Marriage Builders
Marriage Builders, Inc. is a privately held U.S. marriage counseling and education platform founded in 1995, built on Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr.'s proprietary methodology and delivered through books, online home study programs, diagnostic questionnaires, a daily radio broadcast, and phone-based coaching for couples worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersWhite Bear Lake, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Marriage Builders does
Marriage Builders, Inc. is a privately held U.S. corporation founded in 1995 by Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr. to deliver marriage counseling and relationship education built around a proprietary, clinically developed methodology. The platform centers on a set of interlocking frameworks — the Love Bank concept, the Love Busters framework (six destructive habits), the Emotional Needs Questionnaire (six categories of needs), the Policy of Joint Agreement (POJA), and the Policy of Undivided Attention (POUA) — which together form a structured approach to restoring romantic love, eliminating destructive behaviors, and meeting spouses' most important emotional needs.
The product surface spans free educational web content (hundreds of articles and Q&A pages), a daily live radio broadcast ("Marriage Builders Radio" with a 21-year on-demand archive and iOS/Android apps), three tiered home study programs (Program #1: The Simplest Way to Restore Love to Your Marriage; Program #2: structured online courses including a 12-lesson His Needs Her Needs course and an 8-lesson Love Busters course; Program #3: Customized Plan for Success), a suite of diagnostic questionnaires (Emotional Needs, Love Busters, Marital Problem Analysis, Memorandum of Agreement, Personal History, and others), and a Coaching Center directed by Steven W. Harley, M.S., which delivers phone-based coaching by appointment. Published works include His Needs Her Needs, Love Busters, Surviving An Affair, He Wins She Wins, Fall in Love Stay in Love, and a Five Steps to Romantic Love workbook. Distribution combines the company's own e-commerce bookstore at marriagebuilders.com, the dedicated coaching site marriagecoach.com, and third-party retailers including Amazon.
The business is bootstrapped and founder/family-owned with no venture or private equity funding and no parent company. Revenue is generated from one-time book and workbook sales, home study program registrations, phone-based coaching fees (quoted by direct office contact), audio/video downloads, and tax-deductible donations indicating a non-profit component. Customers are individual couples across the United States and more than 40 countries, primarily in marital distress (including infidelity recovery) or seeking proactive enrichment; over 5,000 couples have been guided through the coaching program since inception. The company maintains a single small main office contact point in Minnesota (phone (651) 762-8570, [email protected]) and operates as a content-and-services business with no disclosed headcount.
Marriage Builders firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Marriage Builders
- Legal name
- Marriage Builders, Inc.
- Website
- https://marriagebuilders.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Marriage Builders, Inc. is a privately held U.S. marriage counseling and education platform founded in 1995, built on Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr.'s proprietary methodology and delivered through books, online home study programs, diagnostic questionnaires, a daily radio broadcast, and phone-based coaching for couples worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Marriage Builders industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marriage Counseling Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Couples & Family Therapy Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAG)
Keywords
Where Marriage Builders is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- White Bear Lake
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Marriage Builders business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Published Books and Workbooks: Sale of physical and digital books authored by Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr., including His Needs Her Needs, Love Busters, Surviving an Affair, He Wins She Wins, Fall in Love Stay in Love, and the Five Steps to Romantic Love workbook. Books are sold through the Marriage Builders bookstore (online) and via Amazon. Workbook priced at $14.25.
- Home Study Programs / Online Courses: Structured online programs including Program #1 (The Simplest Way to Restore Love to Your Marriage), Program #2 (Online Home Study Program with courses like His Needs Her Needs - 12 lessons, Love Busters - 8 lessons), and Program #3 (Customized Plan for Success). Sold as registration/sign-up products on the website.
- Marriage Coaching Services: Phone-based marriage coaching services offered by Steven W. Harley, M.S. through the Marriage Builders Coaching Center. Clients from all 50 U.S. states and over 40 countries have been served. Coaching is priced with fees and discount packages available by contacting the office. Steven W. Harley has guided over 5,000 couples.
- Audio and Video Products: Sale of Audio CDs, Audio Downloads, and Video products covering marriage topics through the online bookstore.
