Earlier today, I stood on stage in Dubai, to an empty room.
I delivered my first ever stage talk - at Expand North Star - a large tech startup conference. But as fate would have it, I got the last slot of the day (...the graveyard shift 😏 )!
The organisers warned me of the low turnout they expected for that slot since they knew I was flying in from London, and I insisted nonetheless.
I found myself speaking to fewer than ten people in the room. Two were my friends, and 3 were stewards.
And you know what? I wouldn’t have changed a thing!
I flew out because our mission - building the financial backbone of humanity, on the Bitcoin standard - is bigger than any room. It’s bigger than any crowd size. Those who were there heard a message that I’m willing to share anywhere, even if it’s just one person listening. I specifically told my friend to take a picture of the empty room; because that’s where movements start - with a handful of believers who see the future before it’s mainstream.
Moments like this remind me that impact isn’t measured by numbers, but by conviction. I've never had more conviction about anything in my life. I enjoyed every moment, because our mission isn’t about chasing applause; it’s about building something that lasts forever. It's about the generations of communities who will be benefiting from our work 500 years after this Linkedin post.
And I’ll gladly speak in any empty room again if it means one more person joins us on this journey to secure humanity's future, forever.
So, if you’re out there, and you believe that the social good that undergirds our society should never run out of money, that money should never be weaponised to control people, and that a free and open society is worth fighting for - let’s talk.
And yes, if you’ve got an empty room, podcast or just time, I’m down to fill it with ideas that can change the world, so let's chat.
- And a side note to other entrepreneurs starting out with a bold and strange idea:
If you’re in a season of obscurity - don’t fight it. It might just be your incubation period. History’s best ideas were once invisible.