At one point, you had an interest or passion that was driven by only one thing, the feeling of being lit up.

You spent nights and weekends absorbing everything you could about that subject.

And then someone told you that you could make a lot of money off this thing.

You thought to yourself, "wow this thing I love, I can make money doing this? How amazing would that be?"

And so you started a business.

You kept doing that thing, and at first it felt even better than at the beginning, because now you owned it in your new identity as an entrepreneur.

Such a sexy word.

Someone told you "wow you are awesome", or in my case, "wow you are a real wizard at this stuff".

Soon, that identity became something to protect.

And that interest which was simply something you loved for the joy of it became something you do out of obligation to keep feeding this identity.

You learn to manipulate your experience to ensure that this is always the case.

You are respected for your skills, and you are paid well for your services.

And so, the original spark begins to dull just a bit, as less of your focus remains on what's alive in the moment, and more on self-preservation.

We begin to make decisions in calculated ways, through the lens of "how will this be perceived?"

"What result will this create?"

We start to strategize a path towards "whatever the next level is", because that is what is expected of us - to grow in our capacity, and to prove that we are continuously achieving higher levels of success.

It's not because that is what we desire, or that it's even necessary - but because it's what's expected.

And so it goes.

Round and round with the passage of time.

And before long, where we came from, and our original spark of joy is so buried that it's no longer recognizable when we look in the mirror.

I ask again, how did we get here?

What was your original spark of joy?

My earliest perceptible memory of this was sitting on my father's lap in front of a personal PC watching the screen light up, and being in a state of complete awe.

It was creating music in college, and then seeing how Myspace allowed me to bring people together to experience this in community.

It was the dawning of an era in which the internet would create infinite opportunities for connection with others in ways that, at the time, we couldn't quite imagine.

Bring yourself back.

What was the spark?

What was the fabric of the joy that brought you to this place of presenting your gift to the world?

Can you still touch it?

Is it alive in you?

If it's no longer present, ask yourself, is it because you've evolved?

Consider leaning into that.

Or is it simply that the gem has been buried under a layer of dirt that you can start to peel away to connect back with child-like wonder.

Stop performing your daily routines for the obtaining of a particular outcome.

I strongly suspect it will lead to unhappiness in the end.

Do it because it feels good.

Right now, writing this final sentence feels good.

Can you feel it?

Sending Love.

Here's What I Want to Share This Week:

1. I wrote a bit more about Web3 for creators: This week was hectic, but I still managed to write about a recent Stripe announcement, and it's implications for online course creators, as well as the best crypto wallet for creators looking to get started with Web3.

2. Ry and I are looking to breathe some new life into our Quantum King brand in a big way this year. As part of that initiative, we are evaluating Web3 as an enabler of some of the goals we have. We listed our Fearless Lover course on the Resource Network, as an experiment in participating in circular economies.

3. I hit a bit of a speed bump this week with the health. As part of this, I had to remind myself a few things about showing up when I'm tired. So I wrote about it, mostly to get myself back into flow. Maybe it will help you if you ever find yourself needing to float.

Who We are Celebrating This Week: Kevin Thompson

Kevin and I connected through a small group-mastermind we were both a part of roughly two years ago, right around when the pandemic started.

I was initially struck by his genuineness, and sincere desire to help everyone in our group.

I later learned that Kevin runs a preferred partnership community, Tribe for Leaders, with a pretty aligned mission.

Their core intention is to ignite opportunities and facilitation for accelerated growth and impact through crafting and curating authentic strategic relationships.

I've attended a few of Kevin's events, and each time I've walked away with a significantly expanded network, and a few new friends.

Kevin and I reconnected recently, and I'm excited to share I'll be doing an interview with him in early April about relationships and answering this question:

Have you ever met or been introduced to a person that completely changed the course of your business or your life… so much so, that had you not met this person, most of what you have today wouldn’t be possible?"

I'm sure it's going to be a fun conversation, and I'll be excited to share it with you when it's done. There have certainly been many people that have shown up as allies in my life over the years in business.

​Kevin on Facebook

This Week's Curiosities :

LearnFlow (Link)

I came across this on Product Hunt earlier this week. Its a free template to learn how to no-code in Webflow. As someone who has been curious about building no-code web apps, I thought it was a pretty cool learning experience. I've got it it bookmarked for a rainy day :)

Tellie (Link)

Tellie is the first website builder that I've found with native Web3 functionality right out of the box. It provides the ability to create NFT/Token-gated exclusives on the Ethereum blockchain. Right now the service is free, but it's invite only.

Good news for you..if you are crypto curious like me, I've got you covered with an invite :)

Sort of a "wait and see" on the value of this tool, so this is a share for those who want to get out way in front on the early adoption scale.

Content AI (Link)

This is a bit of a show and tell opportunity. I've been experimenting with various AI writing assists (assist being the key word). If you've ever wondered what happens when you buy cheap content on Fiverr, this tweet will give you a look behind the curtain:

https://twitter.com/thetafferboy/status/1501872119524777987

Mark Williams-Cook is founder of AlsoAsked, a tool for topical content research.

Why I Deleted My Personal Site (Link)

I've been thinking a lot about community, and decentralization. We are seeing more signs of a bit of a splintering effect in the social grid as more and more people move away from big tech platforms like Facebook, and towards tools like Circle and Discord.

This is a fascinating video from Rob Fitzpatrick about his decision to delete his personal site and replace it with a Circle Community.

Not sure I'd advocate this just yet, but he makes some interesting and valid points. Would be curious to hear what you think.

Memorable Quote:

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, savor you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. "

- Mary Jean Irion, Poet and Essayist

With appreciation,

Phil

Today, I'd like to discuss a topic that you often comes up in association with Bitcoin, Web3, or the blockchain: What crypto wallet should I use?

This is usually one of the first questions a creator will ask themselves when getting started with exploring the brave new world of Web3.

My goal is that hopefully once you've read this article, you'll have a high-level understanding of the various types of crypto wallets (enough to sound reasonably intelligent to your peers). You'll also have a few suggestions of steps you can take to get some direct experience working with crypto wallets quickly and safely.

This will support your ability to begin thinking creatively about how cryptocurrency factors in to the future of your online business, and community building.

So without further adieu ...

What is a crypto wallet?

It's best if you simply think of a crypto wallet as analogous to the wallet you are probably used to carrying around in your pocket. It's simply a place where you store your various cryptocurrencies, and can connect to various Web3 platforms to make transactions. Your crypto wallet allows you to buy, sell, and trade using cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, or Ethereum.

Custodial vs noncustodial?

When choosing your first crypto wallet, the first decision you'll need to make is whether to use a custodial or non-custodial wallet. What does this even mean?

Your First Custodial Wallet: Coinbase

A custodial wallet means that someone else is holding your "private keys" for you. The best way of thinking about this is to imagine that they are responsible for managing your account number, routing number, debit card number, and ATM pin (all the important passcodes/phrases that allow you to access your funds). They are also responsible for keeping your funds safe, and to ensure that you don't lose access to them.

By far the most common custodial wallet today is Coinbase. If you are just getting started with cryptocurrency, this would be my recommendation to set this up first.

It is one of the easiest ways to get started buying cryptocurrency, and it comes with the least amount of risk of accidentally making a costly mistake. Coinbase offers both a web and mobile app, and is offers quite a user friendly experience.

Learning-Based Action: Set up your Coinbase account and purchase your first cryptocurrency. Bitcoin and Ethereum are the most well known, however you can do your own research on what you might like to add to your portfolio.

Your First Non-Custodial Wallet: Metamask

Non-custodial wallets, on the other hand, are more decentralized. They do not require any third party to provide security for your holdings. Instead, they rely on cryptography to ensure that only you can access your assets.

The main benefit of a non-custodial wallet is that you own your private keys. That means you control your coins and tokens. There are no third parties, or middlemen involved who could steal from you. However, because these wallets operate outside of traditional banking systems, they may be less familiar to users.

The second benefit of a non-custodial wallet is that these often serve as your Web3 identity, and connect directly to all the new, innovative platforms that are emerging, whereas Coinbase will not.

If you've already dabbled with Coinbase, and are ready to start branching out a bit, Metamask is currently one of the most popular non-custodial wallets, and the one I'd recommend setting up first. Metamask is easy to install, and has an intuitive interface.

I’ve found the easiest way to get started is by installing their chrome extension.

You can download Metamask here.

Here’s a brief introduction video to help you get started:

I am also big fan of Phantom, a wallet that makes it easy to buy Decentraliens, the NFT that provides you with access to the Invisible College learning DAO.

Learning-Based Action: Setup Metamask, and practice sending some funds from Coinbase to your non-custodial wallet. Once you've got that down, consider connecting Metamask to OpenSea and purchasing your first NFT!

What About Hardware Wallets?

Hardware wallets are another option for storing your digital currency. These come in many different forms, but essentially work by securing your private key offline. This prevents hackers from stealing your cryptocurrency while still allowing you to easily spend it online.

Hardware wallets are a more expensive option, and usually only worth considering if you plan on spending a lot of time trading, or storing large amounts of Cryptocurrency as part of an investment strategy. If you are an investor, you can take your coins offline and put them in a "cold wallet" to make them more secure. That way, you are only leaving funds you need to make transactions with online.

Your First Hardware Wallet: Ledger Nano X

The Ledger Nano X is probably the most well known hardware wallet, and is definitely one of the cheapest. It's small, lightweight, and easy to use. It works great for beginners, and even though it costs around $150, it's still considered a premium product.

You can buy the Ledger Nano X here.

For a detailed guide on how to set up the Ledger Nano X, check out this video:

In closing, these are three types of crypto wallets you may want to consider if you are starting to explore the exciting world of Web3.

Coinbase and Metamask are the easiest, and best documented paths for getting started. Unless you are planning to store large amounts of crypto for investment purposes, this may be as far as you need to go. As you begin to explore more emerging platforms, you may wish to branch out into using other wallets that over you more flexibility and versatility around where you transact.

Phantom (Solana) or Maiar (Elrond Network) are two examples worth checking out.

Interested in continuing to learn more about Web3 and Crypto topics that relate to running an online business as a coach, consultant, or course creator?

Check out these additional links:

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/FXgVipBghUbRLiNfQ7MPS--XqJ6M3PmVziR8kzni4BE

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/ZTmX7mBQnGxfQ4sMbZ5kJYvIl_yxZK7QeRoMmHVd3Ts

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/y57wCTbcIjtmEF9kM-K9XINgEYYC7B2_ym0FLAVML8g

Looking to explore this exciting world of blockchain and Web3 in a deeper way, but not quite sure where to start?

I highly recommend joining The Invisible College.  The Invisible College is a learning DAO that gives you the skills, network, and opportunities to make an impact.

The Invisible College is a school owned by the students where you can learn, build, and create in this exciting new world of Web3.

Joining this organization has been the best decision I've made this year so far for my growth and learning, and I'm excited to see how the organization evolves.

Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to The Wizard’s Chest where I drop all the loot.

Would you like to support my writing on Web3? Consider checking out this NFT.

Couple this with the time change, and I'm just flat out tired this morning.

Being tired can have a huge effect on our ability to show up fully, especially when we've committed to something big, like taking on a writing challenge, for instance.

So what can we do?

Here are 3 ways I'm working with my lack of energy this morning:

1. Acknowledge the reality that I'm tired.

So much of our internal drama and strife is a reflection of our inability to accept "what is". It's rooted in our desire for something to be different from the way it is, The resulting resistance creates more of a drain on the system.

Simply acknowledging the fact that I'm tired helps to let go of the need for things to be different right now.

2. Float.

This one is something my wife Janice taught me. I try to imagine my situation akin to being thrashed about in the ocean, having fallen off a boat without a life vest. Amidst thrashing to get back to the shoreline, I imagine myself expending a ton of energy that isn't helping my ability to recover from the situation.

But then, I remember that I can simply float.

There's no need to get anywhere.

Instead, I can take refuge by simply floating.

I release the need to thrash.

The seas calm, the sky become blue, and I relax into simply being present.

While this is a simple visualization exercise, it helps me to remember this is also true in our daily lives. Showing up and "floating" through a bad day is usually enough.

We don't have to always be the hero, save it for another day.

Just don't give up. Float instead.

3. Be OK with less, and celebrate the smallest victories.

I had a whole plan for what this Sunday would look like. I'd wake up early, do my spiritual practice, take an epic walk, plan my work week, grocery shopping, schedule 60 tweets, and so on... you get the idea.

