02/07/2026
Why I stopped building a web studio and returned to development
Over the past few years, I was convinced that the next logical step in my business growth was to gradually stop being a developer and transition into the role of a CEO.
I slowly moved away from hands-on development, hired people, built processes, learned how to delegate, and focused on operations. Everything exactly as business books and consultants recommend :)
At some point, I even started to believe that if I kept writing code, it simply meant I hadn’t “grown up” as an entrepreneur yet.
Today I understand that this was one of my biggest misconceptions.
I almost stopped doing the very thing that once made me fall in love with this profession.
How it all started…
One evening, I sat down with a project that the team had been trying to deliver for almost a week. Not because they were bad specialists, but because the deadline was tight and there were some difficult architectural problems to solve.
A few hours later (closer to 3 a.m.), the project was done. Not perfect - but working. And most importantly, the client got the result on time (and by the way, it’s still running smoothly more than a year later).
I remember that strange feeling. First - satisfaction. Then - disappointment. Not in the team. In myself.
I suddenly realized that most of my time was no longer spent building products, but organizing the processes around the people who build products. That was the first warning sign - big changes were coming.
The next warning sign was my biggest “CEO mistake.” For a long time, I expected employees to have the same attitude toward work that I had. The same sense of ownership. The same initiative.
Over time, I realized how unfair that was. You can’t expect someone to live and breathe your business. Only the owner is truly invested in its growth.
And that’s completely normal. The problem wasn’t the people. The problem was my expectations.
Over the past year, not only my perspective has changed - the entire industry has changed. Not so long ago, even a small web studio truly needed a large team.
Today, a huge part of that work is handled by artificial intelligence. What once required several people can now often be done by a single strong engineer with a well-designed process.
My new old path
Right now, I clearly understand that for me, the traditional model of a small web studio is no longer effective (IMHO - in case any old-school folks are reading this). Today, I believe much more in partnerships than in headcount.
That’s why I’m transforming LIUKIT from a studio - back into an individual.
What’s next?
I believe we are standing at the edge of a new evolution in our profession.
Independent experts are coming to the forefront - people with strong expertise, personal responsibility, modern AI tools, and their own name, backed by real projects and experience.
This is how I see modern development.
Not competition at any cost. But partnership.
Not hierarchy. But mutual respect for each other’s expertise.
If this philosophy resonates with you - I’d be glad to connect.
https://liukit.com/
