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EP632: Gina Hendrix - How To Attract Billionaire Clients
33 Plays1 hour ago
“Never been one for safety. I’ve never been one to play it safe. I’ve always been a bit of a risk taker, which I think you have to be to be an entrepreneur.”
Here’s the secret to landing billionaire clients: it’s not about luck—it’s about having the guts to pick up the phone and the brains to know what to say when they answer. In this episode, we dive into the unapologetically bold strategies that can turn a nobody into the go-to person for the ultra-wealthy. Gina Hendrix, the queen of billionaire matchmaking (yes, that’s a thing), spills the tea on how she went from dialing for dreams to curating connections for the 1%. Spoiler alert: authenticity and grit trump everything else.
Gina Hendrix is a fearless entrepreneur and elite matchmaker whose client list reads like the Forbes 400. With her no-nonsense approach and a knack for turning bold moves into big wins, Gina has mastered the art of connecting high-net-worth individuals with meaningful relationships. Her story is proof that a little nerve and a lot of hustle can lead to some seriously exclusive company.
Expert action steps:
1. Be fearless and take risks. Embrace a bold approach in business and be willing to take calculated risks, as these are essential traits for successful entrepreneurship.
2. Maintain integrity in all your business dealings. Make integrity the cornerstone of your professional conduct, never compromising values for monetary gain.
3. Follow your passion relentlessly. Pursue what excites you with dedication and commitment, even if you start without all the answers.
Learn more about Gina Hendrix:
1. Gina Hendrix’s Website: https://ginahendrix.com
2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matchmakerginahendrix
3. TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matchmakerginahendrix
4. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoxooljvh9q7dA98-G9M1sg
Books by Gina Hendrix:
• The Great Man Hunt https://a.co/d/csfher9
• Stop Being a Bitch and Get a Boyfriend https://a.co/d/7lXbhNG
Visit eCircleAcademy.com and book a success call with Nicky to take your practice to the next level.
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Transcript
The Unexpected Entrepreneur
00:00:03
Speaker
I didn't know what I was doing. I certainly, at that point, didn't consider myself an entrepreneur, although I do now. I just knew that I had a passion, again, a passion for it. And I literally went all in. In the beginning, it it was challenging. But I just was determined that this was going to be what I was going to do. And I hung on. You know, not a lot of people can say they started their business by cold calling billionaires. I had to learn, man. You know, when they say, you know, you're building the plane as you fly it type of thing, that's kind of exactly what I was doing.
Podcast Introduction
00:00:36
Speaker
Welcome to the Thought Leader Revolution with Nikki Ballou. Join the revolution. There's never been a better time in history to speak your truth, find your freedom, and make your fortune. Each week, we interview the world's top thought leaders and learn the secrets of how they built a six to seven figure practice. This episode has been brought to you by eCircleAcademy.com, the proven system to add six to seven figures a year to your thought leader practice.
00:01:03
Speaker
Welcome to another exciting episode of the podcast, The Thought Leader Revolution. I'm your host, Nicky Baloo.
Meet Gina Hendricks
00:01:10
Speaker
And boy, do we have an exciting guest lined up for you today. Today's guest is someone with an A-list pedigree from Tinseltown. I am speaking, of course, of none other than the no one, the only, the legendary, Gina Hendricks. Welcome to the show, Gina. Well, I'm glad to be here. Thanks for having me. My pleasure.
00:01:36
Speaker
ah So Gina, the people who listen to this show are entrepreneurs. These are the men and women who've got the courage to go out there and dare to dream and make their dreams come alive. They listen to this show not because I'm here every week. They're here because of you. They want to learn from you. They want to become better humans because of you. They want to become better entrepreneurs because of you. But before they can open themselves up to you,
00:02:02
Speaker
They have to get to know you. So tell us your backstory, how you get to be the great Gina Hendricks.
Past Careers and Passions
00:02:10
Speaker
Well, goodness, let's see. I've had three careers. I am and I'm going to try to make this brief. I was a flight attendant for Delta Airlines for nine years. But then I really my goal with being a flight attendant was to leave Memphis and live in L.A. That was my master plan. So I was in LA flying, I was a flight attendant. And then I have always had like this passion for fashion. I've always followed my passions, passion for Los Angeles, passion for fashion. Then I became a celebrity wardrobe stylist. I did that for 10 years, dressing all the celebrities. But ultimately,
00:02:42
Speaker
I've always been a connector and I love connecting people with anything you can think of, animals, people, how's it, whatever, you name it, jobs, it doesn't matter. I'm a connector. And so in the early 2000s, I discovered online dating and I wanted to start my own online dating site. but That was big and and a big beast to to tackle. So somebody suggested, Gina, why don't you think about being a traditional matchmaker? And yeah, I loved styling, but there there was like feast or famine constantly with styling. So I just.
00:03:14
Speaker
I went all in. I read the book somebody gave me and I just went all in on it. And I never I never looked back. I didn't know what I was doing. I certainly at that point didn't consider myself an entrepreneur, although I do now. um i I just knew that I had a passion again, a passion for it.
00:03:34
Speaker
And and I literally went all in in the beginning. It was challenging, but I just was determined that this was going to be what I was going to do. And and I hung on with everything I got. I had. And ah and here I am 16 years later.
Embracing Independence
00:03:50
Speaker
Well, cool. Let's break down your back story some more. So fly the 10. Yes. For Delta Airlines, Delta Airlines. So. Walk me through your thinking there.
00:04:01
Speaker
I wanted to leave Memphis. I was going to school ah at at Memphis State. It was called Memphis State back then, Memphis State University, um which is now University of Memphis. And I was cocktailing in the lobby bar of the Peabody Hotel. But I had always, even as a kid, been obsessed with Los Angeles and just used to beg my mother to move us to Los Angeles, but she never did.
