I haven’t often considered myself to have a “lifestyle business”. But with all of the growing up (and growing down) that my business has done in the past several years, I have to admit — I’ve come full circle. When I first started out, I wanted credibility and respect. I thought that meant that I needed to make a bunch of money and have a physical space and all of that. I wanted people to think I was smart and cool and funny and wise.

Now I just want to be agile, have an ample amount of autonomy, work with people who take a similar ownership and pride in their craft, and do projects that matter to me. I don’t really care what I’m doing within that context. As long as I’m solving problems that I know I can find creative, workable solutions for, then I’m happy. I am most blessed to have all of that and to have the ability to help create that for and with other people.

So when I started reading this edition of In Treehouses, I saw that I have a lot more in common with a lifestyle business than I thought. Maybe I’m not striving to get to some place “other”, but there was definitely a lot of sweat and angst involved in getting to right here.

Here is one piece, inspired by Leo Babauta, that particularly inspired me:

“…to quote him slightly out of context, Leo isn’t playing that game. The phrase ‘I’m not playing that game’ actually originated in a post about consumerism on Leo’s mnmlst site, but it applies perfectly for much of the lifestyle business attitude. Think of it as insulation from the temptations and envious thoughts that crop up when you’re building your business.

When you hear about a startup that sold for a hundred million after six months, remember: you’re not playing that game. When you have the chance to spam your list to make a few affiliate sales from someone else’s new product, remember: you’re not playing that game.

…

In most traditional businesses, to a greater or lesser extent, the accountant is king. Money matters most. When you choose to start a lifestyle business, though, you embrace your inner artisan. You see that money isn’t everything, that lifestyle, happiness, and satisfaction are just as important.” Thom Chambers, How to Run a Lifestyle Business, 33-34.