Tennesha Wood is in the business of matchmaking. Her company, The Broom List, specializes in matching “educated, successful, marriage-minded Black singles” — a niche that she believes has ample room to grow. This week on the Mompreneurs podcast, Wood shared her journey in celebrating Black love, growing her client list, and how motherhood changed how she sees the world.

Wood loves what she does and cherishes each and every win. From a successful first date to saying “I do,” she’s cheering on her clients from the sidelines. “I don’t think there’s anything more important than the person you end up with,” Wood told Mompreneurs host Nancy Redd. “What is ultimately going to make or break your happiness is who you spend everyday with.”

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Wood discovered a passion for bringing people together.

It all began when Wood moved to San Francisco for her corporate sales job. She was new in town and dating people she met on websites like Match and OkCupid (before dating apps took over). “A lot of them were nice, but just not my person,” she said.

As she went on more dates, even if they didn’t work out, Wood discovered a passion for bringing people together. “That’s kind of how it started, by hooking up my friends with people I had personally vetted by going on a date with them myself,” she said.

After appearing on the reality television series #BlackLove— “a Black Sex and the City if you will,” that followed five women exploring love and relationships in New York City — Wood saw an opportunity. “It was really positive. There was a dating coach, there was a therapist. We were all at different stages,” she said. “This is what led me to knowing this could be a career. People work in love — it really opened my eyes to that. After that I was just like, yeah, this corporate 9-to-5 is not for me.”

Wood left the corporate world behind to pursue matchmaking.

By November 2020, The Broom List was born. “I’d always had the idea for a matchmaking company called The Broom List after, you know, jumping the broom,” she said.

Wood’s matchmaking process gives a baseline criteria for clientele. To join The Broom List, a client must be aged 28 or older, ready for a long-term relationship or marriage, and college-educated with a minimum six-figure income. “Sometimes I do get pushback on that, particularly on the income and the education piece,” Wood acknowledged. “But the majority of people I work with, that is what they’re looking for.”

“Most importantly though, is the readiness for something long-term and committed,” she added. “And it’s through the vetting process that I’m determining that.”

Each client goes through an intensive vetting process to start. From discussing their relationship histories, to touring their home environments, to speaking with friends and family — it’s about getting a complete picture of who they are. “By the end of it, I feel very close to my clients, because I know them so well even in a short amount of time,” said Wood. “We go deep.”

Motherhood changed her mindset.

The new mom of 17-month-old Easton shared how motherhood changed her mindset. “Who I am as a person and how I see people, I’m just far more empathetic,” she said.

A hard lesson to learn was to celebrate progress rather than perfection. “Another challenge for me is letting go of the idea that something needs to be perfect,” she said. “I realized that I’m going to burn out if I hold on to this idea of perfection in everything I do. Whether that’s being a mom or being an entrepreneur, the idea of perfection has to go out the window.”

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She is manifesting more Black love stories.

From her vantage point, Wood sees plenty of opportunities and potential for growth in her field. “I would love for there to be more Black matchmakers that are focusing on Black professionals. I think there’s room for everybody, there’s room to grow, and it’s needed,” she said.

“I would love to see not just The Broom List, but the space of matchmaking for Black professionals, grow.”

Every week, we celebrate beautiful Black entrepreneurs who are simultaneously amazing business moguls and awesome moms. We listen to their life stories and inspiring advice. Catch new episodes of Mompreneurs every Monday on MadameNoire‘s YouTube channel. Or listen to the podcast online at Urban1Podcasts.com.

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