We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anthony Canapi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Anthony , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My father 100%!
My father, ever since he came out of the womb, was a hard worker (some may even argue as a workaholic). He lived a not-so-easy life in Piat, Cagayan Valley, Philippines, At that time when he was a little boy, he lived in extreme poverty- his family, alongside other families in Cagayan, income fell short to meet the daily food and non-food requirements, and he would tell me stories of waking up early in the morning to sell newspapers and cigarettes in front of his church, to then walk barefoot miles upon miles to get to school, walk all the way home to eat only rice and a bowl of avocados, milk, and ice, walk back to school to finish his studies, go back to church to sell newspapers and cigarettes, and go home to only repeat the cycle the next day.
My father had the mindset and work ethic that, “Hard work = Results”, and he would later travel the world, run successful businesses, have four children that would go on to live harmonious lives, and passed in peace knowing he ticked everything on his bucket list, and as cliché as it sounds, I’m following his footsteps to do the same.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Yeah- so, I’m Anthony, and I’m a Certified, Professional Gay Matchmaker, Award-Winning Date Coach, and Founder & Co-Owner of Best Man Matchmaking. We are California’s only certified, LGBTQ+ owned matchmaking company that specializes in matching Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer California Men to quality, single bachelors. Most matchmaking companies are heterosexually ran both as a business and their team whereas everyone on my team are gay men, running a Gay-focused Matchmaking Agency.
When it comes to Gay Dating, it’s not as peaches and strawberries as people may think; in actuality, seeking long-term commitment has become a hassle due to the short-term and/or manipulate purpose behind a man’s intentions. I face those adversities myself as an out and proud gay man in his mid-twenties, born and raised in L.A. all my life, and it’s exhausting, infuriating, and overwhelming. At a period in time when I was working with a well-renowned, respected matchmaking firm in Beverly Hills, I knew there was a gap in the market for gay men and matchmaking, and I knew intuitively, in my gut, and in my heart that my purpose was giving back to my brethren.
I launched Best Man Matchmaking in March of 2022 exclusively for Gay Men who are seeking their forever man in a process that’s offline, back to the basics, and something that’s valuable than any gay dating app would provide you.
I said it before, I’ll say it and quote it again, “My job as your Personal Gay Matchmaker is to add value to your dating life by introducing you to quality, caliber singles who are ready to find their person, but also unlock confidence within you that was hidden behind the insecurities and trauma created from the adversities of being a Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer Person.”
My business partner, Daniel Cooley, and I are celebrating 2 years of active business, and are pursuing for many, many, manyyyyyyyy, more years of growth, expansion, and gay connections to come!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Hard work, resiliency, and passion.
As cliché as it sounds, it’s very true! If you’re not willing to put in not only the effort, but also go through the ups and downs running your own business, knowing it’s not always going to go up, you’re not going to see results.
As long as you keep putting in the amount of work, and allow yourself to actually trust the process, you’re going to grow, even through the hardships, because hardships allows you to reflect, and see how you can continue moving forward, and keep that trajectory and momentum progressing.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Give yourself space for self-care!
A lot of us don’t realize that when we put in a lot of work, and even at times push ourselves to do more, we don’t take a step back for rest and recuperation. It’s okay to take it easy every now and again. Once you’re at a place where you’ve given yourself that care- whether that’s meditating, going on a walk, playing a sport, even laying down for 5-10 mins, you’re allowing yourself to look after your own health efficiently. You need to have that balance.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bestmanmatchmaking.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matchmakeranthonycanapi
Image Credits
Photographer: Amanda Galland from Pearl Rose Pixels
Stock Photos from unsplash.com
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