Conversation

Not all new businesses are startups!

"Startup" only refers to new businesses that depend on investment and hyper-growth to eventually sell out to someone with even deeper pockets. In a startup, the company itself is the product. Customers are just part of the sale.

I like a term I heard from @aral for the other kind of small business though: stayup.

https://mastodon.ar.al/@aral/110916819655456408

A stayup isn't looking for an exit and may not even need investors. The product is the product, and a stayup just wants to keep existing so the product can keep existing for its customers too.