Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider met in New York City circa 1990 when they were in their mid-twenties and became fast friends. Ellen had an accounting degree and was studying for her Masters in Social Work and Sherrie was a journalist. Both were career women who were told "you can do anything you want" in business and romance. As their friendship grew, so did their search for love as they often shared dating stories with each other. Seeing the need for basic, commonsense guidance, they organized their thoughts and in 1995 released THE RULES, which gave women newfound confidence in their search for love.