Author: Yanz, Deep Tide TechFlow
Dressed in trendy attire, in a 'attitude-filled' little shop, expressing myself in a mix of Chinese and English, I imbue my personal style into every strand of hair, looking down on all visitors with a noble attitude, forming the current public's deconstruction and mockery of the principals.
The true meaning of a principal has been diluted in the jest of 'not caring about others', but as a synonym for the initial professional responsible person, that group of people has always been there.
Some say the crypto industry is a 'paradise for super individuals', where a group of true principals actively thrive.
Some people spend only 30 minutes a day to set up a job information matching platform, becoming an indispensable public infrastructure in the industry; some persist at the table during the bear market, becoming well-known gossip bloggers; some withdraw from large industry companies and choose to let results speak; and some build physical spaces in cities, creating communication bridges for more newcomers.
We have found some crypto principals, each of whom can be considered a super individual; this is their story.
Crypto Fearless: Choose passion, stay at the table
I am Crypto Fearless, a Web3 gossip blogger and community builder.
The door to the crypto world opened for me during several offline events. It was there that I first encountered the basic concepts of the industry and token knowledge, and I was immediately captivated. With curiosity and enthusiasm, I submitted several resumes, first stepping into a blockchain media company, and later transitioning to Huobi Exchange.
Life in large crypto companies is not much different from most internet companies; they all follow established processes and complete work tasks step by step. I have traversed different positions: marketing operations, brand public relations, research analysis, and community management.
At the end of 2021, I said goodbye to life at the exchange and began exploring possibilities outside of full-time work. While looking for a new job, I pondered a question: in this industry, aside from working for others, is there another way to survive?
This problem is not difficult; the crypto world is naturally suitable for the existence of 'super individuals'. Whether researchers, traders, bloggers, KOLs, or community organizers, as long as they find suitable monetization methods, they can live quite well.
After leaving the company, my life rhythm changed completely. I usually get up around 10 to 11, scroll through my phone, browse messages, and start working around 2 PM after lunch until dinner. There may be meetings or friend meetups during this time. After dinner, I either do some trading, play games, or exercise, usually not sleeping until one or two in the morning. This lifestyle contrasts sharply with that of a 9-to-5 worker, and the most valuable aspect is freedom; without the constraints of a company framework, I can explore life at my own pace.
Now, my energy is mainly divided into two parts: one is managing personal IP, including Twitter, Binance Square, and Xiaohongshu; the other is operating crypto communities, providing professional services for project parties.
Starting from September 2022, the account Crypto Fearless has now accumulated over 200,000 followers, which is actually an unexpected gain. In early 2025, dissatisfaction with project parties in the crypto circle surged, especially with the two popular trends of VC coins and meme coins, which were heavily criticized. I took advantage of this trend and disclosed some insider information, unexpectedly becoming very popular, and thus continued down this path.
Operating a crypto community is also a very important part. Although it is my interest, this path is not smooth. The most difficult moment was during the bear market, especially the year after the FTX collapse. Market liquidity dried up, monetization was difficult, project parties faced tight funding, and budgets were sharply reduced. I could only take on various gigs, doing some thankless tasks to make a living, such as managing operations, advertising promotion, and planning offline events; these were all hard-earned 'money'.
Despite the difficulties, one of the things I feel most accomplished about is staying at the table, rain or shine.
Many people choose to leave the industry after making a big profit or suffering a big loss, or feel disappointed in the industry after a failure. Some may not adapt to the freelance lifestyle and cannot find their way to the table. But I firmly believe that as long as you stay in this industry, even if it's just occupying a small position, it's much better than being in those industries with severe internal competition and continuous contraction. After all, the crypto world is still on the rise, offering more liquidity and opportunities.
For newcomers wanting to develop in the crypto circle, my advice is to take it step by step. It's best for newcomers to first work at a company to gain experience; after accumulating 1 to 3 years of work experience, they can look for circles that bring information advantages and high-quality interactions, finding platforms that promote mutual growth; after 3 years, everyone may find their unique path that suits them.
Most importantly, find what you truly love. If you are obsessed with programming, go develop; if you are good at socializing, build communities; if you can't find a particular hobby for now, then treating making money itself as an interest isn't a bad idea either. I once wrote in a tweet: Starting from interest, finding what you love is the best.
