I think people have come to undervalue proprietorship. In other times and places, it was/is a good thing just to have steady work as (say) an innkeeper. If we consider this as just an income stream, it's not much to strive for. If we want to be pointy-haired bosses, it seems pathetic. But a self-sustaining way of life offering some fulfillment is valuable, and not everyone can have a self-sustaining way of life where they order around lots of other people.