00:04:21
Speaker
And then one day I discovered there was a ticket counter for Delta Airlines in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel where I was cocktailing. And and I put in the application. I said, do you have a base in L.A.? They said, yes, we do. I put in the application. I was the last person out of my class, my training class, to get based in L.A. And then my first dream was realized I was living in L.A. Wow. So what had you leave that and get into this whole world of being a stylist to celebrity
00:04:51
Speaker
never liked flying to be honest with you i've never you know for me i've never had fortunately i've never had to have a nine to five job um and i've never really worked in any kind of a corporate atmosphere other than when i was flying that was corporate. You did have to play by the rules. You did have to, you know, look a certain way. And it never suited me. um I've always been somebody that marches to the beat of my own drum, kind of make it up as I go along. And that doesn't fit being a flight attendant. Being flight attendant is very similar to being. I've never been in the military, but they have those very strict rules and regulations. um And so, you know, I loved the camaraderie of flying. I loved the other flight attendants. I loved seeing different parts of the US. I mostly did United States.
00:05:36
Speaker
um But it just didn't suit me as a human. It didn't suit my my ah flair for, you know, kind of I do have like a design kind of art artistic element to to me. I still do, even though now I'm a matchmaker, but I kind of blend it. So
From Styling to Matchmaking
00:05:54
Speaker
it just didn't didn't suit me. And so I was living with a guy at the time who was an art director for music videos. So he was art an artist and in that atmosphere,
00:06:04
Speaker
And I'd always loved style, always loved getting compliments on my wardrobe. And ah but I didn't know how to get into that business. But through dating him, I got access to wardrobe stylists. I started assisting them even though I was flying. So I was flying. But then I was also like doing the styling thing on the side. And then it ended up I actually hurt my back on the airplane.
00:06:26
Speaker
And um I got a herniated disc and I could have gone back to flying and a lot of ladies do, but for me, I kind of saw it as my sign to to get out, you know, so I essentially went on permanent disability from flying and that kind of facilitated jump starting the styling career.
00:06:46
Speaker
And the styling career is perfect for somebody with a bad back because you could stand and you could sit and you could, you know, it wasn't like you were either standing all day or sitting. So it worked. And I loved styling. I was in my element and I still miss it, but I didn't. enjoy the ups and downs of not knowing when I was going to get my next gig or get my money from the agencies that represented me and things like this. And and so just frustrated after 10 years of being a stylist and again, not knowing when your next gig is coming along again, I discovered online dating. And so that then became the next passion that I that I
00:07:26
Speaker
that took hold of me, I should say. I didn't take hold of it. It took hold of me. And I just followed it down the rabbit hole. I just follow my passions. I follow my passions. I always have. So, you know, when you say you didn't like corporate with all its strict rules and regulations, I mean, I can relate to that because that's that was me. I worked in corporate for a while and I hated it. Well, like being told what to do, you know, um always wanted to march the tune of my own drummer. And I just.
00:07:55
Speaker
I had to get out of that and become my own man. You know, have a business, have a company. Now, do I answer to people? Sure, I answer to my clients, I answer to my family. You know, ah I answer to God.
00:08:09
Speaker
but I didn't have to answer to some sniveling bureaucrat who got their jollies out of enforcing the rules and didn't really have any interest in making me a better person, me better at what I do. So when you said, I just never liked those rules and rights, I can just see you know a young Gina Hendricks going, yeah, man, you're an idiot. I don't want to listen to you. You're not you're not making anything better for anybody. not Not the company, not me, not you.
00:08:39
Speaker
Right. And I think these days they've loosened up a little, but it's still, you know, you're in you're still in corporate America. And if you're in corporate America, you've got to play the game. And I think while your point is, you know, valid, just like you, I have clients that are essentially my bosses in a way, it's not it's not a corporate structure. It's still somebody to answer to, of course. And I think.
00:09:04
Speaker
Everybody has somebody to answer to, like you said, to God or family or whatever. That's different. That's different than being like a little robot. You know, it's totally different. Yeah, 100 percent. I'm not good at being a robot. and And even when I have clients that come along, because, you know, I work with men for matchmaking, it's only men who hire me. But um You some of those guys, they all show up with different personalities and some are more of the laid back entrepreneur. Some come from a more corporate background and and I have to kind of navigate those personalities. But at the end of the day, it's still my business and I get to call the shots. I had no idea what an entrepreneur was. I had no idea. And I just sort of figured it out as I went along. So being a stylist, you were part of like ah a union with an agent. Is that how that worked?
00:09:56
Speaker
Well, I never, you know, the irony was just as I was about to get out of styling and and I had just started my matchmaking. So I was just literally making the transition. um I I got it accepted into the union, but I never had 10 years to get accepted into the union. Yes, because I started out in fashion. So I started out as a ah celebrity fashion stylist, which the way you get in the union is more TV and film. So I was in more of the print world dressing celebrities for red carpets, magazines, these kind of things. And there's not a union for that um or it wasn't then. But you did. But I did have agencies that like you would be with like a hair makeup styling agency. So I would have different agents that represented me, but it wasn't a union. They were just
00:10:43
Speaker
You know, it's just an agency that where production companies or celebrities, ah managers and agents would would book you through your agent type thing. And so, yeah, there wasn't. And yeah, I thought that was the funniest thing. After all those years, I I wasn't even going to take this last movie. So I so I had already started my styling, but it was I mean, sorry, I started my matchmaking, but it was very early days. I was still trying to figure it out and get clients. And then somebody came along and said, Gina, we're doing this movie in Sherryport, Louisiana.
00:11:12
Speaker
and And it's with ah Val Kilmer, Sharon Stone, and 50 Cent. do You know, we would love for you to come costume designer. I was like, I'm pretty starting my, but then I was, I needed the money. And so I went, I did that. And from that movie, it made me eligible to get in the union, but I didn't. i You know, I guess at that point, honestly, I could have gone back to to the safety, but I've never been one for safety. I've never been one to to play it safe. I've always been a bit of a risk taker, um which I think you have to be to be an entrepreneur. Yeah, it's actually a good phrase. Never been one for safety. I might call the episode that that's a good that's a good phrase. It'd be a good episode title.
00:11:58
Speaker
So not I get you didn't like flying. i get That's why you you were happy to get out of it into this world of fashion styling. But what was enticing about it? What made you stay in it for 10 years?
