Should you be passionate about your work to succeed ?

Recently, I found myself stuck on this question.

From project to project, eager to learn everything, my energy carried me forward.

But I began to doubt. Could I keep going if I wasn’t passionate about my work?

I discussed this with Guillaume, my co-founder at App-Prove. Together, we looked hard at what we were building, questioning everything, seeking the right path for our product.

Facing Reality: Product Market Fit

The more we spoke with CTOs, the more we understood our gap.

I realized something uncomfortable: the product-market fit wasn’t there. App-Prove, our cybersecurity auditing tool, wasn’t meeting the need as we thought it would.

Most people didn’t want to share private code with unknown companies.

They wanted a tool that eliminated human interaction, offering a seamless experience with high security. But I knew I didn’t want to rely on AI-only solutions.

I wanted to do more than that, create a product that people could trust and interact with differently.

Our only option? Shift our focus to become an auditing company ourselves, or so I thought. But I felt an inner resistance to that turn.

Pivoting to a New Solution

As I reflected with Guillaume and our mentors, a new option emerged: We could provide our technology directly to existing auditing firms.

These firms could leverage our tool to speed up their processes, cutting down on audit times and ensuring better quality control.

With this new insight, a fresh sense of purpose began to develop. I could see how App-Prove could thrive in a new direction, benefiting auditing firms while keeping our original goals intact. It wasn’t a complete departure from the vision we started with; it was an evolution.

The Price of Passion: Going Solo

Despite this breakthrough, our paths had to split. I made one of the hardest choices of the year: I decided to continue App-Prove alone.

It wasn’t because I didn’t value Guillaume’s contributions, but because the level of dedication required for this pivot was different. And after putting in countless hours—over 50 each week, building every line of code, meeting mentors, investing thousands in development tools and coaching. I saw the work was unequal.

We’d worked together for eight months, yet there was a vast gap in our contributions.

The realization hurt, especially knowing he wouldn’t receive compensation. With no valuation, we didn’t even exist as an official entity yet.

It felt unfair but necessary, and in that moment, I understood what passion can really cost.

The Hardest Part: The Emotional Toll of Goodbye

Saying goodbye wasn’t what I expected.

When we first started, I thought if we had to part ways, it would be simple.

Just a matter of moving on, pursuing different paths.

But the reality hit hard. It’s not easy to let go of someone you’ve built with, someone who believed in your vision.

Walking away without any financial compensation felt wrong, yet it was the choice I had to make.

The shared journey and the memories made this goodbye as painful as it was necessary. It’s a reminder that passion demands more than just excitement; it sometimes asks for sacrifices that you can’t anticipate.

What Passion Really Means

Ultimately, I learned that passion for your work isn’t just about the thrill of the day-to-day.

It’s about persistence through the hardest decisions, through the shifts and pivots that test your resolve.

Going forward, I feel both the weight and the excitement of the journey ahead.

I’m driven by the knowledge that App-Prove can transform the cybersecurity space, making audits faster, accessible, and reliable for firms that need it.

And, even with the pain of separation, my passion for this vision is stronger than ever.