Perhaps startups just have to look or be sexy to be startups. Successful and boring don't seem to get all the gushing press.

Because we already have the terms "small business" and "ISV" to refer to small companies which are happily making small profits and not trying to take over the world.

I work at a company that considers itself a startup -- we're seven years old and completely bootstrapped. I've had many people tell me that we're not a "startup," we're just a "normal company." Usually this comes down to people saying that unless our priority is maximizing growth in the short term, we're not a startup. (We are obviously still focused on growth, just not at the expense of our stability, our product, or our company culture.)

"Startup" is a nebulous term with no firm definition, so these kinds of arguments are bound to happen. Some people still say Facebook is a "startup" because it has the fast-paced environment with the normal superficial cultural trappings of a tech startup (food perks, no dress code, casual interpersonal culture, etc. etc.).

Ultimately it's probably just a dumb semantic argument that's best avoided.