I mean, honestly, it depends what you did and why you failed. There are many so called entrepreneurs that really are just lazy people that try everything to keep being lazy.

However, if you did actually put together a business, spent significant time on it, either started to develop a product, opened a store, sold something that maybe made you some money, and you just couldn’t sustain it for one reason or another, then yea it was real work. They are just hurt because they say you doing something they wanted, but are too afraid to do themselves. And next time you run a company, they will want in, but then you can remind them it’s not real work and they can keep doing what they do for the pittance their boss gives them.