We had the good fortune of connecting with Ruby Le and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ruby, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I bring my full authentic self to my business and to my audience. I genuinely want to help my clients feel supported. And I only can do that if I don’t focus on what makes me “the best”or how I’m an expert. It’s about aligning with them — meeting them where they are, using my professional experiences to guide them, and giving them hope. In addition, I ask them to be their most authentic self so it’s only right that I come as my authentic self too. No gimmicks, no tricks, just me. I’m not always dressed up with make-up or perfect hair on my videos, I acknowledge I talk too fast at times, I’m also quirky and silly. I’m an imperfect human who is constantly growing and learning. I don’t mold into an “expert” or “professional” image — I am my authentic self. And my authentic self is someone who is passionate about what I do and gained all the necessary experience to do the work. My audience can tell my “brand”….is being real. Just being Ruby.

In addition to this, after understanding myself, I can understand others.  Before I got into this business, I spoke to a lot of people that are my ideal clients to truly get to know them. With my audience, I value getting to know them as a person, not just a client. And this comes from a genuine place of care, which the right audience can see. I accept that I’m not the right fit for everyone, and that is okay. It’s about connecting with the right audience.

Success comes from knowing my audience, but also knowing myself. In order to understand my audience, I must understand myself. I must bring my full self to help others, and that’s what brings success to my business.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’m a dating coach who helps the good-intentioned gentleman get on a date through a customized strategy that doesn’t require them to change who they are. My popular nickname is the Modern Day Hitch! I knew my passion since high school and got the experience to help my clients. Despite my Asian parents wishes (that was definitely a fight with constant throw of “what kind of career is that?!”), I followed my passion anyway.

In this path, I earned my Masters in Marriage/Family therapy, worked with couples, am a Tedx Speaker, and previous eHarmony lead. After working for eHarmony, I wanted to help those I felt passionate about helping, have more time with my loved ones, and have no ceiling over my head. With my positive energy, straight-forward (sorry, no sugar coating) approach, hope, and passion, I value the collaboration with my good-intentioned gentlemen and am always excited to guide my clients on the journey to find lasting love and happiness.

Being a one-woman show wasn’t easy, there were many uncertain moments, moments of doubts, wondering if I should keep going….but what kept me alive was my true passion to help others, create more love in the World, and more importantly — help singles regain hope and confidence again. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing someone reach their best potential self and feel like they can do anything.

To be clear, I didn’t start this business on my own. I had a business coach when I first started so I knew what to do, and I had a therapist to keep me mentally healthy. It’s important to make sure I was healthy during this all to help my own clients. It wasn’t easy to do this business, but I persisted, and I can finally say I’m living the dream.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
What’s not to love about San Diego? Personally though, I love Little Italy. It’s where I live and I don’t think I’ll be moving anytime soon. There’s so much to explore — It’s close to the fun action of Gaslamp, close to the harbor & water, close to the airport, close to AMAZING dining experiences, and only a short uber away from any other beautiful locations.

If friends were visiting, I’d have them explore the harbor, waterfront park, then into seaport village. We’d dine at Barbusa, the best Italian restaurant in Little Italy. Eat our Salt & Straw ice cream at the Little Italy Fountain where they also have live music (there’s salsa nights too). Wrapping up the night at Above Ash Social, the rooftop bar in Carte hotel. Or, the speakeasy Catch Garibaldi, if we make it for sunset. It has the most stunning view, amazing cocktails, and great food. What more can I ask for?!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I can’t pinpoint one name, because it’s my whole support group that played great roles to get me here. A lot of my success is due to my family and close friends. I’m grateful to have a large family and small circle of very close friends that challenge me and support me at the same time.

Growing up in an Asian household, I had some non-believers. But, that also challenged me to listen to my passion and prove that I can do it. Even with those doubts, I’ve had family members who believed in me, and supported me since I was a kid with crazy ideas. The balance of my family is one I’m grateful for.

And my close friends lift me up when I was down, sat with me as I cried, and were my cheerleader when I doubted myself. They, also, stood by me even when I got so busy, had to turn down events, cancel plans, and spend late nights working. They supported me, celebrated with me on great milestones, but also pushed me to be better.

I do want to do one special shout out to my partner, my love, my boyfriend, Yarza. Before I met him, I wrote an article “For entrepreneurs, whoyou date (and marry) will affect your business success.” I feel like I manifested meeting the right person with all those qualities after I wrote it.  I give him huge credit for pushing my business to next level because of his countless support, his offer to help make my business better, his belief in me, his hand when I’d be stressed, his love when I feel low, his time when I need a break, and our long talks about our goals and the future. I truly believe I don’t think my business could have excelled as it has if it wasn’t him in my life. Choosing the right companion is a choice, an important choice if you’re going to have a business. I’m happy I chose right and he chose me right back, it’s beautiful to have a teammate by your side through life.

Website: https://goodgentleman.com/
Instagram: @rubyloveadvice
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruby-l-00877b94/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodGentlemanAdvice
Youtube: https://youtube.com/rubyloveadvice

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.