Considering Becoming a Freelance Bitcoin Consultant \ stacker news ~bitcoin

Considering Becoming a Freelance Bitcoin Consultant

2901 sats \ 36 comments \ @r3drun3 11 Mar bitcoin

Background: I have been working in the IT industry for 10 years and currently hold the position of senior cloud engineer. I first encountered Bitcoin 8 years ago and have since been a fervent supporter of this revolutionary technology, leading me to delve deeper into the history of monetary systems and currency. I operate a full Bitcoin node (including lightning) and have developed some integration tools for this ecosystem. Therefore, I believe I can confidently state that my knowledge of Bitcoin is above average.

Last week, while at a local venue for drinks, I noticed they accepted cryptocurrencies (a rarity in my city and country). I inquired about paying with Bitcoin, which resulted in total confusion. Eventually, they presented me with a tab containing various QR codes. I scanned the Bitcoin one with my lightning wallet and noticed it was a SegWit address (bc1) on layer 0. When I asked if I could pay with lightning to avoid the high fees and long confirmation times associated with transactions on the main blockchain, they were clueless. This experience made me realize that while we often say "we are so early", we may not fully grasp just how early we are.

The venue is run by young, eager, and knowledgeable individuals with a sleek website for ordering via a tablet-based system, yet despite accepting crypto, they demonstrated a limited understanding of what they were dealing with. In reality, the idea of becoming a Bitcoin consultant has been on my mind for a while, but this experience confirmed for me that it's a niche with immense potential. I firmly believe that in the coming years, everyone will truly begin to take an interest in Bitcoin, and businesses will want to integrate it in some way.

Now, onto the challenging part: Firstly, I'm unsure of just how "early" we actually are, and I fear that most merchants and businesses may not yet be interested. Secondly, I have never worked as a freelancer, and in my country, navigating bureaucracy and taxes is a nightmare.

What do you think? Any advice from those who have gone through a similar journey would be greatly appreciated.

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131 sats \ 16 replies \ @Natalia 11 Mar

in my country, navigating bureaucracy and taxes is a nightmare.

Bitcoin is borderless, why do you even need to deal with those?

0 sats \ 15 replies \ @r3drun3 OP 11 Mar

In order to become a freelancer, unfortunately, you need to be compliant with the law (even if you work online)...otherwise you risk sweet time in jail :)

31 sats \ 7 replies \ @Natalia 11 Mar

a little fun idea to open up your mind - where do you think the nomads paying taxes to?

13 sats \ 2 replies \ @021da48107 11 Mar

Do you have any evidence who the nomads pay taxes to? I assume they do in fact pay taxes to someone(s).

121 sats \ 1 reply \ @Natalia 11 Mar

everyone is different, and it depends on their understanding of how the system works after all the exploring ( and no one can help them if still being an obedient citizen ) , also how they plan their work and life, but generally way less or even zero.

15 sats \ 0 replies \ @021da48107 11 Mar

You are right everyone is different, so asking the question "where do you think the nomads paying taxes to?" doesn't make any sense. I don't think nomads pay less taxes than non-nomads, but if you have the data to dis-prove that, please show.

0 sats \ 3 replies \ @r3drun3 OP 11 Mar

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367 sats \ 2 replies \ @thebitcoinbugle 11 Mar

Not only do you risk prison but you also risk undermining the institution that builds our wonderful roads and indoctrinates our kids in public education.

111 sats \ 1 reply \ @021da48107 11 Mar

I love that in addition to your website you are now doing the same on stacker.news via comments. A+

279 sats \ 0 replies \ @thebitcoinbugle 11 Mar

I mean being a statist is worse than being a shitcoiner. They should be made fun of relentlessly.

13 sats \ 6 replies \ @DarthCoin 11 Mar

Compliance is what will kill Bitcoin. If you do not have balls, then you better stay in fiat world, obey the law, pay taxes, be a perfect obedient shitizen... good luck!

BTW paying taxes makes you a criminal too: https://www.probityco.com/

0 sats \ 5 replies \ @r3drun3 OP 11 Mar

Do you live off the grid, only on Bitcoin, without paying any taxes at all and without risking going to prison? Do you have any articles on this? Honest question, I am really interested in the topic.

