Original author: Yanz, Deep Tide TechFlow
Reprinted: Oliver, Mars Finance
Dressed in trendy attire, in a 'attitude' small shop, expressing in a mix of Chinese and English, personal style is infused into every strand of hair, looking down on all visitors with a noble attitude, creating the current public perception of managers as being trivial and derisive.
The true meaning of 'manager' is dissolved in the jest of 'not caring about people', yet it represents that group of people who have always been responsible for the initial professionalism.
Some say that the crypto industry is 'a paradise for super individuals', where a group of true managers thrives.
Some people spend only 30 minutes a day to build a job information matching platform, becoming an indispensable public infrastructure in the industry; some stick to the table during the bear market, becoming well-known gossip bloggers; some withdraw from industry giants, choosing to let results speak; and some build physical spaces in cities, bridging communication for more newcomers.
We have found some crypto managers, each of whom can be considered a super individual; this is their story.
Crypto Fearless: Choose what you love, 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 a few offline events. There, I first encountered the basic concepts of this industry and token knowledge, and I was deeply attracted. Filled with curiosity and enthusiasm, I sent out several resumes, first stepping into a blockchain media company, and later transitioned to Huobi Exchange.
Life in major crypto companies is no different from most internet companies, both follow established processes and complete tasks step by step. I have worked in various roles: market operations, brand public relations, research analysis, and community management.
At the end of 2021, I bid farewell to life at the exchange and began exploring possibilities outside of full-time work. While searching for a new job, I pondered a question: in this industry, besides working for others, is there another way to survive?
This question is not difficult; the crypto world is inherently suited for the existence of 'super individuals'. Whether they are researchers, traders, bloggers, KOLs, or community organizers, as long as they find the right way to monetize, they can live quite well.
After leaving the company, my life rhythm changed completely. I usually get up around 10 to 11, check my phone, browse messages, and start working around 2 after lunch until dinner time. There may be meetings or appointments with friends during this time. After dinner, I might trade, play games, or exercise, generally not falling asleep until one or two in the morning. This lifestyle contrasts sharply with that of a nine-to-five worker, and the most valuable thing 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 teams.
Starting from September 2022, the account Crypto Fearless has now accumulated over 200,000 fans, which is actually an unexpected gain. By early 2025, dissatisfaction with project teams in the crypto world surged, especially the two popular trends of VC coins and meme coins faced heavy criticism. I took advantage of this and disclosed some insider information, unexpectedly becoming very popular, and continued along this path.
Operating a crypto community is also a very important part. Although it is my interest, this path is not without obstacles. The most difficult moment was during the bear market, especially in the year after the collapse of FTX. Market liquidity dried up, monetization was difficult, project funding was tight, and budgets were sharply reduced. I could only take on various tasks, doing some thankless jobs to make a living, such as agency operations, advertising promotion, and offline event planning, all of which are indeed '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 table after making a big profit or suffering a huge loss, or become disillusioned with the industry after a failure. Some may also find it difficult to adapt to the freelance lifestyle and cannot find their way to the table. But I always believe that as long as you stay in this industry, even if you only occupy a small position, it is much better than in those highly competitive and shrinking industries. After all, the crypto world is still in an upward phase, with more liquidity and opportunities.
For newcomers who want to develop in the crypto world, my advice is to proceed gradually. It is best for those just entering the industry to first work in a company to gain experience; after 1 to 3 years of work accumulation, 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 own unique path.
Most importantly, find what you truly love. If you are obsessed with programming, go develop; if you are good at socializing, go build communities; if you can't find a particular hobby for a while, treating making money itself as an interest is also acceptable. I once wrote in a tweet: starting with interest and finding what you love is the best.
Antoniayly: 30 minutes a day, connecting talent and opportunity.
I am the founder of the Web3 job platform abetterweb3.
In July 2021, I was still working in a VC doing post-investment work. Doing post-investment is actually a bit like being a babysitter, trying to meet various needs of the project team as much as possible. Hiring is one of those needs.
Some project teams 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 information in my social circle about someone just leaving a job or looking for opportunities.
Gradually, I found that the crypto world lacks a platform that can bridge these two gaps—project teams need reliable people, and reliable people cannot find reliable companies. This is a resource mismatch issue, and the solution is actually very simple: just need a Notion database and a Telegram channel. As long as information is shared, those in need will naturally seek matches.
Breaking the information monopoly and lowering the threshold for both sides is something I want to accomplish. Many recruitment websites require you to log in and register a resume to see information or force you to choose an identity; job seekers can only see jobs, and recruiters can only see resumes. I want to change this model, making all information open to everyone. To be honest, looking at others' resumes is quite interesting, which also satisfies many people's curiosity.
From July 2021 to now, I have been the only one operating this platform. The operation 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 database. Every morning and evening, I spend half an hour reviewing this content, moving qualified information to the public database.
For recruitment companies, I will conduct basic screenings, at least requiring that the company has an official website and a Twitter account. This is the most basic requirement; companies without these are likely shell projects and are directly eliminated.
However, the first few months were very difficult because no one was willing to post their life experiences on a strange platform; it was a very private and trust-filled act. I could only go to developer forums to find materials, transporting some public resume information to my channel. Perhaps the matching demand in the job market is indeed very rigid; this state lasted only about a month, after which people began to actively submit resumes and job information.
What surprised me is that, although I did not do any promotion, this platform has steadily developed through word of mouth and has shown a 45-degree growth. Occasionally, friends suddenly contact me, saying that their friends found jobs through my platform, even some good companies they never thought of. This is the source of my sense of achievement and the motivation for me to continue.
