Wife Shopping | April Beyer

28 Apr Wife Shopping | April Beyer

As a woman who didn’t meet her husband until she was 36, it’s through first hand experience that I learned it’s not always easy to find a partner in life who will bring out the best in you, and vice versa.

“The best way to find love is not to change someone, but instead help them reveal the greatest version of themselves.” says April Beyer.

There are many women out there in their late 20’s and 30’s looking for Mr. Right in all the wrong places and sometimes we don’t discover that until later in life.  There is a better way than going to bars and clubs in hopes of finding a prince charming.  There isn’t just one Mr. Right for some as it truly comes down to a multitude of dynamics that can bring people happily together for a lifetime. Timing and maturity have a lot to do with a person’s readiness, but having a consultant/mentor can be a very powerful thing in the whole process of meeting your match.

April Beyer is the Founder and President of Beyer & Company, an exclusive Matchmaking and Relationship Consulting Firm based in Santa Monica, catering to the country’s most influential single men. Top CEO’s, successful politicians, high-profile entrepreneurs, and other sought after thought-leaders rely on Beyer & Company when finding themselves ready for love and marriage.

For more than 17 years, April has been considered the most trusted, elite, and innovative matchmaker on the West Coast, responsible for bringing hundreds of happy couples together. She has been touted by Dr. Phil as “the Best of the Best,” and voted Top Los Angeles Matchmaker by Newsweek Magazine.

She recognized early in her career that the high-volume environments common in traditional large-scale matchmaking agencies could not offer the personal care she feels clients deserve. She founded Beyer & Company in 2003 as a specialized alternative, pioneering what is today known as Personal Matchmaking. In doing so, her influence and success have inspired the entire industry to move toward a higher level of expertise, exclusivity and personal attention.

April curated her team and designed Beyer & Company specifically for highly successful, seriously marriage minded men.  Unique in her approach, April gets to know each client personally, emphasizing preparation, soul-searching, and open communication as the recipe for chemistry and connection in love. A trained Meisner practitioner, April has a powerful ability to relate to clients in an unusually skilled yet comfortable manner, bringing clients to a new awareness of their desires and needs regarding affairs of the heart.  The matchmaking process and its success is a testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts

FOCUS Magazine recently had the opportunity to interview April Beyer.

How did you start your career in the business of professional matchmaking?
I started out by working with a fairly large matchmaking company in Los Angeles and after spending 6 years I left as the company was heading into a more corporate direction. I took some time off and realized that when it comes to the search for love and relationship, clients really needed a more personal, hands on level of service then most matchmaking firms could offer.  I work with a select group of men each year and am always very selective with the men I choose to conduct searches for. I tend to become a friend, trusted advisor and therapist to my clients. Since it’s a job so personal in nature, it’s important that my clients like me as much as I like them. After all, I become a part of their lives and journey. I take a more holistic approach with what I do and that means knowing quite a bit about past relationships, family, friends, career and lifestyle.

Do you believe in soul mates?
I believe in soul mates for certain times of our lives. I do think people should be getting married later in life, because who could be your soul mate at 25 can be an entirely different type of person when you reach 40 or 50.  We evolve as we mature and this should be taken into consideration when choosing a partner.

What should people do to prepare for success in their relationships and marriages?
Marriages are most successful when two people come together who have become the best version of themselves before getting married. It’s challenging for me to separate the Matchmaker from the Dating Coach because so many of the relationships I’ve inspired have needed a little push in the right direction and would not have made it with just a simple introduction. I teach singles how to be authentic in their dating life, practicing self-awareness and having a solid foundation and knowledge of how they are being received and perceived. I can proudly say that I have only a 1% divorce rate, and that’s primarily due to the fact that I take the time to help my clients choose the best mate for their future.

