That’s the view of Alexander Muse, a serial entrepreneur who’s found the region’s start-up community a little thin on social fabric.

“In Silicon Valley, it’s normal to quit your job and work at a start-up,” he said. But in Dallas, he sees many entrepreneurs “keeping their passion on the side.”

Locked into payments on 5,000-square-foot homes in the suburbs and tuition for private schools, these would-be entrepreneurs “go to work and trudge through their jobs and save their cool stuff for at night or on the side,” Mr. Muse said.

So he thought there should be a forum that might inspire entrepreneurs to take the leap.

Three years ago, he started the Texas Startup Blog, where he and other entrepreneurs can share their experiences forming and funding companies.

Then in May, he and a partner formed SpringStage, which organizes activities that help entrepreneurs find each other.

“What we’re doing is creating a blueprint, a tool box for someone like myself to kick-start a start-up community,” he said.

So far, SpringStage has helped establish 16 of these communities nationwide, from Florida to Philadelphia, including five in countries such as Ukraine and the Philippines.

“Most of us don’t know it’s possible,” he said. But “if we knew one other guy doing it, we could do it, too.”

In Dallas, Mr. Muse now hosts Startup Happy Hours twice a month. About 50 people crowd into the dimly lit High Tech Bar in the Infomart building on Stemmons Freeway, swapping business cards and exchanging ideas.

Mr. Muse floats the bar bill himself, saying what he receives in energy from attendees more than repays him.

Going the entrepreneurial route can be tough, he said. “Sometimes you get tired, jaded and worn out.

“Being around that energy helps out.”