The last few months were tough. Between navigating a quiet summer period, facing friction after introducing Bitcoin payments, and getting buried under client delivery, I lost focus on what actually moves the needle: active sales, nurturing relationships, and consistently showing up.

I got so caught up in the day-to-day consulting and academy work that I stopped scheduling regular coffee catch-ups, skipped networking events, and neglected proactive check-ins. When you get too consumed by execution, it's easy to stop growing the business.

Now that the summer holiday season is officially over, the focus is 100% recalibrated: Engage. Sell. Deliver.

Today’s momentum:
🏋️‍♂️ Early morning gym session done
🏢 Back at the desk hitting sales calls & booking appointments
🤝 Client lunch meeting at 12:00
📊 Tracking every touchpoint in a custom CRM I built from scratch

New week, renewed focus, full energy. Let's get to work! 🔄⚡️

Super excited to officially soft-launch the brand new Simon Academy learning platform!

We built this specifically for the community—featuring native npub login, Lightning payments, and a massive curriculum expansion beyond just compliance.

Whether you're building on Bitcoin/Nostr, mastering alternative payment methods, or hardening cybersecurity, it’s all inside one clean dashboard.

Check it out and let me know your thoughts! 🎓

👉 https://simon.academy/index.html

Thinking back to my recent time in Aruba watching people use local bank apps like Sentoo and Pay.aw.

Everyday consumers don't care about regulatory terminology or backend settlement mechanics—they just want to scan a QR code, hit approve, and move on with their day.

If we want sovereign rails like Lightning and ecash to win global adoption, we don't need to change human behavior. We just need to make the sovereign option 10x smoother, cheaper, and faster for the merchant than their bank app.

(This is actually why I’m currently developing a new short-course series for @Simon Academy focused on alternative payment methods, comparing legacy QR systems vs. sovereign open rails!)

Back home in the Netherlands since Friday! 🇳🇱

It was an emotional week in Aruba saying goodbye to my uncle, but being back on my island re-grounding with family was so deeply needed. 💙

One last observation on the payment front: alongside Sentoo, I also saw Pay.aw out there—another QR payment option. Sentoo itself is actually pretty slick since it's an instant bank transfer, but merchants still pay processing fees.

The biggest hurdle on the island right now isn't consumer adoption—it's government perception. Local regulators and authorities still treat Bitcoin and crypto as high-risk, making adoption an uphill climb.

Lightning (and ecash) remains light-years ahead: open, instant, global, and drastically cheaper for merchants. The local appetite for digital payments is already there—now it's just a matter of shifting mindsets and replacing the legacy banking rails! ⚡️🇦🇼

cc: @BitcoinAruba #Aruba #Bitcoin #LightningNetwork #Payments #CircularEconomy

Arrived in Aruba yesterday after my uncle passed away. Good to be back 'home' with family. 💙

Hit the barber today and ran into an old colleague from my Aruban police force days! When it came time to pay, it was cash or a local payment method called Sentoo.

From a user perspective, Sentoo was flawless—scan a QR code, hit a payment link, open the local bank app, and approve. Seamless. But looking at it through a technical and merchant cost lens, Lightning and @Cashu still blow it out of the water. ⚡️🥜

Numo Pay would have been an absolute game-changer for this merchant—instant, zero-fee tap-to-pay offline via ecash, backing up directly to @BTCPay Server. The island is already comfortable with QR-based instant payments... now we just need to help local shops swap out the legacy banking middleman for sovereign rails! 🇦🇼

cc: @Bitcoin Aruba #Aruba #Bitcoin #LightningNetwork #Cashu #BTCPayServer #Payments

Check out this insight from Simon Academy: "Building open learning systems with Nostr identity"

https://simon.academy/articles/building-open-learning-systems-nostr.html

Just got back from a fantastic holiday in beautiful Gran Canaria! Paid for everything using my @Bringin | The Complete ₿itcoin App debit card, which means indirectly every coffee, meal, and tap was powered by Bitcoin. ⚡️🍊

Back at it today: heading into Amsterdam for a 12 PM lunch meeting with a fellow Bitcoiner & @Club Orange member, while putting the final touches on the new @Simon Academy website and portal.

We’re getting ready to launch with 3 brand-new, short FREE microlearning courses:
1️⃣ Bitcoin for Business
2️⃣ Nostr for Business
3️⃣ Zapvertising

Really excited about expanding our scope beyond just compliance & risk into actionable business strategy—all laser-focused on accelerating the Bitcoin circular economy! Stay tuned. 🚀 #Bitcoin #CircularEconomy #Nostr #Amsterdam