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About interest clubs and business

Let’s say you’ve decided to get into table tennis. You start reading about the sport, watching YouTube videos, and checking out racket reviews. You begin to understand who the key influencers are, which brands are popular, who’s the current champion, and what’s going on in the scene. Then, clutching $100 in your hand, you head to a store where a consultant feeds you some nonsense and sells you a half-obsolete product, just because it gives him a higher commission. Later, you find a local sports club and meet some odd people there. You start learning what’s cool and what’s not, how things really work (though, in the end, you’ll realize it’s not exactly as it seemed). You train, compete, and eventually burn out, moving on to watch videos about badminton. Along the way, it seems like table tennis is the best thing ever, and anyone not into it is missing out. But once you’re over it, you realize it’s a decent sport with its own pros and cons, though definitely not the center of the universe. And the people you used to hang out with—well, they’re good guys, but not on the same wavelength in all aspects of life.

Now, business is like that same kind of interest club. There are limited participants, few true pros, their own standards of success, cliques, motivational coaches, hero winners, trends, and media telling you the “right” way to do things. The number of people in business as a way of life falls somewhere between the number of table tennis and badminton enthusiasts—significant, but not remarkable compared to football fans or couch potatoes watching TV after work. It’s really just another interest club. While it’s new and exciting, people gather and discuss it. But once everything becomes routine, they see it as a base for health/income and start exploring other interests. Like badminton, for example.

In business, there’s its own crowd, divided by sectors, each valuing different metrics. There are various competitions, leagues, associations, and halls of fame you can try to climb or not. Forbes, for example, is like a curling club—people sliding assets around in the cold for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, aiming to get closest to the center, when they could just be sitting on a warm beach. But they seem to like it, they have their own vibe, and who are we to judge others’ hobbies?

The difference between sports/hobbies and business isn’t that big, but there is one—business can be pursued longer than professional sports, there’s a higher ceiling for income, and when a businessperson accumulates billions, people generally look on with envy, unlike bodybuilding, where a mountain of muscles is mostly met with bewilderment. Although neither mountains of money nor muscles are all that practical in real life—both are just movements for the sake of movement, for the fun of it, an interest club for enthusiasts. Or maybe it’s just out of habit, due to a lack of broader perspective or fear of something new—it depends on the person.

Start your $$ hobby in the dating business by launching a website or app based on your idea.

Hobby-focused apps have been gaining users recently, offering appealing alternatives to mainstream social media for those exhausted by political conflicts and searching for shared interests. Platforms centered around activities like running, reading, and film are seeing a steady rise in active users.

Apps such as Strava, Goodreads, and Letterboxd are thriving as users seek communities focused on their passions. Strava, popular with runners and cyclists, has grown its user base by 20% in a year, while Letterboxd has surged from 1.8 million users in 2020 to over 14 million in 2024.

Unlike major social media platforms, which often become mired in culture wars, hobby apps promote community and genuine connections. Their smaller, like-minded user bases reduce the need for aggressive content moderation.

This focus on niche interests also makes hobby apps appealing to advertisers, as brands can reach audiences in more specialized environments where discussions are authentic and less influenced by algorithms.

In general, dating apps based on hobbies and shared interests belong to the category of social dating. They are oriented towards both business and consumer interests, allowing users to connect in specific locations with other people who share similar interests. Where can you get software functionality for hobbies? You can start with an MVP – a ready-made offline infrastructure of your city: for gourmets – nearby cafes, for sports – sports clubs, for party lovers – bars and clubs. Where to find the first clients for testing? From interest-based communities where you are a member or create your own and you will have your own audience.

Set in the heart of London, the event will feature speaker sessions throughout the day, along with complimentary lunch and refreshments. Attendees can also enjoy an evening of drinks for a relaxed networking experience to foster professional connections.

“We want to socialize and form relationships”, says Jacqueline Child, co-founder of Dateability, who became disabled due to chronic illnesses, in an interview with PEOPLE.

After facing frustrating dating experiences, a Colorado woman and her sister created a dating app to help people with disabilities and chronic illnesses connect. In 2021, Jacqueline Child, who has multiple chronic illnesses, received a feeding tube, making her worry about dating even more.

“I used to go out to dinner on first dates, but now food isn’t a focus for me,” says Jacqueline, 30. Concerned about being understood, she shared her thoughts with her sister, Alexa, a public interest attorney. They decided to launch their own app.

Dateability, launched in October 2022, claims to be the only dating app specifically for the disabled and chronically ill. Users can sort through potential matches and describe their conditions using a unique feature called “Dateability Deets.”

The app also offers a $4.99 subscription for more specific filtering, but Alexa emphasizes their commitment to inclusivity. The sisters believe allowing users to disclose their disabilities on their own terms fosters comfort and helps them “feel seen.”

“It’s encouraged, which is something people aren’t used to,” says Alexa, who is also Jacqueline’s roommate. “They often feel they need to hide their conditions or struggle with how much to share on their profiles.”

Jacqueline recounts that being open about her disabilities before launching the app often led to uncomfortable experiences. She has gastroparesis, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, trigeminal neuralgia, and primary immunodeficiency.

Once, a man told her his family didn’t want him to continue seeing her. “Those comments kept happening,” she explains. Even when someone was interested, their friends or family would often dissuade them, or they would feel overwhelmed by the stress of dating her.

In 2019, after matching with a man on a popular dating app, Jacqueline was shocked by his reaction when he learned she was on crutches from knee surgery related to her EDS. He expressed concern about her wanting children, calling it “selfish” to pass on her condition.

“I mentioned I might consider adoption,” she recalls, but he replied, “Good luck finding a guy who shares that vision.” That marked a painful moment for Jacqueline, as it was the first time she encountered such harsh judgment.

Alexa mentions they’ve spoken to users who were too afraid to try dating apps due to fear of rejection and vulnerability. “Dateability has provided them hope and a safe space, allowing them to explore dating and gain experience.”

Jacqueline adds that they remain “driven” by “every success story” from Dateability’s journey.

One success story is that of Tina Fegley and Tyler Waldman, who met on the app in March. Waldman, 35, has epilepsy from a car crash and traumatic brain injury. He initially saw Fegley, 39, on another dating app but reached out to her after finding her profile on Dateability. “We just hit it off,” he says. Tyler now regularly visits Tina, who lives in Pennsylvania and uses a wheelchair due to Limb-Girdle muscular dystrophy.

Another quick connection was between Shane Narayan, 36, and Rachel Bookman, 30, though it ended tragically.

In December 2023, Narayan found Bookman’s profile on Dateability; both were in wheelchairs—he had a spinal cord injury, while she had Glycogen storage disease type 4. After messaging and FaceTiming, he flew from California to meet her in April, initially planning to stay for a couple of weeks but extending it to two months. They quickly discussed marriage and children, with their disabilities shaping their priorities.

Sadly, while Narayan was preparing to move to Pennsylvania, Rachel was hospitalized and passed away in July. Despite the loss, he credits Dateability for giving him a fresh perspective on life.

While Jacqueline hasn’t found love yet, she says the app has positively impacted her.

“My confidence has grown significantly,” she shares. “I used to feel ashamed of my chronic illness, but I’m learning to accept it as a part of me.”

The sisters believe there’s still much work to be done for disability rights, and they view Dateability as a way to raise awareness.

“We want to socialize and have relationships, but we’re often overlooked,” Jacqueline says, urging other companies to recognize that anyone can face disability at any time, especially as they age. “It’s crucial to include everyone in these conversations.”

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