Stop Trying to Make Money.

Title: Stop Trying to Make Money.

Subject Line: Why chasing money never works out.

There’s one commonality between every Arcadia client.

Since we strictly work with the crème de la crème of Web3 companies, our clients are usually quite successful — financially, at least.

But what you don’t see is how casually they throw around massive figures like it’s nothing.

When I first started Arcadia, the idea of a $100M fundraising round sounded insane.

It felt like the end goal. A massive milestone. The ultimate catalyst.

But in reality, money is just a means to an end. It’s fuel. It’s gasoline you pour on the fire to accelerate the mission.

When I first launched my company, the goal was simple: Provide.

I wasn’t trying to make money, per se. I was trying to make ends meet.

Trying to leave college.
Trying to take my girlfriend to dinner.
Trying to live a better life.

Was money the answer? Yes.
But it wasn’t the reason. It was the result.

Fast forward 5–7 years.

Now I manage a massive team. The salaries we pay literally fund birthday parties for our team’s kids.

Money means something different now.

And that’s the trap — one that plagues companies doing $1–10M in revenue or with 10–50 employees.

Money becomes the object. The goal. The status quo.

You start obsessively counting each month’s revenue. Comparing it to the last.
But something sinister is happening underneath.

You’re harvesting the fruit of work you put in 8–9 months ago — when you were in flow state. In the trenches. Creating. Building. Shipping. Doing the real work that mattered.

The work that came from a different why.

For some, it was survival.
For others, it was proving a point.
Or maybe just winning the damn race.

You subconsciously focused on what actually mattered.

Product.
Client experience.
Emotion.
Branding.
Reputation.
How people talked about you.
How they felt interacting with your brand.

And most importantly: the details.

God is in the details.

Website. Branding. Each line of copy.
Each dataset.
Each button.
Onboarding emails.
Social media posts.
Graphics.
Outreach.
Team calls.
Attorneys.
Taxes.

You’re in everything.

And that’s what makes the greats great.

1. Relentless urgency.

2. Obsession with the details.

Elon slept on the factory floor to check spark plug alignment.

Napoleon obsessed over cannon placement in the lowest ranks of his army.

Steve Jobs reviewed every ad — even a random billboard in Missouri.

The easiest way to summon this level of focus?

Work toward a goal that demands it.

A goal that’s big.
Transformative.
Something you care about so much, you'd do it for free.

That’s why chasing money never works.
Because complacency sets in.

When you’re fighting to survive, and the revenue counter dips — does that mean you’re failing?

Probably not.

The first drop in revenue, portfolio value, or metrics?
It’s just a part of the game.

I tell my team this all the time (and don’t get me wrong — we’re extremely capitalist):

Necessity is the mother of invention.
And urgency mixed with survival? That breeds something unconquerable.

When you completely disassociate your goals from making money, you become unbeatable.

You become an artist.

Picasso. Da Vinci. Mozart.
All broke — because they didn’t chase the money.
They chased the craft.

TL;DR
Money is a byproduct of value.
Value comes from solving real problems.

Net Worth =
(Scale of Problem) x (Reward for Solving It) x (Time Spent Solving)

So next time you’re building, ask yourself:

Are you keeping score by the money you make — or the value you provide?

If it’s the former, the latter will come back to whip you in the ass.

And remind you why it’s the only thing that matters.