UA Student Launches Business to Fix Bad Dating App Profiles
A senior at the University of Alabama has launched a new business that specializes in helping men create successful dating profiles that she calls Best Foot Forward.
Wisconsin native Rebekah Brunner is majoring in business management with a specialization in entrepreneurship. She said the business idea came from complaints made by her friends.
"I was talking to my friends, like the women that date online, and they're so frustrated not being able to tell anything from the profiles," Brunner said.
She said that she started watching her peers swipe through dating profiles that contained dark group photos and uninteresting bios and saw opportunities for improvement.
"A lot of the men's profiles are group pictures, usually in a dark, crowded bar or at sporting events with some of their friends, which aren't bad pictures to have on there, but it just doesn't tell you much about a person," Brunner said. "A lot of times, if it's all group pictures, you can't even tell who the profile [belongs to]. And my friends would be so frustrated, they'd say, 'I can't tell anything about this person from their profile.'"
For example, Brunner said, a bio that describes how a guy loves baseball and beer may seem cool and fun fact but it doesn't say anything meaningful about that person.
This inspired her to create a solution to the problem.
"Being the entrepreneurship major that I am, I realized that I could start a service for men where I provide casual, nice, but solo pictures for men and then help them rewrite their bios," said Brunner. "Just to like, show their personality a little more."
Brunner said she does not consider herself a professional photographer, but enjoys taking pictures.
"The photos that these guys want and [ones that] I think that would be most inviting on a profile are ones that a friend would take," she said.
Currently Best Foot Forward offers one $15 package which includes two or three photos and assistance writing a better bio. Brunner says if demand increases she plans to add more packages.
When it comes to crafting better bios, Brunner said that she likes to "get to know the client and tailor it to their personality."
She asks about their dream job, favorite quote and hobbies.
"I really hope I can help men's self-esteem," said Brunner. "I just want people to know that this helps men and women [because] it gives people in the app a clear picture of their potential match. And I really want to help men put their best foot forward. There could be great guys hiding behind bad pictures."