u/Defiant_Reaction1161

I bought some vintage poatcards/photos and now want to give it a good home, mostly from Canada and a feq from US. How to find someone who loves to have them all? Tnx

I'd appreciate some honest male perspectives because I realize I may not be objective.

I met a 31-year-old entrepreneur at a professional networking event. During the event, he openly mentioned that he was hoping to get married and have a family in the near future in a circle of people not to me specifically.

We connected on LinkedIn on the event as his business related to my profession as well and later had a couple of phone calls which he explained the business goals and I also provided some insights as I am a pro in the field and he appreciated my insights. He invited me for a cooffee but changed it to a lunch meeting. Over time he has shared quite a bit about his life, including his family, fitness, travels, business goals, acting classes he is taking to improve public speaking, and some personal challenges. He has also asked me a number of personal questions about my background, travels, family, and career journey.

Some things that stood out:

He invited me to lunch and paid.

He maintained strong eye contact throughout the lunch.

He asked more than once whether I have social media beyond LinkedIn.

He asked about my travel plans and dates more than once (he also message me when I ahd a trip before lunch meeting and said he is excited for me)

He noticed small things about my communication style, such as the fact that I pause and think before responding.

He has said he enjoys our conversations and that we connect on a lot of topics.

He has suggested future coffees and staying in touch.

On the business side, he is building a startup and initially talked about various ways I might be involved. After I expressed interest, he also clarified in writing that he is not offering a cofounder role, employment, equity, or compensation. He said the only thing he can offer right now is an informal unpaid advisory relationship where we occasionally exchange ideas and perspectives (I donot need a job, I have a well established job, mentored many people and have other side things and well reputation in my associated organisation (e.g. Board member, advisory board, etc).

I actually appreciated the clarification because it was honest and direct.

For context, I am older than him, although he does not know my age, but he knows. I look very yonger than my age but considering he knows my careers and Linkedin etc, he knows I am older.

My question is: from a man's perspective, does this sound like:

Purely professional interest?

Professional interest plus genuine friendship?

Someone who may have personal interest but is moving slowly?

Something else?

I'm not asking anyone to read his mind. I'm more interested in how men distinguish between networking, friendship, and personal interest based on behavior. Honestly, I like him, as has character I like. We both never married.

Thanks for any insight.

NOTE: I have had so many business meetings and mentorship ones, no one shares that level of personal info and do not ask about it either. That is why I am confused.