But what if, instead, I were to aim to just do one thing that would create a sense of victory?

Today, that's writing this post. It's not what I originally planned to write about. But it is something that's alive and present for me, and makes me feel good.

And surprisingly, as I get towards the end of it, I'm already feeling better. Maybe that walk will be possible after all :)

So that's it, my friends.

Not every day is going to feel amazing, and we don't have to be perfect in our execution and ability to stick to a plan. Things change. We learn to bob and weave.

And there's a bit of magic in that.

If you've been selling online as a consultant, coach, or course creator for any amount of time over the past few years, chances are you have a merchant account with Stripe.

It's one of the de facto payment options for the online creator economy, and seamlessly works with all the major shopping cart tools including my favorite, ThriveCart.

John Collison, co-founder of Stripe shared the big news via Twitter yesterday:

https://twitter.com/collision/status/1501961880289480704

Here's 3 Reasons why the Stripe Crypto Payments Announcement Matters:

Stripe Crypto Payments Signal Wider Adoption

Outside of the hardcore crypto community, there's been a lack of mainstream, high-trust solutions for accepting cryptocurrency payments. Shopping cart providers like ThriveCart and SamCart have likely been hesitant to create tools for this, because it's been unclear who to partner with, and which solutions would emerge as trustworthy and sustainable options.

Here's a screenshot of a comment from founder of ThriveCart, Josh Bartlett, last year around this:

With Stripe coming into this space, it's highly likely that more shopping cart tools and payment platforms will begin to integrate the ability to accept cryptocurrency payments alongside existing options like credit card, Paypal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

It will be interesting to see how this announcement changes the conversation. 

Stripe has a high trust factor, invests heavily in fraud prevention, and will likely help to usher in a new wave of adoption of crypto payment solutions across many industries.

Stripe Adoption Creates an Opportunity to Access New Customers

Stripe will connect to crypto exchanges and allow users in more than 180 countries to deposit funds via dozens of local payment methods. Merchants will be able to be paid out in fiat currencies in 45+ countries.

This represents an opportunity for online businesses to reach new customers who may not use credit cards, and who would likely take advantage of the ability to pay for goods and services using cryptocurrency in the future.

There Will Be New Emergent Payment Solutions For Creators

Alongside the crypto payment announcement, Stripe also unveiled new partnerships with FTX and Nifty Gateway.

Here's a tweet from the President of FTX, Brett Harrison announcing the partnership:

https://twitter.com/brett_ftxus/status/1461030387359039496

As cryptocurrency continues to become more mainstream, new players will begin to emerge with innovative payment solutions that favor ease of use, making the acceptance of cryptocurrency more frictionless for the consumer.

In closing, existing shopping cart solutions will either need to move quickly to adopt crypto payments, or risk losing market share to new players who understand that this technology isn’t simply a novel trend.

I'd recommend engaging with your payment solution providers around this topic. Ask for an update around their roadmap, and request that they begin looking at these new integration possibilities if it's not already on their radar.

Keeping abreast of these changes will help to ensure you are well positioned for the future with your online business.

Additional Reading:

• Stripe launches payments support for crypto businesses, partners with FTX - Stripe has rolled out payment support for crypto businesses including a partnership with FTX that also involves helping it with KYC. (theblockcrypto.com)

• Stripe announces fiat payment support for cryptocurrencies and NFTs - Stripe also launched an open drop of NFT collectibles dubbed “Cube Thingies” via Nifty Gateway for nonprofit healthcare tech organization Watsi. (cointelegraph.com)

• Stripe gets friendly with crypto, again – TechCrunch - Payments giant Stripe already powers a pretty major swath of the web’s financial infrastructure, now it’s launching crypto payments support to give customers an easier path to onboard web3 users and interact with cryptocurrencies. The company announced a suite of products today aiming to give custom... (techcrunch.com)

• Payments giant Stripe says it's reentering the crypto market – TechCrunch - Payments company Stripe announced it’s building out a new crypto team to help build out the “future of Web3 payments,” according to public statements posted to Twitter on Tuesday. Stripe, which had once been among the first to support Bitcoin payments before leaving the market a few years ago, has b... (techcrunch.com)

• Stripe is Open to Accepting Crypto Payments Again - An increasing number of fintech platforms and financial institutions are entering the crypto space. (yahoo.com)

• Payments Giant Stripe Launches Support for Crypto, NFTs - Decrypt - Stripe today launched its crypto services, offering businesses the ability to use it as a payment method for crypto and NFT transactions. (decrypt.co)

Interested in continuing to learn more about Web3 and Crypto topics that relate to running an online business as a coach, consultant, or course creator?

Check out these additional links:

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/FXgVipBghUbRLiNfQ7MPS--XqJ6M3PmVziR8kzni4BE

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/g-prrxp3IMltT7iXhwrsvvuA3rFDWxEaA-cIW7LpAuw

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/ZTmX7mBQnGxfQ4sMbZ5kJYvIl_yxZK7QeRoMmHVd3Ts

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/y57wCTbcIjtmEF9kM-K9XINgEYYC7B2_ym0FLAVML8g

Looking to explore this exciting world of blockchain and Web3 in a deeper way, but not quite sure where to start?

I highly recommend joining The Invisible College.  The Invisible College is a learning DAO that gives you the skills, network, and opportunities to make an impact.

The Invisible College is a school owned by the students where you can learn, build, and create in this exciting new world of Web3.

Joining this organization has been the best decision I've made this year so far for my growth and learning, and I'm excited to see how the organization evolves.

Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to The Wizard’s Chest where I drop all the loot.

Would you like to support my writing on Web3? Consider checking out this NFT.

Creating this newsletter has given me more empathy and compassion for those who have chosen this game as a profession.

It's one thing when you are a marketing strategist talking about how content dovetails with other growth and funnel strategies for your clients. Having put myself in the driver's seat these past two months has been an entirely different beast.

And while I often experience heavy resistance to the creative process, the conversations and chats that have been the result of this endeavor have made it all worth it.

You all are amazing.

So I guess that's why and how writers do this. I've answered my own question :)

As a matter of chance, I'm experimenting with abstaining from coffee this week, while also embarking on a 30-day writing challenge.

Sitting here this morning, I feel blunted by the lack of coffee coursing through my veins for the first time in a long time. It's contributing to a rising fear that I won't be able to live up to the "perceived" expectations of you, the reader.

Frankly, it feels like I'm always racing against a deadline, while praying that just maybe I'll have a novel thought or idea dawn on me that will be worthwhile of your attention.

I've received overwhelmingly positive feedback these last 9 weeks since I began sharing, and the thought of messing with the "magic formula" is a dreadful one.

Will people still want to hear what I have to say?

Will my writing still have that sharpness without the edge that I perceive the caffeine provides?

My daily writing routine has been to hit a 16 oz pour over, crank up some tunes, and see what flows.

Sitting here, my mind struggles to even focus on the page, as it's somewhere else, dreams interlaced with thoughts bubbling up of a hot almond milk latte.

There are many changes we desire to make in life that often get pushed to the back burner out of either fear, or the discomfort that comes with trying.

I think we've all been there at one point or another.

This week, I'm allowing myself to experience this discomfort, while also remaining committed to shipping.

I'm also offering a reminder to give yourself the permission to do the same when you're feeling a bit overwhelmed by changing weather patterns in life.

We've got this.

I leave you with a thought to reflect on:

Even when you think things are going downhill, you are held in grace.

When you surrender, prepared to lose everything - magic begins to happen.

​ Sending love.

Here's What I Want to Share This Week:

1. I continued down a path of Web3 education this week and wrote on three topics: Looking for a bird's eye view on Ethereum or Cryptocurrency, and why this matters for creators? Got you covered. I also took a stab at summarizing the 6 key priorities to be aware of as it relates to President Biden's Crypto Executive Order.

2. I caught up with an old friend, David Casey, and planted some exciting seeds for partnership. Dude is next-level smart. Resource Network is a decentralized, circular economy fueled by local resources and human potential. More on this coming soon, but I suggest giving this platform a look. Beautiful creator-friendly design too :)

3. I kicked off participation in Ship30, a 30-day writing challenge to further fuel the creative output. Beyond the challenge itself, the founders, Dickie Bush and Nicolas Cole deserve a ton of props on the marketing front. The gamification and social loops they create within this cohort-based program are next-level wizardry. The Program starts again in April, and I highly recommend it for the meta-learning as a marketer, even if writing isn't your thing.

Who We are Celebrating This Week: Jesse Hanley

Jesse and I connected through this newsletter when he was kind enough to offer some feedback on something I wrote recently.

I learned he was the founder of a kick-ass marketing automation platform called Bento. The product is quirky by design, self-funded, bootstrapped, and doing some really innovative things. Mad props!

ActiveCampaign remains my numero uno email service provider for the time being, but Bento is a platform to watch. I'm naturally interested in seeing how some of the Automated Intimacy frameworks might translate with Jesse's approach to event-based workflows and personalization.

On a personal level, Jesse lives his life in a way that is highly aligned with my values of simplicity, connection, and only taking on work that feels alive.

The way he described his days really stuck with me:

"I wake up, code some stuff that excites me to build, talk to some awesome people, and then go to sleep".

I dig it.

Side note: Dude has a slightly mysterious vibe about him, lives in the south of Japan, and I couldn't find that many pictures of him on the webs, so you get this avatar instead :)

You can also catch him on Twitter here.

This Week's Curiosities :

Ultimate Travel Spreadsheet (Link)

I don't know about you, but I'm really ready to start traveling more this year. I'm kicking things off in April with a month in Nosara. As such, I've got a bit of planning to do. I found this spreadsheet from Johnny Africa, and I think I'll use it to get organized.

The Humble Hero (Link)

This is a gem of an email template from the Coaching the Conversion archives that was originally offered as a bonus. It came up on on one of our coaching calls this past week, so I thought I'd share it here as an additional subscriber "perk".

It's best used in one of the three situations:

1. If it’s been weeks or months since you’ve made a clear, direct offer.

2. If you’ve been sending free content (podcasts, blog posts, videos, etc.) for so long that your subscribers may not even know how you can serve them more deeply.

3. If you’ve made a pivot in your business (who you serve / how you serve them)... and want to pull out the most qualified subscribers.

Effortlessly (Link)

Ad inspiration from top brands, hand-picked, and deep-filtered. A very cool ad-inspiration library.

Under The Radar (Link)

"Discover the next big trend before anyone else". This is on my list for weekend testing fun. In full disclosure, I haven't tried the service yet. I've used a different offering by the creator, Jakob Greenfeld, who is also a subscriber here at The Wizard's Chest. He overdelivered on that particular project (a data-enrichment process for Twitter that he offers). Based on this experience, I'm inclined to think that this is worth a look for sourcing new content ideas and keeping up with market trends.

Memorable Quote:

"Post-technology technology, if I may use such a phrase, will take as its model the cycles of nature and in particular, the “magical” practices of ancient people. It will seek attunement and not conquest, and it will be occupied not with control but with beauty. This mode of technology, which I will describe later in the book, will not be a separation from nature at all, but rather an organic extension of nature that will return us to a timeless life in which linear time measurement is but a plaything."

- Charles Eisenstein, The Ascent of Humanity​

With appreciation, ​ Phil

The cryptocurrency market reacted positively as a result of this announcement, as many take this order as a sign that crypto is here to stay, and as an acknowledgment of what many already believe - that this is the official beginning of a rapid digitization of our economy onto a new standard.

The White House has also signaled a move towards further exploring the creation of a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CDBC), and to investigating what will be needed from an infrastructure standpoint to make this a reality.

Once you've read this article, you'll be conversational about the 6 key priorities that are addressed by this order, and how it impacts the future of technological innovation, and the global economy.

Now, let's dive in.

Consumer & Investor Protection

The order directs the Department of Treasury to look at ways to protect consumers and investors, as more and more people invest in emerging asset classes related to crypto currency.

While the White House states that over 40 million people have traded in cryptocurrency, there are still many investors and businesses that have remained on the sideline out of fear of being scammed, or misinterpreting regulations that have not been well-defined.

This order should help to make consumers and investors more confident to invest in cryptocurrency in the future.

Financial Stability

This order encourages the Financial Stability Oversight Council to identify financial risks to the economy created by the emergency of cryptocurrency.

Examples of risks that have been documented in the past include :

• The potential for fraud and scams related to ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) and other forms of digital assets;

• The potential for volatility to cause harm to existing financial products and services;

• The potential to disrupt consumer lending

For a deeper dive on this topic, check out the Global Financial Stability Report, issued in October of last year by the International Monetary Fund.