- Donations: The website accepts tax-deductible donations, suggesting a non-profit component to the business model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | Five Steps to Romantic Love Workbook |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-proof Marriage (Book) |
| Subscription | Annual | Program #2 - Online Home Study Program (includes 12-lesson and 8-lesson courses) |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Marriage Coaching by Steven W. Harley, M.S. |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Marriage Builders product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Marriage Builders operates a direct-to-consumer marriage counseling and education platform built on Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr.'s proprietary methodology. The company sells structured online home study programs (Programs #1, #2, and #3), published books and workbooks (His Needs Her Needs, Love Busters, Surviving an Affair, He Wins She Wins, Fall in Love Stay in Love, and Five Steps to Romantic Love), audio and video downloads, and phone-based coaching through the Marriage Builders Coaching Center run by Steven W. Harley, M.S. It also distributes a daily live Marriage Builders Radio broadcast, free educational web content, diagnostic questionnaires, and mobile applications for iOS and Android.
Product overview
Marriage Builders is a marriage counseling and advice platform offering a combination of educational content, structured home study programs, and professional coaching services. The core offering consists of three home study programs (Program #1 for basic restoration, Program #2 with structured online courses including His Needs Her Needs and Love Busters courses, and Program #3 for customized plans), complemented by the Marriage Builders Radio daily broadcast, a Coaching Center with Steven W. Harley providing phone-based coaching, and a bookstore featuring Dr. Harley's books including His Needs Her Needs, Love Busters, Surviving An Affair, He Wins She Wins, and Fall in Love Stay in Love, along with the Five Steps to Romantic Love workbook. Additional tools include diagnostic questionnaires (Emotional Needs, Love Busters, Marital Problem Analysis) and a mobile app for iOS and Android.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Marriage Builders Radio: Daily radio program featuring Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr. and Joyce Harley providing marriage advice and guidance to callers.
Products and services
- Program #1: The Simplest Way to Restore Love to Your Marriage Entry-level home study program for couples seeking to restore romantic love in their marriage, based on Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr.'s methodology and sold through the Marriage Builders website.
- Program #2: Marriage Builders Online Home Study Program Structured online home study program combining the His Needs Her Needs (12-lesson) and Love Busters (8-lesson) courses for couples to improve their marriage at home, sold as an annual subscription through the Marriage Builders website.
- Program #3: Customized Plan For Success Personalized program with customized plans for couples facing specific marital challenges, delivered through the Marriage Builders website.
- Marriage Builders Coaching Center Phone-based marriage coaching service led by Steven W. Harley, M.S., offering practical, step-by-step guidance for couples, including difficult cases, with clients from all 50 U.S. states and over 40 countries.
- His Needs, Her Needs (Book) International bestseller by Willard F. Harley, Jr. teaching couples to identify and meet each other's most important emotional needs, sold through the Marriage Builders bookstore and Amazon.
- Love Busters (Book) Book by Willard F. Harley, Jr. teaching couples to overcome destructive habits that destroy romantic love, sold through the Marriage Builders bookstore.
- Surviving An Affair (Book) Book by Harley and Chalmers providing guidance for couples dealing with infidelity, sold through the Marriage Builders bookstore.
- He Wins, She Wins (Book) Book by Willard F. Harley, Jr. teaching the art of marital negotiation using the Policy of Joint Agreement, sold through the Marriage Builders bookstore.
- Fall in Love, Stay in Love (Book) Book by Willard F. Harley, Jr. providing guidance on creating and maintaining romantic love in marriage, sold through the Marriage Builders bookstore.
- Five Steps to Romantic Love (Workbook) Companion workbook to the His Needs Her Needs and Love Busters books, containing contracts, questionnaires, inventories, and worksheets for couples to apply Dr. Harley's Five Steps, priced at $14.25 per copy.
- Marriage Builders Radio Daily live radio broadcast hosted by Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr. and Joyce Harley, streaming daily at 2:00 pm CT with a 21-year archive of past shows available for download.
- Marriage Builders Radio Mobile App (iOS/Android) Native mobile applications for iPhone/iOS and Android that provide access to the Marriage Builders Radio broadcast and related content.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 5,000 couples have been successfully guided through the coaching program
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Marriage Builders
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Marriage Builders technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Marriage Builders partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Marriage Builders Coaching CentercoreThe Marriage Builders Coaching Center (marriagecoach.com) is operated by Steven W. Harley, M.S., son of Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr. It provides phone-based marriage coaching services using the Marriage Builders methodology. The coaching center is presented as an integral part of the Marriage Builders ecosystem, with cross-promotion between the main website and the coaching center. The coaching center has guided over 5,000 couples from all 50 U.S. states and over 40 countries.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Marriage Builders competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Talkspace: Talkspace is a large online therapy platform that includes couples and relationship counseling among its broader mental health offerings. It overlaps with Marriage Builders on couples therapy but operates at much larger scale across many therapy categories and accepts insurance.
