## Startup Illusion: Better to Seem Than to Be. Part II

Why have IT professionals come to despise startup founders? Why is launching your own product a source of stress for developers, and how can you cope with it? Where does business begin and the pleasure of product development end?

# Directness

IT professionals speak the truth directly—whether in comments or private messages to their management or team leads. They lack the art of embellishment; they neither know nor want to withhold the truth. Any omission is considered deceit. Being an IT professional is about the alignment of facts and words.

Is a project half-implemented or half-unimplemented? You can predict a developer’s response. While they aren’t pessimists—because they have incredible faith in their product when they choose to—they believe only in their ability to realize it according to their vision.

Do you know who IT professionals dislike the most?

• Entrepreneurs
• Salespeople
• Marketers
• PR specialists

This is sufficient to understand why most products developed solely by IT professionals remain in the “Completed Projects” folder, unseen by the public or first users.

Let me share comments from a Medium user to convey the essence of the attitude toward those outside the coding and development zone, but whose long tongues can quickly validate a hypothesis or idea:

## User A

I have the same attitude towards scammers, hustlers, and sharpers. Cultivating a “startup spirit” only multiplies the number of such “professionals.”

## User B

For people who have the idea, the strength, and the desire to realize it, you should look into alternative financing sources instead of the thoroughly compromised current venture capital and the bubble-economy of startups. Don’t go to swindlers hoping they’re interested in fair play.

## User C

You just listed the exact category that tarnishes real IT professionals and shapes the public image of a pretentious tech geek with a MacBook in Starbucks. Quickly (though not always low-tech), make something trivial, promote it, and run away with the profit.

This directness gives us food for thought and discussion. Not everything in these words should be taken as the ultimate truth, but it’s worth keeping an eye out… and that, my friends, is the stench of disgust and contempt towards the startup community from the other side of the barricades (or “galleries,” as workspaces are called in certain circles).

# Disrespect and Contempt

Directness is a manifestation of a deeper personal trait. Disrespect is a deliberate attempt to demean the other party. Working on an IT professional’s directness is no easy task (just listen to recruiters clamoring about the need to develop soft skills); you can’t always expect success in smoothing out relational rough edges. But disrespect… disrespect signals a belief in one’s own superiority in some aspect.

I won’t skip citations this time:

## User D

Real IT professionals, at least, don’t dream of abandoning IT, collapsing on the Bahamas in a deck chair while laughing at the remaining “losers.” They’re interested in doing their job, constantly developing, contributing to the overall advancement of technology, and providing not the imagined benefits of a flashy app feature, but real value from the products of their work.

I may have written a bit pompously, but I’ve seen enough of those jumpy types. It didn’t take off—we abandon it and run to a new project.

The reason is that the wrong strategy was chosen initially: to quickly whip something up, gain success, and flee. There’s no point in laboring over a doomed direction with such a strategy. If you love IT, choose something that will bring work and pleasure for a long time. That is, not stub projects, but work in a real sector.

Perhaps startups deserve such treatment? Maybe the general trend in the startup scene has shifted from “creating a real product” to “making a presentation, securing funding, and exiting”? Who is to blame for this?

You can throw stones at each other for a long time—the investors with their goals and money on one side, and IT professionals who struggle with soft skills and sales on the other, yet complain that money goes to everyone but them and their products.

Do you know why IT professionals release only the product they can showcase—a completed product by their personal standards, not one vetted through the prism of reality and target audience? Because they are direct and can’t imagine presenting what’s not implemented, and they disdain those who view these projects.

But for those who can’t fully classify themselves as IT professionals or entrepreneurs, intermediate steps were devised—MVPs and product illusions. This intermediate step allows you to proceed towards the ideal product with minimal effort, staying connected to reality. It allows the IT professional to sleep peacefully at night, while their entrepreneurial essence can fully utilize personal potential.

On to the finale.

# IT Professional or Entrepreneur

It’s difficult, very difficult to combine these roles in one person, and I know this firsthand. Such individuals struggle to coexist with their second nature because “entrepreneur” is the opposite of an “IT professional.”

A startup combining IT and entrepreneurship involves such a split. This person balances between two opposing facets when implementing a project and tries to:

• Keep themselves in check—not to despair if the project architecture doesn’t match the perfect image in their head;
• Not give up if users exceed expectations and servers crash;
• Not succumb to negativity and initial feedback;
• Be ready for opportunities that arise in the process.

A moment comes when you have to choose—entrepreneur or IT professional. Sooner or later, you have to make this choice because the second nature, which is direct and relentlessly inclined towards perfectionism, will start blaming you for not growing as a specialist.

Those who stay on the IT professional side, adhering to the corresponding behavior model, might envy those who chose the entrepreneur side, but you shouldn’t do that… don’t envy, don’t blame, and don’t disrespect either side of this triangle because, essentially, it just means everyone ended up in the place and role they were most inclined towards.

Can you change this role, you might ask… Probably, yes.

A straightforward indicator of the right personal role choice is the guilt you feel about your decision. Losing enjoyment from your actions (within your own project) means losing yourself, a clear sign that it’s time to seek a partner, employee, or support from someone who can cover the competencies you’re lacking.

I sincerely wish to build bridges of mutual understanding and support between those who start the same way but end up on different sides of the barricades. Those who start as IT professionals, make intermediate steps into the startup environment, and then move (or not) to entrepreneurship.

# Embracing the Balance

At Co-Founder Ai, we understand the delicate balance between being an IT professional and an entrepreneur. Our platform connects venture capital firms, angel investors, and private equity companies with driven startups. Whether you’re seeking investment opportunities near you or looking to start a startup, Co-Founder Ai provides the necessary tools and connections to help you thrive.

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• Investment Matching: Connect with VC firms and private equity companies that align with your startup’s vision.
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Join Co-Founder Ai today to bridge the gap between technical excellence and entrepreneurial success.

# Conclusion

Navigating the dual roles of IT professional and entrepreneur is challenging yet rewarding. By leveraging platforms like Co-Founder Ai, you can find the support and resources needed to transform your technical expertise into a thriving business. Embrace both aspects of your identity, seek collaboration, and prioritize continuous growth to achieve lasting success in the startup ecosystem.

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For more insights and resources on startups, venture capital, and entrepreneurial strategies, visit Co-Founder Ai.