GM. This is Needs to Exist (aka NTE), delivering you a startup idea that’ll turn weekends into legendary retreats.

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Here’s what we’ve got for you today.

• Daily Idea - Play. Connect. Grow.

• IRL is still a thing

Level Up Your Weekend Game

Inspired by the MFM Podcast

The One Liner

Weekend retreats that upgrade your game and your circle.

The 140 character tweet (or X) version

Tired of weekend reruns? Join a retreat where you hoop, level up, and network—all without planning a thing.

The Longer Story Version

The Problem

Most adult weekends fall into one of three categories:

1. Doing nothing.

2. Doing errands.

3. Doing the same old group hang at someone’s house.

We’re starving for real connection, movement, and fun—but no one wants to coordinate. And even when you do plan something sporty (like pickleball or basketball), it’s usually one-dimensional: just play and leave.

No growth, no magic, no memories.

Where do you go if you want to ball out, meet dope people, AND leave feeling better mentally, physically, and socially?

Right now? Nowhere.

The Solution

Imagine a weekend that feels like summer camp meets TEDx meets ESPN.

You show up at a retreat that’s part skills camp, part mastermind, part unforgettable hang.

• You run full-court games or paddle matches in the day.

• You eat fire local meals at night.

• In between? Talks and workshops from ex-pros, coaches, even mindset trainers.

• Chill sessions. Sauna time. Group hikes. Maybe a cold plunge if you’re feeling brave.

It’s not just a trip—it’s a vibe shift.

Let’s say you’re a startup founder who used to play ball in college. Or a VP who just picked up pickleball. This is your chance to reconnect—with the game, with your body, with people who get it.

And the best part? You don’t lift a finger. We handle everything.

How We’d Build It

🏕 No-code frontend: Use Tally.so for fast signups, Softr for a sleek booking portal, and Outseta for all-in-one CRM + memberships.

🤝 Expert access: Use Intro.co or Topmate.io to book ex-athletes and creators for guest sessions.

🧘 Venue ops: Start with retreat-friendly venues via RetreatsAndVenues.com or scout Airbnb Luxe listings that are game-ready.

📈 Automate feedback: Set up Senja.io to collect and show off testimonials with ease.

🧠 Bonus idea: Let ChatGPT help personalize every weekend—create optional tracks (competitor vs. casual, social butterfly vs. introvert mode).

Why It Needs to Exist

We spend 40+ hours a week at a desk. Our friendships fade into group chats. Our hobbies become... scrolling.

This retreat format is the antidote. It's built for people who still want to play—but also want purpose, progress, and people who push them forward.

You leave with better handles, deeper friendships, and a camera roll full of "how was this only 2 days?" moments.

The goal is to make weekends matter again.

Needs To Exist Pro

Steal Our Best Startup Ideas for $99/Year

🚀 2,000+ Killer Business Ideas
From solo side hustles to billion-dollar plays—new ones added every week.

🔎 Blazing-Fast Search & Categories
No fluff. Just ideas you can actually build. Sorted by what you care about.

🧠 Sourced from the Smartest Minds
We mine 100s of newsletters, research papers, and founder interviews so you don’t have to.

📋 Step-by-Step Launch Plans
Got an idea? We’ll show you exactly how to start, validate, and launch it.

IRL Opportunities

Startup ideas hiding in plain sight—offline, messy, and full of upside.

Let’s get one thing straight:
If your entire idea pipeline comes from scrolling Product Hunt or AI Twitter… you’re cooked.

Everyone's swimming in the same digital soup. That’s why most ideas feel like copies of copies.
You want real startup ideas? Step away from the screen.

Instead, go outside. Hang with normies. Join a rec league. Talk to your hairdresser. Go to weird events.
The offline world is full of broken systems, outdated workflows, and people throwing money at problems they hate.

That’s your playground.

💡 IRL = MVP Goldmine

IRL problems have three things going for them:

1. Undeniable Pain – If someone complains about the same thing in person twice, it’s a problem worth solving.

2. Uncrowded – Most builders don’t look here. It’s harder to scrape data from your barber’s rant.

3. Distribution Edge – If you’re part of the community, you already know the language, the hangouts, and the “in.”

You don’t need a revolutionary idea. You need a firsthand problem + a room full of people who'd pay to make it go away.

🔧 Tools to Hunt IRL Ideas Like a Pro

Here’s how to turn everyday life into your personal idea machine:

1. Otter.ai
Go live your life. Keep Otter running on your phone. Record convos, rants, or your own thoughts after an event. Later, search your transcripts for patterns.

2. Notion + the "Idea Zoo" Template
Make a running list of:

• 🧠 Observations

• 😤 Problems

• 💸 What people are paying for

• 🧍 Roles ("Who does this job?")

Use tags like [local], [broken], [expensive], or [time-consuming] to sort them.

3. Snipd (for podcast nerds)
Save 15-second nuggets from real convos. Lots of founders share how they spotted problems. Reverse engineer that logic.

4. Senja.io + Reddit/TikTok Comments
Find complaints in wild comment sections. Drop them into Senja as mini-testimonials. “If 37 people said it, it’s probably real.”

5. Lunchclub / Meetup
Talk to real people in niche industries. Ask:
“What sucks about your job?”
“If you had $10K to fix one thing in your workflow, what would you buy?”

🔍 Prompts to Pull Startup Ideas Out of Real Life

• What’s something you hate doing every week?

• What’s a process that should take 5 minutes but always takes an hour?

• What did your friend vent about at brunch?

• What’s the most annoying part of someone’s job that nobody talks about?

• Where are people already spending money but getting mediocre results?

If you can’t answer at least 3 of those with real stories… you need to get out more 😅

🏀 One Real-Life Example

Friend of mine joined a Saturday pickleball league.
They realized nobody was coordinating snacks, rides, or subs.
She made a simple WhatsApp automation + Stripe payment flow.
Now it runs across 12 cities and makes $9K/month.

Moral: Ideas aren’t in your feed.
They’re on the court. In the church parking lot. At the dog park.

Be the person who pays attention.

TL;DR

Want better ideas? Go where the ideas actually live.
Not online. IRL.

Observe. Listen. Solve.
And remember:
“Every great company started as a complaint.”

One More Meme