Setting the Stage

Disappointment.

That’s the only way to describe how I felt yesterday. I’m not even going to lie or sugarcoat it.

We launched The Topi—something I truly believed would be the breakout NFT collection on Base. In my head, I saw it all so clearly: 8,888 Topis minted in a day. X going crazy. Our community buzzing. A sell-out headline to put us on the map as the #1 NFT project on Base.

Reality hit different.

We barely cracked 550 mints on launch day.

What Went Down

We worked relentlessly up to launch—secured guaranteed whitelist spots for nearly 1,700 qualified community members. But only about 30 people minted.
We locked in community partnerships with over 30 projects, giving 30,000+ holders first-come-first-serve access. But only 100 of them showed up to mint.
That was the toughest pill to swallow. I thought the partner communities would rally, show love, and help push us across the line. But maybe I was naive to think everyone would want to see another project win.
Some did show up, and I’ll never forget that.
Massive respect to Captain from Saved Souls and Russ from Metacade — you guys are the real ones.
On top of it all, we had last-minute technical difficulties on launch day. Nothing catastrophic, but frustrating nonetheless. I stayed calm, accepted the chaos. That’s what building demands.

Lessons of the Week

Disappointment is part of the journey.

I had built up this dream scenario where the launch would fund the team, pay the artist, and fuel the next phase of growth. Instead? No one got paid. And I feel for our artist — he deserved more after putting in that much work. Now we slow things down, recalibrate, and move forward.

I’ve been second-guessing everything.
Should we have minted at a lower price?
Should we have launched with a smaller supply?
Should I have done more to rally support?

That mindset doesn’t help. Playing armchair quarterback after the fact is easy. What’s harder—but more valuable—is being grateful for the process and the people who did show up.

Cool Things I Saw + Learned

Even in tough times, the community we do have is full of real, quality holders. That means everything to me.
Scarcity drives value — we might reduce the supply in the coming days to reflect reality and reward early supporters.
You can’t rely on others to promote your vision. Build your own wave—and let the believers ride it with you.
Minting directly on Farcaster using a mini app is seriously underrated. It's clean, smooth, and creates a native onchain experience. I fully expect that to become the standard for future NFT launches.

Builder’s Note

Disappointment will test you—but it doesn’t define you.

As entrepreneurs, we have to learn how to carry the Ls and still show up. Yesterday was tough. But today? I’m more optimistic than ever.

The real ones are still here.
The vision still stands.
And I still believe The Topi is exactly what Base needs.

We keep building.

See You All Next Week.
Bill the Bull 🐂