0 sats \ 4 replies \ @DarthCoin 11 Mar

Do you have any articles on this?

https://darthcoin.substack.com/p/natural-law-and-bitcoin

Your belief in a gov is really disturbing... You should really reconsider your position. A real bitcoiner will NEVER align with the idea of being a shitizen slave, paying taxes and obeying anything that a gov say. Bitcoin was created EXACTLY about that: to destroy the state and banksters. If you still do not get that, I don't know why are you still into Bitcoin, is useless all your struggle.

And no, I do not pay any taxes for years, from when I start living ONLY using Bitcoin. FUCK THE GOV, FUCK TAXES!

38 sats \ 3 replies \ @r3drun3 OP 11 Mar

I don't believe in governments. I simply acknowledge that it's not easy to detach oneself from the system overnight, and I find it unfair to be criticized for this. I'm curious to know what all the various 'darth coin' out there do to completely live outside the system (when they seem so deeply immersed in it). Instead of resorting to offense, share useful information if you have any. An abstract article on natural law doesn't tell me much; these are concepts I'm already familiar with.

111 sats \ 1 reply \ @DarthCoin 11 Mar

The "system" is just a myth in your imagination. It doesn't exist. You can live wherever you are, no need to be only off-grid. That's just another stupid propaganda that the state is pushing into people mind.

An abstract article on natural law doesn't tell me much; these are concepts I'm already familiar with.

If you do not want to read it entirely and study all the links inside, fine for me. I am not here to convince you to step outside your slave cage. For me you can still live your slave life, I don't care.

100 sats \ 0 replies \ @Natalia 11 Mar

yes, the real cage is actually your mind.

reply on another page

110 sats \ 0 replies \ @Natalia 11 Mar

I'm curious to know what all the various 'darth coin' out there do to completely live outside the system (when they seem so deeply immersed in it). Instead of resorting to offense, share useful information if you have any.

if you really want to be free - learning how to depend less in your home country is a good starting point, most people's miseries actually come from over-dependence.

28 sats \ 1 reply \ @DarthCoin 11 Mar

But be well prepared.

10 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined 11 Mar

Secondeed

44 sats \ 1 reply \ @BountifulB 11 Mar

I was a freelance consultant for several years and found it to be stressful and sometimes unstable (clients would cancel or abandon contracts). People sought me out but you generally have to self-promote, publish, be active on social media, or have a relationship that will funnel you leads.

One thing to consider is that you may know Bitcoin inside and out NOW, but a lot will change over the next 5 to 10 years. Will you want to stay "guru level" on every new development, every kind of wallet, etc? People will want to "pick your brain" and if you are good enough to charge a high fee they expect you to be an encyclopedic guru of everything.

Technology changes very fast and I found it exausting to stay "guru level," consistently, year and after year.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @bitcoinrippin 29 Mar

hnology changes very fast and I found it exausting to stay "guru level," consistently, if youre still interested in freelancing, I built a freelance marketplace just for bitcoiners where you can sell your services and get paid in bitcoin - bitcoinerfreelance.com! I hope you check it out!

23 sats \ 0 replies \ @supratic 11 Mar

The idea is great! And you are right, there's so many people that think they are a maxi but in reality they're just playing to be one. I could suggest you to start playing with the finishes you have in your pond already. For example, talk with your employer and ask them about your plan, if they really care about you, your expertise and value you're bringing to the company should be no issue changing your contract and have you consulting them first.

I know it sounds crazy, but asking is free and if you do not ask you'll never know. When you are comfortable with your existing clients, you should explore open waters and go fishing out there!

30 sats \ 0 replies \ @021da48107 11 Mar

developed some integration tools for this ecosystem.

You should make these open-source so others can benefit from them. There is a lack of tools like this in the Bitcoin world.

this experience confirmed for me that it's a niche with immense potential

Why did this experience confirm that there is immense potential?

