The Scoop: In the last few years, Miami-based Barbara Black Goldfarb and Nancy Gold have cultivated a reputation as caring and collaborative matchmakers. Their boutique matchmaking firm, Elegant Introductions, has provided personalized assistance to hundreds of singles in South Florida and Boston. Now these two longtime friends have decided to expand their reach and influence by partnering with dating professionals throughout the world. They’ve launched a forward-thinking matchmaking tool called Worldwide Matchmaker to create a centralized database where matchmaking companies big and small can share their resources. Barbara and Nancy told us they believe the future of matchmaking lies in collaboration because that’s how dating professionals can maintain an impressive success rate without spreading themselves too thin.
Barbara Black Goldfarb and Dr. Nancy Gold have been best friends since childhood, but they didn’t become business partners until 2012, when they decided to start a matchmaking firm. They were pretty green at the time — Nancy said they didn’t even know there was such a thing as a dating industry — but their outgoing nature, people skills, and educational backgrounds served them well.
The two friends founded Elegant Introductions to connect high-caliber singles living on the East Coast, particularly in South Florida, where they’re based. Today, Barbara and Nancy maintain a strong matchmaking network in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Boston. Their personalized introduction service has been responsible for hundreds of matches, relationships, and marriages over the years.
Elegant Introductions has a caring and hands-on matchmaking team to support singles.
Barbara and Nancy have come a long way since 2012. In fact, this dynamic duo has become so well-known for their dating expertise that a lifestyle magazine in the Hamptons has asked them to write an advice column for singles. Barbara said many of their clients have second homes in that part of the country, so it suits their matchmaking brand to reach out to people of means and give them the advice they need to date more effectively.
These matchmakers are more than willing to share their expertise with other professionals in the dating industry. Barbara and Nancy told us that collaboration is necessary in their line of work, and they look for ways they can work with other matchmakers to create more helpful tools and give clients access to the best resources possible.
“The more we can collaborate as an industry, the better off everyone will be,” Barbara said. “The extent to which we all collaborate and pool our resources together determines our success. All boats will rise, so to speak.”
When Matchmakers Work Together, Everyone Wins
Elegant Introductions began as a collaboration between two professionals with different skill sets. Nancy drew from her background in psychology and relationship counseling to coach singles through the dating process, while Barbara used her business acumen and networking skills to build a thriving client base.
These two professionals know the value of collaboration, and they want to continue learning and growing by reaching out to matchmakers and dating professionals who share similar goals and business models. Nancy said they can help more people by referring to other leaders in the matchmaking industry and advising each other on the latest tools available.
Worldwide Matchmaker is a cutting-edge tool that helps matchmakers pool their resources.
Nancy and Barbara recently launched Worldwide Matchmaker, a business-to-business database, to connect matchmakers throughout the world and give them easy access to one another’s networks. Matchmakers can instantly grow their networks and expand their reach by joining this global project. That means more date prospects for clients and a better chance at making a successful match.
“With our database providing an endless stream of potential matches, it allows small boutique firms to efficiently increase their potential matches and improve their success rates,” Nancy said.
“We work closely with other matchmakers,” Barbara added. “We do a lot of sharing and collaborating because then everybody’s happy.”
Advising Singles in the Hamptons in a Weekly Column
A magazine editor at EastHamptom.com reached out to Elegant Introductions earlier this year to see if the matchmakers would be interested in writing a dating advice column on a weekly basis. Barbara and Nancy were definitely interested. They eagerly started tackling hot topics in the dating world, including how to spot red flags and how to keep a summer romance alive.
The column uses a question-and-answer format, so the matchmakers have the chance to hear from typical daters and address their concerns in a personable way. Some singles write in with a specific issue, while others simply want to thank the matchmakers for offering weekly encouragement and advice.
“Happiness is infectious. Keep yourself involved in what helps you stay happy, healthy, and grounded.” — Dr. Nancy Gold and Barbara Black Goldfarb
Nancy and Barbara have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to dating. They have taught workshops on everything from how to put together an online profile to the differences between matchmaking and online dating. This experience helps them formulate their thoughts in clear, concise ways and provide concrete takeaways for relationship-minded singles.
“People want to enjoy themselves on a date and not feel like they’re being interviewed,” Nancy said. “We believe a date is a date. It doesn’t have to always be about finding ‘The One’. You’ve just got to be as open as you can.”
Nancy told us there’s a lot of confusion in the modern dating scene right now — what with online dating, texting, and the #MeToo movement changing dating norms — and a lot of singles are looking for a calm voice of reason, which is what she and her longtime friend Barbara provide.
Their Personalized Approach Leads to Many Love Connections
Elegant Introductions is a concierge matchmaking firm with a personalized introduction system. Nancy and Barbara take the time to get to know their clients and understand what they’re looking for and what they need. They invest a lot of time and energy into making matches and providing feedback to ensure each client has a great experience.
Their philosophy is that dating should be easy and fun, and that approach has led to many happy endings in South Florida and Boston.
One client with the initials M.B. said she had worked with another high-end matchmaker before becoming a client with Elegant Introductions, and the difference between the two companies was like night and day. “I could tell right away that my experience with them would be different,” she said. “I was impressed by their wide social network and ties to the community.” M.B. ended up falling in love on her first introduction.
“Barbara and Nancy went above and beyond what I ever expected when I signed up with their service. They really care and are invested in their clients.” — M.B.
Many clients write to the matchmakers to say they’ve gotten engaged or married thanks to Elegant Introductions’ dating service, and those notes hit home with Barbara and Nancy because that’s exactly why they got into the dating industry. Elegant Introductions does everything possible to remove the friction, effort, and uncertainty from dating, and, judging by the team’s many testimonials, they seem to be successful.
One widow described the matchmakers as a “lifeline to a more civilized form of dating.” She said she was shy about dating after her husband’s death, but Barbara and Nancy’s support helped her get her confidence back and start a new chapter in her life.
“Barbara and Nancy are different because they genuinely care and are sincerely invested in seeing their clients happy,” said a community volunteer and former client in Miami. “It’s not a job for them. It’s a passion. They feel that helping someone find love is a mitzvah and take pride in that.”
The Elegant Introductions Team Shares Its Best Practices
When Barbara and Nancy put their heads together to launch Elegant Introductions in 2012, they made the modern dating scene a less overwhelming and confusing place for single professionals throughout South Florida. They have since fostered a quality-first dating experience that cuts out the noise and nonsense and delivers exceptionally compatible dates with no muss and no fuss.
Now Barbara and Nancy are in a position to move the dating industry in a positive direction by collaborating with other dating professionals and offering their resources to others in the industry. So far, they have had an undeniably positive influence on the dating scene, and they hope to continue helping as many singles as they can in as many ways as they can.
“You really feel you’re making a difference in people’s lives,” Barbara said. “They’s why we got into the matchmaking business in the first place. We feel the best gift you can give someone is to help them find love in their lives.”
