After three failed startups and one modest success, I've started to question the romanticized narrative around entrepreneurship. We celebrate founders who drop out of college and bootstrap their way to unicorn status, but what about those who quietly build sustainable small businesses? Is the relentless pursuit of venture capital and hypergrowth actually the best path, or are we overlooking the value of steady, profitable companies that stay private? What does 'success' really mean in this context, and how do you measure it beyond the funding rounds and exits?