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That's a "lifestyle" business, and it's very appealing. I don't want billions, I just want to work for someone else. One curious thing is it's more selfish tha

That's a "lifestyle" business, and it's very appealing. I don't want billions, I just want to work for someone else. One curious thing is it's more selfish than a startup - after all, you're doing it for you, not for the business. You want it to be sustainable, so the ugliness of competition is relevant sooner. One pg essay likens a startup to a charity, and some, like Craigslist retain some of that quality, helping a lot of people without making as much money as they could. Note: I'm not criticizing you for wanting this. I'd like it too, I just haven't found a way of doing it that doesn't become nasty. YMMV.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
icebraining 9y ago
One curious thing is it's more selfish than a startup - after all, you're doing it for you, not for the business. A business is not a real person; you're not doing things "for it" anymore than I'm being charitable by gifting my car new tires.
sp527 9y ago
Craigslist is a great example of exercising exactly the right amount of restraint in the cost-benefit equation. Most SV startups are subsidized (with attendant inflated expectations) to the point that they can't possibly live up to their valuations.
Mz 9y ago
"I Love Lucy" was created so Lucille Ball and her husband could have a family. So, it was a "lifestyle business."* It also was the Star Wars of its era in terms of being technically cutting edge and changing an industry. IIRC, Plenty of Fish never took VC money. There are other examples out there. You have to research it if you want it, but it does happen. * http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2014/03/i-love-lucy-lifestyle-business-that.html http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2014/03/i-love-lucy-...
GCA10 9y ago
Could we stop using the term "lifestyle" to describe young companies that aren't chasing the unicorn dream? A lot of them are run by very driven founders who work long hours to build world-class products for smallish niches. They don't have vacation homes in Tahoe; they don't shut down for a week to go to Burning Man. Instead, they are obsessed with a definition of business success that doesn't involve ten-digit numbers. There is one "lifestyle" business that's rampant throughout Silicon Valley, in spite of its efforts to deny it. This would be the bottom quartile of the venture business. It's all about picking up management fees, taking long weekends, and living large.
- rgrieselhuber 9y ago
  See my other comment. Cashflow business is a much better and more accurate term for this.
  - wolco 9y ago
    What about the term small business?
    - rgrieselhuber 9y ago
      Just doesn't have the same ring to it. ;) It's largely semantics as any small business should ideally be cashflow positive but I think the nuance here is one that you can build these businesses to scale, just without VC funding. The time horizon for growth is much longer as a result but definitely there.
- wolco 9y ago
  The word lifestyle usually means someone running a part time business usually a hobby that expanded. Running a gas station is not a lifestyle business.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

icebraining 9y ago

One curious thing is it's more selfish than a startup - after all, you're doing it for you, not for the business. A business is not a real person; you're not doing things "for it" anymore than I'm being charitable by gifting my car new tires.

sp527 9y ago

Craigslist is a great example of exercising exactly the right amount of restraint in the cost-benefit equation. Most SV startups are subsidized (with attendant inflated expectations) to the point that they can't possibly live up to their valuations.

Mz 9y ago

"I Love Lucy" was created so Lucille Ball and her husband could have a family. So, it was a "lifestyle business."* It also was the Star Wars of its era in terms of being technically cutting edge and changing an industry. IIRC, Plenty of Fish never took VC money. There are other examples out there. You have to research it if you want it, but it does happen. * http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2014/03/i-love-lucy-lifestyle-business-that.html http://micheleincalifornia.blogspot.com/2014/03/i-love-lucy-...

GCA10 9y ago

Could we stop using the term "lifestyle" to describe young companies that aren't chasing the unicorn dream? A lot of them are run by very driven founders who work long hours to build world-class products for smallish niches. They don't have vacation homes in Tahoe; they don't shut down for a week to go to Burning Man. Instead, they are obsessed with a definition of business success that doesn't involve ten-digit numbers. There is one "lifestyle" business that's rampant throughout Silicon Valley, in spite of its efforts to deny it. This would be the bottom quartile of the venture business. It's all about picking up management fees, taking long weekends, and living large.

rgrieselhuber 9y ago
See my other comment. Cashflow business is a much better and more accurate term for this.
- wolco 9y ago
  What about the term small business?
  - rgrieselhuber 9y ago
    Just doesn't have the same ring to it. ;) It's largely semantics as any small business should ideally be cashflow positive but I think the nuance here is one that you can build these businesses to scale, just without VC funding. The time horizon for growth is much longer as a result but definitely there.
wolco 9y ago
The word lifestyle usually means someone running a part time business usually a hobby that expanded. Running a gas station is not a lifestyle business.