Cardano SPO: Crypto Buff Stake Pool [CBUFF]

This week’s guest on the Cardano SPO Column is a stake pool operated by Crypto Buff who has been working in the industry for some time and has his own YouTube channel: Crypto Buff Stake Pool [CBUFF].

The previous guest was a stake pool operated by Ian from Worcestershire, UK, who donates to Arts Emergency and UNICEF Ukraine.

This initiative is a point of reference for everything Cardano and every week or two we will invite a Stake Pool Operator (SPO) to answer some questions and give us an update directly from within the Cardano community.

Considering that many of our readers are new to the crypto space, we will have a mix of simple and technical questions.

Cardano SPO Column, interview with Crypto Buff Stake Pool [CBUFF]

Hi, thanks for your time. Tell us something about yourself, where are you based and what is your background?

I was born in Toronto, and I grew up in Mississauga. I went to college and graduated with a marketing degree from Humber. I went into sales after graduating, and now I currently sell Bitcoin mining hardware full-time. 

My biggest goal after graduating was to work in the crypto industry. At first, it was hard to find jobs that were hiring locally in this field. I decided to create my YouTube channel “Crypto Buff” as a way to make my own way into the crypto industry. 

Making this channel helped expose me to brand new opportunities in this space, it helped me secure a job selling Bitcoin miners full time. I love waking up knowing this is my career.

What’s the path that led you to Cardano and to become a Stake Pool Operator (SPO)?

I wanted to be part of the Cardano ecosystem, I like the technology and community. I make content about the Cardano ecosystem for beginners who don’t know where to start. It’s fun to have a role in the decentralisation of a blockchain. 

When trying to start my stake pool, I had no idea where to start. Someone from the Cardano community reached out to help streamline the process for me. With his help, I was able to launch my stake pool in March 2022. 

I take pride in being part of this ecosystem at such an early start. Creating this stake pool allows me to be part of the beginning phases of Cardano’s adoption. I’m also looking forward to how stake pools will evolve, there are projects that are working to integrate DeFi and stake pools. 

I find it fascinating how there can be multiple different layers for just one operator. I think Charles Hoskinson explained it the best. Stake pool operators are like the gas stations for the Cardano ecosystem.

What are your thoughts about the current DeFi landscape on Cardano and what are you most looking forward to in the coming months and years?

I believe we’re extremely early. It’s hard to say which projects will be the leading platforms on Cardano. They’re all very unique in their own way. Time will tell which ideas will best resonate with retail and institutional investors. I’m looking forward to projects who are using Cardano’s liquid staking to its full potential. The double, triple yield events are very interesting!

In the coming years, I look forward to more recognition for the Cardano ecosystem. There has been this narrative that’s been spread around Cardano being a ghost chain. From my research, I’m seeing the opposite. The community is as strong as ever, and we’re starting to see the key pillars start to build out on Cardano. 

It’s going to be interesting to see which projects will be the go to projects in their respective sector. (DeFi, DEX, wallets, NFTs, etc…) In the coming months, there will be a high level of speculation in the Cardano ecosystem on these projects. I love to speculate on the potential of projects, this is something I’m looking forward to very much.

How is this bear market affecting your YouTube channel? Have you noticed less views and interaction?

I can’t speak for others, but my YouTube analytics have taken a hit. I mean it makes sense, there’s less interest in crypto as a whole because we are in a bear market. It can be hard to make content during a bear market, what I’m doing is focusing on content that is fun for me to film. 

I think it’s important to create content that will benefit the community, there is a huge knowledge gap in crypto, I’m doing my best to bridge that gap into digestible content. 

Great contribution. Any closing comments? Where can people find you?

I think it’s important to truly understand what you are investing in. I try my best to break down that knowledge gap in my videos, but don’t take mine or any YouTubers at face value. There are many things moving in the background of a video, and it’s hard to determine which videos are genuine. 

Remember to Do Your Own Research (DYOR), use videos about crypto as a way to bring projects to your attention, then do your due diligence on it.

Don’t invest more than you’re comfortable losing, create a DCA strategy that you can handle. Consistency is what will make you successful. 

Here’s my Twitter and my YouTube channel. 

Disclaimer: The opinions and views of the SPOs are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Cardano Foundation or IOG.