Lessons learned from Finding work, Navigating that work, and Caring for teammates.
You probably don't understand or see how much work contributors put into this space.
Workers are often burnt out, underpaid, underappreciated, and leaving left and right for various reasons on top of a poor macro market.
We must take actionable steps to be better.
Over my time in burnout land, I've lost too much weight, had too little sleep, had a spat of circulation issues, stopped dating, and was mentally and emotionally exhausted.
Now, however unhealthy all that is, I've grown because of it.
I'm much more resilient and prepared.
My first job in the space was with a company built by proven operators in other industries and Web3.
No leader is perfect, and there's always room for improvement. I'm hopeful they have had time to reflect on how to do and be better.
Though there were expected growing pains, it certainly proved the importance of founders who know how to run a business.
Letting go of resentment of any kind isn't easy.
Mentally and physically burnt out after leaving, to be honest, I too, nearly left the space altogether.
In this role, as the person who a lot of the community heard from or recognized most, I think it's only right to say that nothing is ever rainbows and sparkles all the time.
The lesson here is that you are the only person who can support YOU best - you come first.
Hiring talented workers is incredibly hard and, at times, a make-or-break moment for projects that hinge on things getting done with efficiency, creativity, and quality.
But because there is SO much to be done in so little time, most of us work 14+hr days, weeks/months on end.
So, here are some problems I'm seeing with Web3 work and thoughts on how to correct them.
We are, without a doubt, very early, so I'd love to hear your thoughts too! Let's be open and voice concerns where we see them.
If someone is taking time out of their day to meet with you and give you advice freely and with no expectations, the least you can do is speak their name in a room full of awesome people.
Add them to your network, give them resources, offer to cover breakfast for them - anything!
If you already have a product or thinking of building one and looking to get into Web3, I highly suggest you look into @latecheckoutplz and @gregisenberg.
The way he crafts community around products will help you understand the power of and importance of community.
More businesses are starting to see the benefits of the blockchain and the use cases outside of jpegs and animated animals.
They don't typically understand how to create community, and Web2 community professionals looking in see the shit we go through. We're early.
Since there are so many projects and so few "qualified" or "proven" community professionals, we are stretched thin.
Which is why we need more of them.
We stretch our time, resources, creativity, and mental capacity for unfair wages, no equity, and unrealistic expectations.
For example: early on in projects I've been involved with the community teams of 1, 2 if you're lucky, managing discord, some socials, strategy, a volunteer team, and writing content.
If they aren't being paid well, that means some need to pick up multiple projects doing this.
Yet community professionals are to do all those things with the responsibility of being the brand's voice in most cases - ask yourself who the hell you are if you are undervaluing this person's contribution.
If you're going through this and need help, my DMs are open.
The thing is, this isn't exclusive to community professionals. This is industry-wide.
I hear these stories from all over the space of people being used, abused, exploited, tossed aside, not supported properly, or given unreasonable workloads.
When it comes to pay, this space is largely disgraceful.
I'm open to talking about various payment methods for work because there are many but only paying someone in free mints is, in most cases, unacceptable.
We must ensure workers are compensated fairly.
If you're a founder without strengths in management, hire an excellent project manager or pair up with a co-founder with those skills.
It is important that team members feel supported and heard and know what success in their role looks like, even with loads of ambiguity.
I have become friends with many founders in the space, and they are each a wealth of knowledge.
Take time away from the hundred meetings and have open, honest, vulnerable discussions about the space so we can push the industry forward without the toxic positivity.
The diversity gap has to shift.
Men continue to be added to leadership positions, while women and diverse candidates are overlooked.
Representation is catching up; social impact communities like @TakeUpSpace_NFT,
@thehugxyz, and @HoneyBadgesNFT are worth checking out.
Giving opportunities to those underserved is critical to adoption and growth.
We all know that women get the least amount of funding and diverse founders receive even less.
We can't have diversity in the space if VCs continue to overlook women and underrepresented builders.
The more opportunities we give to younger generations we will see shifts in social impact and diversity initiatives.
But we must treat these new workers and participants with the respect and patience they deserve.
Those sticking around need to be good role models.
I continue to be optimistic because I know I make a difference.
I know the power of representation and what it means to be one of the few trans people in the space.
I've seen the impact of community and how it positively affects the lives of others.
If you are a founder or team member and would like to chat in confidence or in a Space about these issues, my DMs are always open.
I don't want to be negative or complain, which is why I try to provide solutions to problems and work with others to solve them.
*This article was adapted from a Twitter thread by rileybeans*
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