Overview:
Every industry has its dominant narratives — the ideas that get repeated so often they start to feel like facts. In startups, it’s the belief that venture capital is required for a meaningful exit. In SaaS, it’s scaling at all costs. In proptech and real estate, it’s automation replacing experts or distressed sellers having no leverage. In enterprise software, it’s the assumption that new tools automatically create efficiency.
In this Presence News feature, founders and CEOs share the widely accepted beliefs in their industries that they believe deserve more scrutiny. From sustainable bootstrapped exits to user-focused growth, from AI as a tool rather than a replacement, to restoring dignity in high-stress real estate transactions, their insights challenge the idea that speed and scale are always the answer.
The common thread? Success may depend less on chasing hype — and more on questioning it.
From venture capital myths to AI overpromises, founders across tech and real estate share the widely accepted beliefs in their industries that may not hold up under closer examination.
Every industry has its “accepted truths.” They’re repeated in conference panels, amplified on social media, and reinforced in boardrooms. Over time, they become less like opinions and more like doctrine.
But what if some of those narratives deserve a closer look?
We asked founders and CEOs across startups, SaaS, proptech, real estate, and enterprise software:
What’s a widely believed narrative in your industry that you think deserves more scrutiny — and why?
Their answers reveal a common thread: growth, speed, funding, and automation may not be the ultimate markers of success we’ve been led to believe.
The Venture Capital Obsession
In the startup ecosystem, raising venture capital is often treated as a rite of passage — almost a prerequisite for legitimacy.
But Andrew Gazdecki, CEO of Acquire.com, sees a different reality.
“Here’s the thing about startups – everyone acts like you need venture capital to have a successful exit. That’s not what I’m seeing at Acquire.com. I’ve watched founders bootstrap their way to solid exits without any outside funding. The startup world is obsessed with VC money, but there are actually other ways to build and sell a company.”
The narrative that VC equals success creates pressure on founders to raise money even when their business models don’t require it. While venture capital can accelerate growth, it also brings dilution, expectations of hyper-scaling, and the pressure to chase outsized returns.
Gazdecki’s perspective reflects a growing countercurrent: sustainable, profitable businesses built without outside funding can still achieve meaningful exits. In fact, they may offer founders more control and flexibility along the way.
The takeaway? Funding strategy should align with business goals — not industry hype.
Growth at Any Cost: The SaaS Scaling Trap
The SaaS world has its own dominant storyline: scale fast or fall behind.
Karsten Madsen, CEO of Morningscore, believes that mindset can quietly erode long-term value.
“The SaaS SEO world pushes rapid scaling, but we learned that’s a trap. Chasing growth made us lose touch with our users. So we stopped and started actually reading their feedback. That’s when our engagement and retention took off. I’m not convinced that growth at any cost is good for users or even for the business in the long run.”
Rapid expansion often prioritizes acquisition metrics over customer experience. But as many SaaS founders eventually discover, retention drives real stability.
When Morningscore shifted focus back to listening — reading feedback, refining features, improving usability — engagement improved. Not through explosive marketing campaigns, but through alignment.
It’s a reminder that scale without connection can create fragile companies. Sustainable growth tends to follow strong product-market fit, not the other way around.
AI Replacing Experts? Not So Fast.
Few narratives are louder right now than the idea that artificial intelligence will replace human professionals across industries.
In proptech, that message is especially strong.
Zuri Obozuwa, Founder & CEO of Bluestairs, urges caution.
“Everyone in proptech talks about AI replacing experts overnight. But from our work at Bluestairs, I know that’s a recipe for costly mistakes. AI is great for crunching numbers fast, like investment analysis, but it misses what an experienced eye catches. The combination of tech and real people is what actually works. My advice? Be skeptical of anyone claiming full automation. AI should be a tool, not the boss.”
AI excels at processing large datasets and identifying patterns. But real estate decisions often involve nuance — local knowledge, human judgment, emotional context, and unpredictable variables.
The promise of full automation sounds efficient. But Obozuwa’s point underscores a broader theme: tools amplify expertise; they rarely replace it entirely.
Across industries, the most resilient models appear to blend automation with human oversight — not eliminate the human element altogether.
Selling Under Stress Doesn’t Mean Losing Dignity
In residential real estate, there’s a persistent belief that homeowners facing hardship must accept subpar treatment.
Joel Janson, Owner of Sierra Homebuyers, challenges that assumption.
“One narrative I see too often is that selling a home under stressful circumstances—like after a loss or during financial hardship—means you’ll have to sacrifice your dignity or accept a poor experience. In reality, I’ve helped families navigate these moments with as much care and respect as possible, offering things like flexible closings or hands-on help cleaning out a loved one’s home, and it always reminds me that real estate should adapt to the person, not the other way around. Scrutinizing how sellers are treated, not just how much they make, matters just as much.”
In emotionally complex situations, sellers are often focused on speed or relief. That vulnerability can lead to rushed decisions.
Janson’s perspective reframes the transaction: dignity and care are part of the value equation, not optional extras. Profit matters — but so does process.
As scrutiny increases around investor activity in housing markets, how sellers are treated may become just as important as sale price outcomes.
Distressed Properties Aren’t Always Guaranteed Losses
Another entrenched belief in real estate: distressed properties equal financial loss.
Brandi Simon, Owner of TX Home Buying Pros, says that narrative oversimplifies reality.
“Everyone thinks selling a distressed property means you’re guaranteed to lose money, but that’s not the whole story. I’ve seen homeowners get multiple offers even on houses in foreclosure just by trying some creative staging. Don’t just accept the lowball offer. There are ways to get a better price, so explore your options before settling for less.”
Market perception heavily influences negotiations. When sellers assume they’re at a disadvantage, they often negotiate from that position.
Simon’s advice encourages homeowners to pause before accepting the first offer. Even small strategic adjustments — presentation, marketing, timing — can shift leverage.
The broader lesson applies beyond real estate: narratives about inevitability often limit options more than actual market conditions do.
Technology Alone Doesn’t Fix Broken Processes
In enterprise software, the assumption is simple: new tools create efficiency.
Tashlien Nunn, CEO of Apps Plus, warns that belief can backfire.
“Here’s the thing. Switching to new software doesn’t magically make work faster. We learned that at Apps Plus the hard way. When we skipped user training and integration planning, our team actually got slower. My advice is to focus just as much on helping people adapt as you do on the tech itself. The tool doesn’t fix your process if people don’t change how they work.”
Digital transformation projects often focus on implementation speed rather than behavioral change.
Without training, alignment, and workflow integration, even the best software can create friction. Productivity gains depend on adoption — not installation.
The narrative that technology alone drives efficiency ignores a critical factor: people.
The Pattern Beneath the Narratives
Across industries — startups, SaaS, proptech, real estate, and enterprise software — one theme emerges:
Widely accepted narratives tend to favor speed, scale, automation, and capital.
But these founders emphasize something else:
- Sustainability over hype
- Retention over raw growth
- Human judgment alongside AI
- Dignity in transactions
- Process improvement beyond tools
Scrutiny doesn’t mean rejection. Venture capital, AI, scaling strategies, and digital tools all have value. The issue arises when they become unquestioned defaults.
Industries evolve quickly. Narratives evolve more slowly.
And sometimes, progress begins by asking a simple question:
Is this belief actually serving us — or are we just repeating it?
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