Illicit Finance

The order directs all government agencies to bring more focus to mitigating the use of cryptocurrency to facilitate illegal activity.

It's been widely believed by the general public that cryptocurrency has heavy ties to organized crime, drug smuggling, and other illicit activity. While crypto crime has reached a high point, and certainly should be looked at more closely, it's also encouraging that a recent report by Chainalysis determined that only .15% of transactions in 2021 were deemed illicit.

This is an encouraging sign that cryptocurrency is reaching higher levels of mainstream adoption, however this order seeks to continue to reduce risks associated with use by the "bad players".

US Leadership in Technology & Global Finance

The order directs the Department of Commerce to establish frameworks for ensuring that the United States remains competitive, and positioned as a global leader of innovation as we rapidly continue our move towards mainstream adoption with cryptocurrency.

This aspect of the order is particularly exciting for anyone that is interested in being a part of all the new opportunities emerging around Web3 and the creator economy. As government embraces emerging tech, there will be likely be more opportunities to get involved, and less risk in doing so.

Financial Inclusion

The order directs the Secretary of Treasury and related agencies to put focus on ensuring that there are safe, affordable, and accessible options for underserved communities to participate in the financial system.

Some interesting stats from a report issued last year by Pew Research:

Adults under 50 (31%) and men (35%) are more likely than older Americans (16%) and women (15%), respectively, to say they have heard a lot about cryptocurrency.

The share of adults who have heard a lot about cryptocurrency also varies by race, ethnicity and household income. For example, 43% of Asian Americans say they have heard a lot about cryptocurrency, compared with 29% of Hispanic adults and about a quarter of Black or White adults. Americans with higher incomes (31%) are more likely than those with middle (25%) and lower incomes (21%) to have heard a lot about cryptocurrency.

Responsible Innovation

The order puts emphasis on the need to ensure responsible innovation as more and more businesses and individuals enter into creating solutions on the blockchain and with cryptocurrency. The order seeks to prioritize privacy, security, combating illicit exploitation, and reducing negative climate impacts.

More oversight and regulation in these areas should serve to make more parties comfortable with beginning to look at Web3 use cases for their existing businesses, which in term should stimulate innovation and technological progress.

In closing, it is my hope that this has served to arm you with a basic understanding of what this order symbolizes for the future of cryptocurrency, and it's further adoption by society as a whole.

Interested in continuing to learn more about Web3 and Crypto topics that relate to running an online business as a coach, consultant, or course creator?

Check out these additional links:

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/FXgVipBghUbRLiNfQ7MPS--XqJ6M3PmVziR8kzni4BE

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/g-prrxp3IMltT7iXhwrsvvuA3rFDWxEaA-cIW7LpAuw

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/ZTmX7mBQnGxfQ4sMbZ5kJYvIl_yxZK7QeRoMmHVd3Ts

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/ZTmX7mBQnGxfQ4sMbZ5kJYvIl_yxZK7QeRoMmHVd3Ts

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/0bLDCIlvfM220r8Ce7LqmWUWuX09XBpCLWSAPYB948k

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/y57wCTbcIjtmEF9kM-K9XINgEYYC7B2_ym0FLAVML8g

Looking to explore this exciting world of blockchain and Web3 in a deeper way, but not quite sure where to start?

I highly recommend joining The Invisible College.  The Invisible College is a learning DAO that gives you the skills, network, and opportunities to make an impact.

The Invisible College is a school owned by the students where you can learn, build, and create in this exciting new world of Web3.

Joining this organization has been the best decision I've made this year so far for my growth and learning, and I'm excited to see how the organization evolves.

Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to The Wizard’s Chest where I drop all the loot.

Would you like to support my writing on Web3? Consider checking out this NFT.

Today, I'd like to discuss a topic that you often comes up in association with Bitcoin, Web3, or the blockchain: Cryptocurrency.

My goal is that hopefully once you've read this article, you'll have a high-level grasp of the historical background of Cryptocurrency, and how it came to be (enough to sound reasonably intelligent to your peers). You'll be able to start thinking creatively about how cryptocurrency factors in to the future of online business, and building community.

So without further adieu ...

What exactly is cryptocurrency? Is it a new form of money or something else entirely?

Cryptocurrencies are digital assets that use cryptography to secure transactions and verify ownership. They’re also known as virtual currencies because they don’t exist in tangible forms such as coins or paper bills.

Cryptocurrencies are created through a complex algorithm called mining, which involves solving complicated mathematical problems. Once solved, these blocks of data are added to a public ledger called the blockchain. This makes them tamperproof and virtually impossible to counterfeit.

The first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008. It was released as open source software and has since become one of the most popular cryptocurrencies in existence. The original Bitcoin protocol was designed to limit the total number of Bitcoins that could ever be mined. As of January 2022, there were more than 18.9 million Bitcoins in circulation.

High level benefits of transacting in cryptocurrency include:

• Sending and receiving funds without a middleman such as a bank or or merchant processor like Stripe or Paypal (although both are working on cryptocurrency payment solutions).

• Sending and receiving funds while remaining relatively anonymous as long as you keep your wallet address private.

• Sending and receiving funds across international borders, anywhere in the world, and with great speed.

• Sending and receiving funds in small fractional amounts based on the currency being used.

Potential Risks and Downside of Transacting in Cryptocurrency:

• While generally lower than credit card or traditional merchant service fees, you do still have to pay fees in the form of Gas. With some forms of Crypto, like Ether, these can be quite high, while others like Solana, are very minimal. 

• Cryptocurrency pricing and market value can fluctuate widely, and has a reputation for being quite volatile, which turns off some people from getting started. Stablecoins like USDC are one tool for managing this risk if you are transacting regularly in crypto. 

• Because it's still a bit of "the wild west", with low regulation, the crypto landscape is full of scams that you'll want to watch out for, and phishing attempts to gain access to your personal information and wallets are common.

Why Should You Invest in Cryptocurrency?

There's no doubt that investing in cryptocurrency can be volatile, and some have likened it to being on a rollercoaster if you are thinking about your investments with a short-term outlook.

That said, if you invest wisely, there are a few valid reasons why you might want to have some cryptocurrency in your wallet. Here are a few reasons why you might consider investing in cryptocurrency:

Crypto is a good investment long-term:

In the last ten years, Bitcoin has outperformed all asset classes, including the US Nasdaq 100, large and small cap stocks, and REITS. I found this chart by Charlie Bilello helpful:

https://twitter.com/charliebilello/status/1370722188739891202

Ethereum has been growing even faster in the past five years, and while this is speculative on my part, I believe that once the 2.0 infrastructure is complete, we'll see even bigger growth in value, as it becomes easier to transact on the network without high gas fees. 

I'm not an economist, but smart people tell me that Cryptocurrency is a hedge against the traditional financial system, and inflation. In 2021, the US inflation rate was roughly 7%. Because Bitcoin for example, will only ever have 21 million coins, there's some protection here, whereas a government can print more currency at any time. 

Cryptocurrency in many cases has far more utility than fiat money. While it's true it can be an investment vehicle, more and more its something that is required to transact on specific technology platforms, and purchase goods and services within the growing Web3 creator economy. 

Where can you buy Cryptocurrency?

The best place to buy cryptocurrency is through an exchange. For most people just getting started, Coinbase is going to be the most widely accessible and trusted option you'll want to consider.

It’s one of the largest exchanges in the world with over $1 billion worth of transactions taking place every day.

You can use Coinbase to send and receive payments online using their app or website, or via SMS. They also offer a mobile trading platform so you can trade directly on the go.

You can fund your account using bank transfer, debit card or credit card. The minimum deposit amount is $100. Sign up here.

Other Exchanges for buying crypto:

• Binance is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world in term of daily trading volume of crypto currencies. Their US site is now available in most states with the exception of Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, New York, Texas, and Vermont.

• Kraken is another popular exchange. They offer lower fees than coinbase, and over 50+ cryptocurrencies are available on the exchange for purchase. As of December 2021, Kraken is available in 48 US states and 176 different countries.

• Gemini is a new exchange that allows investors to buy bitcoin and ether. It's a New York trust company founded by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss of Facebook fame. They currently offer 10 free withdrawals per month.

Interested in continuing to learn more about Web3 and Crypto topics that relate to running an online business as a coach, consultant, or course creator?

Check out these additional links:

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/FXgVipBghUbRLiNfQ7MPS--XqJ6M3PmVziR8kzni4BE

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/g-prrxp3IMltT7iXhwrsvvuA3rFDWxEaA-cIW7LpAuw

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/ZTmX7mBQnGxfQ4sMbZ5kJYvIl_yxZK7QeRoMmHVd3Ts

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/0bLDCIlvfM220r8Ce7LqmWUWuX09XBpCLWSAPYB948k

https://mirror.xyz/philippowis.eth/y57wCTbcIjtmEF9kM-K9XINgEYYC7B2_ym0FLAVML8g

Looking to explore this exciting world of blockchain and Web3 in a deeper way, but not quite sure where to start?

I highly recommend joining The Invisible College.  The Invisible College is a learning DAO that gives you the skills, network, and opportunities to make an impact.

The Invisible College is a school owned by the students where you can learn, build, and create in this exciting new world of Web3.

Joining this organization has been the best decision I've made this year so far for my growth and learning, and I'm excited to see how the organization evolves.

Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to The Wizard’s Chest where I drop all the loot.

Would you like to support my writing on Web3? Consider checking out this NFT.

Today, I'd like to discuss a topic that you often comes up in association with Bitcoin, Web3, or the blockchain: Ethereum.

My goal is that hopefully once you've read this article, you'll have a high-level grasp of the historical background of Ethereum, and how it came to be (enough to sound reasonably intelligent to your peers). You'll be able to start thinking creatively about how Ethereum factors in to the future of online business, and building community.

So without further adieu ...

What is Ethereum?

Ethereum is a platform created in 2013 by Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Bitcoin Magazine. Its goal is to become "the world computer." It is the second most popular cryptocurrency behind Bitcoin, however it’s as a platform for decentralized applications that Ethereum really stands out.

To understand Ethereum at a high level, it's important to give definition to 4 concepts:

What is Ether?

Ether is the currency used within the Ethereum network. It's also referred to as ETH because it's the symbol for ether. If you're familiar with Bitcoin, think of ether as the equivalent of bitcoin.

What is Gas?

Gas is the price of using the Ethereum network. Think of gas as a kind of toll fee. The more transactions you make, the higher the cost will be. When we talk about transaction fees, we are talking about gas.

What are Smart Contracts?

Smart contracts are programs that run on top of the Ethereum network. They can perform actions based on events triggered by other smart contracts. Smart contracts are what makes the Ethereum network so powerful, as they have many different real-world applications while remaining immutable and transparent (removing the need of middlemen).

What is a Dapp?

Decentralized apps (dapp) are software applications built on top of the Ethereum Network. These dapps are typically written in the programming language Solidity. As of December 2021, there were over 3,500 dapps on the Ethereum network, and this number continues to grow rapidly.

Ethereum is the first truly decentralized application platform.

This means that no single entity controls the network. No one person or company owns the Ethereum network. Instead, every node runs the same program. And because there is no central authority, the network is more secure than many other forms of technology.

This makes it possible for individuals and organizations to build new kinds of products and services. For example, imagine if you could pay for things using a digital identity instead of credit cards.

Or what if you could use a decentralized app to help manage your personal finances?

In addition, Ethereum provides a way for people to make money by sharing their computing power. In return, they get paid in Ether, a token that powers the entire Ethereum network.

Now that we have a bit of background and overview on Ethereum, and its capacity to power decentralized apps, let's talk about why this matters to creators.

Why is Ethereum Relevant to Your Online Business?

Many of the same reasons Bitcoin is relevant are mirrored with Ethereum, however I believe the most significant use case for Ethereum as it relates to the creator economy in 2022 is centered around how it enables the buying and selling of NFT's.

NFTs are non-fungible tokens. This means that each token represents something unique and permanent that is stored on the Blockchain. There are other platforms upon which to "mint" your NFT, however Ethereum continues to lead the way in terms of popularity and adoption in 2022.

Here are 4 interesting projects within the creator economy that are already successfully integrating NFT's into their business strategy and community adoption models:

1. The Creator Economy Expo Event Tickets

The Creator Economy Expo (CEX) helps creators build viable digital businesses. Their mission is to help bring the brightest minds and most vibrant voices that help content creators develop into successful entrepreneurs who build profitable digital businesses.

