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Franchise at First Sight

Entrepreneur meets his match in a dating service franchise

By Devlin Smith

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Mark Manlin is single, successful and looking for love--theideal client for dating service It's JustLunch. That's why, after hearing about it on the radio, hedecided to give it a try. What he didn't yet know was that oneperfect match would come only a few months later, when he decidedto purchase and open his own It's Just Lunch franchise inDetroit.

Manlin, 37, also owner of a real estate development company inSt. Louis, was never intrigued by the dating services he had seenbefore, but appreciated It's Just Lunch's mission toprovide quality lunch dates for busy professionals in a discreet,no-pressure atmosphere. "I knew how difficult it was as asingle person to meet quality single people," Manlin confides."I like the efficiency and that it caters to an upscaleclientele."

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