July 28, 2007

What is Definitely Not a Startup?

What do you think of when you hear the word startup? Some things to come to mind for me are:

• Innovation
• Techcrunch
• Pownce
• Viddler
• Forget the norm, we’re gonna change the world

That is of course an incomplete list, but thinking about the above can help us answer the question, “What is definitely not a startup?”

Here are some examples of small businesses that shouldn’t be classified as startups:

• eCommerce site
• Affiliate marketing campaign
• Pizza shop
• McDonald’s franchise

Yes, all of the above are ways to go into business for yourself, require an entrepreneurial spirit, can make you money, etc. But to me, they are not to be considered a startup. The pizza shop down the street is obviously a stark comparison to Pownce or Viddler.

What exactly do they lack?