We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michellle G. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michellle below.

Michellle, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump into the story of starting your own firm – what should we know?

There isn’t a clear step-by step roadmap on how to go from military service (U.S. Marine) to launching your own business. I mean, I didn’t even know it was a possibility because I come from a Latin family that always preached to go to school and get a good job.

Initially, when I thought about starting our matchmaking agency, Incredible Love, I envisioned it would be a big office with amazing views and an all-women staff. I would daydream of walking in and saying hello to everyone every morning (you know, experiencing the hustle and bustle of an office). At the time, I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it happen, so I sought mentors to help me start putting in place the building blocks for this vision to become a reality.

However, my life took an unexpected turn. About one year into my entrepreneurial journey, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with congestive heart failure with a heart capacity function of 10%. This was a turning point for our family because for the next 2 years, we were her health advocates and full-time caretakers. Thankfully, she was able to get on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) list and received a heart transplant shortly after. It was a miracle!

This series of life-changing events at first appeared to present challenges that would preclude me from being able to make my vision a reality (or at least it seemed that way). The truth was, I could still make the vision of a firm a reality; the plan just needed a tweak that, in the long run, would be a smart move.

Our matchmaking and coaching agency, Incredible Love, initially launched in San Diego, California. As a result of the different home location moves, we began working with clients in different cities. Quickly, I saw that building a firm was possible; it would just have to be virtual and mobile. That decision later proved to be the right move, especially during the global pandemic.

Here are the biggest lessons I learned on this journey:

1. Be Flexible: Sometimes, you have to be open that your vision will not happen exactly as you see it.

2. Seek Mentoring: It’s easy to get inside of your own head and let your fear paralyze your actions. Overcome this by finding a mentor with a proven track record in your line of work or hire a business coach.

3. Know Your Numbers: The success of your business is dependent on the money story your business tells. Build a relationship with your bookkeeper or accountant and ask them to teach you how to understand your numbers and reports. Learning your numbers early on will help you scale and grow much faster.

Michellle, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My mom has always told me to dream big and that I could do anything my heart desired. I come from an immigrant mother who thought dreaming big meant having a great career, avoiding debt, purchasing a nice home and finding a great husband. There’s nothing wrong with that; however, pursuing entrepreneurship wasn’t what she had in mind for me and honestly, I didn’t either. Becoming an entrepreneur was an accident.

My sights were set on becoming the first woman president of the United States, so I decided to join the United States Marine Corps after graduating high school to start my journey toward the White House. This dream of mine (and goals) quickly changed when I met a young man, fell in love, and got married. I loved my military career as an Intelligence Analyst replete with special assignments, international affairs, and involvement in foreign policy conversations; however, it began to affect my marriage.

We tried everything to make our marriage work, to communicate better, and to try to save it, but in the end, we filed for a divorce. It was through this experience that my life’s path changed because it revealed to me my life’s purpose. I decided I wanted to use my 13 years of military intelligence and international diplomacy experience to help people be successful in their love lives. Within 15 months of that decision, I launched my business with the mission of helping professional and high-achieving singles thrive at love.

I’m a lifelong learner, so making the decision to go back to school and earn my Bachelor of Science degree in Social Psychology wasn’t a question. I’m determined to use science and data to figure out how to help people achieve healthy and fulfilling relationships. After all, love is the oxygen to our souls and one of the most powerful superpowers we each have inside.

Our company was founded back in 2013 as Michelle G, initially focused on helping couples restore and maintain healthy relationships through couples coaching. Couples were so happy with their remarkable results that they began referring us to their single friends who needed help finding love. At the same time, the online dating world was exploding, giving us the perfect opportunity to help singles find lasting love through the use of cutting-edge technology.

Today, we have rebranded our company name to Incredible Love and have helped thousands of happy clients in the name of love. We are a boutique matchmaking and life coaching agency helping singles thrive and find love through curated introductions or personalized date coaching using the latest technology and science-based methods. We continue striving to become one of the most trusted matchmaking and coaching services for singles nationwide. Though our company has evolved, we’ve never lost our focus on helping clients achieve and maintain healthy relationships.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing our clientele has been through hosting events and speaking engagements. As the world continues to get more comfortable with hybrid work environments and the metaverse, one fact remains true—nothing can ever replace in-person connection.

Regardless of whether you are a service provider or product-based business, potential customers and consumers enjoy connecting with brands in real life. Start with your local business networking event to practice your pitch and see how your messaging resonates with people. Public speaking can be nerve wrecking in any capacity; however, there’s no better time to promote your business than with a captive audience. Practice makes it easier.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Professional development is a must as an entrepreneur at every stage of business. I love audio books, podcasts and reading peer-reviewed articles about different topics, especially pertaining to my industry. There have been a few books that have impacted me professionally and personally, which I recommend every entrepreneur read:

Principles by Ray Dalio
Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
The 7 Principles for Making a Marriage Work by John Gottman & Nan Silver

Contact Info:

• Website: www.IncredibleLove.com
• Instagram: http://xo.michelleg.com/Instagram
• Facebook: http://xo.michelleg.com/Facebook
• Youtube: http://xo.michelleg.com/YouTube
• Yelp: http://xo.michelleg.com/YelpMiami
• Other: http://xo.michelleg.com/Clubhouse

Image Credits
Wendy Yalom Yelp Photographer