Startups are all about innovation and change. But what if some of us decide to be in it just for the money?

Even as a child, I have always had issues with the saying “money can’t buy you happiness.”

Whenever I see it on posters or in books, I would nudge the nearest adult to me then rant about how ungrateful and arrogant this quote is.

“With money you can buy a house and send your kids to school. Why couldn’t this make you happy? What else do you want in life?”

Having gone through a difficult period, when money was scarce, even at such young age, I understood the anxiety of having to make sure that a kid can return to school next semester.

But let us not talk about big things like financial security.

Let us talk about having an extra small change in your pocket that enables you to buy that cup of ice cream on a scorching hot summer day.

Fast forward to 2015, I was offered an opportunity to work at e27, which I accepted gladly. I have long heard many great things about working with the region’s startup community. To me, the startup community was the epitome of creativity and innovation.

It is full of people who will not just sit down and accept status quo. People who are always figuring out better ways to do things, and helping others fix problems in their life. People who have the opportunity to foster change in the society.

For a while, I thought that this should be the only reason to build a startup. You do not just do it for the money; you do it because there is Something Else More Important.

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I found myself looking down at young university graduates who are starting their own companies with the motivation to become the next Bill Gates (read: to have tons of money), the same way fans of indie music sneer at fans of boyband (“Ugh, they are  not ‘real’ music. They are doing it for the money! They should have done it for art and art only!”).

But after three years, the more people I met in this community, the more I see that there are many reasons to build a startup.

The old me would yell “sellout” at these people, but luckily I got reminded of those moments in childhood when I would tell adults that there is really nothing wrong with having money.

It’s good to be rich

Here is the thing: I am not saying that you shouldn’t start a company with the goal to make a change.

It is actually the other way around. In order to build a successful business, one needs to begin by understanding the problem that customers are facing today. I am sure you have heard of the Lean Startup methodology.

But even if you are founding a company without the noble intention to alleviate poverty, as long as you harm none, you do not deserve the look-down.

Because entrepreneurship is, inherently, a positive thing.

Ciputra, founder of Indonesian property giant of the same name, once said at an event that entrepreneurs have the ability to create a more economically empowered society. In the long run, an economically empowered society might even lead to lower corruption rates.

“There will be no corruption if the economy is strong. Once they have become entrepreneurs, they would no longer be interested in corrupting money. People corrupt money because they want to become rich,” he said.

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I personally think his argument was a little bit reductive, but there is indeed a merit in the act of entrepreneurship itself.

For many years, Indonesian parents have always encouraged their children to become civil servants, a stable job with interesting benefits and a pension fund. And Indonesian youths have been obediently following this advice until the recent years, when there is an increasing popularity of entrepreneurship. Instead of just looking for a safe and stable life, youths are taking risks and pushing their limits. Exploring their abilities, expanding their network, and eventually, taking their life into the next level.

(Bonus point if they can also solve traffic jam problems along the way)

We all have the rights to choose how we want to contribute to society.

Some people choose to do it through their business activities; some people choose to keep business and activism separated. There is never just one way to do a good thing, just like Radiohead is not the only good musician in this Earth. (I personally have lost all respect for the band after the Lana Del Rey incident).

As long as you remain honest and hardworking, you should never let others shame you for doing it for the money. The important part is to ‘do no harm’, but if, along the way, you can afford a Ferrari then, well, there are worse things in life.

So have that ice cream. Those who insist to be on a diet are secretly craving for it anyway.

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Image Credit: Jonathan Saavedra on Unsplash

The post When money brings you happiness: Why making wealth is not a wrong reason to build a startup appeared first on e27.