Start your own speed dating business

"When we send people to a wine tasting, it's a wine tasting for our group and those 20 people are just from Social Circles," emphasizes Mc Aden. With estimated sales of 0,0 and a goal of .5 million within five years, Social Circles is among a plethora of profitable matchmaking businesses.

"Overhead is too high [and] consumer price resistance too great."What is hot?"Online matchmakers allow people to get to know each other from the inside out on their own time and at a price they won't regret." While most Internet dating services, such as Zipple.Com, offer free personals and generate their income through advertising, e-commerce and Web hosting, more traditional dating services usually ask for an upfront membership fee.Interested parties then contact Social Circles to sign up.The New York City company gears all activities toward beginners and keeps the groups small, gender-balanced and segregated from outsiders.

There must be a better way of meeting people than hanging out in a bar, thought Jose de Lasa, now 32, while attending Tulane Law School in New Orleans and doing just that.