Why You Need to Love Your Startup Are you creating a dream -- or just working on a business?

Max Levchin, one of the founders of PayPal, a Yahoo board member and an angel investor, once shared with me the following observation about a hot new Silicon Valley startup (that shall remain nameless): "I see them around riding their bikes more than I think they should be." As I understood it, he was pointing out that this startup's founders must not be that passionate about their company if they were taking off for bike rides in the middle of the week.

Now, I'm not against a work-life balance. There's nothing wrong with decompressing and recharging one's batteries--in fact it's often necessary to spark new ideas and solve problems.

But Levchin's insight does point to the difference between a startup that's pursuing a dream--to change the world, disrupt the status quo or accomplish a goal that's dear to its founders' hearts--vs. one created to seize an opportunity and produce a fat future payout.