I picked up the Wall Street Journal the other day and read about the latest personal service business – snuggling!

Now I would never argue against the value of snuggling and I’ve always seen it as a benefit to a long-term relationship.  But I never thought about snuggling as a business.

It reminded me of the inherent connection between activities that connect people and the growth of personal services businesses to create a resource for those connections.

Another valuable relationship activity is eating.  And I love to eat.  But unlike snuggling, eating is something I’ve done all of my life. I didn’t have to wait for someone else.  While snuggling may help my soul, eating helps the body and soul so I tend to value it higher. The body fulfillment is pretty obvious – the nutritional value of good food has a direct correlation to our health and well being. But the social side of food has advantages as well. From generating conversation, to advancing your palate or your culinary skills – food has so many ancillary benefits.

That’s one of the reasons I am always like to talk to people about the excitement of a chef cooking in your home.  Interestingly, while people melt when they think about a chef at home, they then confuse a personal chef with a private chef – the people who are employed by the rich and famous. The great news is that a chef cooking for you is far more affordable than you think.  Do you have someone cut your lawn? Do you have someone do your hair? Do you have someone wash your car? Do you hire someone to snuggle?  You can afford a chef and eat well and healthy at the same time.

You see, it was Valentine’s Day 5 years ago when I decided I needed to do something different for Valentine’s Day.  I liked the idea of someone cooking professionally for me in my home just like I would experience in a restaurant, without the drive.  I found the right chef and discovered a perfect experience and never looked back. I have always believed in the value of an experience – both intrinsic and financial – and having someone cook a meal in my home that exceeded all of my expectations met my definition of experience.

And what’s right around the corner in 2015? Valentine’s Day. Flowers at home. Dinner at home.  And a snuggle with your best partner after dinner – all for the price of dinner.

I hope you find your experience as fulfilling as I found mine.