The Creator Economy Expo has minted 100 "Never-Ending Tickets" on the Ethereum Blockchain. While anyone can purchase a standard ticket to their annual conference, never-ending ticket holders get lifetime admission to all future events, as well as VIP access to each expo. They also gain access to a private Discord community exclusive to ticket holders.

2. Death Row Records NFT

Music NFT's are a fast-growing sub-category and use case within the broader ecosystem. In early February of 2022, Snoop Dogg announced that he had acquired Death Row Records and intends to make it a NFT-based music label. His goal is to be the first major label to fully embrace the Metaverse.

Here's an example of a recently released commemoration with the Yacht Club, where Snoop has released mixtapes for purchase exclusively as NFTs. There's also a "real-world" tie-in to Ape Fest NYC, happening on June 22nd 2022, however the details of what that actually means for NFT holders has yet to be shared.

Check it out on OpenSea, the most well-known marketplace for NFT's on the Ethereum blockchain.

3. The Invisible College Monetizes Access to a Learning Dao

The Invisible College is a learning DAO that gives you the skills, network, and opportunities to make an impact in Web3. They just completed a public mint where they offered 10,000 "decentraliens" as a store of value. Each individual piece of NFT art entitles holders to access the school, where they can attend weekly live events, and explore new topics, protocols, and projects alongside fellow community members.

The Invisible College is an example of a NFT-based project, however it's not based on the Ethereum Network. Instead, they chose to use the Solana blockchain, based on its reputation for being more environmentally friendly, and having lower gas fees. I chose to share it here on this list, because it's a great example of a blockchain enabled use case for creators that could be launched on any blockchain network (including Ethereum).

One of the issues right now with Ethereum due to it's popularity is that it costs quite a bit to complete any transaction. This is why many developers have begun to investigate other blockchain platforms. That being said - Ethereum has been hard at work on their eth 2.0 technology which promises lower fees and better energy consumption.

Once improved, Ethereum's carbon footprint will be 99.95% better, making it more energy efficient than many existing industries. (ethereum.org)

4. Cabin DAO - The World's First Decentralized City

Cabin DAO is building a decentralized city on top of the Ethereum blockchain. It’s built by creators, for creators. In order to do so, they 're using a combination of smart contracts, and the Ethereum blockchain.

As a member of the DAO, you can contribute in many ways. Their first cabin location is about 45-minutes outside of Austin on a 28-acre property. They regularly gather members for "builder weekends" which feel similar to a habitat for humanity event where individuals can participate in building out the property infrastructure. As of early 2022, the DAO covers flights and accommodations for individuals who would like to contribute to the project as a builder.

If you'd like to visit the property to stay, or for a writer's retreat, they offer a NFT pass that will allow you to make use of their 3 bedroom, 2-bath cabin with over 1,250 square feet of indoor living space, and some beautiful outdoor gathering spaces as well.

I haven't had a chance to experience this project directly, but next time I get get down to Austin, I'd love to drop in and learn more about what is being created by this organization, and their future plans.

In closing, it is my hope that this essay has armed you with a basic understanding of Ethereum, and lit up your creative thinking around possibilities for using this technology to support your meaningful work in the world.

It's a vast, deep topic, but fortunately there are many resources for furthering your education.

How to learn more about Ethereum:

Ethereum Whitepaper

Introduction to Ethereum, Ether, and Gas

Ethereum Wikipedia

What is Ethereum 2.0 (via The Street)

Interested in continuing to learn more about Web3 and Crypto topics that relate to running an online business as a coach, consultant, or course creator?

check out these additional links:

Why does Web3 Matter for Course Creators?

What is Blockchain and Why does it Matter for Creators?

What is Bitcoin and Why does it Matter for Creators?

Publishing on the Mirror Platform

Looking to explore this exciting world of blockchain and Web3 in a deeper way, but not quite sure where to start?

I highly recommend joining The Invisible College.  The Invisible College is a learning DAO that gives you the skills, network, and opportunities to make an impact.

The Invisible College is a school owned by the students where you can learn, build, and create in this exciting new world of Web3.

Joining this organization has been the best decision I've made this year so far for my growth and learning, and I'm excited to see how the organization evolves.

Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to The Wizard’s Chest where I drop all the loot.

Would you like to support my writing on Web3? Consider checking out this NFT.

It’s easy to get highly focused on a strategy, and lose sight of the original intention behind it.

It’s also far too common that we try to imitate others success by operating on their playbook prematurely.

We don’t take the time to really understand the subtle nature of why a strategy works for them in the first place.

We do our best to reverse engineer their actions and think, “hey, if it works for them, it should work for me too”!

Ry and I are currently leading cohort 2 of Automated Intimacy, and in the first playbook we unpack something called The Enchanting First Encounter.

At its core, this is a strategic method for reaching out to people shortly after they become an email subscriber.

The “goal” is to collapse the timelines that are often observed in a typical sales funnel for moving a “pre-customer” towards becoming a client or customer.

I love and stand by what we teach, and this stuff really works.

But here’s the thing:

In my business, I’ve rarely used this strategy for the sole purpose of trying to make a sale.

And in the times when it felt like I was pushing out of a sense of need to “get one more client”, or fill “one more spot in the workshop”, the strategy almost always fell flat.

There’s a fine line between reaching out to people in the sincere spirit of connection and collaboration, versus being fixated on achieving a specific result.

This can be hard to grasp, and it can be easy to delude ourselves into thinking we are doing one thing, when we’re actually operating out of need or desire for things to unfold in a particular way.

It requires the cultivation of awareness.

Let’s take a look at two scenarios.

Scenario A:

I get 10 new customers who come on to my email list, and I quickly grab their first name, a whiteboard, and create a loom video sharing how “excited” I am to “welcome them to Empire Engineering”.

I’ve got a million other tasks to do today, and my only goal is executing on a pre-calculated script, making sure to hit the “high points” of the strategy, and to “get it done”.

I experiment with various subject lines, and tactics to get these subscribers to open the email, and execute like a machine, in high hopes that one of these folks will “bite”, and send me a reply.

Ever been there?

Scenario B:

I scan my list of new subscribers, and something catches my eye that sparks excitement, or a felt experience of movement in my body.

Perhaps I recognize the email domain of a new software that I’ve been excited to try, and upon a quick google search, I see the founder has come into my orbit.

Perhaps a quick scan of social media tells me that one of my subscribers is a buddhist compassion teacher, and upon review of their website, I feel a strong resonance with the message being shared.

And as I contemplate my reply, I’m filled with an electric charge of possibility.

I hold a vision clearly in my mind’s eye, not of one of these two subscribers becoming a “customer”, but of some creative expression that has potential to exist only through a means of connection.

With the software startup founder, it’s the potential for innovation – looking at new ways of applying Automated Intimacy concepts that have not yet been possible with my current tools, and a desire to explore a new point of view.

With the compassion teacher, it’s the simple fact that I believe that the world needs more of what’s being shared. While I don’t have a clear vision of how I might plug in, there’s a felt desire to offer validation that what this person is doing is important and meaningful.

And when I send a reply, I’m not doing so with an expectation or feeling of being entitled to a response.

I’m just following a natural spark of curiosity, and a desire to connect and share. Planting a seed in the universe.

I have no idea which ones will grow.

Will they become customers, partners, or collaborators? Will I end up meeting this person?

I don’t know and honestly, it doesn’t matter.

What matters is the management of my own energy and intention that exists outside any sense of a need to “make something happen”.

Can you see the difference?

So often we get caught up in the process of completing our daily tasks, or checking the box on some strategy we’ve been told will make all the difference in the growth of our business.

I’ve been 100% guilty of this.

It’s as if that action in itself will render some result we feel is necessary to the continued or eventual success of our business.

We lose the forest for the trees.

I’d love to offer you a challenge this week.

Start looking at your list of subscribers as more than a number. And I mean, really think about this.

It’s easy to say “yeah, ok, I get it”, but go right back to our mindless, unconscious ways.

Who are they really?

Where did they come from?

What are they hoping for by coming into your sphere?

What has you most excited to be in THEIR presence?

What can you acknowledge them for, even in the smallest of ways?

Lose yourself in the beauty of this exercise.

Let it marinate.

And from this place, reach out only if it feels really good to do so, for the sake of the reach out itself.

And if it starts to feel mechanical, contrived, or forced?

Let it go.

Resist the urge to do or say anything.

Give the new relationship space.

I’d argue that 2-3 inspired conversations in any given week are far more valuable than 10 forced reach outs for the sake of doing something that some marketing coach with a clever program name told you would grow your business. 🙂

Let go of any idea of getting this “right”. It’s better viewed as a continual work in progress.

⚡⚡⚡ Magic ​ Sending love.

Here’s What I Want to Share This Week:

1. I wrote about Web3 and why it matters for creators. Want to talk about meditation? You could be one of dozens. Want to talk about email marketing? One of a handful. Want to talk about sewing? The category probably doesn’t exist yet. Check it out here.

2. I wrote about blockchain, and brainstormed a running list of use cases you could conceivably start working on right now. As a note, this isn’t just for technical people, there are plenty of non-technical creators in the space. Check it out here.

3. I wrote about Bitcoin, and 4 reasons why digital currency is relevant to your business, and should be examined in 2022. Bottom Line: Theres beginning to be documented evidence that companies that accept cryptocurrency acquire more customers and have higher average order value. Check it out here.

4. If you are looking to transact in crypto within your business, this resource is fire. A complete playbook to follow end to end. Written through the lens of being a contractor, but more broadly applicable.

5. We’re in the home stretch of the public mint for The Invisible College, where I’ve joined as a contributor. If you are a crypto-curious creator, I can’t recommend this group enough.

Who We are Celebrating This Week: Sue McLachlan

Sue is a graduate of cohort 1 of our Automated Intimacy program, and I’ve loved hearing about how she’s been adapting some of the concepts to help her students get better results with Kajabi.

Her name came up on yesterday’s group call, and I thought, what better time to throw her a shoutout for what she’s been contributing to the ongoing conversations?

Sue runs The Unicorn Advisory, where she is making tech easy for online course and membership creators. 🦄

If you are a Kajabi user, I highly recommend you check out her Ultimate Kajabi Resource Vault (free).

This isn’t a paid or affiliate sponsorship, I simply love the work Sue is doing, and the positive things I hear by the “virtual water cooler” from people she’s helped with her work.

This Week’s Curiosities :

Flow Code (Link)

The idea of using QR codes to generate follow up at live events came up on our AI call yesterday, and this tool was mentioned as one possible solution. Thought it was worth a share.

Tiny Wow (Link)

“Tools that Solve Your File Problems”. I stumbled across this gem the other day, and def bookmarked it for later.

Tiny Wow, which is free for now, essentially solves a bunch of niggling problems online creators often face. These are tasks that might be infrequently needed, but when you do its a pain in the arse.

Need to download a video you posted to Facebook last year that you want to reuse in a new context, but you can’t find the original file? ✅

Need to quickly remove the background from an image? ✅

Want to see where a web link redirects without having to click? ✅

Want to quickly delete a page within a PDF file, or merge two existing ones together? ✅

Swiss Army Knife material right here.

The Daily Manifest (Link)

A cool collection of templates for time tracking, journaling, and planning your day that was recently made free.

Brought to you by Jack Butcher at Visualize Value.

Workflow86 (Link)

An all-in-one workspace to document, automated, and manage your internal business workflows and processes.

As a systems and automation guy, this one has me pretty excited, but in all honesty I haven’t had a chance to fully vet this tool yet. So theres a bit of risk in sharing it here with you. But for my fellow geeks, if anyone gets to it giving a try before I do, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Memorable Quote:

“You will forever be running after “things” instead of having them run after you. The former is the way of the slave, the latter the way of the Wizard …

Spend a certain amount of time on a regular basis to become silent and relaxed until you find happiness within yourself in the here and now…independent of the ever changing conditions and circumstances of the world. Find some well-being independent of outside objects, people and events. This single piece of advice will boost the quality of your life in ways you may not yet suspect.”

-Frederick Dodson, Parallel Universes of Self​

With appreciation, ​ Phil

Check It Out On Twitter 👇👇

https://twitter.com/philiprpowis/status/1499736355278102529

Come join the conversation on Twitter, it’s much more fun with friends.

P.S. this email was crafted with love while listening exclusively to the My Ape Snoop Dogg NFT on replay. True story 🙂

Today, I'd like to discuss a topic that you can't help but associate with any conversation about Web3 or the blockchain: Bitcoin.