00:12:13
Speaker
Oh, the styling suited me perfectly. I love clothes. I love ah I just love style. I love, you know, I've never been like a designer. I can't necessarily design a clothing item, but I love putting the pieces together that work and transforming everything about someone. You know, you can take them from, you know, dud to stud or, you know, you you just can and And you know, it's interesting to come full circle with matchmaking. It's like ah it's so much easier to change the exterior of someone and radically change their lives with just this than thinking you can somehow remake the interior of a person. You know, we are who we are at our core. yeah
00:13:00
Speaker
I think that, you know, you put somebody in a different outfit and all of a sudden they look sexy. They go from frumpy to sexy or they, you know, and so I love I just love that. I still love fashion. I still love styling, even though I don't do that as a career. But what I do do now in matchmaking is it does come full circle. So I have a coaching business where I now help women elevate
Fashion Philosophy
00:13:23
Speaker
their style to attract the men they want. So I get my you know, I get that kind of ah artistic layer from there and then ah and then I help my guys if they need it. you know Most of my guys don't need the help with styling, but sometimes they do. So I get to kind of still combine the style the style stuff that I love.
00:13:43
Speaker
Well, look, I'm just seeing you over the camera right now. And most of the folks who listen to my podcast do it on audio only, although I want to change that in the new year and become much more video focused. But I look at you and I go, yeah, that's a stylish lady. You know, she's she's got a hair down the right way. It frames her face in a way that's like flattering to her face. You've got makeup, but it's not overpowering makeup. You know what I mean? It's it's designed to kind of make you look um professional.
00:14:09
Speaker
you know, beautiful, sexy and yet approachable. That's kind of what I got from you. The instant I looked at you and the way that you're dressed, it's casual, but it's also very stylish and elegant at the same time. So like when you say to me, yeah, I get fashion, I get clothes, I get style, you go, yeah, she does just from the way she presents herself and the way she speaks. and and And even the energy and the inflection of the words that you use, it all has a certain style to it. And I think style is something everybody needs and in the world of entrepreneurship and and and frankly thought leadership because this is the thought leader revolution. We interview the world's thought leaders, the top thought leaders, the real experts in their space. um That matters. That matters a great deal.
00:14:55
Speaker
ah and um even for myself like when I'm at home before coming on the podcast and I'm i'm working from home today I'm using you know little in-home podcast studio is wearing a t-shirt and a pair of Levi's right but cra coming on this show I'm like nope you're gonna go get your fitted shirt That's how I was, too, Nicky. I was like, I got I took a nap with my dogs really quick. And I was like, and now I've got my look on. And here we are together with our collared shirts. There you go. There you go. So before we move on to the next piece. So if you are advising me on my fashion, my look, what am I doing? Well, what do i what can I do better?
00:15:40
Speaker
I know it's over the camera, we're not in person, but just roll with it. Like, I can only barely see you. I mean, I see you from like your upper chest up, so I have a limited, but I mean, at a glance, I'm not personally a fan of patterns.
00:15:56
Speaker
So for the ladies, I always tell them to go with solids like solids, no patterns. And I think it's a little bit sheaker of a look for men to also go with solids. So like a crisp, solid white dress shirt or even I mean, there's nothing almost nothing sexier than a man in a solid black dress shirt and no sign or sheen to it. You know what I mean? Just a nice kind of thicker weight cotton ah dress shirt. Oh, how did you look?
00:16:25
Speaker
And Zoom does. and That was awesome. If you do something with your head look, I think if you do this look. Yeah, yeah, it does that. that to Zoom is like that. That's wild. Yeah, ah that was a fun surprise. um Anyway, so i I that's kind of the advice. And I, you know, I don't like short sleeve dress shirts on man. I think that looks and you're not, though. You're wearing I know you're wearing a long sleeve shirt. But I'm just saying in general, if I'm going over in my head, like, you know, it's so funny. I set a client up recently with this woman and he's in Florida.
00:16:54
Speaker
And I made him put on because his go to is like a short sleeve dress shirt or, you know, some sort of short sleeve shirt. And I like sleeves. I think it gives a more polished look. Right. Even if you roll up the sleeves a little bit, it's just a more of a polished look. So i how dare I and made him wear a long sleeve shirt? And he was like, oh, it was so hot during dinner. And my assistant said, Gina, does he not know what women go through with our heels and our Spanx and all the stuff we have to go through to look to look great for a date, and all he had to do was put on a long sleeve shirt. but um But yeah, I think a solid long sleeve dress shirt, you can't go, you'll never go wrong with that.
00:17:35
Speaker
So more solids rather than patterns. I like solids, but i I also like patterns, too. I wear a lot of pattern stuff, but I can I can see that from a professional point of view. It could. could your as me I mean, I think it just looks. Listen, I'm not saying that this doesn't look good, but if you want to be chic, a little more chic, do you say I'm wearing like the solid? And look, I practice what I preach, right? I'm wearing a solid black long sleeve, as I say it. i'm like Oh, wait, I'm I'm wearing what I'm talking about. Yeah, I think it I think it could look it looks to this, you know, can look sexy. And but I think don't you think if I had on a patterned shirt, it might not look as sexy. Do you say this looks kind of chic and classic and timeless? It does. It does. You definitely got all that going on. like All right. So um that's good. That's good advice. I like it. I like it. It's ah it's definitely good and cool. um
00:18:30
Speaker
simple it's so simple you know it's funny but like I'll wake up in the mornings and just walk the dogs and if I want to create like a kind of a chic look and we're going with that word she if I want to create a chic look with minimal effort I do like some kind of loose Loose low jeans loose jeans, let's say, but it's not really about the jeans or I'll do. You could do a sweater. You could do a jacket. But what really cinches cinches the deal is I have these blue frame sunglasses. It's kind of clear lenses. And I wear this like straw brim hat. You put on the hat and you put on those blue glasses.
00:19:05
Speaker
I can wear anything from the neck down and it instantly makes me look chic. And I can't tell you how many compliments I get. And I've literally rolled out of bed and I have no makeup on or anything. So it's just tiny little things that you can do. You don't have to go over the top or even spend a lot of money. You just have to do little things here in the air to just polish your look and bring it together. Cool. OK, now I appreciate you're going to ask Nikki.
Cold Calling Billionaires
00:19:27
Speaker
No, I mean, listen, here's my secret, Gina. I do two podcasts, Thought Leader Revolution and Sovereign Man. Thought Leader Revolution has over 620 published episodes. Sovereign Man has approached in 165, 66 published episodes. So we're we're approaching 800 episodes.
