Tennesha Wooden is within the enterprise of matchmaking. Her firm, The Broom Checklist, focuses on matching “educated, profitable, marriage-minded Black singles” — a distinct segment that she believes has ample room to develop. This week on the Mompreneurs podcast, Wooden shared her journey in celebrating Black love, rising her shopper listing, and the way motherhood modified how she sees the world.
Wooden loves what she does and cherishes each win. From a profitable first date to saying “I do,” she’s cheering on her purchasers from the sidelines. “I don’t suppose there’s something extra necessary than the particular person you find yourself with,” Wooden advised Mompreneurs host Nancy Redd. “What’s in the end going to make or break your happiness is who you spend on a regular basis with.”
Wooden found a ardour for bringing folks collectively.
All of it started when Wooden moved to San Francisco for her company gross sales job. She was new on the town and relationship folks she met on web sites like Match and OkCupid (earlier than relationship apps took over). “A whole lot of them had been good, however simply not my particular person,” she mentioned.
As she went on extra dates, even when they didn’t work out, Wooden found a ardour for bringing folks collectively. “That’s form of the way it began, by hooking up my pals with folks I had personally vetted by occurring a date with them myself,” she mentioned.
After showing on the fact tv collection #BlackLove— “a Black Intercourse and the Metropolis if you’ll,” that adopted 5 ladies exploring love and relationships in New York Metropolis — Wooden noticed a chance. “It was actually optimistic. There was a relationship coach, there was a therapist. We had been all at completely different levels,” she mentioned. “That is what led me to figuring out this could possibly be a profession. Folks work in love — it actually opened my eyes to that. After that I used to be similar to, yeah, this company 9-to-5 is just not for me.”
Supply: Tennesha Wooden / Tennesha Wooden
Wooden left the company world behind to pursue matchmaking.
By November 2020, The Broom Checklist was born. “I’d at all times had the concept for a matchmaking firm known as The Broom Checklist after, , leaping the broom,” she mentioned.
Wooden’s matchmaking course of provides a baseline standards for clientele. To affix The Broom Checklist, a shopper should be aged 28 or older, prepared for a long-term relationship or marriage, and college-educated with a minimal six-figure earnings. “Typically I do get pushback on that, notably on the earnings and the schooling piece,” Wooden acknowledged. “However the majority of individuals I work with, that’s what they’re searching for.”
“Most significantly although, is the readiness for one thing long-term and dedicated,” she added. “And it’s via the vetting course of that I’m figuring out that.”
Every shopper goes via an intensive vetting course of to start out. From discussing their relationship histories, to touring their dwelling environments, to talking with family and friends — it’s about getting an entire image of who they’re. “By the top of it, I really feel very near my purchasers, as a result of I do know them so properly even in a brief period of time,” mentioned Wooden. “We go deep.”
Motherhood modified her mindset.
The brand new mother of 17-month-old Easton shared how motherhood modified her mindset. “Who I’m as an individual and the way I see folks, I’m simply much more empathetic,” she mentioned.
A tough lesson to study was to have a good time progress fairly than perfection. “One other problem for me is letting go of the concept that one thing must be excellent,” she mentioned. “I spotted that I’m going to burn out if I maintain on to this concept of perfection in every part I do. Whether or not that’s being a mother or being an entrepreneur, the concept of perfection has to exit the window.”
She is manifesting extra Black love tales.
From her vantage level, Wooden sees loads of alternatives and potential for development in her discipline. “I’d love for there to be extra Black matchmakers which might be specializing in Black professionals. I feel there’s room for everyone, there’s room to develop, and it’s wanted,” she mentioned.
“I’d like to see not simply The Broom Checklist, however the house of matchmaking for Black professionals, develop.”
Each week, we have a good time lovely Black entrepreneurs who’re concurrently superb enterprise moguls and superior mothers. We hearken to their life tales and provoking recommendation. Catch new episodes of Mompreneurs each Monday on MadameNoire‘s YouTube channel. Or hearken to the podcast on-line at Urban1Podcasts.com.
