One thing that I've learned from being in this industry is that the only thing that stays the same is the fact that everything is constantly changing. I have never checked my Twitter feed more than in the past couple of months just trying to keep up with the news. In fact, I didn't even have a Twitter account before I began working in this industry. From the bear market impact on Bitcoin price to the highly anticipated ETH merge to companies filing for bankruptcy and everything in-between. I still find myself occasionally questioning, "What in the world were those kids doing in the Bahamas??" 2022 was anything but boring. I recently asked Carter, the OG of BBT, what his thoughts on the past year were. His initial reaction, "What a hell of a year ...".
2022 was a pivotal year for the growth of BBT. Carter made the decision to transition the company from a sole proprietorship to an LLC and expand his home-based operations by acquiring a building with office, studio, and warehouse space providing a dedicated location where new business activities could thrive. When reflecting back on the events of the past 12 months, Carter stated, "Our team grew and while many lessons were learned, including expensive ones, I couldn't be happier where we are right now." He also noted that, though he feels fortunate about the growth of BBT and the opportunities presented over the last year, he knows that 2022 has been a rough year for many in the industry. Specifically citing the collapses of entities including Terra/Luna, 3AC, Voyager, Celsius, Genesis, Blockfi, and most recently FTX.
When discussing his favorite memories from the past year, the one that landed at the top of the list was getting the green light to break ground on the 5MW site in southern Illinois. Carter recalled, "There was a lot of pre-planning and work related to getting everything done and when we got that go-ahead it was one of the most exciting days." I think I can speak for everyone on our team when I agree that day and getting that news was invigorating. There were smiles, some happy tears (definitely from one of the guys, not me), maybe an alcoholic beverage or two. It was a confirmation that the hard work everyone was putting in was paying off.
While I am still new to the crypto space and actively doing my best to understand its inner workings, I wanted to get Carter's take on what he felt was the most impactful event of 2022. If you would have guessed the ETH merge like me, you would have been wrong. I maintain that was a very solid guess for me given how often and passionately he talked about the merge as we all counted down the days to what was being likened by many as this industry's Armageddon. Instead, Carter points to the fall of FTX as having the largest impact on the space. Carter explains, "While the FTX saga is still unraveling, the impact to the retail US market has been pretty big - not to mention the future state of the legislation in the US related to cryptocurrency."
What's next for BBT in 2023? Carter is looking to focus on BBT's foundation and put significant time and energy into revamping content creation. He recognized that it has been awhile since we were producing consistent YouTube videos and other social media content, but that a high priority goal for the new year will be "to get a more regularly scheduled release" of video content. Carter adds, "a fresh new website with an online shop for merchandise and services" will also be coming. On behalf of Carter and the rest of the BBT Team, I want to thank everyone for following along and supporting us over the years. See you in 2023!
- Samantha
1 comment
What a hell of a year indeed. It’s been difficult, but through it all you just keep positive attitudes and continue building – that’s inspiring and uplifting. Can’t wait to see the milestones of 2023 and beyond!