The last few cycles of the market have been very interesting. Over the past year, DeFi has presented many opportunities along with a lot of unexpected surprises. I will go over some personal lessons I learned and key takeaways that will proceed with me to the next phase of this space. None of this is financial advice!! This is essentially a reflection of things I’ve witnessed and experienced.
Portfolio/Risk Management
I believe one of the most important factors in this realm is management of risks and your overall portfolio. I spent time in this area but not enough. I used personalized dashboards to track my portfolio’s but I could’ve took a step further by actually creating spreadsheets of my positions and being more detail-oriented around my assets. I used a lot of “set and forget” tactics when I needed to pay more direct attention for leveraged decision making in some areas.
Some portfolio dashboards I use are Zapper, DeBank and ApeBoard. Keep in mind every dashboard may not track 100% of ALL the platforms you are invested in, this is why I believe it’s key to actually compile spreadsheets of your assets or do some type of thorough tracking just in case the dashboard is missing a few. There were times where the dashboard wasn’t displaying some of my positions making me forget I held certain assets or was in certain protocols. This could be detrimental in some cases because it’s actually possible to forget you are invested in certain protocols while they are going to zero. Literally.
Moving forward, I will be creating spreadsheets and trying to track data like a corporate senior data scientist. I need to know everything thats going on at all times so my assets don’t become liabilities.
Risks
When it comes to risks, never risk more than you’re willing to lose of course. Sometimes it’s good to sit back and evaluate “riski projeks”. Chasing APR’s can get you rekt. It’s ok to stay neutral and stay on course while getting steady gains. Everybody has a different niche so what works for others may not work for you and vice versa.
Definitely don’t be too spread thin either. Being multi-chain is cool but sometimes focusing on one area can yield you more rewards than being in different lanes.
Conviction
As some of you may know, conviction is a double-edged sword. Conviction may either bless you or rekt you. I’ve been on both ends several times. Conviction is not always a signal inferring that you should invest in a certain protocol. I believe there’s two types of conviction..
Emotional Conviction - When influencers, CT, and everyone you know has conviction on a project so you get a sense of fomo and believe that there is real potential.
Realistic Conviction- When you actually do your DD and believe that the project has more upside than downside.
The sad part is you can still get rekt either way. Some of the best projects have been exploited, exposed, and abandoned in this space. Nothing is guaranteed so you have to move very strategically and consider all options including lessons from previous ventures. Sometimes it’s not bad to miss out on certain opportunities because another opportunity will always present itself.
Taking Profits
This area is where I can say I probably lacked the most. Me and other colleagues of 075 like to say “Hindsight 20/20”. There have been many opportunities where I could’ve taken life-changing profits but was chasing a “high”. I honestly got a little too comfortable. Stupidest mistake I ever made. Sometimes things are definitely too good to be true. Profit is profit so you don’t really have to be greedy and try to get the most out of it because you could lose it all. Just like gambling in a casino. Some people win big but don’t know when to go home and end up going home with nothing. It’s good to realize your gains while you can and use those gains to enjoy your self or keep investing.
Know When To Leave
It’s not good to be too attached to anything in my opinion. Knowing when to leave is major because when it’s too late it’s too late. I’ve been coming up with my own indicators of when to leave certain investments no matter how good it’s looking. It’s ok to set goals and targets and move on and repeat the cycle. It’s ok to constantly rotate and move things around to make you feel secure. After all, it is your investments! Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Do whatever you need todo to keep elevating.
Narratives
Narratives change so quickly I wouldn’t recommend falling in love with anything. Seriously, I’ve witnessed CT praise certain projects and turn around and sabotage them in a month’s time span. I really don’t get it. Sometimes following a narrative is cool but keep in mind that a lot of people find joy in ruining good things for everybody. When everybody starts talking about it … take your profits and RUN. Come up with with your own narratives but still take advantage of certain opportunities that presents itself within the multitudes. DeFi is so early that more opportunities will come, trust me.
However, I do believe in certain blue-chip narratives. The market-tested passive income ones, shoutout to Bert. I’ve been more focused on positioning myself for those since I have had some experience with pretty much everything else in this space. It’s pretty cool to witness a lot of this stuff. You have to learn the lessons and adapt or you ngmi.
Closure
Closure means finality; a letting go of what once was. I have peacefully let go of my past mistakes and I’m ready to full send it this next cycle! These last 6 months have opened my eyes and I’m pretty excited with what’s to come. I’m still bullish as a whole but there are definitely things that need to be fixed if people truly want to benefit off of decentralized finance. We all have to become a team. I feel like an entirely new person and I’m looking at where we are headed as new territory. We will see new tech, innovations, teams, and all the above which is pretty cool. I’m constantly learning and obtaining knowledge on different aspects to stay ahead of the curve. Hope you enjoyed.