That’s certainly true, but I think it misses a larger point: Lifestyle businesses make life better/more enjoyable/more fun for customers too.  Take Maia Josebachvili, for instance.  While studying engineering at Dartmouth, she recruited all her friends and acquaintances to go skydiving — because it was something she really wanted to try, and she couldn’t afford it. Based on that experience, she went on to found Urban Escapes, a weekend adventure company for young urban professionals in four cities.

All week long Josebachvili’s clients slave away in banks, law firms and the like. Then, on the weekend they get out and really enjoy life, thanks to a little lifestyle company and an entrepreneur who pursued her passion.

In the busy summer months, Josebachvili says she serves about 500 clients — not a huge number, and certainly not the kind of business model that would impress venture capitalists or proponents of “high potential” firms. But she’s earning a living, providing jobs and bringing a little bit of joy to her customers.

The point is, it takes someone with passion to provide the sort of product or service that may never “scale.” For a big, soulless corporation or venture-backed company, it’s simply not worth the time.

Someone in the Willamette Valley must be organizing a campaign, because I keep getting emails insisting that this swath of Western Oregon is “North America’s most romantic wine region.” Since it leads in the voting so far — and since I’ve never visited before — I thought I should do a little research into the Willamette Valley.

I have to say, it sounds amazing. They claim 250 wineries, and organic viticulture seems to be very popular here. As a big fan of Pinot Noir, I’ve enjoyed this region’s wine for many years — especially Emerson, Erath, and Sokol Blosser — so I can’t imagine why I never got around to visiting.

So the wines are great, but is the area romantic? With rolling hills, covered bridges and sparkling streams, it looks like just the kind of place to reconnect with the one you love. I’m currently researching a 3-day itinerary they call “The Relaxer,” just in case the Willamette Valley hangs on to win the vote.

But who knows? By tomorrow everything could change, and I might be researching someplace entirely different. I’m at your mercy … and I love it.

Prost!

Oregon's Willamette Valley

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