Brothas & Sistas Marriage Agency

[JimB]

I have a website that we can use.  I only need to know what name we want and i can have it up and running in about 1 day.  But, I will only be associated with it if we keep it honest and sincere.  I know we start off that way.  i know most guys here will also but if we find out someone is pushing the envelope they need to be out in a flash.  All we need is one bad apple and then the naysayers will kill us. We are going to have disgruntled people. As the saying goes you can please some of the people some of the time but cant please all of the people all of the time. now as to the administrators, the book keepers bank accounts and the DBA's. (Doing Business As) plus the LLC.  That has to be done also. Otherwise the board can get sued for their personal assets. That is not good. LLC cost but not that much.  I think Arizona has the cheapest LLC's.  i will have to research that again. I believe a couple of us can keep the site going with a few others to help put info up.  Now, what about translations.  

I have an idea why not start small, see how it goes and how it is all going to be put together.  I suggest about 90 girls at first only those known and can speak english at least a little. Put the word out. Get in on the search lists.  Track the hits and see.  That is just my 2 cents.

[Chris]

JimB, do you have admin rights? If so, if you install php and mysql, I can write the database tables. I used to be a database programmer, but haven't coded anything in a while. I didn't do any professional coding in php, but I can probably build a decent prototype site. The database schema would take a week with revisions... maybe a half day to insert some test data, and at least a month to churn out the code and test it depending on how busy I am with other things.

For a decent test, 100 girls would be a good start. Assuming 5 pictures per girl at 1Mb each (overkill), that's 500Mb. Videos would basically double the needed storage at 1 per girl. Bandwidth will become a big issue at some point. Just things to keep in mind. Fortunately php and mysql are portable, so if we want to move to a server overseas it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

If you guys want me to do it or be a part of a coding team I will. The main thing I would want would be regular input in a separate category on this forum. Having everything in one topic would be a freaking nightmare. Maybe one topic per page.

[Chong]

Nick ... you make valid points. The current Asian Dating sites were all formed as competitors to ChnLove. It's a matter of doing better than the 'original'. My previous business started the same way. What will make us different is that, members can contact us and our Chinese wives ( as agency owners ) directly and that we'll provide the lady's proof of existence after the first letter. This would be part of our marketing strategy.

Sarge, Chris .... great initiative, but we getting ahead of ourselves. If you want to test a prototype, go ahead. I suggest to treat it as your own "City Agency" , not the "Mothership Website".

If we were to go ahead with this ... 1) we have to be living in China  2) our wives are partners in an actual office 3) who will admin the main support "Mothership" website as a separate entity 4) each of us have to have a separate business agency entity & website 5) there needs to be a face-to-face general meeting to hash out liability issues, corporation issues, establish a business plan & model etc etc .... 6) we don't even know each other, except by internet .... and we want to start a business together ?

[Rhonald]

I liked reading the ideas thrown around here about starting an alternate dating site. I remember last week joking with my wife about starting our own dating site as a valid business. Except our model was Canlove.com where single Canadian girls could meet men from China for marriage. Hum... unappreciative girls meet unappreciative men - a match made in heaven. :mrgreen:

[Neil]

I liked reading the ideas thrown around here about starting an alternate dating site. I remember last week joking with my wife about starting our own dating site as a valid business. Except our model was Canlove.com where single Canadian girls could meet men from China for marriage. Hum... unappreciative girls meet unappreciative men - a match made in heaven. :mrgreen:

Wonderful Idea Rhonald.  Maybe my ex wife could meet a man that actually works for a living.  

[Chong]

Yes, that's why each Brotha have to have their own business agency in their respective cities. They can run it however they like. Set up their own website, legality, local marketing etc etc .... No partnerships, each is responsible for their own agency.

The "Mothership Website" markets on the world-wide internet for ALL the local Brotha agencies. The business model would be the same as ChnLove except all of us work co-operatively ... even if we have separate businesses. Your agency can leave the mothership website anytime you want if you don't feel a connection with your agenda.

A similiar business model would be 1-800-FLOWERS .... many local florists in different cities using a main marketing website to promote world-wide business.

[Paul Todd]

Well said Chong, I think this is the way to go!  Cooperation and support.

[Chris]

Chong,

#1 and #2 are so far down the road that they're functionally irrelevant. 6 months from now they might re-enter the discussion, if people are actively talking about putting up investment capital.

