Project Idealism
I feel like I've been hearing the term "Lifestyle Business" a lot lately.
If you're not familiar with the term, it generally refers to businesses that are small, run by people who have determined the kind of life they want to lead, and are generally worried more about sustaining themselves than they are with growing their company on some large scale.
What bothers me is that this term is almost always referenced in a derogatory way. People will say things like "Oh, it's 'just' a lifestyle business". Or, "I wanted to do something bigger than just have a lifestyle business".
The thing is, every business, every single one, is a Lifestyle business.
If you're a social media superstar traveling the globe giving speeches - that's a lifestyle. If you're Donald Trump, you're living a certain lifestyle and building businesses that support it. If you're hustling to raise money for your startup, that too is a lifestyle.
The other thing is that using the term in a negative way simply doesn't make any sense. Built into the definition is that someone thought about what they wanted out of life, decided what made them happy, and then built a business that could support the life they wanted.
There's nothing trivial about doing that, it certainly doesn't come easily, and it's definitely not something to look down your nose on.
People should run whatever kind of business that makes them happy, fulfilled, and allows them to live the life they want to lead. But just because one person's ideal life is running a huge corporation, and another's ideal life is being a freelancer doesn't make it any less of a lifestyle choice.
Every business is a Lifestyle business. Be sure you're building the one you want.
If you're not familiar with the term, it generally refers to businesses that are small, run by people who have determined the kind of life they want to lead, and are generally worried more about sustaining themselves than they are with growing their company on some large scale.
What bothers me is that this term is almost always referenced in a derogatory way. People will say things like "Oh, it's 'just' a lifestyle business". Or, "I wanted to do something bigger than just have a lifestyle business".
The thing is, every business, every single one, is a Lifestyle business.
If you're a social media superstar traveling the globe giving speeches - that's a lifestyle. If you're Donald Trump, you're living a certain lifestyle and building businesses that support it. If you're hustling to raise money for your startup, that too is a lifestyle.
The other thing is that using the term in a negative way simply doesn't make any sense. Built into the definition is that someone thought about what they wanted out of life, decided what made them happy, and then built a business that could support the life they wanted.
There's nothing trivial about doing that, it certainly doesn't come easily, and it's definitely not something to look down your nose on.
People should run whatever kind of business that makes them happy, fulfilled, and allows them to live the life they want to lead. But just because one person's ideal life is running a huge corporation, and another's ideal life is being a freelancer doesn't make it any less of a lifestyle choice.
Every business is a Lifestyle business. Be sure you're building the one you want.