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I'm skeptical of the hard definitions that arise around "entrepreneurship" which can become dogmatic and exclusionary, like we once saw with investors and some
by ilamont 5y ago
I'm skeptical of the hard definitions that arise around "entrepreneurship" which can become dogmatic and exclusionary, like we once saw with investors and some accelerators insisting that you were either a "startup" (a real entrepreneur hitting for the fences!) or a "lifestyle business" (not serious, and little more than a hobby).
I see this article trying to create a similar dynamic, with "Solopreneur" being the new "lifestyle business" ("While the entrepreneur is looking to create a major enterprise, a solopreneur wants to create their enterprise alone ... to redefine their work-life balance or find purpose in starting something uniquely their own.")
Regardless, when people from the startup world use the term “lifestyle business” or "solopreneur" or "small business" or whatever to describe real businesses that aren’t pure tech, have solo founders, don’t take VC money, don’t intend to scale to a billion users, or whatever other qualities are not worthy of investor consideration, I find it condescending and misguided.
- cbreynoldson 5y agoI think people, by nature, tend to bucket others into a set of a few archetypes because it is easier to process the world this way. Most of it is out of ignorance - humans are always trying to conceptualize their lives in ways that can be understood, manipulated, and talked about. It is a shame that companies are passed up because they don't fit perfectly into one of a few categories. This is partially why research institutions and research-based companies are often overlooked or micromanaged.
- caseyf7 5y agoAll you can do is prove them wrong. When you do, you won’t care what they call it and then you can turn them down.