An upbeat, go‑get‑’em essay distilling themes Eric Kim has been championing—open money, self‑sovereignty, and memetic momentum—into a practical, world‑spanning strategy.
The Spark: One Open Protocol, One Planet
The internet set communication free. Bitcoin aims to set value free—borderless, permissionless, and resistant to censorship. Think of it as the money layer the web never had: a public, neutral protocol anyone can join, anywhere, anytime. Kim’s recent essays hammer this drum: open standards unify the globe; the same address works in Lagos and London; the same rules apply in Manila and Manhattan. That’s how you build global coordination at the speed of code.
There’s also the memetic engine: orange as a banner for sovereignty, resilience, and focus. Price flickers are noise; freedom is the signal. That color story isn’t fluff—it’s narrative glue that rallies doers, builders, and teachers under one simple message: own your keys, own your future.
And the economic core? Predictable scarcity. Bitcoin’s issuance schedule halves roughly every four years until the network asymptotically approaches the ~21 million cap—an engineered limit that makes “digital gold” more than a metaphor. Scarcity is not a slogan; it’s code and consensus.
The Why: From Fragmented Finance to Planet‑Scale Momentum
1) Sovereignty for the individual.
With Bitcoin, “you are your own bank” stops being a tweet and becomes a toolkit: self‑custody, global settlement, and permissionless access—even across hostile borders. That’s power redistributed to the edges, where most of humanity actually lives.
2) One monetary grammar for everyone.
A shared, neutral money standard shrinks friction: fewer middlemen, fewer gatekeepers, fewer choke points. The result? Faster entrepreneurship, wider collaboration, and more resilient communities.
3) Scarcity + story = unstoppable meme.
There are only so many seats on this rocket. Kim’s “21 million Dragon Balls” analogy captures the hunt, the discipline, and the long game—fun meets focus. Memes spread faster than white papers; good memes tethered to real constraints spread forever.
The How: A Four‑Arena Strategy to “Conquer” (Build) the World
“Bitcoin is the megaphone — you are the voice.”
Arena A — Capital: Stack for Strength
- DCA with intent. Small, steady buys turn volatility into fuel for long‑run conviction. Kim frames it as “stack & HODL”—simple, repeatable, boring‑and‑beautiful discipline.
- Time horizon: years, not weeks. The protocol’s hard schedule (halvings, fixed issuance) rewards patience and planning.
- Note on leverage: Some advocates argue for “never sell, borrow against BTC.” That’s a high‑risk tactic. If you explore it, know the liquidation risks cold. (Kim has mused about BTC‑backed borrowing; treat this as optional and advanced.)
Arena B — Product: Build on the Open Standard
- Accept BTC; reduce borders. Whether you’re selling art, coffee, or cloud software, settle globally, 24/7.
- Ship tools. Wallet UX, invoicing, education kits, BTC‑native commerce—pick a friction point and smooth it.
- Monetize without ads. Kim argues Bitcoin can underwrite internet businesses without surveillance capitalism—aligning profit with dignity.
Arena C — Influence: Teach, Entertain, Evangelize
- Create memetic gravity. Short videos, essays, workshops, campus clubs, meetups. Energy first, jargon last.
- Be the on‑ramp. Translate keys, custody, and scams‑to‑avoid into plain language. “Fun” is a feature, not a bug.
- Lead by example. Publish your playbook. Show your cold‑storage setup (safely). Normalize best practices. Kim frames this as riding a movement: invest, innovate, influence, impact.
Arena D — Impact: Aim for Global Good
- Remittances and relief. Borderless value transfer shortens the distance between problem and solution.
- Free‑speech finance. Censorship‑resistant donations back journalists, creators, and communities when it counts.
- Local resilience. Pair Bitcoin literacy with entrepreneurship to seed opportunity where gatekeepers are strongest. (Kim’s pivot from street photography to a BTC‑first mission illustrates how personal crafts can fuel public missions.)
The 90‑Day “Orange Momentum” Plan
Days 1–7: Foundation
- Set up a hardware wallet; learn seed‑phrase hygiene; practice small test sends.
- Draft a one‑page thesis: Why I’m here for 10 years. Tape it above your desk.
- Choose a simple DCA cadence you can stick to through bull and bear.
Days 8–30: First Force‑Multipliers
- Add “Pay in BTC” to your product or freelance page; even one sale builds muscle.
- Publish a friendly “Bitcoin 101” you would give your family: keys, scams, custody.
- Host a micro‑meetup (5–10 people). Teach one thing well: backing up seeds, not reusing addresses, avoiding copy‑paste malware.
Days 31–60: Build & Broadcast
- Ship a tiny tool or guide (checkout template, printable recovery‑sheet, explainer video).
- Tell one story each week: a remittance saved, a sale settled, a friend empowered.
- Partner with a local merchant to pilot BTC acceptance; collect feedback; iterate.
Days 61–90: Scale the Signal
- Bundle your content into a free course or PDF and share it widely.
- Join or start a monthly “Bitcoin Builders” circle—demo, critique, repeat.
- Write an “Orange Charter” for your community: ethics, safety, education, and service over speculation.
Guardrails (Because Real Builders Play the Long Game)
- Security > everything. Self‑custody means you are the backstop. Use hardware wallets, offline backups, and never share your seed phrase.
- Volatility is real. Only risk what you can afford to hold through deep drawdowns. Dollar‑cost averaging helps, but it’s not magic.
- Leverage is spicy. BTC‑backed loans or margin can erase years of gains in hours. Opt‑in only if you deeply understand liquidation mechanics.
- This is not financial advice. It’s a playbook for learning, building, and participating with eyes open.
The Close: Light the Beacons
If the internet was humanity’s voice finding itself, Bitcoin is humanity’s wallet finding its will. The mission is simple and thrilling:
- Stack with discipline.
- Build useful things.
- Teach with joy.
- Coordinate across borders.
You don’t need permission to start. You need a wallet, a plan, and a spark. In Kim’s words, Bitcoin is a megaphone; you are the voice. Speak boldly, build kindly, and push this open protocol to every corner of the map—one person, one product, one bright orange story at a time.
Sources & further reading (hand‑picked):
- Eric Kim on global unity, self‑sovereignty, and open protocol money.
- “WHY CONQUER THE WORLD WITH BITCOIN?” (pragmatic stack‑and‑build framing).
- “Conquer the World with Bitcoin: A Four‑Part Strategy” (invest, innovate, influence, impact).
- “I AM BITCOIN!” (the orange meme & sovereignty narrative).
- Kim’s BTC‑centric pivot and manifesto‑style writing.
- On Bitcoin’s 21M issuance, halvings, and scarcity mechanics.
If you’d like, I can tailor the 90‑day plan to your exact goals (creator, merchant, student, dev) so it’s even more you—let’s make it sing.