- Focus on the Family: Focus on the Family is a large faith-based family ministry that publishes marriage books, hosts broadcasts, offers counseling referrals, and accepts donations. It overlaps with Marriage Builders on marriage advice content, books, and faith-adjacent donor support, though it covers parenting and family topics more broadly.
Direct peers
- Regain (by BetterHelp): Regain is a dedicated online couples counseling service operated by BetterHelp, offering licensed-therapist-led video/text sessions for couples. It directly competes with Marriage Builders' coaching offering for couples seeking relationship help, but uses a broader licensed-therapist marketplace model rather than a single proprietary methodology.
- The Gottman Institute: The Gottman Institute offers research-based marriage counseling, books, workshops, and a therapist referral network grounded in Drs. John and Julie Gottman's methodology. It competes with Marriage Builders in the same marriage-counseling methodology-plus-content category, with comparable books, workshops, and certified therapist training.
- Lasting (by LifeTime Ventures / Closure): Lasting was an app-based couples counseling and education platform that delivered structured relationship programs to couples via mobile. It directly competed with Marriage Builders' home study programs with a modern, mobile-first UX before being sunset by its parent; it is included as a historical direct peer representing the same self-directed couples-program category.
- OurRelationship: OurRelationship is an online, self-directed program for couples (and individuals) that offers structured lessons and optional coaching. It directly overlaps with Marriage Builders' self-directed program model but is positioned as evidence-based and lower-cost, sometimes subsidized through research grants.
- Hold Me Tight / Dr. Sue Johnson (Emotionally Focused Therapy): Dr. Sue Johnson's Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) program and 'Hold Me Tight' book/workshop series is a leading evidence-based couples counseling methodology with books, workshops, and therapist training. Comparable to Marriage Builders as a methodology-driven marriage education brand with books, courses, and trained practitioner network.
Emerging players
- Relish (relationship app): Relish is a mobile-first relationship coaching and education app offering courses, quizzes, and live coaching sessions for couples. Comparable to Marriage Builders on self-directed relationship education but with a more modern UX and on-demand coaching marketplace.
- Couples Academy: Couples Academy is an online platform offering structured marriage courses, workshops, and resources for couples. It is a smaller, emerging competitor in the self-directed marriage education category where Marriage Builders' home study programs operate.
Regional players
- FamilyLife (by Cru): FamilyLife is a marriage and family ministry that produces marriage conferences (Weekend to Remember), books, articles, and broadcast content. It is comparable to Marriage Builders as a marriage education brand but operates primarily within the U.S. faith-based ecosystem and is part of the larger Cru ministry network.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Marriage Builders social profiles
Digital presenceMarriage Builders financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Marriage Builders leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Marriage Builders funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Marriage Builders M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Marriage Builders
What does Marriage Builders do?
Marriage Builders operates a direct-to-consumer marriage counseling and education platform built on Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr.'s proprietary methodology. The company sells structured online home study programs (Programs #1, #2, and #3), published books and workbooks (His Needs Her Needs, Love Busters, Surviving an Affair, He Wins She Wins, Fall in Love Stay in Love, and Five Steps to Romantic Love), audio and video downloads, and phone-based coaching through the Marriage Builders Coaching Center run by Steven W. Harley, M.S. It also distributes a daily live Marriage Builders Radio broadcast, free educational web content, diagnostic questionnaires, and mobile applications for iOS and Android.
Is Marriage Builders a public or private company?
Marriage Builders is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Marriage Builders founded?
Marriage Builders was founded in 1995. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Marriage Builders based?
Marriage Builders is headquartered in White Bear Lake, United States, in the North America region.
How does Marriage Builders make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Published Books and Workbooks are the primary driver. The others are home Study Programs / Online Courses, marriage Coaching Services, audio and Video Products and donations.
Who are Marriage Builders's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Talkspace and Focus on the Family. Direct peers are Regain (by BetterHelp), The Gottman Institute, Lasting (by LifeTime Ventures / Closure), OurRelationship and Hold Me Tight / Dr. Sue Johnson (Emotionally Focused Therapy). Emerging players are Relish (relationship app) and Couples Academy. FamilyLife (by Cru) is listed as a regional player.
Does Marriage Builders have an API?
No public API is recorded for Marriage Builders.
What industry is Marriage Builders in?
Marriage Builders's product category is Marriage Counseling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLALAEAG, Couples & Family Therapy Teletherapy Platforms.