Thus began my financial education journey. The timing was serendipitous as we all headed into months of lockdowns soon after. With a lot more time on my hands at home I quickly found myself deep into books by Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad remains an all-time favourite), Peter Lynch and Jack D. Schwager. Success Resources inevitably moved their talks to webinars, and I eagerly signed up to their next webinar with Robert Kiyosaki.

While Robert was amazing, another speaker, Marcus de Maria from Investment Mastery in the UK, also caught my attention with a talk on cryptocurrency, blockchain and decentralisation. It was a genuine take-my-money moment, and little did I realise just how much the crypto investment course I signed up to was going to change my life. 

For all that I was learning about the crypto space and blockchain, one thing was clear: the tech was game-changing. A completely decentralised system of processing transactions, with unparalleled security and speed? Sign me up.

Of course, knowing the theory is just one part of the journey – the other is practical experience, so at this time I also began my investment journey. (A reminder: my own investment decisions should not be taken as financial advice – always DYOR!). I started with BTC and ETH in 2020 in what was still the bear market. Over the next year I’d certainly experienced the highs and lows of the journey, also dabbling in ICOs and NFTs along the way (and navigating the occasional rug pulls, which is almost a rite of passage for early adopters, right?).

Seeking community 

Through my education journey I had connected with so many passionate people online in the UK and Europe, but was hankering for a community closer to home. I’d see my distant network sharing the crypto-related events they’d attended and I was suffering from a serious case of FOMO. 

As I delved deeper into blockchain and the endless use cases and applications, my passion grew into necessity – this education has serious implications for our agency’s clients, our growth, our marketing and our team’s future careers. I also felt a sense of responsibility to teach others about this revolution too, so I decided to start with my own agency team. Not only would we form our own micro crypto/web3 community, learning and growing together, but our early adoption would help the business. The more I could share with my team about what I’d learnt, the stronger position we could be in to pass this knowledge to our clients, future-proofing all of our careers, businesses and financial security.

It began with weekly knowledge shares, book and podcast recommendations, and presentations on the basics from blockchain to metaverses. Seeing the team’s natural curiosity spark their own personal involvement in the space was – and remains – a highlight. I turned this education into a fully-fledged Web3 workshop that every new team member now participates in when they join. We are now a team of experienced and knowledgeable Web3 natives, committed to mass adoption through education and successful transition support for businesses. 

We then expanded this workshop to our existing Web2 clients under The Bubble Co, each completely blown away by the concepts and possibilities for their businesses. We also started producing more educational content for our audiences and building our profile on the Web3 scene. It was at this time I heard about a brand-new event that promised to bring Australia’s Web3 community together: the Australian Crypto Convention.

The first AusCryptoCon

There’s always something thrilling and nerve-wracking about attending an inaugural event. There’s the apprehension of what you might be getting yourself into. The excitement of the potential to learn more and meet new people. The hesitation at making a big investment to attend something with no reputation to go off. The worry that the whole event will end up being a flop (or worse – a rug pull) and you’ll leave with nothing but empty pockets.

AusCryptoCon 2022 certainly held promise. The chance to hear from big players in the space including Michael Saylor and Fred Schebesta. To meet teams from the likes of Binance and Illuvium. To hear about incredible start-ups demonstrating real-world use cases of blockchain that did everything from secure trading to healthcare record-keeping. To network with a community of like-minded people who are committed to the growth of crypto and blockchain, generously sharing insights from their own rollercoaster experiences and making plans on how to build momentum among the masses.

The event really was everything it promised on the box. I brought my two team members Jake and Bec with me, the former keen to dive into Web3 gaming, the latter feeling a bit guarded after a few rug pulls, but curious to learn more about the potential of the tech in real-world applications. Yes, the event was exhausting – all that socialising after 18 months of on and off lockdowns! – and we made lasting industry connections, identified incredible business opportunities and cemented friendships with some truly great humans in the space. To see my own team build confidence in their own knowledge and realise how real this evolution really is was also uplifting. 

From there, our passion for Web3 exploded even further. An idea for a dedicated Web3 agency named Take3 popped into my head in October 2022, although it wasn’t until December that we officially launched our brand. After 18 months of running Web2 and Web3 under The Bubble Co, it made sense to reduce any friction or confusion, and operate two dedicated agencies. Why Take3? Because Web3 is our third attempt to get things right.

From attending in 2022, to being the Official Marketing Partner of AusCryptoCon 2023 – we are living proof that the opportunities possible from attending an event are limitless. 

Building the future

Collaboration and community are key; if we want to go far, we need to go together. 

We know that this digital evolution is going to affect how we work, conduct business, store and transfer data, shop, socialise and more. For that to happen successfully we need to onboard the masses, which is why events such as AusCryptoCon are so vital. Tech adoption begins with education, which is what AusCryptoCon is founded on.

I’m excited about this year’s plans to for a bigger and better event, with some 15,000+ attendees attending two days of workshops, keynotes and networking events brimming with opportunities to learn the basics, seek investment opportunities, share business ideas, and mingle with and learn from the key players brave enough to test the space and move their businesses forward. 

So, whether you’re a total newbie or a seasoned crypto fiend wanting to broaden your network and explore new business opportunities, AusCryptoCon ‘23 is the place to be. I look forward to seeing you in Melbourne.