“But then COVID-19 happened and as you know, the whole world shut down,” she said.
Luckily, word about Joompa got around and the app was launched, albeit in a muted fashion.
A newer version of the app is expected to be launched in January 2023, which will include a feature that allows users to update their dating progress. For example, users who have found their perfect match can update their status with “in a relationship” or “got married”. If effective, this will help Anisa and her team track the number of couples they have brought together.
A MISSION-DRIVEN BUSINESS
Anisa said the first few months of the pandemic were the most stressful period of her life. A big part of her work was face-to-face and because COVID-19 restricted contact among people, she had “no business and zero revenue”.
Like most businesses, Date High Flyers had to find creative ways for their clients to meet and get to know each other. Luckily, some were proactive, with one 60-year-old client opting to talk with his match, a 49-year-old woman, on the phone instead.
“He preferred to talk on the phone – the old-fashioned way, you know? They would text ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ to each other, and in the evenings, they would talk on the phone. He even sent her Spotify playlists so they could listen to romantic music together,” she said.
The couple were paired in April 2020 and did not meet until August, making it a five-month courtship without seeing each other, not even virtually.
By December, they were married.
“(The dating app culture is typically) a culture for hook-ups. But for me, I’m very serious about people finding their life partner,” said Anisa.
Having a big goal to work towards is a reminder for Anisa that her company is more than a business.
“Some people build a business because they want to sell it. I can do that if I want to but I think there’s no meaning to it. When you reach a certain age, like in your 40s or 50s, your life must revolve around a purpose, a mission. Life becomes exciting because you have something to look forward to.
“When you get up in the morning, you don’t want to do something for the money. You want to do it for the freedom (that it gives you). And you want to do something that really matters because then you’ll know what to say when you meet your ‘maker’ and they ask you ‘What have you done for this world?’” she said, adding that she also wants to be a good role model for her children.