#3 can be done from anywhere, assuming we don't require physical control of the server. Once we develop an e-commerce site (instead of using something like PayPal and an Excel spreadsheet), we should probably outsource the IT work to a local firm which can take care of the internet security issues. We could hire a DBA/*nix person and run our own server, but that's probably more hassle than it's worth.

I'm not sure #4 is true. That depends more on Chinese law and the business model than anything else. I think at this point it's one of those ideas that's in place because that's how the other guys do it. The difference between the ChnLove model and 1800flowers is that their affiliates have a tangible product with a supply chain, whereas the  product CL supplies to the agencies (and the reverse direction too, which is an important distinction from 1800flowers) is its customer list. This has two major implications. First, since agencies are paid per successful match (and other things but this is where their big money seems to come from), the agencies are competing against each other for male clients. This only  encourages bad behavior. Secondly, the florists could survive without the big website. CL's agencies would have to sign contracts with another list provider or collapse if the umbrella website went down. Assuming people will be cooperative once money starts rolling in (or not) doesn't seem like a good way to run a business IMHO. Who knows, maybe the CL agencies were altruistic at one time too.

Also, I think the idea of an agency being able to leave its connection to the hq is more complicated than you make it out to be. The hq gets money from the men, the agency from the women (it might be a zero amount). If there are current relationships going on when an agency decides to leave, you have a real mess as far as determining which company is obligated to pay for continuing emails, translations, etc. Once the agency is connected to another list provider, does the agency have to compensate the hq for the loss of revenue? There are too many scenarios to list here, but you get the idea of how bad things would be for a business which is marketing its reputation as a selling point. A much easier way to settle things is to force the agency holder to sell his "franchise," and if he wants to go into the same business with another umbrella company, that's fine. But the agency name and its clients stay with the original company.

Honestly, as far as #6 goes... the way I see this playing out is that one person (maybe two, but unlikely) with business acumen, drive, and investment capital will set up the main office and a satellite, and maybe one other team will open a satellite. As time passes more teams may be added, but like with most projects people will talk themselves out of it once they realize the amount of work/money/stress involved. So I don't think that's as big of an issue as you may think. This lessens the impact of #5 as well.

Really, AFAICT the main things which need to be done at this point are research oriented. IMO the first real step is for the person who wants to run the hq to consult with a lawyer in China. The internet is only useful to a certain extent.

I'd be willing to do a prototype because a) I have time; b) I have the skill set; and c) I think it would help people maintain focus and interest in the discussion. A tangible product is easier to critique than an abstract business model, at least on an internet forum.

[Martin]

Maybe it was already written here, and I missed it, but before moving to China and opening a marriage office, we will have to consider the Chinese Government in all of this.  The business will have to be registered.  Can it be registered by a lao wai?  Will we have to get a work visa?  How do we go about getting a work visa if we own the business?

My lao po suggested doing the agency thing on the side, while having another job as the main income (and work permit), until it really takes off.

[JimB]

I like the idea of franchises.  But if you are talking about a major scale operation liability insurance is a must.  And which country is the "host" of the business.  The main "mothership" could handle the insurance and part of the franchise fee is for inclusion in that.  I know that is just one point and there are 100 other ones to consider.  However, the franchise idea is a good one.  it keeps the "goofballs out" (for the most part anyway" And only serious minded could be included and rules can be established as how to lose your franchise.  Or sell your franchise.  Profits all go to the "morthership" with percentages as to how much business generated and so forth go back to the franchisee.
The franchise can be scaled as to how much control the mothership has.  For instance if we want to keep it loose, everything is kept at the franchise and percentages go to mother.  There again book keeping and a strong program for keeping track of "letters" of "women" and of "men".  As a lot of others have said. this is not a little issue to just take off on.

 I think I would like to do this on my own for a little bit and see how it works.  I will have the time starting in August.  I have the contacts in Beijing, Xi'an and soon in Wuhan.  I have 2 translators.  A website with a 24/7 99.9% uptime server.  A connection with Google for blasting searches.  Plus I am buying a travel agency franchise.  Mainly for myself so I can get discounts on my flights and travel.  But it will also be on the same website as a tie in.  I am also going to be selling computers and hardware on it.  I am trying to be a one stop shop. I plan on having a chat room area also for public and private chats.  And a forum.  Now having said that, I am not going to mention it again here unless someone asks.  I am not going to try and use this site as an advertising agenda. I should be up and running in a few weeks on a small scale at first.  So i will keep you all informed of my foibles and follies. lol.  