Antoniayly: 30 minutes a day, connecting talent and opportunities
I am the founder of We3 job platform abetterweb3.
In July 2021, I was still working in post-investment at a VC. Post-investment is somewhat like being a babysitter, trying to meet various needs of project parties as much as possible. Hiring is one of those needs.
Some project parties will ask: Can you help me find an operations manager? Can you help me find a marketing manager? Do you have reliable engineers to recommend?
While matching these needs, I often see people in my circle just leaving their jobs or looking for opportunities.
Gradually, I realized that the crypto circle lacked a platform that could bridge these two gaps—project parties need reliable people, while reliable people cannot find dependable companies. This is a resource mismatch problem, and the solution is actually very simple: just need a Notion library and a Telegram channel. As long as the information is shared, those in need will naturally match.
Breaking the information monopoly and lowering the barriers for both parties is something I want to achieve. Many recruitment websites require you to log in and register a resume to view information, or force you to choose an identity, allowing job seekers to only see job postings and recruiters to only see resumes. I want to change this model, making all information open to everyone. Honestly, looking at others' resumes is quite interesting, which also satisfies many people's curiosity.
Since July 2021, I have been the only one operating this platform. The operation method of the platform is very simple: form tools and Notion make up my automation system. When someone submits job or recruitment information, it automatically syncs to my review library. Every morning and evening, I spend half an hour reviewing this content, moving qualified information to the public library.
For recruiting companies, I will conduct basic screenings, at least requiring the company to have a website and a Twitter account; this is the most basic requirement. Companies without these are likely to be shell projects and will be directly filtered out.
The first few months were tough because no one was willing to share their life experiences on an unfamiliar platform; it was a very private and trust-filled act. I could only search for materials on developer forums, transferring some public resume information to my channel. Perhaps due to the rigid matching demands of the job market, this state lasted about a month, after which people began to actively submit resumes and job information.
What surprised me is that, although I did no promotion, this platform has developed steadily through word of mouth, presenting a 45-degree growth. Occasionally, friends suddenly contact me, saying their friends found jobs through my platform, even at some good companies they never thought of. This is the source of my sense of accomplishment and the motivation for me to continue.
Currently, abetterweb3 is a purely charitable platform. Aside from the small income from the Telegram channel's dividend plan (accumulating about seventy to eighty dollars now), there is no other profit model. But seeing that it has truly helped people and realized its original intention is enough.
Many things you can't imagine how they will turn out after doing them for a few months, but if you keep at it, even if only spending 30 minutes each day, after 4 or 5 years, you'll find you have accumulated a lot of value.
Essentially, the issues currently criticized in the crypto circle are all human issues. Regardless of whether the product is well developed or the project is empty, the root lies in talent. I hope my platform can serve as an infrastructure to help retain some talent willing to stay in this industry, rather than letting them all flow into the AI industry.
If possible, I still hope to develop the platform into a website, changing the current relatively primitive maintenance method to provide a better user experience. But regardless, the original intention of allowing information to flow freely and helping talent and opportunities match better will not change. After all, isn't the initial purpose of the internet about information sharing?
Yuliana: Strategist, speaks with results
I am Yuliana, the founder of a crypto project incubator.
After entering the Web3 industry, I have worked at Bybit and Morph. They are well-known, well-funded, and have excellent team backgrounds and resources. But for me: it seems that no matter how hard I work, some results are always out of my control. Under extreme internal friction, I invested a lot of energy and time into work, only to find that not only was the output not proportional to the input, but sometimes I also felt helpless about the results in areas I was good at and wanted to pursue, which prompted me to start my own business.
Being an incubator is a conviction. In 2021, I made an attempt, but after eight or nine months, I returned to work at a company. In May of this year, I started my incubation business again.
Helping projects with overall marketing and growth is the main business direction. The team is small, about six people, and I am responsible for taking cases, bringing in more resources, communicating project needs, planning and strategizing the project, and advancing execution. This streamlined structure allows us to respond flexibly to market changes while maintaining high efficiency.
The projects we take can generally be divided into two types: one is for phase-specific needs, requiring completion of specific tasks; the other is projects that need deep involvement, where I help them analyze developmental difficulties like a CMO, formulate overall plans, solve data indicator issues, enhance market enthusiasm, and meet data indicators. In this process, the biggest challenge often comes from the project party's level of cooperation.
