Laurie Davis Edwards (née Laurie Davis) is an expert on all matters of the heart. I first met Laurie on a phone call about 5 years ago. I’d heard all about her amazing work and was so impressed by how she’d created such an impactful, positive business and wanted to hear all about it! Laurie is overwhelmingly gracious, compassionate and full of sparkle, the founder of eFlirt (an online dating concierge service) and author of Love @ First Click. In other words, her job is to help people find love. Pretty amazing right? And so is Laurie! Her passion for what she does, belief in true love and commitment to helping people navigate the often treacherous world of online dating is remarkable. We hope she never stops the good work!
What do you do and why do you do it?
I’m the founder of eFlirt. We’re an online dating concierge service so basically, my team and I wake up every morning and help singles find love. We manage all the digital elements of their dating lives, likes searching and messaging, so they can focus on their in-person dates. As our clients’ relationships develop, we coach them so that hopefully one of their many dates turns into one amazing relationship! Helping people find their partner is my JOY and my biggest passion. Few things in life are more rewarding than having a client get married or engaged!
What’s the best gift you ever got?
When my book launched a few years ago, my girlfriends hosted a surprise dinner party in my honor! After months and months of making my laptop my BFF, it was so great to celebrate with the people who mattered in my life, and the fact that they made the milestone such a big deal meant a lot to me.
What’s the worst gift you ever got?
The first year we dated, my husband got me a chair massager for my birthday so I could “relax while I work from home.” Cue the crickets. I’ve never used it and we laugh about it all the time. He says he was stumped on what to get me because he got me something really great for Christmas … and my birthday is only a month later. But who gets someone they are dating a work-related gift?! Luckily he seems to up his gift-giving abilities every year. 😉
What’s your advice for all things love, sex and dating?
Now that dating has gone digital, your options for men who you can swipe right on are seemingly endless. This may seem like a good thing – and it is for the most part. But it can also be challenging because I find that often, singles become more particular for no real reason. In most cases, when we don’t know what to do with a match we see on screen, we do nothing. But it’s really important to say “yes” to “maybe” when it comes to your matches and dates. Almost all of our former clients who are in relationships after working with us fell in love with someone they only said “maybe” to! I gave a TEDx talk about the “maybes” so you can find your next boyfriend with this philosophy, too.
What’s your go to pick me up?
Dance parties! If I’m having a rough day, I turn on some tunes and dance around my house. It might sound silly but by the end of the song, I’m always smiling.
Tell us about your first heartbreak…
In high school, I learned that my first boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend! Heartbreak city. You love and learn, right? The next guy who came along was so wonderful, and we dated for nearly two years. I tell people all the time that even though it may feels like the world is ending when you encounter heartbreak, a little foresight can go a long way. Logically, you know that your life will continue to go on (and probably flourish) afterwards, and that’s what you have to focus on. Love exists on the other side.
Tell us about a time you Bounced Back better than ever…
In my early 20s, my career was on the fast track. I was a marketing consultant for Fortune 500s, working directly with CEOs. I felt like I made it. But during the recession, I lost all my contracts. My career, it seemed, went from successful to nonexistent overnight. Over the next few months, I applied to every job I could find but companies were laying off people in marketing, not hiring. I was down to my last few pennies and had no idea what I was going to do to stay afloat, until a friend called to tell me he was moving in with his girlfriend. He thanked me for helping him date online and said he never would have met her without my advice. I realized that much like I had with him, I wrote profiles and advised so many of my friends on dating sites – and most were now in relationships! When I thought about it further, I realized that dating digitally was similar to marketing your single self, so all of my career experience so far applied. Two days later with $50 and a Twitter account, I started eFlirt. And now, seven years later, we’ve written thousands of profiles and are responsible for nearly one hundred marriages and engagements! I sure “bounced back” in my career, but more importantly, I carved a new path that allowed me to bring meaning to my life … and so many others.
