Sugar sugar baby

[39] The A team

The elite team Vanessa had assembled for me was nothing short of impressive. These were top-notch professionals—people who had built companies, developed cutting-edge platforms, and consulted for some of the biggest names in tech. I was both excited and intimidated to have them onboard, knowing that with their help, I could finally turn my idea into reality.

But things didn't quite go as I expected.

From the moment the team arrived, it was clear they were operating on a different level. They were sharp, efficient, and always seemed ten steps ahead of me. At first, I was thrilled by how fast everything was moving. We had meetings, brainstorm sessions, and strategy calls, and within a couple of weeks, the business was already taking shape. But as time went on, I started to notice a pattern: whenever I came up with an idea, it was shot down—gently, of course, but it was always replaced with one of their ideas.

One afternoon, we were gathered in Vanessa's spacious home office, which had been converted into a temporary headquarters for the project. The walls were lined with whiteboards covered in diagrams and post-it notes, the air filled with the hum of creativity and ambition. I sat at the head of the table, surrounded by the team—Marco, the head developer; Rachel, the marketing expert; James, the designer; and Samantha, the business strategist.

I was excited to share a new feature I'd been thinking about for the platform—something that would allow freelancers to showcase their past work with more visual portfolios. It felt like a game-changer to me, something that would set us apart from the competition.

"Alright," I said, standing up from the table to present my idea, "I've been thinking about adding a feature that lets freelancers showcase their previous work through interactive portfolios. We could make it easy to upload videos, images, maybe even demo reels. It'll give clients a better idea of the freelancer's abilities, and it's something I haven't seen done well on other platforms."

I paused, looking around the table, expecting some level of excitement or at least curiosity. But instead, I got a series of polite nods and neutral expressions.

Marco was the first to speak. "That's an interesting idea, Tristan," he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "But... I'm not sure it's the right direction for us at this stage."

I frowned, feeling a twinge of frustration. "Why not? I think it would really set us apart from other platforms."

Rachel chimed in next, her voice calm and composed. "I see where you're coming from, but adding a feature like that would complicate things. It introduces a whole new layer of user interaction, which means more time spent building, testing, and maintaining it. We want to keep things simple, remember?"

I nodded, though I wasn't entirely convinced. "Yeah, but simplicity doesn't mean we can't innovate. I think this could really add value for both freelancers and clients."

James, the designer, smiled gently, as if trying to ease the blow. "Tristan, it's a good idea, but we need to focus on getting the core platform off the ground first. If we try to implement too many features too soon, we risk diluting the user experience. Let's keep the focus on what's most essential right now—connecting freelancers with clients. Once we've established that, we can look at adding extra features."

I sat back down, feeling a bit deflated. "So you're saying no to the portfolio feature?"

Samantha, ever the strategist, leaned forward, her tone almost motherly. "Not 'no,' just 'not right now.' We love your passion and your creativity, but at this stage, we have to be very selective about what we implement. It's all about timing."

The team nodded in agreement, and I forced a smile, trying not to let my frustration show. "Okay, I get it. Let's focus on the basics first."

They all smiled, clearly satisfied with the resolution. But inside, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being sidelined. This was my business, but somehow, every time I had an idea, it was gently brushed aside in favor of something that fit their vision. It wasn't that they were outright rejecting me—they were too polished for that—but their responses felt like polite dismissals, always replacing my ideas with something more "practical" or "strategic."