My goal is that hopefully once you've read this article, you'll have a high-level grasp of the historical background of Bitcoin, and how it came to be (enough to sound reasonably intelligent to your peers).

You'll be able to start getting creative about how Bitcoin factors in to the future of online business, and building community.

So without further adieu ...

What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin was invented by an anonymous person who calls himself Satoshi Nakamoto. He published his invention as open source software under the name "bitcoin" in 2009. Bitcoin is a digital currency, or "peer to peer electronic cash system" that exists only as long as people are willing to use it. If no one uses it, it doesn't exist. No government, bank, or company owns it. It is not backed by anything physical, so its value is based solely on demand.

For a fascinating deeper dive, check out the original published Bitcoin white paper.

In a sense, Bitcoin is what kicked off the entire Web3 revolution that is currently underway.

It's important to note that Bitcoin isn't really a currency at all. It's just a number. A number representing something else.

That other thing is called "the blockchain", which I break down in layman's terms here.

Bitcoin as a store of value

Have you ever really taken pause to think about what money is?

To quote the St. Louis Federal Reserve, money can be thought of as having 6 important characteristics, as demonstrated through relationship to two examples of ways you might represent money: a cow, and a stack of 20 dollar bills (equal to the value of one cow).

This break down really helped me grasp these characteristics:

Durability. A cow is fairly durable, but a long trip to market runs the risk of sickness or death for the cow and can severely reduce its value. Twenty-dollar bills are fairly durable and can be easily replaced if they become worn. Even better, a long trip to market does not threaten the health or value of the bill.

Portability. While the cow is difficult to transport to the store, the currency can be easily put in my pocket.

Divisibility. A 20-dollar bill can be exchanged for other denominations, say a 10, a 5, four 1s, and 4 quarters. A cow, on the other hand, is not very divisible.

Uniformity. Cows come in many sizes and shapes and each has a different value; cows are not a very uniform form of money. Twenty-dollar bills are all the same size and shape and value; they are very uniform.

Limited supply. In order to maintain its value, money must have a limited supply. While the supply of cows is fairly limited, if they were used as money, you can bet ranchers would do their best to increase the supply of cows, which would decrease their value. The supply, and therefore the value, of 20-dollar bills—and money in general—are regulated by the Federal Reserve so that the money retains its value over time.

Acceptability. Even though cows have intrinsic value, some people may not accept cattle as money. In contrast, people are more than willing to accept 20-dollar bills. In fact, the U.S. government protects your right to use U.S. currency to pay your bills.

Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies maintain all these characteristics of money, as long as the demand continues to exist and people believe that there is inherent value in the system.

Money has always had three functions: store of wealth, unit of account, and medium of exchange. The US Dollar is what's called Fiat money since it hasn't been backed by gold since 1971. It's just paper that represents the people's trust in the government and their ability to oversee the economy successfully.

Here's an article written by someone more knowledgeable than me on how Bitcoin fulfills the role of money.

With a basic understanding of the characteristics of money, and a working definition of Fiat Money, we can look at how Bitcoin is different:

Similar to blockchain as a concept, Bitcoin is highlighted in Satoshi Nakamoto's whitepaper as being different in these 3 key ways:

Distributed - Bitcoin does not have a central authority, governing back or network of middlemen involved in recording transactions.

Immutable - Bitcoin has very specific rules that cannot be changed, and by design in the code there can never be more than 21 million Bitcoin, which also speaks to limited supply

Public - Anyone with access to the network can view the records of Bitcoin transactions. All transfers are transparent to participants and transactions are logged publicly.

OK, if you are still with me, I think it's important to note that I have ZERO background in economics or finance, so please take what you've read as coming from someone with only a healthy interest in further exploration of the topic at hand.

I'm most interested in going deeper as it relates to the future of online business and the support of independent creators, authors, and course creators.

I've linked to what I believe to be reputable sources, so if you wish to go deeper into the history of money and Bitcoin, please follow the breadcrumbs.

Now that we have a bit of background on Bitcoin as a store of monetary value, let's talk about why this matters to creators.

Here's 4 Reasons Why Bitcoin is Relevant to Your Online Business:

Bitcoin leads the way in the form of consumer adoption as many other currencies continue to emerge.

It's unclear to me if Bitcoin will be the winner and most widely accepted cryptocurrency in the long-run, but for now it certainly is.

Investopedia states that In 2017, Bitcoin accounted for more than 80% of the overall market capitalization of crypto markets. By 2021, that share was down to less than 50%.

So while it's true that demand has dropped over time as Ethereum has emerged and given rise to DeFi, Bitcoin also continues to maintain its position as a "gold standard" of sorts as a digital currency.

Bottom line: Understanding Bitcoin's role in how we've gotten to where we are today with cryptocurrency adoption is valuable.

Bitcoin is already accepted by more established brands than you think, with many more to follow.

Notable brands to accept digital currency at the close of 2021 include Microsoft, Starbucks, AT&T, Home Depot, and Amazon. You can check at more comprehensive list here.

https://twitter.com/onwardlineage/status/1492113708826382337

As more brands make it feel safe and acceptable to transact using Bitcoin, the more demand there will be from your customers inquiring about this.

I've yet to implement a payment solution for Zen Habits, Empire Engineering, or Quantum King, but it's definitely on my radar, as we've had a notable amount of inquiries in the past 12 months.

Enough to take pause and start considering a response.

Bottom Line: All online business owners should at least be thinking about solutions for accepting Bitcoin and other emerging cryptocurrencies.

Studies reveal that merchants that accept Bitcoin attract new customers and sales.

Published in 2020, Bitpay shared a study done by Forrester consulting that suggests that their customers who offered Bitcoin on average experienced a 40% increase in new customer sales, and two times the average order value.

This doesn't surprise me at all, given that anecdotally I've seen many entrepreneurs in my circle put up big $ using their crypto wallets citing it as "play money" given all the big gains over the past few years.

It might be irrational and slightly stupid, but it's similar logic to why I dropped premium coinage this past week for the chance to own part of a Snoop Dogg song.

And as a side note, would you ever bet against Snoop? Talk about longevity as an artist.

Bottom Line: Theres beginning to be documented evidence that companies that accept cryptocurrency acquire more customers and have higher average order value.

Accepting Bitcoin can reduce merchant transaction fees which translates to a better bottom line.

This is something I never really thought about until I started doing research for this article.

With Bitcoin, there are no concepts of overdraft fees, transfer fees, or foreign transaction fees. These are all mechanisms put in place by the "middlemen", as represented by banks. Since middlemen don't really exist in the decentralized model, there could be substantial savings in the forms of fees.

Online businesses on average, pay Stripe 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction to accept credit cards online. Paypal charges businesses roughly the same. With cryptocurrency, you may still pay a transaction fee depending on the network, however it's usually in the ballpark of .5 to 1%. In other cases it's completely free.

The Bottom Line: For many businesses, electing to transact in cryptocurrency could amount to substantial savings.

In closing, it is my hope that this essay serves as a catalyst for many online business owners and course creators who might be leaving money on the table when it comes to accepting online payments in the form of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.

Of all digital currencies at present, Bitcoin and Ethereum are the most widely accepted, and there are available solutions for beginning to take payments. Bitpay was the one that jumped out on first pass, although I'm sure as I continue to dig deeper, theres a host of other options.

While this may not be the highest priority in your business, I'd argue that you'll be well-served by starting to build a plan in 2022 for how you'll begin to incorporate crypto payments into your business.

I'd also stress test your accountant to see if they are keeping up with this topic, or start looking at hiring a crypto-friendly firm. This is a conversation I've already had with mine.

Interested in continuing to learn more about Web3 and Crypto topics that relate to running an online business as a coach, consultant, or course creator?

check out these additional links:

Why does Web3 Matter for Course Creators?

What is Blockchain and Why does it Matter for Creators?

Is Mirror.xyz the Web3 Platform of the Future for Writers?

Looking to explore this exciting world of blockchain and Web3 in a deeper way, but not quite sure where to start?

I highly recommend joining The Invisible College.  The Invisible College is a learning DAO that gives you the skills, network, and opportunities to make an impact.

The Invisible College is a school owned by the students where you can learn, build, and create in this exciting new world of Web3.

Joining this organization has been the best decision I've made this year so far for my growth and learning, and I'm excited to see how the organization evolves.

Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to The Wizard’s Chest where I drop all the loot.

Would you like to support my writing on Web3? Consider checking out this NFT.

Today, I'd like to discuss one of the most fundamental concepts, and a buzzword that gets thrown around quite frequently: Blockchain.

My goal is that hopefully once you've read this article, you'll have a high-level grasp of the technical concepts (enough to sound reasonably intelligent to your peers), and you'll be able to start getting creative about what use cases might exist for you and your business in the future.

So without further adieu ...

What is a blockchain?

A blockchain is a distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently while providing transparency into its data. It's built upon cryptography so that only those who have access to the information can see what happens within the system. The first public blockchain was Bitcoin , which was released as open source software in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto. Since then, many other blockchains have been created with varying degrees of success.

Other Examples include:

• Ethereum, (the blockchain Mirror operates on, where I’m writing this article).

• Solana (The Invisible College operates on this network)

• Elrond Network (ENFT DAO operates on this network, which is an exciting new project I recently learned about with a tie-in to mindfulness and The Wakeup Community).

Blockchain technology has the potential to change how we do things online forever. We're already seeing the beginnings of this shift in the way people are using the web today.

If you think this is just a short-lived trend, it's also important to know that big name investors and large corporations are rapidly moving into this space, all eager to claim a stake in the future.

You don't have to take my word for it, here's four well-known initiatives currently underway that signal wider adoption of these technologies in the future across social media, e-commerce, business education, and music publishing:

Gary Vaynerchuk and Mark Cuban have both backed Third Web, a "no code" platform for developers to build, launch, and manage their Web3 projects.

https://twitter.com/thirdweb_/status/1492205521507700736

Mark is also partnering with The Wharton School, one of of the top-ranked MBA programs, to accelerate and scale businesses in the blockchain space:

https://twitter.com/mcuban/status/1466523329074978829

Back in December, NIKE acquired RTFKT, which is pioneering and redefining the boundaries between physical and digital value to help their broad community of creators reach new heights.

https://twitter.com/pelallt/status/1497132517568176147

Steve Cooper of Warner Music Group recently told analysts, during the company’s earnings call that, “Web3 represents an exciting future for the music industry that will help our artists reach millions upon millions of new fans in interesting and innovative ways."

The list goes on and on.

These companies and institutions are investing heavily in this space because they recognize that there are real opportunities for disruption, as well as the potential to lose marketshare to new brands emerging in the space.

What does this mean for the little guy?

The good news is that by my calculation, we are still very early in this collective adventure, and the possibilities are endless.

But before we dive into all of that, let's take a look at how blockchain works, so you can begin to build some conversational language around this emerging technology.

4 Characteristics of a blockchain:

1. Distributed - A blockchain is decentralized which means there are no central authorities or middlemen involved in recording transactions. Instead, all users participate in maintaining the database.

2. Immutable - Once recorded, blockchains cannot be edited or changed.

3. Public - Anyone with access to the network can view the records of transactions All actions are transparent to participants and transactions are logged publicly.

4. Secure - Because the records are encrypted and stored across multiple "nodes", they are considered more secure from tampering.

There are two methods by which transactions are processed and verified on a blockchain:

1. Proof of Work: In this method, miners compete against each other to solve complex math problems using their computers. When successful, they receive transaction fees and new coins as rewards. Miners also verify transactions and add them to the chain.

2. Proof of Stake: In this method, nodes stake tokens (usually cryptocurrency) based on how many blocks they've contributed to the network. They then vote on which transactions get added to the next block. Nodes that contribute the most blocks earn more tokens. These tokens are used to incentivize participation.

Admittedly, this can all sound a bit dry if you aren’t into the tech, but I think it’s important to set some definition so you can be conversational on the topic.

Now that we know how blockchain works, let's talk about why this matters to creators.

