Love My Job: Dating Company CEO

The road to entrepreneurship is often one that is stumbled upon. In life, we often see ourselves taking a different career path than we originally intended. Our next guest, shares her story of how she did just that…

Please introduce yourself to our readers…

I’m Lori Cheek, a NYC based architect turned entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of Cheekd– a mobile dating app that makes missed connections obsolete. After working in architecture, furniture and design for 15 years, I came up with an idea that lead me into the NYC World of Dating and Technology and am now solving missed connections. I completely threw away my design career and I’m no longer building structures, I’m now building relationships.

Can you tell us what company you work for?

Cheekd

What is your title there?

Founder and CEO

What are the exact responsibilities of your job?

I focus my day to day efforts on business development, customer acquisition, marketing and public relations.

What is it about your job that makes you love it?

Cheekd has been the most powerful thing that’s ever happened to me. Building this business has been an incredible learning experience. Despite the occasional overwhelming stress, it’s been loads of fun. I feel like I’m living the American Dream—I’ve given birth to an invention. I’ve built a brand and a company and thousands of people are using the service all over the world. It’s the most rewarding feeling.

What particular skills or talents are most essential to completing your tasks?

I’ve learned some very valuable lessons by building a business. I feel like I’ve practically given myself an MBA (which would have initially come in handy), but the main lesson I’ve learned is not to underestimate the amount of work, perseverance and dedication it will take to succeed. The trait that has taken me this far could ultimately be my relentless determination to succeed.

What level of education would you say is required to perform your role?

As a trained architect, I had no idea what I was getting into building a business but I’ve taken a crash course by building one. I couldn’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve failed over the past several years. I’ve learned to welcome mistakes and even joke that I’ve learned so much from them that I’m going to keep making more of them on purpose so I keep getting smarter. If I’d known what I know now… I just wish someone had told me the importance of having a technical co-founder on board when I began building my business. I had a team, but the two gentlemen I brought on had the same exact background. I didn’t need two of the same skill sets. The technical aspect of my business has been one of the bigger challenges I’ve faced and it’s the one thing I definitely would have approached differently from day one. Shuffling around equity, I’ve acquired a talented CTO and we’re ready to ramp Cheekd up to the next level. When building a business, it’s important to surround yourself with a talented and trusted team that feel as passionately as you do about what you’re building.

Do you find that you bring your work home with you? (And is that a good or bad thing?)

I’m miraculously somehow always working. Although I never stop, I love what I do, so I’m loving every minute of my day. In the mix of my week, I make sure to set aside time to chat on the phone with my parents almost every day (usually while I’m walking somewhere in Manhattan) and I hang out with my girlfriends for either happy hour or a scrabble meetup I often host. After 5 years at the hustle, I’ve managed to find a happy medium in my work and personal life, but the reality is that working still brings me such joy because I love what I’m doing…

How does this job compare to other jobs you’ve held in the past?

I’ve taken a major risk (both financially & mentally) and surrendered my career in architecture & design, but my heart and mind are in this project every waking moment. I’ve never been more dedicated to anything. I’ve gone from 15 years of helping others build their dreams to a life finally dedicated to building my own. It’s the most rewarding feeling.

What is your favorite food?

Pizza