Learn how Paxful trader & Community Hero LouiseGio built her cryptocurrency trading side hustle through self-guided education & community
By day, LouiseGio is a Master’s degree student who loves hitting the gym and socializing with her friends. By night, she’s an artist with a love of NFTs, a gamer – and a self-taught cryptocurrency trader with a peer-to-peer side hustle on Paxful.
LouiseGio’s story is others on Paxful: her curiosity led her to learn about cryptocurrencies, she decided to get her hands on some through peer-to-peer trading, and found a great way to move and make money on the marketplace.
Where LouiseGio shines, however, is in her community spirit. Already a top community contributor on Paxful’s reddit, we invited Louise to join Paxful’s Discord community, where she truly earned her title of Community Hero for her tireless support and education of fellow peer-to-peer traders. Join us in meeting LouiseGio in this Meet the Traders:
How did you first encounter Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies?
I heard about Bitcoin years ago through word of mouth, but never really thought of getting involved, myself. Some part of me assumed it was “a little above my head,” I think like many people, but thankfully that wasn’t the end of it.
I was introduced by a friend to Paxful as a good way to both get exposure to cryptocurrencies in a safe and simple way, and also to make a little side income! As soon as I saw the results of my efforts of learning about digital assets and trading, I was hooked. I dedicated a lot of time to research various trading methods, but having now tried it all, peer-to-peer remains my favorite!
How has your perspective on digital assets changed since that time?
Digital assets have definitely become more interesting as people have gotten widely interested in them the last few years – it’s hard to not have heard of cryptocurrencies by now! That said, it can still be difficult to find the right information on what these currencies are, how they work, and how to transact them safely, leading to confusion.
I notice now, typically, that diversity across the industry is pretty weak, too, with many more men jumping into the technology and trading sides of the business than women. I don’t know if that pattern of adoption will change, which is all the more reason to take one’s education into your own hands, and get some experience!
What benefits draw you to peer-to-peer vs other types of crypto marketplaces?
I choose peer-to-peer trading because I love the human side of dealing directly with other traders! Early in my trading work, I learned a lot doing deals directly with other people I could trust, and now, use it as an opportunity to help others learn (and earn).
I also love being able to have full control over the terms of every deal I do, including the limits and specific execution instructions. It’s very appealing in a market that’s often volatile.
Tell us about your professional focus, what are you working on?
I have been trading for nearly 4 years now, and have learned so much! At the same time, I’m also running an eCommerce business. In the future, I plan to combine the two in a way that lets me trade much more often. It’s an exciting process and I’m still working through my plans.
How would you describe the Paxful community, as you’ve interacted with them? How do you think we can enrich their experience?
Personally, I love Paxful – and it’s no wonder to me they have strong reviews on Trustpilot, which I checked for getting started trading. Because cryptocurrency trading and peer-to-peer carries some inherent risks, I do notice the occasional trickster or scam attempt, but I’ve been around both finance and social media long enough to expect this from anywhere there are people.
Diving in further, the Paxful community has been just wonderful. I’ve met so many people over my years of trading here, and have built a good list of regular trading partners. For example, I’ve traded with one other Paxful trader over 1,000 times!
Over time, I became a bit of an advocate in Paxful’s Reddit community, and just recently joined the Discord community, too. I see lots of folks asking for advice or submitting P2P trading questions, and I’m thrilled to be seeing new people learning and growing on the platform, and avoiding the common mistakes many of us had to learn about the hard way. I hope to enrich their experience with education and by routing them to the right channels so that they can make the most out of the platform.
What values do you think are important for the Paxful community to cultivate between one another? Why?
Above all, I think it’s key to have honest discussions with one another about what we’re learning and doing within the community and marketplace. It helps us learn from others to replicate the best possible practices and trading outcomes – especially important when trading globally and navigating the risks of assets some may still be unfamiliar with.
These are the values that have helped me learn the most from fellow traders, improve as a businessperson, and build trust with both the users and team at Paxful.
How do you think Paxful users can get usefully involved in building a safe, active and fair marketplace?
Peer-to-peer is all about the traders. We rely on one another to successfully trade, yes, every transaction and connection is part of a larger ecosystem. It’s important we collectively keep each other safe, educated, and informed of all going on in crypto and peer-to-peer, and we do that by finding trustworthy, reliable people to build and trade with. Everyone I’ve engaged with has had great suggestions and I’ve already noticed exciting new things happening in both the product and the marketplace because of it.
How would you describe the role cryptocurrency plays in the country in which you live, and/or in the market you serve. How do you see that changing with time?
Cryptocurrency is a fairly well accepted part of life in my area of the world, but I don’t think Europe is as supportive of digital currencies as some other countries, nor as open minded as it was in the past. In fact, it appears my home country is pushing back some of the progress we’ve made in cryptocurrency adoption! Still, I’m optimistic that our opportunities for using digital assets will grow – if not from homegrown initiatives, then through global opportunities cryptocurrencies make available. In the meantime, we’re seeing the best progress in our country’s banks and private institutions – and I hope the public sector will follow!
What are the pain points in your local traditional financial system? How do Paxful and the use of cryptocurrency mitigate those?
On traditional rails, I don’t like the lack of privacy, limited access and risks of fraud I perceive in using centralized or legacy services. I think Paxful does a really great job addressing the key global issue of accessibility, and has built a platform that’s easy to navigate, with fast transactions.
I personally also enjoy anonymity, keeping my cryptocurrency trading and personal life private. The last thing I love is the cryptocurrencies themselves as a method of transaction, especially considering irreversible transactions help reduce the risk of chargebacks and other fraud related activities.
What advice do you have for other traders wanting to grow their own businesses?
I’d start by researching as much as you can, especially in the payment methods you choose to engage with. Learn the risks, learn to protect yourself, and prepare adequately for any worst case situations.
The other tips are classics: don’t trade with more than you’re willing to lose, especially at the beginning, to save yourself from accidents or anguish. Most importantly, join cryptocurrency communities that will educate and inspire you. There is so much to learn from others.