What information do the clients get about the women they are being introduced to?
My clients are sent full profiles after we have carefully vetted and personally interviewed the women we have in mind for them. The profiles include photos, family and relationship history and pretty much anything we learned during our meetings. It never feels like a blind date but rather an introduction to a woman we have met and really like. We also have a phone call with our clients to discuss the match in detail and always have a thorough follow-up process post date. Feedback is always shared and helps us to continually refine our search.

How do you manage expectations for both the women and men you speak with?
This is a journey, not a destination. We don’t just set up random dates so the expectation of having a profile in their inbox every day is not realistic. Unfortunately, online dating sites and dating apps have created a dependency on instant gratification with the ability to look at hundreds of photos and profiles at a time. This is too time-consuming for our type of clientele and not an effective way to date. We take all of the work and mistakes out of that type of dating and provide a more thoughtful and careful approach. My clients do not receive an introduction from me unless my team and I are excited about a possible match. If I meet with a new potential client and I think his expectations are unreasonable, then I simply won’t take him on as a client. I have to feel I can be successful with a client in to begin working with him. We don’t waste anyone’s time.

What do you look for in the women who might be right for your clients?
First and foremost, a woman who is beautiful inside and out, intelligent, feminine, healthy in mind, body and spirit, confident and ready for a significant relationship. Confidence can make a woman so much more beautiful.  It’s also the number one most requested trait from the men I meet. Beauty truly comes from within and when a woman is confident she possesses an attractive and sexy quality that my clients gravitate towards.    

We receive hundreds of profiles each month, and we invite only a handful of women into our office to meet with us. Essentially, I’m wife shopping!

Can you give us a profile of your typical client?
Our average client is between the ages of 38 and 55.  He is educated, successful, athletic, and marriage minded. The men we work with are very dedicated to the search as it’s a substantial financial and emotional commitment.

How do you find the women for your network?
Actually, more often that not, the women find us! I advertise, I’m active on social media, and host speaking engagements and seminars for women. I have a popular blog where I offer dating advice and insights from my years of experience working intimately with the caliber of men that women are dying to know and love. I’m also a regular TV personality, which brings all kinds of interesting and dynamic women into my network. Every woman we meet with knows other incredible women, so my referral network is large.

Where are most of your clients?
Most of my clients are in Los Angeles and San Francisco with just a few in other cities. I’m in San Francisco quite a bit, since half of my clients are living and working there. I welcome inquiries from all over the country, as my reach and network is actually nationwide. Many of my clients are willing and able to travel for a great match.

Do you have any final advice for someone who is divorced with children in finding their next husband?
Yes!  Take your time after your divorce. Discover what you truly want today that maybe you didn’t want when you first got married. Give yourself time to get to know people without an agenda, and find out who you are as a single person.

The team at Beyer & Co.

What does it take to be a great Matchmaker?
Being a great matchmaker is really about having intuition skills, a unique insight and vetting process. Then of course, it’s vital to have a solid foundation so that when clients inquire and invest their time and resources, you have a professional background and network to back up your promises. I see too many people getting into this business simply because they’re social and know pretty women. It’s so much more difficult and involved. It’s a serious business and one that should be handled with care and experience..

Always in demand, April maintains a nationwide media presence, and her expert advice is frequently sought after by national print, radio, online, and television shows including  MSNBC, ABC 20/20, Dr. Phil, the CBS Early Show, Good Morning America, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Martha Stewart Radio and Playboy Radio, among others.

In addition to working one-on-one with elite, professional men looking for enduring love, April is a prominent relationship coach to modern and successful women, empowering them to challenge the conventional dating advice that may be holding them back from finding love. She also shares her advice and knowledge on her popular blog Sparks!.

April and her husband Todd split their time between San Francisco and Santa Monica, where they live with their two dogs, Winston and Lucy.

Alessandra Brus
Alessandra is the managing editor of FOCUS Magazine (OC).  She was a fashion publicist before becoming a creative writer and expert in Orange County lifestyle. She is a lover of books, fashion, interior design and international travel. 

@alessandrabruswrites