Rachel wanted to do something entrepreneurial when she decided to get her MBA at the University of Chicago. That something she was looking for turned out to be Econfidant.com, an online service that provides personalized, confidential dating & relationship advice. She created the site with a friend after identifying the lack of relevant dating & relationship advice on the Internet. And it’s true! If you type in dating advice into google, there are endless links leading you to sites, such as eHarmony or Match.com. None of these sites allow users to ask direct questions 24 hours a day, with real-time responses.
Rachel’s career path to Econfidant.com began after she received bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami. She found work at The Advisory Board Company in Washington, D.C. There she wrote papers and did research for Fortune 500 companies for three years. She then decided to go back to school. She went to the University of Chicago to work towards her MBA in entrepreneurship.
While in school she accepted an internship at a technology company despite her lack of knowledge or love for the field. She figured, ‘hey, why not try out this internet craze? She learned to love technology and thought about the many ways that she could combine technology and entrepreneurship. She worked at a startup company called Click-n-Done.com, her first real experience that combined her two newfound interests. Unfortunately, Click-n-Done.com did not last. Rachel found herself moving onto another startup, which again, did not survive. Still, Rachel could not find it in herself to abandon her two passions. Not knowing what else to do, she moved onto the next opportunity that presented itself to her.
Eventually, the idea of Econfidant sprouted when her friends told her that she was great at giving relationship advice. She researched the idea for almost a year. She found that there was enough of a market for that type of service. She also found a willing business partner in one of her friends who wanted to take the leap with her. In January of 2006, Econfidant.com opened for business. Unlike her past experiences the dot.com industry, Rachel’s idea proved to have longevity.
In our interview with Rachel, we discussed her take on college students today. She explained that most students don’t understand the business world and the leaders that reside within it. Her advice is to talk to as many people as possible about what the different types of positions entail in business in order to understand what is available out there. “You have to get experience,” she told us in an almost pleading manner.
This type of advice is what Pursue The Passion hopes to give to students and other aspiring people. What we noticed is that students are generally not motivated to go and get the experience that Rachel talked about, despite having endless amounts of opportunity while in school. So we’d have to agree with Rachel. Look into getting those experiences that will help you grow as an individual, as well as compliment your resume for the job searches that await you.
