… How to research like a PRO

… and train your brain to find 10X gems

Jul 16, 2023

Hi everyone! Welcome to issue 2 of the DeFiPrincess’ Letters. Every Sunday, I’ll be sending out a quick, value-packed newsletter like this one containing:

DeFiPrincess’ Letters
DeFi News
1 Research Method
1 Web3 Job Tip
My Favorite content of the week

DeFiPrincess’ Letters 16/7:

It’s so good to chat with you again! I’ve been sitting on my hands and waiting for you all week!

Now, like in my previous letter , I did another ~~manipulation~~ psychology exercise.

I want to know exactly what you struggle with in DeFi, your hiccups and setbacks.

So, if you still find DeFi research confusing, this letter is dedicated to you.

Let me tell you a story.

I used to have one big problem when I began my DeFi journey.

I didn’t know anybody that had it, so I couldn’t even ask for help— I wasn’t on Twitter at the time, and I had a few crypto friends.

I couldn’t train my mind to research well enough to spot 10X gems.

Everybody kept telling me to use on chain tools, but they just seemed complex to me.

Until one day, I spotted my 10X gem.

I sat down in front of my old laptop, and opened defillama with this mantra in my life.

“Get in, get results and get out”.

And with that mindset, my life changed.

You don’t need to make use of all the options in one tool, just make sure that 1 option you choose, you can milk the maximum result from it.

And with defillama, it was this simple strategy.

🛠️AIM, METHOD and TOOL

AIM: To find projects early before they 10X

METHOD: Analyze all chains and filter the protocols had with a minimum of 10% increase in TVL.

Since TVL always increases before price action increases, it was the best method.

TOOL: DeFillama.

I’d always ask, what tool would best suit my method?

Since DeFillama tracks the Total Value Locked (TVL) in DeFi protocols. I knew

You don’t want to suddenly understand ALL the strategies and methodologies, just the ones that matter.

That’s ALL you need to know for DeFillama research. In my future letters, I’ll talk about how to use other on-chain tools to maximize your research game.

One tool shouldn’t give you ALL the alpha but it should give you the maximum alpha you can get from it.

DeFi News:

1 Research Method:

Using the Aim, Method & Tool methodology with DeFillama.

Go to defillama.
Click on DeFi » Chains.
Click on the 1 month & 7 day toggle.
Take note of protocols that have tokens.

Here’s the video guide:

1 Web3 Job Tip:

Look at this job post— DeFi Analyst and Educator

It fits my ideal goal of a student of DeFi (we’ll also talk about this in my future letters).

Let’s look at the requirements.

What they actually want you to have:

They need proof that you can explain DeFi concepts from beginners to advanced. This can be in the form of a DeFi oriented Twitter account or a DeFi blog.
No skill needed. Talk to a lot of DeFi enthusiasts.
You need ACTUAL DeFi knowledge. Not just basic knowledge about how to swap, farm and stake and how to apply for jobs.
You need to show you can explain and you have explained complex terms on your blog or tweets— preferred both. (This should give you a leg ahead of other applicants)
Proof of work. When you make a research, document the process in an excel spreadsheet every week.

Now all this might seem complex if you don’t know where to start.

So here’s my 4-STEP head start for you:

Create a Twitter account, if you haven’t.
Don’t just talk about topics in DeFi, come from angles people actually have problems with.
Now, how can you find these problems?
The best way to find problems is to talk to people who have these problems. Forget about the fact that you don’t know anything about DeFi.
Find people and ask them questions.
Use the language people you’ve spoken with, use.
When you speak like someone who has a problem, you relate with other people who have that same problem, gaining engagement and feedback.

So start this and update me on how it turns out. I’ll be waiting for your reply.

DeFiPrincess’ Letters