Maybe that is the way to start this off.  Each person has their own startup then after it is up and running we combine into one large corporation.  At first each individual would not be seen as a big competitor.  They probably would not even see us.  If they did they would think we are so small that so what.  Then when it is time to found the corp. it would be too late for them.  I dont know I am just spitballing here.

 Also we need to put this in a private members only type of topic.  I would not doubt we have some "spies" reading our topics to see what we are up to.  And to keep "This thing of Ours" private. :lol:  In order to  get in you have had to be "made" and do a "button" job.  :lol:

[Josh Markley]

This is something I may be interested in, if my lady is okay with it.  If she is than we could help with starting a Biejing office.  I have owned a personal training business nothing to this extent though.  But I would truly be interested in helping in anyway that I could.

[RC Campbell]

....Brothas and sisters,
..Everyone here has valid pionts, and all need to be looked at.....Here is my three cents worth;

..(1)..Make a site that can, provide a service to everyone intrested in meeting, that special person.....With selveral levels of service available.....Free for anyone to join, and you get the members to join, and free to look at profiles, (And the price goes up from there) monthly fee to have contact with women.....

..(2)..And additional fee for more advanced services, which will be directed to each seperate office, such as live chat, translation of letters, computer services for those ladies that do not have a computer.....And the service level goes up from there, you can offer English lessons for the ladies, you can offer different packages to cover whatever; from flight and hotel packages, for them to meet their lady, all the way to a complete package to assist with Immigration Lawyers, and anything else you can think of.....

..(3).. the monthly dues will cover a lot of the daily expenses, of running a office....and the incentive is to work with the serious men and women, who are here to find their life partner.....You cannot put a price on true happiness.....

..I would love to be a part of this, and willing to invest in a solid site, built on honesty, and integrity.....You can pencil me in for a office in, Changsha/HuNan, or Shenzhen/Guangdong, if either is still available.....

..Another site I have used is; AsianEuro.com   The set up there is not bad if you remember to block all of the Philippines, from your profile....and many of the women of Chnlove are registered there as well.....But for a monthly membership, I can chat with ladies in china at anytime.....That is where I have met my four chinese sisters.....And now we chat almost everyday, but the service lacks in helping the ladies that are learning English, If you go there, you have to do a China only search, for the women, or you will be dissappointed.....But you cam IM the ladies right now, if thery are online, and the ones I want to get to know, we end up chatting on Yahoo, and sending emails to each other.....And don't accept IM's from the philippines, or you will be sorry..... :lol:

..My point is look at what, all of the other sites offer, take the good things from their site, and build from that, to what we know we want to see as paying customer.....And charge a price, that we would be willing to pay for that service......Many men check out the site, and as time goes on become serious to find a Chinese wife......I have been to China twice now, and if I can make it happen, I hope to move to China, before the end of this year.....

[Arnold]

Wow , this is the first time , I actually read all of this Topic from the beginning to the end . Since I would love to move to Shanghai anyway some day , a Agency run by Chong and Myself and our Lady's sound fantastic . I will throw this by Qing and see if she is ready to move back home , after getting her Visa for America ? I am open and would love to be part of such Business venture .

[RobertBfrom aust]

Just for information my miss Y signed with Beijing Shuxin Marriage Service Center , Sign on fee was 5000 Yuan with more as a success in marriage amount , lucky we did not meet via her agency or Chnlove , but they refuse to take her page off Chnlove , so I guess I may have to visit or later complain via Chnlove or maybe they will get the message if we open an agency next door , :lol:

[stuart barlow]

If everybody's going to china to start up this new adventure there's going to be nobody left on this site,lol
i found a site which is totally free,called plentyoffish.com i think everything is paid for by advertisements and he runs it from his apartment,he has thousands on his site and dosent charge anybody a dime.
Couldbe worth looking into, to see how he did it and put something into effect here.
Then all you would need from the guys who are already there is to get ladies who are genuinely intrested and hey presto a free site for men and women alike,
its just a idea, because i dont know wether you intend to start up this new site,solely for profit
or not.