00:19:49
Speaker
so One of the cool things about having an interview format um series of podcasts is I get to learn from my guests. I want to learn from my guests. This is one of the things I admire about Joe Rogan as a podcast host.
00:20:07
Speaker
is he is curious, he asks questions, he wants to learn. And I thought, damn, it's an opportunity to learn from a real expert. Like I get a coaching session for free. You know what I mean? I get to learn about a new arena.
00:20:20
Speaker
um so i'm I'm in a long term committed relationship with a very lovely woman. So I'm i'm not in in in the market, as it were, to go ah to go find myself somebody new. But it's always good to to learn how to be my best for my lady, you know, see see what's going to get her to go, because she's very stylish. Even when she dresses plainly, she's always um looking very lovely and beautiful. You know, I'll
00:20:53
Speaker
You know, I'll show you a picture. That's exactly what I was going to do. So hold on if I can. If I can find ah who.
00:21:07
Speaker
Dude, man, I take a lot of pictures, so I apologize. What are you taking pictures of, Nikki? Well, um I take pictures of myself. I take pictures of my kids, of her.
00:21:19
Speaker
Um, she's the one you have the kids with? No, no, we are. She and I, we are post marriage. So can you see her? Oh, yes, she's beautiful. Yep. She has very classic, like, and sophisticated. She kind of looked to her. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yes. You're lucky guy, Nikki.
00:21:43
Speaker
I'll tell you what, girl, I sure am. Ain't no lie about that. Ain't no lie about that. All right. OK, so. So this type of work, though, being a stylist was very entrepreneurial, even though you were at the whim of getting other people to hire you to do jobs, it was entrepreneurial. It wasn't like you had a steady nine to five type of job. There was a gig that hired you and they paid you and.
00:22:10
Speaker
you I think you like the flexibility it sounds like of that but you didn't like the fact that you know you were kind of waiting on an agent to go find you business. So you got into an entrepreneur an an actual entrepreneurial um field where you could actively go out and get your own business. You didn't have to wait for someone to bestow some business your way. So is that correct? Am I getting that right?
00:22:38
Speaker
I'd say that's very true. I mean, you know, the thing is, too, for me, I I had no clue, though, about starting my own business because as a stylist, I didn't have to like formalize it as an LLC or any any kind of thing like that. But when I became a matchmaker.
00:22:54
Speaker
I had to learn about starting a business and I got a little micro business loan and I took out an ad with that money, the little bit of money I had to take out an ad in like the back of Los Angeles magazine. And and I had to do these little baby steps and I had to get contracts with my clients. And I, you know, there were things that i I had to learn, man, you know, when they say, you know, you're building the plane as you fly it type of thing, that's kind of exactly what I was doing.
00:23:21
Speaker
Why did you leave the world of being a stylist? Was it really because of the feast or famine nature of how you got paid? It really was because after 10 years, I was still in a one bedroom apartment and there would be, you know, listen, a lot of things in the media and social media and look more glamorous than it is, you know, so I would be sitting on the front row of fashion shows, rubbing elbows with all these celebrities and then not knowing how I was going to pay my rent in two weeks.
00:23:50
Speaker
I mean, that was that was normal because even though, you know, you're working, there are lulls and yeah it's not quite as it's glamorous, but very few people make it to the top in that in that field, you know, in any field, very few people. And and for for styling, you really have to be at that very, very top level.
00:24:12
Speaker
working with the biggest celebrities on a constant basis. And then the other people, it's sort of like up and down, up and down. In fact, a woman who used to be my assistant, we're still in contact. She was an assistant, a wardrobe assistant of mine. You know, she's going through a thing right now where she's in a in a drought. And, you know, it happens. It happens. So for me, that was really it. I think if I had been busy working all the time and and at that top level, making the money that I do certainly with this business,
00:24:41
Speaker
would have been different. I probably wouldn't have left. But I also do love connecting people. And I've always been good at that. I love connecting people. So you're the connector. OK, so what made you get interested in this whole dating thing? Well, like I said, I discovered online dating.
00:25:01
Speaker
dating period, online dating in the early 2000s. So there was matchmaker.com back then. And there was match dot.com. And before that, there was American Singles. And um and so it just man, I remember my upstairs neighbor where I live, she came downstairs and said, Jean, oh, my God, get on the computer. You've got to check this out. There's a thing called online dating.
00:25:22
Speaker
And we got on and we were looking at men all of a sudden in our pajamas. We were like as if we were like out mingling in the world meeting guys, except we were just doing it from the comfort of our living room. And I and i just went, wow, this is amazing. But it it wasn't cool or anything. You know, I was like, there needs to be a better way to do this. But it's so awesome how you can connect with people outside your day to day circle. I mean, I still believe in it to this day, even though, you know, that's changed a lot as well. And so I I all of a sudden, I don't know why, but all of a sudden I said, I wanted to start my own online dating site like I wanted to do it in a cooler way. bring in an element of style and and you know whatever. And so I tried off and on for seven years from 2007. Sorry, from 2000 to 2007 during the laws of styling, because like I said, it was like up and down, up and down. So during those dips where it was nothing going on, I would fire up my interest to do the dating site. And I mean, I flew to San Francisco and took meetings and I I mean, I mean, I worked hard for seven years, but I didn't make any progress because
00:26:30
Speaker
I every time I talk to somebody to get their advice, they'd give me a different way to do things. And what happened was I just essentially let fear shut me down. And so I i i was just too intimidated and too fear based to take a leap of faith to start, you know, an an actual online dating site.
00:26:50
Speaker
But a man who had been mentoring me during this time, he said, Gina, you know, we've been trying to do this online dating site for seven years and it's not working. So you might want to think about being a traditional matchmaker. And I was like, huh, that was like smaller than what I wanted to do. I was like, I wanted to conquer the world. But ah I he gave me a book about matchmakers and how to start a matchmaking business. And I don't know. I guess it was timing. I guess it was a little of everything. But I just read the book and I just made up my mind to go all in, all in. And I did. I fully went all in. So not knowing what I was going to be doing like or how to do it, but what does going all in mean? What did that look like? Walk me through that. So it meant I always start even when I started being a stylist, I got my first place I ever started was getting business cards printed up. So.
