Hosting meetups on a platform: what Misfits shows about no-stock service businesses

Not every trader buys and sells goods. Some sell a service they run themselves, while someone else’s platform brings the customers, takes the payments and finds the venue. A person who leads a weekly board-game night, a Sunday hike or a book club, and sells tickets through an app, is running this kind of business.

On this site’s ladder it sits in Trader sub-level 1.1, the no-stock seller: you own no goods, keep no stock and need almost no money to start. It also behaves a lot like a dealer, because a large part of your business depends on someone else’s brand and rules. This article uses one Indian company, Misfits, to show how the model works, and then does the simple math.

The case: Misfits

Misfits is run by O28 Community India Private Limited and is based in Gurugram, according to Inc42’s company profile. Its website describes communities it calls “clubs”, each built around a hobby such as hiking, board games, books, cricket or music, and says that each club hosts weekly meetups (misfits.net.in).

Who does what. On its club-leader page, Misfits says a club leader decides what the club is about, sets a regular meetup schedule, hosts the meetups and grows the community. In return, “Club Leaders can charge community fees for meet-ups. We take a minor cut, and the rest goes to you.” Misfits says it handles finding the right venue, payment management and asset management, gives the club an online home on its platform, and handles marketing and promotion to attract new members.

Venues. On its venue-partner page, Misfits invites cafes, studios, turfs and grounds to host clubs, and says each meetup ranges from 15 to 60 attendees, varying by hobby.

Prices and commission. According to Inc42 (28 November 2025), CEO Shashwat Narhatiyar said club leaders earn by selling tickets priced between ₹200 and ₹400, and Misfits charges a commission of roughly 30-40% of ticket sales. Inc42 also reports that Misfits has venue partnerships and runs “a marketplace of sorts” for club leaders and venues, with much of the catering and on-ground logistics managed by the venue, and that it screens club leaders before onboarding them.

These are the company’s own descriptions and Inc42’s report; terms can change, and anyone thinking of leading a club should read the platform’s current terms.

Where this sits on the ladder

A no-stock seller (sub-level 1.1). A club leader owns no venue and no stock. The platform collects the money and keeps its cut; the leader keeps the rest. Like a drop shipper or a commission agent, you can start with almost no money. And like them, your margin is set largely by someone else.

But it behaves like a dealer. A dealer sells under a brand’s name and follows its rules, in return for the customers the brand brings. A platform-hosted host is in a similar position:

• The platform’s brand brings many of the members. People may find your club through the app, not through you.
• The platform sets the terms: its cut, how payments and refunds work, and what you may or may not do.
• The customer list may be the platform’s, not yours. If you leave, your members may not follow.
• The platform can change the deal, just as a brand can change a dealer’s margins or appoint a new dealer nearby.

That is not a reason to avoid platforms. It is the same trade a dealer makes: you give up some control and some margin for customers, systems and less work. The question is whether the trade still pays as your club grows.

The simple math

The figures below are made up to show the method. The ticket price and commission are picked from inside the ranges Inc42 reports, and the attendance from inside the range Misfits gives for its meetups; your own costs are a pure assumption.

The pattern matters more than the figures: a platform’s cut costs you a little on every ticket, while going independent costs you a fixed amount on every meetup. Small meetups favour the platform; large, reliable ones can favour going independent. Put in your own price, cut and costs to find your own break-even.

When going independent makes sense

Consider it only when most of these are true:

1. People come for you, not for the app. Your regulars would follow you to a WhatsApp group or your own page.
2. You fill seats above your break-even reliably, week after week, without the platform’s marketing.
3. You can do the platform’s jobs: booking venues, collecting money, handling refunds and no-shows, and keeping meetups safe and welcoming.
4. You have read the platform’s terms on leaving, on taking members with you, and on running similar meetups elsewhere.

If they are not true yet, the platform is doing real work for its cut, just as a brand does for a dealer’s margin. Many hosts use a platform to find their first members and learn the work, and only later decide whether to go on their own.

How this business climbs

From sub-level 1.1, the usual next steps are to build a customer list of your own (members who know you, not just the app), then to own more of the experience, such as your own venue, equipment or events. Each step needs more money and carries more risk, and gives you more control over price. For other ways people earn through platforms (reselling, ONDC and GeM selling, home kitchens, service partners and quick commerce), see New platform micro-businesses in India. See all trader sub-levels, or take the self-evaluation to see which level and sub-level you are aiming for.

Sources: misfits.net.in, club-leader page and venue-partner page (read 6 October 2026); Inc42, "Cracking The Weekend Economy: How Misfits Is Capturing The 'Idle Hours' Market", 28 November 2025; Inc42 company profile. This article is not sponsored by and has not been reviewed by Misfits.