Here's a running brainstorm list of where you might start to use blockchain technology within your business if you are a content creator, artist, consultant, or online business owner:

If you lead an online community, you could build your own crowdfunding platform and distribute equity among your community members, by forming a DAO (distributed autonomous organization). This is something I'm currently looking at with several of my partners. (example of a learning DAO)

If you have a blog or media publishing brand, you could offer micro-payments to your content contributors who publish with you. You could also incentivize and reward visitors to your site, as well as the sharing of content, by helping your audience become invested in what you are creating. (example of a video DAO for content creators)

If you are an artist or songwriter seeking to publish and sell your music online, you could allow your fans to donate directly to your project, consider sharing ownership of your music, and offer special events (virtual and in real life) to your backers. Theres a lot of potential here for artists who aren't interested in doing business with the traditional entertainment industry. (example of a music artist utilizing the Rally Network)

If you are writing a book or essay, you could publish it to the blockchain, and crowdsource the launch, offering partners revenue splits with smart contracts for helping to promote your work. (here is an example of an essay that was crowdfunded on Mirror platform)

If you are looking to build an audience, you can start looking at alternatives to the current social media platforms that are less likely to be manipulated by algorithmic changes, and could expose your work to a larger number of people in the future. (don’t know much about it yet, but this project looks interesting)

If you are creating an online course, instead of following the typical launch model, you could look at creating your content on the blockchain, and finding ways to invest your audience in not only the learning process, but the success of the learning platform itself.

I don't have all the answers here, and I myself am still in the early stages of investigating what it looks like to both launch new projects on the blockchain, as well as find a foothold for more established Web 2.0 brands while ensuring that we don't break what's already working well.

While not every project or client I’m involved with has an immediately actionable use case, I do believe that my attention is well-served to be focused in this area. I believe this is also true for many others who like me, up until a few short weeks ago, have continued to bury their heads in the sand and think "that's not for me right now, thats some future mumbo jumbo that I'll worry about later".

In closing, I believe that "later" is here.

If you're interested in learning more about blockchain, check out these links:

Read More on Why Web3 Matters for Creators.

I'm a writer. How Do I Start Using Blockchain Technology?

How does Bitcoin work in Layman's Terms?

What is the Difference Between Block Chain & Smart Contracts?

Looking to explore this exciting world of blockchain and Web3 in a deeper way, but not quite sure where to start?

I highly recommend joining The Invisible College.  The Invisible College is a learning DAO that gives you the skills, network, and opportunities to make an impact.

The Invisible College is a school owned by the students where you can learn, build, and create in this exciting new world of Web3.

Joining this organization has been the best decision I've made this year so far for my growth and learning, and I'm excited to see how the organization evolves.

Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to The Wizard’s Chest where I drop all the loot.

Would you like to support my writing on Web3? Consider checking out this NFT.

Web3 has begun to shift the emphasis away from big tech companies like Facebook and Google, towards individuals who can create and fully control their own digital assets.

Examples of “owned assets” could be music, artwork, book publications, and online courses.

Imagine a world where individuals own 100% of their creative output, and true fans can also own part of that success rather than large corporate entities whose only motive is profit.

There's also an aspect of trust built into Web3 because the technology that governs transactions is programmable, and therefore in theory has less chance of external manipulation.

For example, you might not need to work with banks to get a loan in the future. You could get financed directly be those who support your work, or other creators interested in partnering with you to create something new.

A Web3 social platform may not make you subject to algorithmic changes aligned with advertiser interests that have become far too common in the world of Facebook and Instagram. This is because there would be no company behind these new platforms - simply users who share a common interest.

Essentially, Web3 is an internet that is owned by people with shared interest and passion without middlemen exercising control purely for profit.

Is this system perfect as it stands?

Absolutely not.

And to that point, there's quite a bit of high-profile rejection of the concept at present.

For example, Elon Musk was quoted as saying "it seems more like a marketing buzzword than a reality right now" and tweeting, “Has anyone seen web3? I can’t find it.”

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1473165434518224896

I don't have a crystal ball to tell what the future holds, however in the short time I've been inhabiting this world, here are two rather large observations I've made that are relevant for creators and marketers right now, and not in some far distant world:

There's a very real opportunity to connect with new audiences quickly.

You can get your content in front of thousands of new people, simply because of lack of competition on emerging platforms such as Mirror.

Want to talk about meditation? You could be one of dozens.

Want to talk about email marketing? One of a handful.

Want to talk about sewing? The category probably doesn't exist yet.

Visit Ask Mirror, plug in your niche or topic, and you might very well see your category has yet to be claimed.

The people that are championing Web3 are extremely passionate about it and want more than anything for it to succeed.

Therefore, people seem much more willing to share your work, and to lift you up simply because you are valued as a contributor who wants to be part of something new.

As an added benefit, content published on the Mirror platform seems to rank quite well for SEO.

This very much feels like the early days of blogging circa 2006. It's the wild west, and there's a higher barrier to entry (sort of like how it used to be MUCH harder to launch a blog), but I believe that those that establish themselves now as category leaders will be rewarded.

There's a community for everyone.

Discord is the primary means of networking right now in the Web3 world, and I've generally found that if you can find the right communities aligned with your passions, and goals, the level of engagement and conversation happening in these channels is pretty incredible.

I saw this tweet the other day that Web3 is sort of like all the world's smartest people exiting the economy and started a new one:

https://twitter.com/naval/status/1497003797377290254

It sort of feels like that, but without any strong pretense of elitism or snobbery. People all seem genuinely interested in learning together, collaborating, and supporting each other's projects.

I'd love to close out with a simple visual and breakdown that might be useful for understanding the shift from where most of the internet began, to where we find ourselves today:

Web1 (1990-early 2000's) was read-only.

This was the world of Yahoo, Prodigy, and early Google from which some of today's most successful early blogger's like Tim Ferris, Leo Babauta, and Ramit Sethi emerged from.

Web2 (early 2000s-today) was where we saw the emergence of social media.

The rise of Myspace as a predecessor to Facebook. Reddit, Twitter, Quora, Instagram, TikTok, and a host of other companies rose as giants, and have made a business out moderating the social fabric of our daily lives, and leading millions of people to contribute content to their platforms in hopes of one day "making it big" like some of the early Web1 giants.

And don't get me wrong - many have! But the tech giants who have enabled this have enjoyed the riches in far more excess than any creator could ever hope for.

Web3 (2020- ) is the new online economy in which users can fully own their content without reliance on large corporate-owned media platforms.

They are able to "tokenize' their work directly. You can think of this very loosely as issuing fractional shares. These shares can be offered to supporters for shared ownership, and building community. The platform technology that enables this is not owned by large corporations, and is instead decentralized. This means it is built off of a network of computers whose resources are contributed by the users themselves.

Here's an example of a high-profile collaboration created by Snoop Dogg, who plans to turn Death Row Records into a Web3-enabled label. Here’s his Twitter profile he uses to talk NFT’s.

Looking to explore this world, and not quite sure where to start?

I highly recommend joining The Invisible College.  The Invisible College is a learning DAO that gives you the skills, network, and opportunities to make an impact.

It is a school owned by the students where you can learn, build, and create in this exciting new world of Web3.

Joining this organization has been the best decision I've made this year so far for my growth and learning, and I'm excited to see how the organization evolves.

Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to The Wizard’s Chest where I drop all the loot.

Would you like to support my writing on Web3? Consider checking out this NFT.

I learned about the project from a share in the Decentraliens Discord channel, and I was excited to see I had joined early enough to be part of the public mint.

Not quite early enough to experience being part of a "whitelist" or pre-sale, but that's a goal for another day.

The Crypto Tech Women community describes their project as an NFT collection of 8,888 unique ERC-721 tokens stored on the Ethereum Blockchain. Each are unique and randomly generated, consisting of 14 different traits and 140 different attributes.

I love their mission statement:

"Our purpose is to support and empower women to be in tech and succeed in tech. We envision a world where extraordinary women are leading the tech industry and web3 revolution. Our mission is to break the paradigm that only men can succeed in tech".

Having spent years working in the tech industry, and witnessing firsthand the gap that exists, I fully agree we need more of this.

I also had a secret agenda in deciding to buy into this project: I wanted to see if I could convince my wife to explore Web3 with me!

I figured what better way to get her excited, then to purchase her an NFT for a women-led community as a gift!

In poking around the discord, I experienced this as a welcoming community, and there were all sorts of fun conversations happening beyond crypto talk centered around things like pets, food, wellness, and mental health.

Janice is a meditation teacher looking to support busy entrepreneurs in managing their stress, so this community seems like a place where she might be able to lend support.

How did my secret mission go?

It worked!

We spent the better part of Saturday together setting up her first MetaMask wallet, registering with Ethereum Name Service, and creating a Mirror account so she can begin to experiment with writing on Web3.

It was a fun bonding opportunity where I got to share some of my geekery within a context that felt relatable.

We’re both excited for the art reveal happening later today (Monday, February 8th if reading this after the fact), where we’ll get to see which avatar’s we scored in the mint.

A few other things I like about the Crypto Tech Women:

• They will be creating an education platform with bootcamp resources for members looking to build their skills in crypto and Web3.

• They host women-led panels on Twitter Spaces every Wednesday where panelists share their journey coming into Web3.

• During the sale, I felt incredibly supported. The founder, Gigi, even jumped into the support chat to assist me when I was struggling to get my transaction to go through. I was impressed! Listening to her speak after the mint sold out, I felt she has a genuine desire to build a strong community (vs just ride the wave of NFT hype) Her and her entire team felt quite sincere and authentic.

In closing, it’s early days for me in really understanding what makes a great NFT-backed community, or DAO (distributed autonomous organization).

My experience so far has been NFT’s fall into two broad camps with some degree of overlap:

• Art-Focused

• Value-Backed Community Focus.

The really good ones seem to strike a balance between both of these two factors.

I’m very interested to see what happens in the weeks and months following a sale, and how community leaders are able to continue to drive engagement, as it seems while some members are in it for the long-haul, many just join hoping for a “get rich quick” investment opportunity.

For me, it’s about investing in communities I believe hold real value, with heart, and a sincere goal to create more connection and impact.

I believe Crypto Tech Women falls into this category.

Quick Links to Learn More:

Crypto Tech Women Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CryptoTechWomen

Crypto Tech Women Website:

https://www.cryptotechwomennft.com/

Crypto Tech Women Discord:

https://discord.gg/cryptotechwomen

Crypto Tech Women Founder, Gigi on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/theNFTgigi

Crypto Tech Women on Open Sea (secondary market):

https://opensea.io/collection/cryptotechwomennft

I wanted to be back in Costa Rica with my homies, meditating under the Vida tree.

We still had the physical private practice, and I felt trapped by all the structure we had created over the previous four or so years.

At that moment, I was unable to enjoy any of the success and abundance I was currently experiencing.

Just a few months prior, I had experienced my first $100,000 month in the consulting biz.

I had purchased a shiny new BMW X6, after spending the better part of a month traveling the italian countryside.

The pictures looked epic on the insta, and I’d drop posts proclaiming some “spiritualized” concept that in retrospect were nothing more than an attempt to make myself feel connected to something that was no longer alive in me.

I was unhealthy, and deeply unhappy.

What was birthed as a spark of creativity now felt like a prison, and all I wanted was to bust down the walls and break free.

My consulting business had started as a weekend side hustle, exploring Facebook ads to see if I could help Janice grow the practice through (at the time) unconventional means.

It felt joyful, free, and creative at the start, but over time it became something else.

I became obsessed with wealth creation.

I yearned for power and recognition, even though I would have never admitted it out loud.

And as my health suffered, I became obsessed with preserving my energy, personal space, and time.

In the pursuit of these obsessions, I lost sight of the original spark that started it all.

When you flow, everyone benefits because you aren’t thinking about it.

There’s more to this story, and perhaps one day I’ll share.

But I share these details now because I think it helps connect to something profound that one of my teachers shared with me recently.

In our experience as entrepreneurs, we are likely to place our attention in one of three places:

• The action and results of our work, and what we are creating in the world.

• How we are benefitting from our work, or how we want to feel, and be perceived by others (even when “giving back” or doing work that is “on-mission”).

• The day to day experience, and the process unfolding.

In two of these lies a trap.

You’ll experience great success with your projects at times.

Sometimes you’ll make an offer, and it will fall flat.

There will be moments where you’ll be celebrated for your genius.

And others when you’ll be called out for being unoriginal, or when you’ll be shamed for holding a belief that others view as flawed.

Cycles of success and failure.

Excitement, boredom, and everything in between. ​ How does this make you feel?

Spending some time reflecting on my own experience through this lens helps me to remember to follow my charm, and to revel in this experience for the sake of the experience itself. ​ And it reminds me that in the end, this is all there is. ​ Where will you follow the charm? Where are you placing your attention, and what will you carry forward? ​ I invite you to think about this, whether it’s been an amazing week, or one riddled with struggle in your biz.

As we move into the weekend, and create our plans, what comes next?

Magic

Sending love.