00:27:46
Speaker
When I wanted to be a wardrobe stylist, I got my business cards printed up. When I wanted to be a matchmaker, I got my business cards printed up. So I started there. And then ah and then actually, so the next thing that happened was ah this guy knew that I was just starting my matchmaking business. I had to figure out how to do it. So I had to learn about setting up my LLC. So I had to get that set up.
00:28:10
Speaker
I started selling off all my stock wardrobe because I had a whole storage unit of wardrobe stuff that I would bring on my shoot. So I started selling that. um And and this guy came to me and he said, hey, Gina, they're starting a new Internet radio show. It was called la L.A. L.A. Radio.
00:28:30
Speaker
L.A. talk radio. And he said they're looking for people to do shows, to host shows. He said, I'd like to do one. Can we do one together? And we'll talk about like men and women's views on relationships because everybody knew I love to talk about that stuff. And so I agreed to do this show with him. And then the last second he backed out and I just decided to do it anyway. So then I had a radio show on L.A. talk radio. So you do it live in studio.
00:28:57
Speaker
But then it was syndicated as a podcast. So in 2008, I started my own radio show called ah Love Life Makeovers. And much like you, Nikki, I am so curious to talk to people about things. So I had people on. I had a I had people who'd written books on relationships. I had I had actual therapists, psychiatrists. I had the the guy that I knew who was like the worked on sets with me. And he was the sex addict, cruise and check.
00:29:26
Speaker
check Craigslist for ladies and he would tell his story. I had a ligaments on you name it. I would talk about everybody. ah I would talk with everybody about every aspect of love and dating. And so I had that show and I had that show while I was then getting my credibility and building my credibility in the space.
00:29:47
Speaker
for the matchmaking, it kind of went hand in hand back then. But then I had to stop the show because I found that it was taking too much time away from what I actually needed to do, which is run a matchmaking business. Do you know what I
Building a Business
00:30:01
Speaker
mean? Because it's easy to get caught up in doing podcasts and because you got to book your guests and you got to keep up, you know. And in trying to build a brand new business and do that, I could not do both. I couldn't anyway.
00:30:16
Speaker
So I had to stop doing the radio show, which I loved, and just focus on the matchmaking. Okay. So what does matchmaking look like? who Who's a client for matchmaking? And how do you get clients? Right. So at this point,
00:30:35
Speaker
you know, it's mostly so but through my social media, through people who know me, refer people. I've never really done any advertising. I mean, barely any advertising. In the beginning, a few ads here and there, but actually, you know how I really built my business, how it really got, I kicked it into high gear, is I, in 2000, I have to think about this, i but so I started my business officially in 2008, I would say by like 2010,
00:31:03
Speaker
ten is when I realized that. The men that I was talking to a lot of times, they had they had beer budget, but champagne taste. Do you know what I'm saying? Yes, they didn't really have a lot of money, but they always wanted top level ladies. OK, and I have never had a problem accessing top level ladies, especially since my background was fashion and coming from the celebrity world.
00:31:30
Speaker
But how do I get these top level ladies to want to and go out with these men that really are not at their level? And so I just decided to work with men who had champagne budget and champagne taste. And I literally started going to all these beautiful women that I knew had access to those guys. I made a list. I googled like eligible billionaires, eligible, you know,
00:31:51
Speaker
And then i when I would meet with these women to interview them for the database, I'd whip out the list. I'd go, hey, by the way, do you know any of these guys on my list? Because I'd love to get them as clients. And the girls would say, they'd look and they'd go, yeah, I know that guy, that guy, that guy. I'd go, great. If you give me their number, their cell number, I will call them. I will pitch my business. But I promise you, I will never tell them how I got the number.
00:32:15
Speaker
And these women trusted me and I never outed any of them. And I literally was cold calling billionaire celebrities. I mean, men, you know, if you know the name Paul Allen, that's just an example. Of course, he's passed away now. That's why I can say his name. But he was somebody who I had his number for a number of years. And I would call and he wouldn't answer. And he would call. I would call and never answer. And then one day I called him. I was like laying on the couch. It had been three, four years that I've been trying to reach Paul Allen.
00:32:45
Speaker
And finally, one day, six o'clock at night, I tried the number and didn't think he was going to answer, was not even prepared to have my conversation. And he's like, hello, this is Paul. And I was like, ah Mr. Allen, I had to go into the matchmaking mode. He wasn't interested and it was fine. But ah but that's how I did it. I spent um from about 2010 to about 2017, I would say.
00:33:10
Speaker
cold calling all these guys. I would get their names and numbers from different women. It was always women. And then I would call them in and I would pitch my services. And most of the time they were super nice. If you know, but if they said they weren't interested, they'd never hear from me again. Like I was never calling them and calling them. And if they told me no, that was the end of the road. You know what I mean? But that's how I literally started the business and kicked it into high gear by cold calling billionaires.
00:33:43
Speaker
Hold Calling Billionaires. That's a way better name for this episode. Hold Calling Billionaires. And it's true. It's true. Confessions.
00:33:57
Speaker
of a celebrity matchmaker. I love it. as Confessions of a billionaires matchmaker. But if you want to, you you know, I don't know, do whatever you want. Do whatever you want. But yeah, I think it's I think I love you. You're awesome, girl.
00:34:14
Speaker
You're awesome. We're going to be pals. You and I, we're going to be pals. Good, good, good. Not a lot, you know, not a lot of people can say they started their business by cold calling billionaires. I mean, and that took a lot of nerve. I was just a little person and, you know, but, ah but here's the thing.
00:34:32
Speaker
My mother, who's 89 and sharp as a tack, when I was growing up, she I don't know what kind of you know personality disorder technically she had or has, but she would have a job for two weeks, get mad at people and quit the job. So she was constantly looking for jobs like every other week. Well, she used to get out the yellow pages and just cold call people from the yellow pages and then talk her talk her way into jobs. So I grew up like that. Do you know what I mean? So I think for me, and i since then, because seeing my mom sort of do that as a kid, I think that is kind of certainly what helped me do it for sure. Yeah, cold, cold people to get work. I mean, I think that's glorious. That's brilliant. And her name's Gloria. ah There you go.
