The path into Web3 is rarely straight, often messy, and for many in the Shib Army, it started with a spark of curiosity and a dive into the unknown – a journey “Mudd” knows firsthand, one that has now led him from corporate life to the front lines of building on Shibarium.
Editor’s Note:
The Shiba Inu ecosystem has always been defined by the passion, resilience, and individual journeys of its community members. In this edition of The Shib, as we explore the theme of “Optimizing the Future,” we believe it’s vital to hear directly from those who have not only witnessed the evolution but have actively shaped their own paths within it.
We’re pleased to share this personal account from “Mudd,” a long-standing member of the Shib Army. His story, which begins with an early dive into SHIB fueled by the “Doge Killer” buzz and a desire for something beyond traditional financial systems, offers a candid and insightful look into the realities of navigating the exhilarating, sometimes chaotic, world of Web3. From celebrating early community milestones to making strategic decisions during market volatility, and ultimately to becoming a builder himself, Mudd’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of this space.
While the experiences and views expressed are entirely Mudd’s own, his narrative provides a valuable ground-level perspective on how individual belief and active participation contribute to the broader, ongoing optimization of our shared digital frontier. We hope his story resonates and perhaps even inspires.
My name is Mudd. That’s not the name I started with when I began my Shib journey, but the need for privacy turned me into Mudd. This is a little bit about my time in the Shib ecosystem; a journey full of memories, lessons, and an unwavering belief in a future in blockchain that I am incredibly bullish about.
Shib was actually my very first decentralized cryptocurrency purchase on Jan 29, 2021. Looking back, it feels a lot like winning the lottery.
After the GameStop debacle and seeing how centralized forces could manipulate and control markets and personal finances, I found myself asking: “What else is out there?” I stumbled onto Shib through Reddit, where people were calling it the “new Doge.” So I dove in.
A lot has happened since then.
I met an incredible collection of people, including Shytoshi, others who were just holders, some were marketers, some were builders, some became bad actors and others are still here and remain close friends to this day. Others I don’t miss as much, like the guy telling us Ryoshi was a Lizard Person…I think he meant it.
It was truly a unique experience being in a project for the first time and celebrating the milestones. Like how we celebrated together when we hit 2,000 Shib holders, then celebrating again when the OG Shib Discord reached 2,000 community members.
Those moments felt electric and like being a Shib Army made you part of something bigger.
I’ll never forget the day Shib was listed on Binance without any formal application from Ryoshi, Shytoshi, or the community. There was no business entity, no official address, no CEO for Shib, only us, the Shib Army.
That was the first time I truly grasped the power of a decentralized, community-driven momentum and just how little we’re taught in school about the nature of exponential wealth and how it can be leveraged.
Holding through the Binance pump and pushing back against the FUD when Vitalik Buterin donated his half of the Shib supply to India for COVID relief was a new experience too. Some saw it as a betrayal, arguing it tanked the All Time High and then went on to suppress the price.
But I saw it differently. That moment wasn’t just about charity to me, it was about legitimacy. It showed the world that Shib wasn’t just a meme coin. It had real utility and real world value.
Sure, I was ridiculed, called an idiot, or naive. Plenty said I should have sold at the top of the Binance pump.
Many said that Shib was over. But I didn’t believe that and even made enemies by telling some to their virtual faces that I thought they were wrong.
I had read the original Woof Paper and I’d spent time in the community learning about ShibaSwap and Layer 2s and knew higher highs were ahead.
I had already accumulated a nice whale bag of $LEASH early on, and when ShibaSwap launched, my wife and I coordinated shifts during the liquidity event. One of us would wake up every hour to claim and re-stake, maximizing our Bone returns through the night.
We staked, we compounded and we built our position in the ecosystem together. Then the next all-time high arrived.
The price began to climb and those same people who once mocked me were suddenly silent, I even received messages about how actual fudders were stabbing their pillows with knives in frustration. They had sold too early.
A lot of people sold too early.
I’m not trying to claim “I did it right” or “they did it wrong”, but you have to find a DCA strategy that works for you, and if you were wrong, and sold early, you can always buy back in. It’s a hard pill to swallow, sure; but it’s one I think many people would benefit from. Because even after the 2021 ATH, I didn’t stop holding, because I again feel there are higher highs ahead.
Shib changed the trajectory of my life. I went from corporate sales management in a fortune 200, to full-time day trading, web3 researching and diving deeper into the world of blockchain tech and web3 start up companies.
It gave me the opportunity to explore the capabilities and current limitations of Web3, learn blockchain technology, and immerse myself in a space filled with innovation and untapped potential.
When Shibarium went live, I couldn’t wait to figure out how to interact with it, before it was even officially announced, and worked with a group to launch what may have been the first Shibarium gas reflection token. There was a lot to learn, a lot to figure out, test, and mistakes to learn from. And Shibarium has grown and improved hand over fist since that time, as has my knowledge and role in this ecosystem, in my own small ways.
What started as a meme has become a true movement, not only for the Shib Army, but for me personally as well. The Shiba ecosystem has grown from a token into an entire decentralized movement with Shibarium, projects like ShibaSwap, Bone, Leash, Treat, the L3 Roll Up, and more on the horizon. The chart and price are always a top subject, sure, but it’s also, literally, about the tech and future possibilities.
These days I work full time advising new Tech startups trying to build Web3 technology, help them understand decentralized finance and liquidity pools, and am one of the proud leads of a Shibarium project that is small, but building and growing every day in our own meaningful and niche way that brings joy to us and those who join our community.
I don’t know what the future holds, but I know I’ve been nothing but blessed by this ride, from the very start till now, and just as I believed before, I believe there are higher highs ahead again.
TG: @My_name_is_mudd
X: @NameMudd
website: www.dnd721.com