Currently, abetterweb3 is purely a non-profit platform. Aside from the small income brought in by the Telegram channel profit-sharing plan (about seventy to eighty dollars accumulated now), there is no other profit model. But seeing it truly helping people and achieving its original intention is enough.
Many things you cannot imagine what they will be like in the future when you have been doing them for a few months, but if you persist, even if you only spend 30 minutes a day, after 4 or 5 years, you will find that you have accumulated significant value.
Essentially, the problems criticized in the crypto world now are all human issues. Whether the product development is good or whether the project is solid, the root lies in talent. I hope my platform can serve as an infrastructure to help retain some talents 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 relatively primitive maintenance method now to provide a better user experience. But regardless, the original intention of letting information flow freely and helping talent and opportunity to match better will not change. After all, the original intention of the internet is information sharing, right?
Yuliana: Strategist, letting results speak.
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, have ample funds, and possess excellent team backgrounds and resources. But for me, it seems that no matter how hard I try, some results are always beyond my control. In 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 effort, but sometimes I also felt powerless in achieving the results of things I am good at and want to do, which prompted me to start my own business.
Running an incubator is a conviction. In 2021, I had a try for about eight or nine months, then went back to work for a company. In May this year, I restarted my incubation business.
Helping projects with overall market and growth is the main business direction. The team is small, about six people. I am responsible for taking on cases, bringing in more resources, communicating project needs, planning and strategizing the projects, and advancing execution. This streamlined structure allows us to respond flexibly to market changes while maintaining high efficiency.
The projects we take on can generally be divided into two types: one is for projects with phased needs that only require completing specific tasks; the other is for projects that require deep participation, where I help them analyze development dilemmas like a CMO, create an overall plan, solve data indicator issues, enhance market heat, and meet data indicators, etc. On this path, the biggest challenge often comes from the project team's willingness to cooperate.
I remember once, I communicated very clearly with the project owner, but their technical team felt this was not their focus and were unwilling to cooperate in development. What could have been completed in 7 days was delayed to 14 days, and the communication process was filled with resistance; no matter what I said, there were always doubts and challenges, even very rude remarks.
‘At that time, I just gritted my teeth and did it, not resting on weekends, often communicating late into the night, just wanting to get things done.’ Although the process was difficult, fortunately, the results were good, with significant improvements in project data, achieving results beyond expectations. As a result, the project team's attitude completely changed, and subsequent cooperation became smooth.
Whether the project team is clear about its phased needs is the basis for establishing cooperation. Some projects do not have clear goals and a clear roadmap; even with communication, there is often little substantial progress. In contrast, teams with clear goals that 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 selecting partners.
In my opinion, in the rapidly changing crypto industry, becoming an influential person is the core of success: either become a super individual, amplifying your influence through social media and other channels, or start a company, build a brand, and let the market see you with clear goals and strong execution.
One thing I have always believed is: there must be a clear sense of goals, and it should be result-oriented. The crypto industry changes rapidly; success requires not only expertise and execution but also clear goal orientation and result-oriented thinking. Whether as individuals or teams, only by clearly knowing what they want and being willing to put in sustained effort can they find their place in this field full of opportunities and challenges.
CC: Stay true to your original intention, align action with 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 more than 700 square meters, the business mainly revolves around four cores: event hosting and contracting, sales of Web3 peripheral products (hardware wallets, rings, headphones, watches, etc.), shared office space, and newcomer incubation.
This choice largely stems from my experience in traditional industries. After over ten years of entrepreneurship, I have opened bars, cafes, restaurants, and beauty salons, accumulating some successful cases in traditional industries, chain operations, and branding. After entering the crypto world in 2018, I found that this circle has no 'teachers', and all learning must be acquired through continuous trial and error, which is the biggest difference from traditional industries.
At the time, I wanted to establish a public platform as a bridge for more people and newcomers to communicate and share.
In 2020, my experience at the Hong Kong Blockchain Week had a profound 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.
Now, 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 each week, relying on traditional domestic traffic platforms like Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and video accounts to attract all new friends, entrepreneurs, or job seekers interested in Web3 and AI, establishing a communication bridge for them.
As a physical space, Web3 HUB incurs operating expenses of over 200,000 per month, making it very difficult during poor business periods. In a bull market, many projects and public chains are willing to come out for offline communication and sharing; during a bear market, everyone focuses more on self-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 the bear market, we also host some traditional Web2 activities, such as Douyin courses, new media courses, English lectures, and psychological counseling courses, to keep the space operational.
In my opinion, successfully letting more people know about our brand is one of the most successful things we have done. Currently, in just one city, Chengdu, we already have three to four thousand members. This has changed many people's impression that Web3 must issue tokens. In fact, the blue ocean of Web3 is vast, and many resources can be linked without issuing tokens.
As an entrepreneur in the crypto space, as long as you adhere to the principle of 'staying true to your original intention and aligning action with knowledge', you won't do too badly in the circle. The barrier to entrepreneurship in Web 3 is very low; many people talk one way and do another, and even some people issue tokens to scam and leave. But since I started my business, I have never wavered from my original intention, which is to do well with our brand and space.
In the future, we hope to lay out similar spaces in Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Singapore, and other areas in Southeast Asia. For everyone, as long as they respect the industry, keep learning, research and study any new narratives, and work hard not to fall behind, they can achieve results in this opportunity-filled industry.
From being ridiculed as 'not caring about people' to the real existence of 'super individuals', crypto managers continuously write their own life stories. Whether it’s a 30-minute persistence or years of exploration, those who are used to freedom are proving: in this decentralized world, the most precious resource has never been capital, but people.