00:35:28
Speaker
Gloria's Gloria. I love it. She'll love that, too. I'll tell her you said that. no Yeah. So I think that's kind of what gave me the idea and the confidence to do it. Although I'll be honest, I am absolutely would dread making those calls. I'd have my little list. I'd have to get dressed for it. I had to really.
00:35:51
Speaker
even though they weren't they weren't seeing me, but i had to I had to really get myself in the right mindset. I had to psych myself up. I had to get my list. I had like this whole little process. um and then you know And then just do it. And there'd be some days where I'd go, I just can't do it today. And I'd really have to psych myself up. And ah and it was great because that's how I started my business.
00:36:16
Speaker
And I was shocked at what these men would tell me over the phone. They didn't know if they were being pranked. They didn't know if they were being set up by an ex. They did not know. And some of them would just start telling me all about their love lives, the type of women they liked, women with big boobs, was you know there no boobs, ah smart women, dumb women, tall women. you know I mean, they would just just start having an honest conversation with me. But I but i never, you know the thing about me is I'm,
00:36:44
Speaker
I'm always just myself, so I've never tried to, I don't know, i'm I'm not terribly professional and I've never tried to be anybody than just me. Oh, you're very you're very professional, but you're professional and authentic at the same time. that You're exceptionally professional.
00:37:05
Speaker
Well, I am now 16 years in, right, 16 years in. But I don't know if I was back then necessarily. I get it. i I just listen to you. And like what you're doing is really unique. How you did it is incredibly unique. And um I gotta to just say something to you. So I coach people with real expertise who are thought leaders and I teach them how they can 10X and even 100X the amount of money that they make. And I'm exceptionally good at that. My superpower is helping people make a lot more money because I activate them into action. I took um i took a um
00:37:42
Speaker
I took something called the strengths finder test. Have you heard of the Gallup strengths finder? No, I have not. So this is my Clifton strengths. Clifton is the fellow who founded this for Gallup. This is my number one strength. It's called activator. You can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. You want to do things now rather than simply talk about them. I do this for myself, but I also do this for my clients. I get them into action way faster than I normally can.
00:38:08
Speaker
and I'm going to give you a little coaching of my own because you've given me so much today.
Leveraging Connections
00:38:13
Speaker
Thank you. The most valuable. um asset in your business are your relationships and connections with your clients and potential clients and even people that have said no to you. That is worth probably a billion dollars to you. Now when you tell me you've cold called billionaires, you've had high-level people that you know whose names you can't ever reveal as your clients, I'm here to tell you
00:38:40
Speaker
That's gold because you need to think of yourself not just as a matchmaker because yes, you are a matchmaker. You need to think of yourself as a high level connector because that you are well ahead of being a matchmaker and as a high level connector, those relationships are worth something.
00:38:58
Speaker
They're worth something. They're worth not a little bit. They're worth a lot. Because if you can get strategic about understanding what these people are dealing with, not just in their love lives, but in their lives period, is they open up to you. Even if they don't do business with you, I know they open up to you. Girl, you can strategically connect them with each other and get a piece.
00:39:17
Speaker
Yes, yes, that's true. I probably have a lot of things that potential rev streams that I've not even tapped into, Nikki. and Listen, these dudes, some of them would kill to be connected to some of those other dudes kill for sure. Properly trustfully introduced. You know what I mean by trustfully? I mean, they don't just meet him at a bloody cocktail party in Georgetown or in L.A. I mean, somebody like you with a relationship with both goes, hey,
00:39:46
Speaker
You and you need to be connected. I'm gonna do something for you. This is a new service I'm offering called Connecting. I'm gonna set up a meeting. You two are gonna meet. You're gonna let me run the meeting and I'm gonna connect you guys in a way that's gonna make you money. And let me tell you, those guys would be all over that. They would not only be all over that, there'd probably be people that hold you on retainer and give you money to make those kinds of connections for them. And I mean, high five figures to six figures retainers.
00:40:16
Speaker
Interesting, Nikki. I like this. I like offline. We can talk. But this is what I do. This is what I do. Yeah. No, I love it. I yeah. Because so. So if I facilitated the meeting, how do I make my money there or I don't at that point?
00:40:30
Speaker
You're not making your money at at that point yet. We got to talk about this offline because I don't want everyone to know what we're going to do because that's not good either. But I'm just telling you at ah at a very high level, the fact that you're able to make connections between people who otherwise would not easily run into each other and that you you have enough of a knowledge of who those people are, that you know what their hopes, dreams and fears are. True.
00:40:55
Speaker
you can make a connection. You just gotta to keep your eyes and ears open and you gotta be listening for when the right thing gets said by one person and then remember what you heard from the other person and go, time. Yeah, yeah, fair enough, fair enough. Look, what do men care about? Money. They care about sex and money. Yeah. Sex and money. Yeah, money and women or sex, yeah, i'm not necessarily women, everybody likes different people, but yeah. There you go. Right, so.
00:41:25
Speaker
Anyways, all I'm saying is the the you as a connector is super interesting. And by the way, because these folks trust you, if they have other issues that they need someone who is, ah shall we say, discreet and professional to deliver another service for them in another area of their life, you can make that connection and those people can pay you. Those people can pay you. So if.
00:41:52
Speaker
So and so, I don't know, is needs to lose weight and get in shape. Right. You can go, look, I'm going to connect you with my friend, you know.
00:42:03
Speaker
yeah Jennifer, Jennifer coaches people like you and gets them in shape. So, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You can trust Jennifer. Sit down and have a meeting. Jennifer sits down, makes the deal happen. And obviously, because Jennifer's dealing with a billionaire, she's not charging him $500 a month or anything like that. She's charging a lot more money. And Jennifer, for the privilege of having that connection be opened up, we'll send some money away.
00:42:28
Speaker
Yeah, no, I love it. I mean, yeah, I think you're absolutely right. Yeah, I can't I can't argue with that. I do love a good business idea. I do love a good you love people. You love connecting people. You love helping people. That's what I saw in this. And I was just going, oh, my God, she's got so many like you got one revenue stream and I'm sure it's great. But it wouldn't it be cool to open up other revenue streams in the same relationships?
