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by pearkes 4410 days ago
There's a specific term for those compartively small but succesful businesses in Germany. "Mittelstand".

It's cited as being a huge source of strength for the German economy, seems to be similar to what Americans might call a "lifestyle" business. You see lifestyle businesses portrayed as "settling for less" in American media, whereas Mittelstand has a very positive connotation in Germany.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mittelstand

1 comments

> You see lifestyle businesses portrayed as "settling for less" in American media

I only see it portrayed as "settling for less" in American media focussed on serving the executive/investor/startup-founder groups as their target market.

Stable small businesses are pretty much treated as icons of the national culture on a level with baseball and apple pie and set up on a pedestal everywhere else in American media and culture.

I totally agree. Just certain factions of the media make that portrayal.