Ten Survival Rules for the Crypto Industry
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Ten Survival Rules for the Crypto Industry
Master the industry, let curiosity reign supreme.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: jpurd17
Translation: Baishuo Blockchain
During my six years at @MessariCrypto, I learned several lessons that helped grow Protocol Services from an idea into a business line with 100 satisfied clients, generating eight-figure revenue and beyond.
These lessons apply to anyone selling directly in web3 or scaling business development efforts for services targeting crypto-native projects. Here's what I've learned:
1. Master the Industry
If you're not willing to dive deep into the details, this industry isn't for you. Crypto is inherently technical, and developers can easily spot bullshit. You need enough knowledge to discuss pressing challenges teams face—understand debates like modular vs. monolithic architectures, the importance of restaking, how MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) extraction works, and more.
If this feels overwhelming, start from the beginning: learn the difference between Proof-of-Work (PoW) and Proof-of-Stake (PoS), revisit early block size debates, master blockchain fundamentals, then gradually go deeper.
2. Curiosity Is King
The teams you speak with are dedicating their lives to building a decentralized future they believe in. Your primary goal should be to learn as much as possible about the person in front of you—their work, team KPIs, project vision, and needs. Your objective isn’t just to sell your product or service. Treat every interaction as an opportunity to satisfy genuine curiosity. This builds healthy, long-term relationships.
3. Be a Value Provider, Not a Salesperson
With solid knowledge and deep understanding of how these projects operate, your goal should be to provide maximum value. You’re not pushing a service—you’re making their lives easier, saving them money, helping them grow. Approach it this way, and collaboration becomes natural. Revenue follows.
4. When in Doubt, Write It Down
The best way to expose flaws in your thinking is to write it down. Before selling anything, you should be able to write a clear article about your service/product, target customers, and the value delivered. The same applies to internal decisions—hiring, new products, target markets. If you can't make a compelling written case, don’t do it. Even if only for yourself, writing creates a rational checkpoint. In my experience, these internal memos demonstrate far more rigorous thinking than loud phone calls or polished slides.
5. Incentives Matter
We’re in crypto—we should know this well. Yet I still encounter teams without commission structures, or with loose ones. Aim to pay your top BD performers handsomely, tying their earnings directly to KPIs that matter for company success. Not all signed clients are equal; qualified leads aren’t homogeneous; some high-value work doesn’t directly generate revenue. There’s no one-size-fits-all compensation model, but it’s critically important. Spend more time than you think necessary designing a structure that ensures your or your team’s success.
6. Part-Time Product Development
BD teams spend more time talking to key external stakeholders than anyone else. Every call is an opportunity to improve your product or service. Ensure you have systems to collect, distill, and synthesize feedback. Build this into discovery calls—ask where you can improve, probe views on competitors, and relay insights back to your team so the offering continuously evolves.
7. In-Person Meetings Are Crucial
We’re lucky to be in an industry that hosts dozens of global conferences. These events are valuable—use them fully—but don’t treat them as your only chance for face-to-face interaction. As a BD professional, your value lies in relationships, and Zoom only goes so far. If you live in a crypto hub city, actively host or attend dinners, happy hours, and gatherings to bring together people you want to work with. Budget for your team to travel to other hubs or spend days doing coffee meetings with key prospects and clients. A few hundred dollars on flights and hotels is negligible compared to the increased odds of closing major deals and partnerships.
8. Don’t Be That Guy
It’s unglamorous to say, but if you want to excel, don’t get blackout drunk at conferences. I’ve attended dozens of events where someone inevitably overdid it—embarrassing themselves or at least severely impairing their ability to engage meaningfully. In my early years, that was me. It felt good—letting loose, partying like college—but looking back, I’d have gained far more value had I stayed composed, present, and able to remember everything the next day.
9. Your Personal Account Doesn’t Make You a Trader
We all love pretending we’re decentralized traders, but checking prices ten times a day hurts you. It may seem trivial, but task-switching kills productivity. Every glance at intraday charts disrupts focus. It also drains emotional energy, negatively impacting mental health over time.
10. Self-Improvement = Work Improvement
I used to think time away from the computer was wasted work time. But nothing could be further from the truth. Your output is directly tied to focus, energy, and confidence. You can’t cultivate these by sitting in front of a screen 12 hours a day. Do things that make you better—meditate, journal, walk, take real vacations without guilt. Since I started scheduling these activities on my calendar—and attending multi-day silent retreats at the expense of screen time—my overall productivity has significantly improved.
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@jpurd17
