I get asked how I started OUTSIDERS all the time, but the better question is why did I start it?

The most common question people ask me when discussing OUTSIDERS is how I came up with the idea. They get especially curious when I tell them I have never been an avid outdoors person and didn’t really start appreciating activities like hiking until after I had started OUTSIDERS. I’m getting ahead of myself here. Like most life questions there was more than one reason.

Here are 6 reasons why I started OUTSIDERS:

A MORE FULFILLING LIFE:
A SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT NOT SOLELY BASED ON CONSUMPTION:
THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY:
THE OUTDOORS AS A BRAND NEEDED A FACELIFT:
THE MENTAL & PHYSICAL HEALTH BENEFITS:
PROVIDING PEOPLE ACCESS:

1. A more fulfilling life

In 2014 I was stuck in the nightlife industry. I was no longer happy working as a club promoter, but I didn’t have another source of income and no viable options as an exit strategy from the industry. I found myself scrambling to find any opportunities that could provide me the means to make a living as an entrepreneur outside of the nightlife business. I recently found a journal app I was using back then and every entry mentioned my desperation “I have to find a way out”.

I had tried my hand at concert production and promotions, DJ/ Artist management, curated concierge services, and an app connecting tourists with locals, and I even had a pop-up beer garden in Williamsburg, Brooklyn called Hangry Garden. None of these ventures were successful and if I’m being honest with myself, none of them were fulfilling.

I started experimenting with producing events that were different from the usual drinking and music. The first activity-based event I produced was a holiday ping pong tournament. The success of this event made me realize that the community of eventgoers I had grown, wasn’t just interested in standard alcohol-based events, that they too were looking for something new just as I was. I also noticed that an activity-based event like ping-pong was more conducive to people actually connecting and developing relationships than if they were to meet at a bar or club. Breaking the ice is easier when you’re all engaged in the same activity.

Providing these different types of experiences for people made me happy because I saw how they were more easily connecting with each other. Selfishly I also preferred the different types of activities as opposed to the nightlife I had become tired of.

2. A social environment not solely based on consumption:

Personally, during this time I was frustrated with the available social environments for me to meet new people and hang with friends. I was never a big drinker and preferred not to drink. All the places and social settings I was exposed to in NYC were always consumption-based. I was over having to eat or drink in order to socialize. I found myself passing my free time riding my bike a lot in the warmer months. I started posting photos and videos of my rides and I was surprised to see a lot of friends reply asking me to join me when I ride.

I decided to organize a bike ride up the west side of Manhattan to the George Washington Bridge and back. I landed a sponsor and produced the event which I called BIKES X BEATS. The event had a decent turnout and showed some promise, but it was missing something. It felt too basic.

I went back to the drawing board and, in 2016 while brainstorming with a friend of mine, we came up with another ride idea we called BIKES X MUSIC which would be a ride from Williamsburg, Brooklyn to Rockaway Beach Queens (later became our famed ROCKAWAY RIDE). We also landed CLIF Bar as a sponsor, which even surprised me at the time. I used all my promotional resources to get the word out about the event and we had 110 riders show up to ride. It was such a diverse group of people from all walks of life, similar to the parties I had become known for throwing.

The ride was a lot of fun, so much so that after the ride a number of people asked me how often I produced these kinds of events. I even remember one girl saying she would be willing to pay a monthly membership fee to be part of a group that does these sorts of outings.

The ride to the beach and the beach party that followed was that missing element I was looking for. Most importantly the nostalgic feeling of riding through the city streets with old and new friends for entertainment was what I was missing in my life and it seemed as though others were as well. I felt like I had found the social environment I was looking for, but I didn’t see the full potential of this new venture just yet.

3. The importance of community:

When discussions started regarding a second year of this ride my team and I thought it would be more impactful to create a social club and not just another bike ride. There were a few reasons behind that decision. The first reason and most important one was to create a sense of belonging for us and the people participating. Humans are tribal beings and have the need to feel like they belong. I like to describe us as a chosen family.

We also started discussing expanding beyond just a bike ride and producing other outdoor activities, we didn't want to pigeonhole ourselves as a cycling club and hiking club, we wanted the freedom to do it all, and we needed a name that reflected that! OUTSIDERS was perfect!

4. The outdoors as a brand needed a facelift:

As we started growing the OUTSIDERS community and brand I saw how stale and vanilla the outdoors industry was. All the websites for other outdoor clubs were extremely outdated and looked like Craigslist forums. The other aspect that was in dire need of a facelift was the people who were working in the industry. Many guides seemed to be focused on one market, the outdoor enthusiast/fanatic, which was not attractive to the individual looking for a social experience with new activities. I decided to take the lessons I learned in nightlife on being a good host and apply that to our staff. Not only do we have licensed guides and first responders on our team who are friendly and have magnetic personalities, but we also have hosts who are there to make people feel included and break the ice for them by introducing them to others in the group. We take people outside for activities but our main focus is the social element, that’s my passion for OUTSIDERS.

5. The mental & physical health benefits:

For the first 2 years I saw OUTSIDERS as a side project. I didn’t realize the uniqueness of the group and all of the benefits it provided members. My close friend Babak brought that all to my attention when he attended our Storm King Adventure in November 2017, and we still talk about it now.

He explained how he thought the OUTSIDERS initiative had the ability to help combat the mental illnesses caused by city life and our modern, impersonal online culture. Things like depression, anxiety, and ADHD can be combated by getting people out in nature or simply outdoors. The challenges presented to our participants during our adventures promote more brain power, and creative problem solving, elevate senses, and push away negative thoughts by making people more present.

When this was brought to my attention, I felt a greater responsibility to grow the OUTSIDERS and make sure everyone knew about us.

6. Providing people access:

In my years of producing entertainment events I made a ton of contacts and had access to things and places many people wouldn’t normally have. A large component of nightlife that I absolutely hated was the exclusivity factor. With OUTSIDERS I loved the inclusivity aspect and I wanted to be able to give everybody access to these great experiences.

Not only do we welcome everybody to all of our experiences, but now with our destination trips we can provide access to places like Villa la Belle Etoile in Sardinia which would normally be beyond any normal person's budget however because I have a close relationship with the owners, we can now provide access to this at a reasonable cost. The same goes for many of our experiences.

So back to how I feel now in comparison to 2014. I feel like I have a real sense of purpose. I found what I was looking for and meant to do. I feel fulfilled running OUTSIDERS. I’ve created a social environment I needed along with so many others. I’ve even turned my passion for travel and exploring cultures into an extended OUTSIDERS offering. I’m bringing happiness and fulfillment to others by creating core memories for and with them.

I’m excited to see how OUTSIDERS will evolve and even more excited to meet all the people along the journey.

How OUTSIDERS Started