00:42:50
Speaker
Absolutely. I mean, technically these days I have two revenue streams, which is men hire me for matchmaking. And then I have this coaching business where I'm working with women all over the world to help them level up in every way to kind of access these guys that they want. um So I do have those two. And what's fun, though, about the women all over the world is that I do get to help with their style. I do get to kind of, ah you know, ah help them motivate them to lose weight or just improve their life in some way. You know what? I'm going to ask you a question. I bet you know. Do you know Grant Cardone? Sure. I know who he is.
00:43:26
Speaker
I'm gonna tell you a fun story, because again, you talk about the 10X. So I was in Malibu a couple of years ago and I was just walking along and I love Grant Cardone, I've read his books, and i but I'd never met him. And so I was walking along and it's a stretch called Billionaires Beach, Carbon carbon Canyon, Carbon Beach, they call it. And I was on and i look up and there was this always this house at the very end that's always like for sale, it turns over a lot. I look up and I was like, my God. And I go,
00:43:55
Speaker
You're Grant Cardew! And he was so nice. And he was like, oh, and he brings his wife out and his kids out. And he was so nice and chat me up. And um and then he says, what do you do? And I said, well, I'm a matchmaker for like millionaires and celebrities. And he got super quiet and awkward. Then and then the moment became so awkward. And and he was like, he didn't really know what to say when he usually always knows what to say, I think. But he didn't know what to say. But but they were lovely people. And anyway, when you mentioned the 10 X, I always think about Grant Cardone.
00:44:27
Speaker
Well, there you go. So for Grant, the matchmaking part wouldn't be interesting. But if you know him, I offer an exclusive confidential service where I connect the most successful men, at people who are worth at least 250 million dollars to some of the other most successful men to facilitate relationships that are mutually profitable at the highest levels. I bet you he'd be leaning over going, what?
00:44:51
Speaker
Oh, you're right. You're right. Absolutely. Yeah, that's that's a really great idea, Nikki. i Yeah. And I definitely will talk to you more offline about all this. Yeah. Yeah. Anyways, I mean, all right. Good. So.
00:45:05
Speaker
um
00:45:08
Speaker
So you're talking to me and like, we're just going to do this as a pretend because like I said, I'm in a relationship very much in love and all that good stuff. But let's say you were talking to me and and I was, you know, someone at a potential for this. How would you run me through how all that would look? Process. OK, so so first of all, um I, where I start is I find out exactly what kind of lady the guy's looking for because I have to know that I can get him what he wants. I have to feel like the ladies, the type of ladies he wants are going to like him. So that is where I start. And usually we just start with
Coaching Women in Dating
00:45:49
Speaker
a phone call. Like a a guy will go on to my website and submit an initial inquiry.
00:45:54
Speaker
um And then from there, if I feel like the initial inquiry, you could be a good client, I'll follow up. We do do a call. On the initial call, I get more of a feel for your type of lady, just your backstory, just who you are. i kind of I'm sizing you up to see, do I like this guy? Do I not like this guy? So let's assume I like you and I feel like, okay, we can move along the next step. the Next step will be that I'll send you profiles of ladies from my database. And I try to protect everybody's privacy, so you'll see a limited profile. But the idea is not to say, hey, these are the ladies I have to set you up with right now, because, and I stress this, even though a lot of times men don't even listen, I say, listen,
00:46:35
Speaker
I don't know for sure if they're currently available because that changes like she could have been available last week and maybe just she met somebody she not and and plus I'd have to present you to her. And so I'm not saying these women are actual matches for you. Why I'm sending it is so I can get your feedback so that I can determine if if I have the type of ladies or can get access to the type of ladies that you would want. It's a it's kind of a bit of a litmus test that I'm giving my guys. I think a lot of men just think, oh, I've got money. She she will she'll sign me as a client, but I won't. My whole business has been built on the fact that I'm particular about who I work with and I'm not going to work with every guy. um ah You know, I can't I can't do that. In fact, there was a one very, very, very, very, very wealthy man who has hired pretty much every matchmaker in town.
00:47:22
Speaker
um And he's a good guy. But immediately after I started working with him like three days in, he was like up around my neck, like just would not I need freedom to do what I do. I can't have somebody trying to micromanage like I'm in a corporate job or or like up around my neck. And I just said, this is not going to work. And I and I went to the bank and the bank didn't know how to wire his money back. But I said, you got to figure out how to wire this guy his money back. So I'm very picky about who I work with.
00:47:50
Speaker
So there's back and forth of you giving me feedback on the profiles. And then the final step is you and I will, if you're not in LA, you'll do a Zoom with me. Or if you are in LA, like last night, I went and had dinner with a prospective client. Now, here's the thing.
00:48:05
Speaker
I'm also still sizing him up. I want to see how he treats the waiter. I want to see what kind of conversations he has. i want to I'm sitting there kind of evaluating him as though I'm on a date with him in a way because I just know how women are. And so then I kind of walk away and I go, can I can i help that guy? what What other kind of help?
00:48:25
Speaker
Like this guy last night needs a little bit of help with his style. He needs a little more than just matchmaking. And so I'm just I'm doing all that all the way up until we both say, yes, let's do this. Let's work together. But but it's not a sure thing just because a guy shows up with money. It's not a sure thing that I'll work with him. So these are guys who are already wealthy. So I'm assuming they've got some ability to attract a woman on their own. What makes it valuable for them to hire a matchmaker? Well, I think if it's the right matchmaker, um for me, I work very intimately with my clients. Like they're never pawned off to anybody else except me. They're really working with me. I only work with seven to eight guys ever at one time. I keep my roster very small. So it's very, very boutique.
00:49:13
Speaker
Um, but essentially the women have to go through me to get to my guys. So, you know, I've worked with my youngest clients was 25 and my oldest one has been 89 and then they're everywhere kind of in between. But, you know, they come back and they say, this is just a better use of my time because when I meet her.
00:49:36
Speaker
we already have cut to the chase where you've vetted her you've screened her you feel good about her so it's it's as close to the bull'seye as we can possibly get and all they have to show do is show up and then see if there's chemistry if that chemistry kicks in you know and i'm also not going to give access to these women that would die to meet my guys We already have cut to be watching out for. So it's it's a better use of their time, for sure. Wow, that's super cool.
00:50:13
Speaker
I had one client. It's so funny. He said, Gina, listen, the money to hire you is so worth it because I have spent so much money getting divorced from these women and they've taken so much money of my he's been married twice at that point. He said to pay you your fee so that that doesn't happen anymore. And we prequalified better. Worth it. He said totally worth it. Oh, God. Yeah, that makes sense. That totally makes sense.
