Is the term "lifestyle business" an insult?

I currently work for something that may be called a "lifestyle business". I also did a lot of independent work. Got burned in a "serious business" twice, and it will be a long time before I touch one again.

The money isn't all that great, but it's not bad, either. I can literally afford pretty much anything I want, and my lifestyle isn't frugal. I can try a new, interesting wine at every dinner, if I feel fancy I can eat at a fancy restaurant and I travel a lot; not business class, but I don't really feel I need it, either, and the people I meet in a train are worth far more than a premium lunch. I have time for all my hobbies, I can go for a walk with my girlfriend any time I want, and I have a secure, healthy lifestyle. I have less money than a corporate employee, but I am a lot richer.

Quite frankly, I also found the working conditions to be a lot better. My first job in a large company was an utter failure due to the culture clash; I'd literally have nothing to do for weeks at a time while the corporate drones were stroking each other in the beginning of a project, and while many of my colleagues were at least competent programmers, most of them were utterly horrified of the idea of learning anything new (and this was actually a large, successful company, not some dotcom-boom crap). I had regular clashes with my superiors because I'd finish my tasks well before half the day was over, there was nothing else for me to do, but I couldn't go home, either (you can't log hours if you aren't there, can you?). The long decision chain, questionable technical competence in the upper layers and slow reaction, even when I only had just 2 or 3 hours of coding a day, I'd smoke through almost every task they had. Work would occasionally overcrowd before a deadline (though for some reason that only happened in the teams of some of the managers -- always the same ones), but other than that, the challenge level was so low I was eager to get the hell out of there just so that I can do my job.

The implications/sub-text of that question is:

1. If you don't plan to take money, you're probably not thinking big, are not ambitious, etc

2. You'll need capital and expertise (probably ours) to build a big business

What I've found is that the better investors tend to ask a different question "At what point, if any, would you think of raising capital?" This question gives the investor the same info without the insulting sub-text.

Related notes: - Most tech M&A exits are less than <$100M. If you're playing the odds, a "lifestyle" business may be the way to go. http://www.cbinsights.com/blog/acquisitions/tech-mergers-acq...

- Building a real business (revenue > costs) and growing it gives you more leverage with investors down the road should you want to go down that path. That's our plan. http://www.cbinsights.com/team-blog/investors/

If your primary goal in life is to accumulate as much money as possible, then you should try and get VC funding, and aim for the biggest exit possible in the shortest amount of time.

If your primary goal in life is to enjoy yourself and/or gain satisfaction from your work, you should try and optimise for happiness. This doesn't require millions of dollars; it simply requires a work arrangement that you are happy with and provides you with a sufficient income to fulfill your personal desires.

Different people have different goals in life, and there's nothing wrong with that.

A truth maybe some don't want others to know is this: Your ability to create, pursue and have a deeper life benefits greatly from a modest financial engine.

I believe in working incredibly hard all the time. My ability to do so and pursue other ideas has been helped greatly by having a financial engine. Learning this balance every day has been invaluable to me.

There is a fair point in learning to focus on a few things. HN doesn't lack technical skills. It lacks business acumen and experience. Like coding, you learn to walk before you run, or pretend you're a star athlete from day one in business?

Every large business started small. There is no harm, or problem in learning to build a business into a success be it smaller or larger. Just pay attention to whether you stop after success, and if it's what you want. The same business building skills are needed when growing the big idea.

Most people who give up their 20's for something, will end up with just that, giving up their 20's and not much else. Not my opinion, but a stat that seems apparent. Think ahead, and there's a chance to get ahead.

Entrepreneurship is about about finding your path to customers. Everyone here is smart enough to put software or technology to work for them with just a little bit of their talent, focused.

If you build yourself a financial engine that can set you up and serve you, you'll be building the habits to do what you want well into your 30's and 40's when everyone else has to pack up and call it a day to pay the bills that never go away.

Where the train goes off the tracks is when entrepreneurs start using the term in a way that roughly translates to "script kiddie". That is just immature.

Oh, I said that last bit out loud, didn't I?"