Here’s What I Want to Share This Week:

1. I wrote about my decision to join the Web3 University of the Future. I hold the unwavering view that Web3 is going to be massive beyond its current reach, and this is article outlines my attempt to steep myself in the culture, and identify baby steps to start moving with the times. Check it out here.

2. I created a quick writeup about one way we’re capturing social proof, and voice of customer for Empire Engineering. In the past, these gems were falling through the cracks. Check it out here.

3. I reconnected on a call with an old marketing pal, Billy Broas. If you aren’t familiar with his work, he’s leading the way with some of the best thinking around designing educational cohort experiences. He’s been behind the scenes on some legendary projects, such as Building a Second Brain with Tiago Forte. Check out his Keystone Accelerator for the latest.

Who We are Celebrating This Week: Natalie Taggart

Natalie is another founding member of our Automated Intimacy community.

She helps online entrepreneurs scale their impact and income with her Transformational Launch Method™.

As a launch strategist and copywriter, Natalie has over 10+ years of experience in working with transformational entrepreneurs. Her specialty lies in challenge funnels and launch copy that sells with integrity, empathy, and heart.

Thank you Natalie for placing your trust in Ry and I.

We both hope to see you on a community call soon!

For more on Natalie and what she offers, visit natalietaggart.com

This Week’s Curiosities :

The Hive Index (Link)

Recently featured on Product Hunt as “a product of the day”, The Hive Index is a resource for professionals, creatives, students, teachers, entrepreneurs, and those that are just looking for some likeminded souls to hang out with.

As of publishing this, they have over 1200 communities listed across 14 platforms.

This is a great resource for seeking out communities , as well as listing your own for others to discover like we did with Empire Engineering.

Zero Blur (Link)

If you create online courses, or video tutorials, Zero Blue is an incredibly useful chrome extension. It allows you to selectively blur specific parts of your screen so that you protect anything sensitive from being displayed.

I came across this a few weeks ago, and have been using it almost daily ever since.

Oh, and it’s free 🙂

ZeBrand (Link)

Not sure how I stumbled across this service, but ZeBrand is a brand-building platform with downloadable assets and pre-designed templates.

I don’t think this is something I need right now in the biz, but I appreciate a: the model (If you are a designer, their productized services model is one worth looking at), and b: their design aesthetics.

It’s whimsical, magical, playful. Wizard approved!

Matter (Link)

I’m always looking for ways to get my email under control, as someone who signs up for a ton of lists.

If you’ve heard of a method, I’ve probably tried it, although I’m always curious to hear what’s working for you!

This is the latest tool I’ve been experimenting with. I love that you can either use a provided email address, or set up forwarding rules.

Reading your newsletters is an absolute joy within their beautiful app experience. You can also follow writers within the platform.

As a marketer, I believe it’s also important to keep an eye on how this class of tools evolves over time, as it effectively changes the game with how email content is consumed.

Special Giveaway:

If you are a coach, consultant, or course-creator who is curious about the intersection of Web3 with your current business model, this is for you.

Next week, I’m going to be giving away a free NFT from @decentraliens via Twitter which will serve as your admission to courses, events & community at Invisible College.

As a Wizard’s Chest subscriber, I’d love to give you an opportunity to 2x your odds of winning 🙂

Here’s what you have to do:

• Share The Wizard’s Chest via your favorite social media platform of choice.

• Tag someone who you think would benefit from what I share here.

• Include a 1-sentence pitch as to why.

• Shoot me an email with the link to your share.

I’ll be picking the winner at random in the next two weeks, and if you follow these steps, you’ll get two chances to win.

Memorable Quote:

“People’s advice is based on their fears, their experiences, their prejudices, and at the end of the day, their advice is just that: it’s theirs, not yours. When people give you advice, they’re basing it on what they would do, what they can perceive, on what they think you can do.

But the bottom line is, while yes, it is true that we are all subject to a series of universal laws, patterns, tides, and currents—all of which are somewhat predictable—you are the first time you’ve ever happened.

YOU and NOW are a unique occurrence, of which you are the most reliable measure of all the possibilities”. – Will

With appreciation, ​ Phil

• Find easy to digest, and fun resources for learning how to break into Web3.

• Start building a point of view on what it might look like to integrate this model into the communities I support with my work.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about Web3, and all the potential for disrupting current online publishing models for creators.

That being said, all this possibility is accompanied by a ton of hype, that makes many people want to steer clear completely. I know, because this was my stance for the better part of all last year. It can be really difficult to discern what’s real and useful in a world that’s littered with failed projects and straight up scams.

So, naturally when I found Decentraliens, and The Invisible College, I felt like I struck gold.

The Invisible College bills itself as a learning Dao to onboard builders & creators into Web3. To do this, they are minting 10,000 NFT clients on the Solana blockchain.

Learning + aliens? Sign me up!

First action you should take –> Join the Discord Server (it’s free for now)

I came across this project on doing my daily Twitter review, and Rob Hardy from @ungatedcreative had shared this post:

I’ve had the unwavering sense that Web3 is going to be massive beyond its current reach, and as much as it’s been a thing for a while now for those in the know, there are far more people who have yet to have had their first experience with it.

The promise of a community where someone like me could allow my curiosity to flourish, while building and investing in projects, was enough to earn my click.

Once I had a chance to read their roadmap and vision, I knew I was down for the ride.

True story, I stayed up past my bedtime to get my decentralien minted, and for those of you that know me at all on a personal level – that’s a big deal, as I take my sleep pretty seriously!

Furthermore, the Decentraliens invaded my dreams, as I couldn’t stop thinking about all the future possibilities all night long. I had some pretty strange stuff bubbling up.

Here’s 6 key highlights about this community that really spoke to me and my decision-making process to join:

Learn how to build and invest in Web3

The promise of this community is well-defined, and the message is clear. I love the focused attention on the exact three things I’m most interested in taking part of in a Web3 community:

• Investing in new Web3 projects and NFT’s

• Building my own Web3 community, and learning how to incorporate these business models into existing communities I support as a growth lever for the future.

• Contributing my existing expertise and skills to a community that I can grow with while making new friendships, partnerships, and allies.

A School Owned by the Students

I’ve been reading a lot lately about this model as an alternative to the traditional creator membership model (which I’ve seen from experience is hard and often unsustainable).  The idea of being part owner in a well-focused community committed to sharing Web3 with more people is highly attractive and played a big role in my decision to mint.

It was so strong in fact, that I chose to mint 4 decentraliens without any clear financial benefit for acquiring more than one. It just felt good to support a community with such a clear directive in a space that from my experience often presents as scattered, and all over the map.

It’s unclear if there will be any future benefit to me for that decision, but I’m cool with it, if it helps bring more of this to life. And here’s a quick peek at my guys!

Community of builders and learners

This is everything. I’ve shared before that three of my top values in growing business are fostering more connection, growth, and belonging. For a large part of my professional career I showed up as a bit of a lone wolf, but as I’ve matured in my understanding of what it takes to build something meaningful, and create more impact, it’s become clear to me that I can’t do this in a vacuum or by myself.

I know it’s a tired phrase, but it truly does take a village.

The decentralien mint is the first of hopefully many projects tied to the Invisible College’s vision, which you can read more about here.

I’m truly hoping that I can make some strong connections here that can both support a vision that’s emerging for my own ideas, as well as allow me to contribute to the broader mission that the community is bringing to life.

And of course, finding a community to connect with others who are bit further along in their NFT, DeFi, and blockchain journey is something I’m grateful to have found.

I’m still a bit of a Discord newbie, so it may take me a while to figure out how to best leverage all the opportunities that exist.

Topic Based Deep Dives

On first pass it seems the Decentralien and Invisible College community is super engaged. I found two awesome resources immediately after minting:

• A shared google calendar that shows exactly when events coming up within the community will be happening, and I was encourage to see that there are a lot of them! This is this week’s events alone:

Granted, I know this is Mint week, so the team is probably ramping up the schedule, but it’s my hope to see this sort of schedule continuing to existing in the future.

• They have an awesome library of past town halls & deep dives, going back into last year.

To me this is further proof that the community has legs and they are committed to the actual learning, and not just a big flashing marketing event around this minting process.

I love some of the topics I’m seeing, here are just a few that caught my eye:

• How to build a franchise with a DAO

• How to find new NFT projects Token Investment Opportunities

• Identity & Ownership in Web 3

The list just goes on …

Web3 Courses

This selling point for Invisible college seems to be entirely future roadmapped, however it was a big reason I decided to join. The community plans to create a library of course content specifically for helping people like me get started in Web 3.

I still don’t know what I don’t know, and I want to get conversational as quick as possible so that I can assess what’s possible for me to create on my own, and where I’ll need a little help from my friends. And to do that – I’ll need a clear understanding of the map.

I’m hoping this community can play a big part in fulfilling that goal in 2022.

As a side note, I absolutely love the vision for how they will lay out the online school campus:

Clear Mint Process

As someone who was purchasing my third NFT ever, and also having not operated on the Solana blockchain at all to date, it was really important for me to understand exactly how the minting process would work.

The fact that Paul Searle laid the instructions out so clearly on how to set up your Phantom wallet, and transfer funds really gave me the confidence to move forward with minting not only one decentralien, but four!

It also made me feel that if this is the quality of content we can expect in the future with the Web3 courses, that I’ll be getting great support in my learning journey.

I was also impressed by the fact that immediately after joining the Discord server, I was both greeted there, as well as directly responded to on Twitter when I was unsure about how to view my minted NFT’s (which can be a bit anxiety provoking if you are new to the process).

All in all, I’m super grateful to have found decentraliens and The Invisible College. If you can’t tell already, I’m a bit starry eyed and in full-on fan boy mode at the moment. I can’t remember the last time I got this excited about joining a community.

It’s still a bit early to tell if this will be a great long-term investment of time, attention, and financial resources. The project still feels quite underground, but I’m excited to dig in fully and open myself up to whatever opportunities might unfold.

I’ll post some updates along the way as I continue to explore.

And if you have a similar desire to explore this brave new world, it seems like a great time to jump in.

As of writing this, there are still roughly 6,000 NFT’s still available of the original 10,000. I’m not sure what happens after that, but at 1.5 sol, the community seems like a great value.

Follow me on Twitter for more on my journey as I explore the world of Web3

Quick Links to Learn More

Decentraliens Twitter: https://twitter.com/decentraliens

Invisible College Website: https://www.invisiblecollege.xyz/

Decentraliens Discord: https://discord.com/invite/invisiblecollege

Sadly, most people overlook these steps, and instead end up on calls that fall flat, and experience a lack of connection, coupled with zero confidence of their own ability to coach towards a decision.

There’s nothing more deflating, and the result of experiencing sales calls in this way can create a negative ripple of impact on your future energy and confidence levels.

Your application process is meant to pre-empt a lot of potential confidence killers, while allowing your future customer to feel a strong sense of resonance towards you as someone who can help them achieve their goals.

Your Application Process: The customer experience begins here … and not just “energetically” or “spiritually” … but quite practically.

One powerful way of aligning to this is to presume a sale has already happened, and treat your application process, and resulting sales call as the onboarding into your program.

Treat your process as a coaching experience, not as a sales experience.

What questions would you want to ask?

What insights can you glean to ensure customer success?

What actions would you take on your pre-client’s behalf, if you knew they would end up being a customer?

How would it change the way you relate to them?

How would it change the way you sought to give them value and make them feel safe?

With these questions in mind, let’s break down the 3 critical milestones to coach before your enrollment call.

Magnetism:

Magnetism is the first “sale”. It’s where your prospect decides that if there’s anyone out there who can help them, it’s going to be you. If they are going to hire a copywriter, it’s going to be you. If they are going to hire a business coach, it’s going to be you.

They’ve made the decision that if they are going to obtain a solution, it’s going to be through you.

At this stage, you are mostly talking with high-intent, solution-aware buyers who are likely to be considering several solutions/providers simultaneously.

If you are able to coach magnetism, you put yourself into a category of one, where the decision to work with anyone else will feel like settling, or perhaps even a step backwards.

Mastery:

Successful coaching of mastery is where your future customer can relax and surrender into a state of trust that your process and expertise is uniquely suited to deliver them the outcome they hope to achieve.

You can deliver this experience by allowing your prospects to experience your best content, while providing prescriptive guidance far before the call. Allow your future customer to experience a taste of results with tangible outcomes.

As creators and in business, we often fear giving our best content away, but in neglecting to find opportunities to share “the how”, we lose the possibility of creating the earned trust that will follow when your future customer experiences a mental or emotional breakthrough.