00:50:37
Speaker
um It's interesting. There's a lot of men who are good at making money, but they're bad with women. For sure. For sure. Even but bad with listen even last night, the guy I was with, he's in his early 40s. He's divorced. um But like some of the things he was saying that he it's like.
00:50:54
Speaker
Some of the things he was saying that he does, like when he's dating women to test them or do this or that, I was like, uh, you can't be doing that. Like you can't be doing that. He's like, oh, that's a good point. So, you know, some and some very, very smart men who are really great in business just.
00:51:12
Speaker
They're they're so analytical that they get two in their head and they get two in their head and then and then they over evaluate or think they're going to evaluate women in certain ways that aren't applicable or aren't realistic. I mean, there's just all sorts of kooky things up. I've heard it all at this point, Nikki and just and just things that they think they're doing. I read this article and the data and statistics say this and women like this and no I'm like, listen, you can read all the data and statistics you want, but I'm coming at it from like women. I'm literally boots on the ground talking to on a daily basis. So it's different. It's different than being somebody who's just trying to research and analyze data and figure out who's right for you. There's just more to it than that. You know, there's the human element.
00:51:57
Speaker
No, it's a fascinating story. So tell me a little bit about the coaching for the women, because that's obviously different. It's different. And I love it so much because matchmaking, listen, matchmaking is hard. I'm not going to lie about that. its You know, men, the men I work for are extremely picky. So the majority of women, and I'm honest with the ladies, the majority of women, I can't set up with my guys. My guys are very picky. Women are picky too, but I only work with a few guys. So this other side is so exciting to me because I'm helping women all over the world.
00:52:26
Speaker
at all stages of their lives. Some of them are in their 70s still wanting to meet somebody. Some are just starting to date at 22. um and so But basically the framework I use is the dating apps. So because I don't want to give them like pie in the sky coaching.
00:52:45
Speaker
What I really realized and discovered is that I need them to get on the dating apps because on the dating apps is where I can see they show me how they're presenting themselves. I usually fix that. It's usually their pictures. They try on outfits for me. I start with the wardrobe. I get to do my styling stuff and then they show me men that they're choosing and I get to tangibly see their choices and I see everything they're doing in all the different phases. Right. And then I go in and I just I'm going to use your phrase, I 10 X their dating. I may actually steal that. um I 10 X their dating and their love lives. You know what I mean? From from A to Z, from how they're showing up, how they look to the men they're choosing, to how they communicate, to everything getting out on dates and and and being able to access and meet the best men that they want to meet. The framework we use, though, is the dating apps.
00:53:39
Speaker
And it's working it's working. Even when they go, there's no good men on the dating apps. Here's the thing. All roads lead to the dating apps these days. It just does. It just does. There's no getting around it. You know, it's really funny. When I and got married in 2002, we got separated in 2009. I briefly dated and I met Teresa, my lady now in 2011. Actually, I met her in 2010. We started dating in 2011.
00:54:06
Speaker
and I went on dating apps and I went on a few dates with women and none of them really worked. I met Theresa at the gym, perfect you know. Right. And it's, if I found myself single today, I've got no idea how to go about the dating business. I got friends of mine who go on dating apps and do all this and they tell me about Tinder and Swipe Right and all this kind of stuff.
00:54:36
Speaker
Oh wow, it's a world that's beyond me right now, I gotta tell you.
Modern Dating Challenges
00:54:41
Speaker
Well, in dating, it has become more complicated than ever for a number of reasons you have. So now you have like this this climate with the Me Too movement. And so a guy who's now walking up to a woman at a grocery store at a gym, she's like, oh, what, you know, you know, creeper or what or maybe not. It could go either way. You just don't know. Right. That's the thing. And a lot of good guys don't want to just walk up and approach a woman mainly because they don't want
00:55:09
Speaker
to not be PC because they never know what women want or don't want these days. It's very confusing, right? And they don't. And then the and then the dating apps are a really great way to access women. But yeah, it's kind of a numbers game. You got to know how to filter. You got it. I call it the dating Olympics because if you show on a dating app these days and you're just low level, then you're never going to be connecting with the people that you really want to meet. You've really got to show up as if you're competing at the Olympics, for God's sakes, you know,
00:55:39
Speaker
No, you got to be showing like you're the top of the heap from that perspective. And people underestimate that all the time. Thank God I got a sweet honey. Hang on to her, Nikki. Hang on to her. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. So Gina, it's been really great having you here. So if someone wants to get a hold of you and find out about your services, what do you want me to send them?
00:56:01
Speaker
Appreciate it. They could go to my website, which is Gina Hendrix dot com, or they could look me up on social media. I think YouTube, Instagram, TikTok. It's matchmaker Gina Hendrix. And they will find me. Matchmaker Gina Hendrix. OK, cool. That's good.
00:56:20
Speaker
um We end off every single one of our podcast episodes by asking you as our guest expert, what are your top three expert action steps?
Top Three Advice
00:56:30
Speaker
These are your three best pieces of advice in bullet point form to help my listener. What say you? Be fearless. Have integrity. Follow your passion. I'm thinking about the three things that have gotten me to where I am.
00:56:49
Speaker
Be fearless, have integrity, follow your passion. These are all really great. Never compromise your integrity for money. That's a huge for me. That's that's been one of the cornerstones of my business. You know, that's what gets people in trouble when they when they compromise and they're willing to sell their soul for money. That's going to come back. good yeah It's not good. Not good. Doesn't feel good. It's not good. no So, Gina, it's been great having you on the show. Thanks so much for coming. It's really terrific.
00:57:19
Speaker
Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, you bet. That wraps up another exciting episode of the podcast, The Thought Leader Revolution, to find out more about today's guest, the one and only Gina Hendricks, a matchmaker to the billionaires. Go to the show notes at the thought leader revolution dot com or wherever you happen to listen to this episode, be it iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Audible, YouTube, Rumble or what have you. Until next time. Bye bye.
00:57:52
Speaker
This episode has been brought to you by eCircleAcademy.com, the proven system to add six to seven figures a year to your thought leader practice.