BIG NEWS + Deep Dive With AlexIsBuilding

Blockchain Bounty regulars would’ve noticed that we went quiet for two weeks. This felt like a lifetime because I’ve been creating lots of content and itching to share it with you. Finally, the short hiatus is over!

Since the first week of January 2023, I’ve been writing this newsletter to a core community of blockchain enthusiasts. The support has been nothing short of amazing. It’s my single biggest motivator to grow this platform and continue to deliver value every single week.

I’m glad to announce that Blockchain Bounty has joined the SeedPhrase Daily family! It’s an exciting step in expanding the reach of this publication. With our shared goal of educating our audience on the important matters in Web3, we plan to make the most of this synergy.

A few changes…

Blockchain Bounty will no longer be published on Substack. Moving to Beehiiv affords more flexibility for scaling up at this crucial stage. Every Sunday at 11 a.m. UTC, you will receive an email from “Blockchain Bounty by SeedPhrase,” just like this one.

In addition, I will also publish a weekly market roundup every Monday at 11 a.m. UTC exclusively on the “Blockchain Bounty” page for my O.G. community members. Feel free to subscribe here. OK, now we’re all caught up. Let’s dive in!

Perhaps the most difficult job description in Web3 is that of a founder. It comes with such controversy and responsibility that only a rare breed of entrepreneurs can navigate it successfully.

The NFT community has witnessed founders tap out in several interesting ways. Some take “mental health breaks,” some sell their projects, while others just roll over and die. So what does it really take to do this job? Let’s find out!

Hey, Alex! Thank you for joining us to document this special edition of Blockchain Bounty. Let’s start off with a brief introduction to your brand and mission in Web3.

I’m building Bricktopians with my co-founder, Law Degree. We’ve set out to build a product that people actually want while delivering high-quality art and experiences for our holders. I also write a newsletter called Grow Faster. With 8 years of insight on finding trends early (e.g., ETH at $45), building a Web2 consulting business (with clients including the NBA), growing an audience, and building a Web3 project, the goal is to help you accelerate your growth.

As someone who bought ETH in 2017, you’d be considered an “OG” in some circles! With this industry in a state of flux, there’s always something new to learn. Can you share your most recent discovery about building a brand that integrates blockchain technology?

The biggest thing I've learned recently is that attention is the most important factor when building in a bear market. Nurturing a community that's in it for the right reasons creates consistent energy that builds momentum and attracts attention in the external market.

With Abnormal Studios and Bricktopians, you’re on the frontier of a nexus between blockchain technology, digital fashion, and 3D-printed wearables. What have you observed so far about the market fit for the products you are developing?

I've noticed that most projects build utility because they think "someone else will want this." For us, from the beginning, it’s been about building products that people actually want. The Brain Boot is that product. We get stopped in the street by people asking how to get them, and we tell them, "Get a Bricktopian." By having that real-world demand validated, we know we're building something for our community that the market wants.

I firmly believe that NFTs are not standalone products. They are great vessels to “wrap” products and services that can offer incredible customer incentives. In the aftermath of the royalties controversy, how much of an impact do you think this approach could have on NFT business models in the future?

I think a lot of projects are about to drop out of the race. For most community-focused projects, royalties were their lifeblood. Those who can't adapt will die very soon. We're lucky because we've been building from the beginning with a sustainable business model at the center of what we're doing.

You’re one of the most prominent founders to successfully flip the “building-in-silence” meta on its head. As the loudest cheerleader for your project, what is your stance on how founders should grow their personal brands alongside their projects?

I noticed early on that people were asking, "Where are the real builders showing up every day?" So I figured that the best way to get attention for Bricktopians was to show us as that community, with those builders. My personal brand growth is purely to support the growth of Bricks, so it makes it very easy to overlap the way I create my content and feed it into amplifying our project.

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From the beginning, it’s been about building products that people actually want.

AlexIsBuilding (2023)

It’s remarkable that lots of people recognize you first as a creator, then as a founder. This speaks volumes about the quality of your content. Tell us a little bit about the journey from your 100-thread challenge to the #1 ranking on NFT Inspect.

It's purely been a journey of high volume. Everyone spends way too long trying to create the perfect piece of content, and this holds them back from getting enough content out to actually learn and get better. At the beginning, I wrote a thread every day; now I've slowed down slightly to give priority to quality. But that quality is built on the lessons learned from hundreds of reps.

Community building is a core pillar of every Web3 brand. Is it a fair assumption that the type of content associated with your brand also plays a role in how quickly and organically the Bricktopians community is growing?

100%. All my content is focused on giving as much value as possible. This organically helps us get more attention, which helps me convert that attention into new supporters and holders of our project. It has a positive feedback loop that creates many benefits for all of our holders.

One major challenge every founder, creator, and participant in Web3 faces is burnout. In an industry that never sleeps, how do you balance work and private life while keeping a finger on the pulse of your community at all times?

Right now, I don't really have balance. It's taken a lot of sacrifice to be consistent with being a founder and creating content. I have a vision for hitting a scale where the content starts to market itself. But for now, as I'm in a growth phase, I'm happy to invest that time and energy.

You rocked a pair of show-stoppers at NFT NYC this week! 🤩 The Bricktopians community also enjoyed the experience of minting a set of new drops that are expanding the brand’s NFT ecosystem. Tell us about the significance of these events for the future of your project.

Yeah, the Brain Boots were show stoppers, that's for sure. We captured a lot of attention. This is going to be massive for us moving forward. BricktOrigins, our current release, is our way of telling our story on the blockchain. When all five pieces of the drop are combined, they unlock enhanced utilities in our upcoming releases. This is the premium tier of participating in our ecosystem.

I believe we will likely witness the rise of businesses exploring the fringe areas of blockchain technology to create more sustainable models. For any founders out there, hatching such plans, faced with the option of a VC raise, and building an NFT brand, what words of advice can you offer?

The biggest piece of advice I can give is to build an audience first and then decide on your funding path. An NFT project gives an organization a strong foundation to grow from, with a core group of early users. But it requires that foundation to be set first, which is the hardest part. Follow everything I've shared above and the pathway is there for people who want to put the work in.

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.