“I just want a good place in my life where I can live and do the things I want to do with the people I want to do them with — you don't have to be a billionaire to do that”

Design the Business Around Your Life, Not the Other Way Around

After quitting a VC-backed startup where his board dictated every metric, Ian deliberately chose a profitable services business specifically because it fit the life he wanted to live. He moved to rural New Hampshire, plays video games Saturday mornings, and treats the ability to step away as a sign of a healthy business, not a lack of ambition. This reframes success from growth metrics to personal sovereignty.