We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daphney Poyser a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Daphney, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

Knowing what I know today, I wish I would have known how necessary it was for this business to exist years ago. To be honest I knew very little about the matchmaking business before I became a matchmaker, and never even knew that people were receiving coaching sessions from professionals just about their future dating life. However, ultimately, the reason I wish I would have started my business earlier is because of the people I get to work with every day. The people I have the opportunity to work with bring me so much joy, they have me rolling with laughter sometimes and other times they have me wanting to slap any b*tch who’s wrong them, and let’s not forget the times that I just want to give them a huge hug and cry along with them due to the frustration in them trying to find something as simple as love, happiness and a partner who loves them for who they are.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

It’s funny because I started my business just based on wanting something else in my own life and trying to find love for myself. I started the business right before the pandemic and had no idea what that meant in terms of how I was going to get the business off and running, but I felt so passionate about it that I knew I had to move forward with my ideal. One of the first things that I did was hire a Business Coach, and as someone who had never really run a business before, I wanted to make sure I was as prepared as I could be for this endeavor. During the same time, I also got my Matchmaking, Date and Relationship coaching certifications from the Matchmaking Institute. The thing that was different for me during this time, opposed to starting a business where I would typically have to be more hands on and boots on the ground, I was able to think virtually from the beginning so the pandemic/stay at home orders never really deterred me from thinking that I couldn’t get started with the business. After spending 20+ years in technology, I was comfortable being and working in a virtual space so I was comfortable operating my business in that way and for me, there will always be an aspect of virtual to the business because I work with people across the country and network with people both domestically and internationally.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Given that the company has only been around for 2 1/2 years, I have to say that being able to leverage a lot of the skills and knowledge from my previous career has helped me tremendously in building this business. Plus, having the right people on the team makes all of the difference. I believe in focusing on people’s strengths and giving them the autonomy to be themselves and do what they do best. I also believe that for myself, while I may have started the business on what I know, I also know how to outsource when I need to.

One of the things that I have had to work on personally is allowing myself to be open and out in a way that I have never done before and I have great respect for the leaders and the legends who have come before me; but nor have I ever been one to settle for the norm. I like pushing the envelope and challenging the system when I feel that things can and could be different and better for those of us who don’t fit what people deem as normal and acceptable.

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

My whole business is a pivot from what I have typically done for work. Starting something new and different can always be seen as scary but it is my resilience in wanting something better and more meaningful for my life that made me want to try this, not to mention the joy that it now brings me to work with such inspirational and empowering people across the country.

And now we are one of the top LGBTQIA+ Matchmaking and Coaching companies across the country. We are partnering with Kelleher International in the LGBTQ+ space and have had the opportunity to work on a new queer dating show in the DFW area, not to mention speaking engagements and other various media opportunities.

If I can give people one recommendation in wanting to start a business is that it can’t be about you, it should be grounded in wanting the best for others in a way that surpasses all of the hard stuff that comes with wanting to do something different, better and more meaningful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fernconnection.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fernconnections
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fernconnectionsmatchmaking
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fernconnections
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/fernconnections
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGXfX_lNqhfftFCukwKaAFg
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@fernconnections?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc