I turned my passion for the outdoors into a community for startup founders. It's become a side hustle that makes me $10K in revenue.

Alena Beliauskaya, a San Francisco product director, started hosting outdoor activities after finding local startup events focused too heavily on business goals. Her group, 12 Scrappy Founders, brings founders together through experiences such as long hikes and motorcycle lessons, without pitches or formal networking.

The community began as a free project. After members urged her to charge for the value they received, Beliauskaya introduced paid memberships this summer. She now reports $10,000 in monthly revenue.

Membership is limited to Bay Area startups at the seed, Series A or Series B stage. The group has around 20 paying members, many of whom run AI companies, and uses Slack to keep them connected.

The $99 monthly tier includes members-only events, priority access, introductions and a private online community. A fully subscribed core tier costs $3,000 per year and gives members a say in the group’s direction.

Running the venture takes substantial time: Beliauskaya spends most Saturdays outdoors with members and typically puts in three to four hours daily on organizing. She advises aspiring side-hustle founders to choose work they enjoy, which can help sustain their motivation.