[dragonwriter]

> 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.

[pearkes]

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