Creating this experience ahead of an enrollment call signals safety and trust that your prospect will be in good hands.

Momentum:

The goal here is to create momentum towards a point of no return. This means that there’s more friction for your pre-customer in going backwards to an old way of being, than in taking a natural step forward towards experiencing a new reality in partnership with you.

This is absolutely critical to getting to a yes.

People value their time and energy above most things.

The more time and energy your future customer spends involved in your process, implementing your freely shared processes and getting quick wins, the more likely they are to move towards this point of no return.

If your prospect is experiencing active progress coupled with excitement and inspiration leading up to your sales call, this will fuel the motivation to continue making investments of valuable time, energy, and financial resources.

Everything you create in your application process should be about coaching these milestones. In future essays, I’ll break down each of these in more detail, and offer some tactical guidance on how to achieve these milestones. As a starting point, I’d suggest looking at three key assets in your application funnel:

1. Your Application Questions

2. Your Appointment Confirmation Page

3. Your Pre-Call Onboarding (email, text, etc.)

So often, I see these static resources being thrown together as an afterthought.

I encourage you to take a fresh look through the lens of Magnetism, Mastery, and Momentum.

What shifts could you make to your own application flow in service of creating more ease, joy, and resonance for your future customer?

Would love to hear what comes up for you.

If you’d like to explore this topic in much greater depth, check our our signature program Engineering the Enrollment.

I use the 2021 iPad Mini as my main content consumption device. And while it’s great for consuming content, if you want to avoid a ton of copy/paste and app switching, it’s quite difficult to save links and articles into Obsidian, as part of a “read it later” strategy.

And copy/paste is the last thing I want to be doing on a device with small screen real estate. I’ve been looking for a frictionless way to save links and articles into Obsidian, and I finally found it.

I still find myself dreaming that Obsidian will eventually have its own share extension for Safari, but Drafts makes link capture a delight.

After re-installing Drafts yesterday, and upgrading to pro, it finally became clear why this app is genius. Here’s why:

Share Extension. From any Apple device, you can use the share extension to share a link directly to drafts without having to switch applications.

Offline Apple Watch dictation. This is a game changer. I go on long morning walks and often leave my iPhone behind. When inspiration strikes, I can dictate a note to Drafts directly from my watch, and when I get back to my desk, it connects to my phone and syncs. A great way to capture dictated notes while offline.

Customizable Actions. I’ve created custom “action” templates that formats my saved links and append them into the appropriate location in my Obsidian PKM with the appropriate metadata and tags. I’ve created different templates for articles, tools, books to read etc. The action does all the filing for you!

Friction by design. This may sound counterintuitive, but it’s a huge benefit in my opinion. Because Drafts acts as a middle man between your link capture and Obsidian, it creates a moment of pause. You have to manually run the action steps that send the captured links into Obsidian. I batch process anything I’ve captured in drafts once a day as part of my shutdown routine.

Prior to sending into Obsidian, I ask myself the following:

• Is this worthy of my attention?

• What are my intentions for keeping this information?

• Will I write about it?

• Is it actionable?

• Will it be valuable to share with others?

If I struggle during this mental exercise, I’ll often delete the draft to prevent my knowledge system from becoming a runaway mess.

I’ve been reading about Drafts for years, but never really had a use for it until now.

As an Obsidian user, it’s only taken 24 hours to essentially become an indispensable part of my daily workflow.

Since then, I've found a few other similar platforms, and it's still unclear which, if any, will emerge as the winner.

I plan to continue to investigate, but I thought it might be useful if shared the actions I took last week in getting started, as well as a few initial observations I've had along the way.

There's quite a bit of friction to overcome in getting started for the uninitiated, but my sense is that once you get a handle on how one of these platforms works, then they all will operate similarly, and share a lot of common language.

It sort of like once you knew how to use Myspace back in the day, it was quite easy to make the move to Facebook.

Eventually, I expect that anyone will be able to use these technologies without having to understand how the blockchain works.

It's sort of like how the majority of people don't understand how the HTTP protocol works for web browsers (and really has no reason to at this point.)

Here's what I did to get started. I've linked to a few helpful guides and tutorials, rather than getting into the weeds of each step you'll need to take.

I'd suggest having 1-2 hours of clear space on your calendar to give this a try if you are brand new to Crypto and wallets. If you've already set up a wallet, things will move much faster for you.

Be prepared for a bit of frustration and confusion, it's all par for the course. I encourage you to stay the course with an open mind.

Created a MetaMask Wallet and Connected to Mirror

MetaMask is a web browser extension and mobile app that serves as a wallet for Ether and other tokens. It allows you to interact with decentralized applications like Mirror.

Warning: If you are doing this for the first time, make sure you save your seed recovery phrase in multiple places, as unlike with a traditional bank or website password, there is no way to recover this if you lose it.

If you already have a wallet, you can skip right to the "connect" step.

If you don't, you'll want to take the time to get this setup, and fund your wallet with some Ethereum (ETH), as this will be how you will pay your required Gas Fees to move through the process.

What is a gas fee?

You can think of this as the required processing fee for executing a smart contract or transaction. The transaction fee can fluctuate wildly based on supply and demand, often even within the same day.

I'd suggest putting $200-$300 worth of ETH in your MetaMask wallet to ensure you have the required funds to complete the steps. If you already use Coinbase, this is likely the easiest way to fund your MetaMask wallet. You can transfer some ETH from there.

Here's a more in depth walkthrough around this process.

If you don't have any wallet yet, then Coinbase is likely still the easiest way to get started purchasing cryptocurrency for most people.

Once you have your funds in place, you can connect your MetaMask wallet to Mirror.xyz.

You'll be asked to verify your identity publicly by confirming your Twitter handle, and publicly tweeting your verification.

This felt a bit scary for some reason, but it's all part of the process. Once you share your Twitter handle, and share the tweet, Mirror will verify your account.

Registered philippowis.eth with ENS

Once you've created a wallet in MetaMask, you'll see that it consists of a long string of numbers that you have to copy/paste every time you wish to make a transaction. This can feel a bit scary, because if you get this wrong when executing a transfer, you are essentially sending monetary value into an unrecoverable black hole.

Ethereum Name Service solves this problem by giving you an easy to remember address that is associated with your wallet (sort of like a domain name).

As I understand it, you can then use this to transact on Web3 platforms.

Once you register this and connect it to your mirror.xyz account, this becomes your sharable address for linking to your content, as well as a way your audience can tip you for your contributions.

During registration, you'll choose how many years you'd like to pay for before having to renew. I selected 5 years, as the annual fee was very nominal, while the gas fees were high (almost $150).

I figured I wouldn't want to pay that every year, so I'd go ahead and make sure I was set for at least a few years.

My sense is this action will have a lot of practical value outside of simply testing the Mirror platform, so it felt like an ok investment.

Here's another step by step guide for setting up ENS.

Published My First Article

After going through the technical hooks listed above, finally the payoff!

I found the publishing process to be quite easy and familiar. If you've ever used Medium, you'll feel right at home.

Here's an example of something I published on Mirror.

Here's what your "blog page" will look like.

I was also able to add a nice "subscribe" call-to-action, and link it back to my website. I found this helpful, because as of right now, there's no real author profile or way for people to learn more about you as a creator on the Mirror platform itself.

Currently, there is no native way to search for other creators or content.

Things are pretty basic and minimal.

Which brings me to my next action.

Sought Out Search Engines For Mirror Content

A quick google search helped me to learn that there are at least two search engines built exclusively for surfacing Mirror articles, publications, and writers.

The first I explored was Ask Mirror.

It's still quite basic, but this at least allowed me to search for interesting content, and find other writer's work.

One thing I noticed immediately was a lack of ability to "follow" someone once you found something intriguing.

This led me to keep searching, which eventually brought me to Bress.xyz.

I think I prefer this search option to Ask Mirror, due to some of the social features they have added.

With Bress, you have the ability to follow an author, subscribe via RSS, and share articles via Twitter.

Joined The Mirror Discord Server

I think when some people hear the phrase "Discord Server", they freeze a bit because it sounds like some techie dev speak.

But all Discord really is a community space, not too different to Slack or Circle, where you can chat with other users who have a shared interest.

I've joined several in the past week, and it's really the fastest way to get up to speed and ask questions about Web 3.

Come join me in the Mirror Discord, and say hello!

I'm thewizard#0007 :)

In my first week, I've found community members to be quite generous in asking me questions, and everyone there seems genuinely interested in advancing the platform.

Ready to Jump In?

Alright, that's it for now.

In my next article on this topic, I'll break down some high-level thoughts and observations on what specific opportunities exist NOW for those who are interested in getting started.

Hope to see you in the Discord channels!

And if you come across something interesting in your own travels, or have a quick question, don't hesitate to reach out.

It's my intention to develop a strong point of view on whether this is a platform that matters in support of two of the authors I'm partnered with in my business. Both are looking to self-publish in 2022, and I love the idea of minting these publications as NFTs.

I always feel late to the party when it comes to learning about things like this.

I believe that there's a huge "first movers" opportunity that exists right now for creators, authors, and thought leaders who embrace this emergent way of thinking.

Mirror is a publishing platform whose most relatable comparison is probably Medium, however once you get past the similarities in the interface, the two platforms diverge radically. Mirror.xyz is built entirely on the blockchain, through a decentralized, user-owned, crypto-based network, which means there's no ownership of the platform.

As a writer, you could create significant leverage by publishing early in the platform lifecycle. It is also unlikely that you'll experience the letdown of having to deal with business-driven algorithm changes, and the inevitable addition of disruptive advertising that has been pervasive across so many other platforms.

Of course, deciding to go "all in" with an emerging platform like Mirror is not without risk, because it still feels too early to tell if the right signs are present that would indicate meaningful adoption is on the horizon.

All to say, I invite you to follow my journey with caution, as I'm not an expert on this topic by any means.

I'm simply someone with a real use case inviting a conversation around this topic as I continue to dive headfirst into my own learning journey.

Check out the the first 5 actions I took this week in an attempt to become conversational and to gain some action-based insight.

Until next time.

No more fronting.

I joined Twitter way back in 2008, and then performed an unforgivable act: I bought a bunch of bot followers on Fiverr, so I could “look cool” to all my corporate cubicle mates.

Then I checked out of Twitter and nothing much happened with my profile for the next decade.

Yeah. I was one of those guys.

Low self-esteem, and confidence in short supply, trying to make myself look like I was the next incarnation of Tim Ferriss.

What’s the lesson in this shocking admission of guilt?

Don’t Be Me!

Last week I had my assistant delete all the fake followers one by one, bringing my follower count down to 300-ish fine folks, some of which I still question if I deserve their attention based on my past behavior.

How’s this for some 14-day Twitter Stats?

Deep breath

But I’m reformed now, trying to learn how to do things the right way, and I’m finding three things to be true about Twitter right now:

• This is where the smart people hang out. Sorry, but it’s true. After spending just a few weeks on Twitter, it feels refreshing to pull my head out of the Facebook black hole and to get some elevation.

• Twitter appears to be having a bit of a revival after a few years of being overshadowed by Facebook and Instagram. Or maybe it never really went away, and my experience of it has simply shifted. In either case, something feels different to me, and I like it.

• As part of my research on how to do things the “right way” research, I came upon a tool called Hypefury. It’s a powerful tool that promises to support engagement without slipping back into Shady-town. And so yesterday, after completing a free 7-day trial, I purchased an annual subscription to Hypefury.

I’m committing myself for at least one year to working on building authentic connection on Twitter, which feels quite supportive of my goal to write more in 2022.

In just the past few days, I’ve seen some pretty promising improvements in my engagement, and the entire process feels delightful.

So what is Hypefury?

Hypefury describes itself as “your personal assistant to grow and monetize your Twitter audience.”

To put it in simpler terms, Hypefury is a Twitter scheduling tool with a strong emphasis on thread posts (more on this subject later).

It’s not meant to be a complete social listening suite like Hootsuite, or replacement for the native Twitter experience.

It’s a simple tool to schedule your tweets, leverage their unique growth features, and then go back about your day.

I still do most of my reading and engagement directly on Twitter via their official client.

Hypefury is a very simple tool, but they have done a great job of honing in on a few key levers that are helping their users achieve growth and break through the noise on a platform that boasts almost 400 million users.

Their subscribers are quite vocal about this.

It’s helped get me excited about using Twitter again, so I’m grateful for that.

In my next post, I’ll break down the experience of using Hypefury for the first time, and two key actions you’ll want to take when getting started with your trial.