I remember a time when I communicated very clearly with the project owner, but their technical team felt it was not their priority and was unwilling to cooperate on development. What could have been completed in 7 days was delayed to 14 days, and the communication process was full of resistance. No matter what I said, there were always doubts and challenges, and some were even quite rude.
"At that time, I just gritted my teeth and kept going, not resting on weekends, often communicating late into the night, just to get things done." Although the process was difficult, the results were good, and the project data showed significant improvement, achieving results beyond expectations. Thus, the attitude of the project party completely changed, and subsequent cooperation became smooth.
Whether the project party is clear about its phased needs is the basis for establishing cooperation. Some projects do not have clear goals and a clear roadmap; even if communication occurs, substantial progress is difficult. However, teams with clear goals, who are willing to accept professional advice and execute, can fully leverage the value of limited resources. This has also become one of my criteria for screening partners.
In my view, in this rapidly changing industry of crypto, becoming an influential person is the core of success: either become a super individual, amplifying one's influence through social media and other channels, or start a company, build a strong brand, and work with clear goals and strong execution to be seen by the market.
One thing I firmly believe is: one must have a very clear sense of goals, and be results-oriented. The crypto industry is fast-changing, and success requires not only professional knowledge and execution but also clear goal orientation and results thinking. Whether as an individual or a team, only by clearly knowing what one wants and being willing to put in continuous effort can one find their place in this field full of opportunities and challenges.
CC: Maintain original intention, be consistent in action and knowledge
I am CC, the founder of a Web3 physical space (Web 3 Space).
In a provincial capital city, I have a store called 'Web3 HUB'. In a space of over 700 square meters, the business mainly revolves around four core areas: hosting and undertaking events, selling Web3 peripheral products (hardware wallets, rings, headphones, watches, etc.), shared office space, and incubating newcomers.
This choice largely stems from my experience in traditional industries. After over a decade of entrepreneurship, I have opened bars, cafes, restaurants, and beauty salons, accumulating some successful cases in traditional industry, chains, and brands. After entering the crypto circle in 2018, I found that there were no 'teachers' in this circle; all learning needed to be obtained through continuous trial and error, which is the biggest difference from traditional industries.
At that time, I wanted to create a public platform as a bridge, allowing more people and newcomers to communicate and share.
In 2020, my experience at the Hong Kong Blockchain Week had a significant impact on me. I realized that if every city could have such a place where people from all over the world could gather, communicate, and share, it would be a wonderful thing. So, I decided to take action.
Currently, Web3 HUB operates from 9 AM to 9 PM every day. If there are events or wine parties, it will extend until 2 AM. There are two public classes per week, relying on traditional domestic traffic platforms like Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Video Number to attract all new friends, entrepreneurs, or job seekers interested in Web3 and AI, building bridges for their communication.
As a physical space, Web3 HUB has monthly operating costs of over 200,000. When business is bad, it can be very difficult. During a bull market, many projects and public chains are willing to come out for offline exchanges and sharing; in a bear market, everyone pays more attention to their own survival and is less willing to socialize. At this time, my experience in the traditional Web2 field becomes an advantage. Our space is not entirely vertical to Web3; during a bear market, we also host some traditional Web2 activities, such as Douyin courses, new media courses, English lectures, and psychological counseling courses, allowing the space to operate normally.
In my view, making more people aware of our brand is one of the most successful things. Currently, only in Chengdu, we already have three to four thousand members. This has changed many people's impression that Web3 must eventually issue coins. In fact, the blue ocean of Web3 is vast, and many resources can be linked without issuing coins.
As someone starting a business in the crypto circle, as long as you adhere to the principle of 'maintaining one's original intention, and being consistent in action and knowledge', you won't do too badly in the circle. The entry threshold for Web 3 entrepreneurship is very low; many people talk one way and act another, and some even issue coins and leave. But since I started my business, I have never wavered from my original intention, which is to make our brand and space better.
In the future, we hope to deploy similar spaces across Southeast Asia, including Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and Singapore. For everyone, as long as one respects the industry, keeps learning, studies and delves into any new narrative, and works hard not to fall behind, they can achieve results in this opportunity-filled industry.
From being mocked as 'not caring about others' to the real existence of 'super individuals', crypto principals are continuously writing their own life chapters. Whether it's a 30-minute persistence or years of exploration, they are proving that in this decentralized world, the most valuable resource has never been capital but rather people.