itself, is a testament to the belief that this venture is worth pursuing. Who wouldn’t feel proud of such an accomplishment?

This feels as significant as a CEO making $400 million for a company that they didn’t even establish, they simply got hired on. However, I venture to say it’s even more important. I built this from scratch, from absolute zero, and who knows where it’s going to go.

I genuinely hope it makes an impact because it answers questions and fills in the gaps other dating apps have left wide open. I am indeed considering creating yet another noteworthy venture.

There are many things I’d love for people to know about me, why I created MOOD Social & Dating, and what they should understand. But I sometimes struggle with articulating it clearly.

However, one message I want to convey is that I didn’t build this app to prey on the addictive habits of people tied to their smartphones. I see a world where people’s heads are constantly bowed, engrossed in their devices, and I don’t think that’s a good direction for us as a society.

Socializing and dating require effort, and a significant part of that should happen in person for people to truly get to know each other. Unlike most apps with ambiguous swipe-left, swipe-right interfaces that leave users stranded, MOOD Social & Dating is designed to assist users in finding what they are really looking for. It offers them the tools and the control to express their feelings and wants at any given moment. The app also provides assistance, helping users put their best foot forward every time they approach someone.

We are striving to make dating safer with features like a badge system, social verification, and a ‘dating sidekick’. This sidekick can act as your personal wingman, wingwoman or wingthing every time you connect and match with someone.

But most importantly, know this: I didn’t build this app to become the ‘next big thing,’ even though it has the potential. Rather, I built it for the users. It’s for the person who needs help making a connection or landing the next date and prefers to do it digitally. I built it to help people who have forgotten how to socialize and also for the new generations who primarily socialize through their smartphones.

My goal with MOOD Social & Dating is to equip people with the tools they need to connect in genuine, authentic ways.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Ooh, that’s a fun one. I am pretty well versed in this. Actually, pivoting is really going to tell you the character of a person. Pivoting also kind of shows if you can be adaptive or not.

In one case, doing what you need to do instead of what you want to do, would be me managing grocery stores. I thoroughly enjoyed it and that was the beginning of my career but I needed to get out of it because it was becoming so robotic. I was on autopilot. I had learned everything I could possibly learn about it. Even though I only made it up to store management, district management wouldn’t have really added much more to my skillset. It would have only meant managing up to ten locations at one time which would result in less sleep and more stress.

So, I needed to challenge myself again. Thus, I pivoted into being a line cook for a popular place called City Club in one of the newer affluent neighborhoods in my city back in 2006. That put me at the bottom of the totem pole where I had to learn how to climb back up.

I wanted a new start. Being on the bottom is not fun when you were a manager in a previous job, ‘boot licking’ until you can shine the boots, and shining the boots until you sell them, and shining them until you finally wear them. It’s tiresome and can defeat some people. I don’t like doing this repeatedly but sometimes, you need to.

Other examples of my pivoting is understanding when I just couldn’t do it anymore either because I didn’t know it well enough or I didn’t fit in. I’ll put a spotlight on fitting in because it’s been something I’ve always struggled with. I was in the oil field for 12 years and I hated every day of my life working in that industry. I made the most money and knew the most people but I felt the loneliest. I woke up every day with the best numbers in my bank account, however I hated myself as much as the people that hated or didn’t know enough about me to like me. I had to leave that industry. This led to my automotive detailing business. This was my zen, I loved it. I didn’t make nearly as much money compared to the oil field but there was not a day I would wake up regretting having to go to work.

Unfortunately, the economy in my area in 2023 began a shift in how people spent their disposable income and many were not willing to spend how they used to. Also, a shoulder injury made it difficult for me to operate my equipment as well as I needed to, so I was faced with another pivot in closing my business. In 2021 I started seeing the economy shift, applied to and was accepted into a 16-week accelerated boot camp, to which I graduated from in 2022. Days before graduating was extended an off as an associate technical consultant at a tech firm that I accepted with excitement. But within four months, I realized I can turn what I just learned into a new business.

And with a new found skillset, I didn’t want to be creating success for another company, as I had in past careers, I wanted to create my own success; and with my frustrations about dating apps, I knew what I should do. I just needed to figure out how to do it. Now with my knowledge in coding and understanding the technical process in tech, I have MOOD Social & Dating.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Ooh, ego. I had to unlearn letting my ego drive me. I spent my twenties learning that I could do whatever was presented to me, I basically learned that I could do things better than a lot of people I was surrounded by. My ego would lead me to believe I was better than others. The silliest thing I’ll say here is that my ego was non-existent until I began driving drunk from New Orleans to Lafayette at least three times a week without getting caught in my late teenage years. A bad habit had a bad habit baby! Driving drunk somehow gave me a ‘Superman’ feeling and my ego just got bigger and bigger with each passing night I got away with it. This was very dangerous and I was a horrible person for it.

But that’s where my ego started because I felt invincible. On top of that, the successes I was having at work – promotions, raises, and accolades – gave rise to my ego becoming a monster. It bled into everything that I did. I had to kill that monster with my previous business, my automotive shop that I eventually closed.

I learned that I needed a good support system, a team to help me because I can’t do everything myself, no matter how good I am. My ego was destructive. So, I had to learn the lesson of not letting my ego drive every minute of every day. That ego monster made me an unlikable person, a true asshole as well. In killing that ego monster, I’m a much better grounded person now. I’m able to talk to anybody from any background in a civil manner, listening to others while sharing what’s on my mind at the same time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://moodsocial.us
• Instagram: @socialmoodapp
• Facebook: @socialmooddating
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tehmistim/
• Twitter: @socialmoodapp