Woman Turns Her Love of Outdoor Meetups Into a $10,000-a-Month Side Hustle

A San Francisco woman has turned her love of outdoor adventures into a side hustle generating more than $10,000 in monthly revenue, with about $2,000 to $3,000 in profit after expenses, she says.

Alena Beliauskaya, director of product management at Wolf Games, started 12 Scrappy Founders after becoming frustrated with what she considered overly transactional networking events. The community now has more than 600 founders in its network, although only about 20 are paid members, with revenue coming from memberships, brand sponsorships, and paid experiences.

From Awkward Networking to Outdoor Adventures

When she moved to San Francisco for work in March 2025, she wanted to make friends and began attending founder events. However, she quickly became frustrated by what she considered overly transactional interactions.

'The first question everyone asks you is, "What's your goal at this event?"' she said. Instead, she began organising her own gatherings. As someone who enjoys extreme sports and outdoor activities, she invited fellow founders on weekend hikes, backpacking trips, and dirt-biking outings in Tahoe. The gatherings offered an alternative to traditional networking, allowing founders to connect while taking part in outdoor activities.

'There's no formal networking, and nobody pitches,' she said. 'People got to know each other by spending eight hours on a trail or learning to ride a motorcycle together.'

A Free Hobby Becomes a Lucrative Side Hustle

The community initially operated for free because the early hiking outings cost nothing to organise. When the group began dirt biking, she usually paid the expenses out of pocket and then asked participants to reimburse her.

As the events consumed more of her free time, she considered turning the hobby into a business. Members eventually encouraged her to charge after telling her they were getting significant value from the community.

She began rolling out paid memberships in early summer 2026. The community now has about 20 paid members across two tiers. General membership costs $99 a month, while the core membership costs $3,000 a year and is currently full. Core members work with her to shape the community's future direction.

More Than 600 Founders Are in Her Network

Paid membership is open to Bay Area founders whose startups are at the seed, Series A, or Series B stage. Most members have AI startups, according to Beliauskaya.

Members communicate through Slack and can attend events including hard hikes, overnight camps, dirt biking, go-karting, pickleball, poker nights, and founder roundtables.

The business also earns money through brand sponsorships, including a recent partnership with Red Bull.

She Wants to Keep It as a Side Hustle

Despite its growing revenue, she has no plans to turn 12 Scrappy Founders into her full-time job. She spends almost every Saturday outdoors with members and around three to four hours a day organising the community. 'I just want to figure out how to grow and nurture this community well and have something joyful in my free time,' she said.

Her advice for aspiring side hustlers is to build something they genuinely enjoy. 'You already spend the whole day at your full-time job and often don't have much energy left,' she said. 'Your side hustle should bring you joy, which will motivate you to keep going.'