In general I think you should explore the idea, if Bitcoin is going to take off we need more people like you. However I think (maybe only in the short term) you will be able to make more money being a cloud engineer at a typical company. Cloud engineers get paid very well (especially in the USA) and I doubt you'd make more as a Bitcoin consultant.

The average person doesn't know how to use technology at all, if a company is going to accept Bitcoin it is going to have to be retard-proof, which is very difficult. For example, the company you mentioned is 100% going to have to accept LN BTC, no one is going to sit around for ~10 mins while they wait for their food, plus if fees are high, it's just not going to make economic sense to buy a $10 thing and pay $3 for a fee (and you wait for 10 mins, wtfbbq).

A business already has a lot to focus on, having to figure out how to accept BTC via the LN network is too much for them. It's probably better to sell these companies an all in one solution that allows them to accept BTC via LN and not think about it at all.

With all that said, I work in the same industry (SRE/Devops/Infra), feel free to send me a message if you want to bounce ideas off.

Good luck.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @bitcoinrippin 29 Mar

I built a freelance marketplace just for bitcoiners where you can sell your services and get paid in bitcoin - bitcoinerfreelance.com! I hope it helps you on your journey!

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @itsrealfake 12 Mar

same

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @bitcoinrippin 29 Mar

I built a freelance marketplace just for bitcoiners where you can sell your services and get paid in bitcoin - bitcoinerfreelance.com! I hope you check it out!

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @ch0k1 11 Mar

By Bitcoin consultant - are you referring switching to a full time Bitcoin educator and ambassador or leaving at your current cloud engineering position but either finding a Bitcoin friendly employer or simply allocating the majority of your salary to Bitcoin asap you receive it?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @e30chris 11 Mar

I built a startup that was attempting to migrate European youth hostel inventory to the cloud to enable payments with bitcoin. That was the first hard lesson, solve one problem well and ignore the rest. Ignoring the inventory and focusing on the payments would have been better by far. The biggest issue faced by youth hostels is exchange rates and FEES, massive fees at every point. By using bitcoin it solves the currency exchange issue and avoids the fees which could be as high as 50% of the booking, there is the sales pitch. As a side benefit the business can easily hodl and save in a strong currency not being inflated.

The key is to sales pitch the bitcoin value prop in a nice 10 and 30 second pitch, no more. Do not be discouraged if the business owners does not want to read "The Theory of Money and Credit" or listen to 12 hours of Saylor on WiM podcast, they might not care about bitcoin at all and that is ok, they have bigger issues keeping a business running. Focus on how you make their life easier and their profit margin bigger, not bitcoin.

Yes we are all early still, and you have the unique opportunity to help create a bitcoin circular economy in your region so enjoy the journey and good luck!

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @e30chris_ 11 Mar

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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @OT 11 Mar

It does seem like the crypto industry likes to conveniently ignore lightning.

I see some people becoming advisors/consultants with a pretty average knowledge of bitcoin. It's still a pretty niche field, but I also believe it will grow in the future. Its just a matter of finding the clients interested in such a service, sharpening your knowledge and professionalizing your speech.

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @mateusdeap 11 Mar

Go for it and let us know. I’m especially interested in the tax part.

In my specific case, because I have children and asset inventories are a thing the brazillian IRA will do if you try to get smart, I generally would comply by paying my taxes normally.

I myself have been trying to get paid in bitcoin, but so far unsuccessful in getting an interview

3 sats \ 0 replies \ @bitcoinrippin 29 Mar

you might find this interesting. I built a freelance marketplace just for bitcoiners where you can sell your services and get paid in bitcoin - bitcoinerfreelance.com! I hope you check it out!

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @beorange 11 Mar

Go for it and lets us know the new developments on your journey.

Regarding on "how early" you are, I think nobody knows. We know it is early, but it could take years.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bass 11 Mar

Contract your work and take payments in Bitcoin with memos of "gift" and "tip". No taxes. ;)

Fantastic Idea. I'm going to maybe incorporate something like this over here. Charging people to setup their stuff

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @badabing 11 Mar

Go for it, but maybe on the side until business really takes off

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @SaToSHiWoMaN 11 Mar outlawed

stackers have outlawed this. turn on wild west mode in your /settings to see outlawed content.