Meet the Team: Nick Donahue
By: Brit Morgan
Tags: Meet The Team, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Social Media, Bitcoin

In the crypto ecosystem, community managers play an important role in publicizing information about blockchain projects as well as maintaining the reputations of the products they manage. Investors in blockchain companies are distributed across the web and can come from a myriad of geographically diverse locations. Social media platforms like Telegram have become meeting places for investors and other participants within the blockchain space. However organizing in-person meetups and coordinating speaking engagements are equally significant parts of the community manager role. One can attribute the community manager as having both a marketing and publicist role within a blockchain organization.

Ideally a community manager has held the role since the inception of the project. This way they’re in charge of maintaining the “DNA” of the blockchain company’s brand; managing the community as well as keeping them up to date with the status of the project. In this Meet the Team we talk to Nick Donahue, community manager from Hilo.io, where we get an insight into his experiences.

Who are you, what is your role on the Hilo team?

As Hilo’s Community Manager I find ways to grow our community, while also keeping current members engaged. I believe the educational content we publish will help to solidify Hilo’s identity as educators within the industry. From learning to socializing, we want people to feel like they can easily get into crypto. We also want to build trust with our community, so they feel safe referring their friends to our platform. I feel like my personality is conducive to initiating engagement.

What were you working on prior to Hilo?

Before Hilo, I was working at Dell as a Process Engineering Coop, working on my own startup called NextUp Music, and running a crypto trading group. At Dell I learned how to look at a system or process that already exists and find ways to make it cheaper, faster, or safer. When a system has been in place for many years, it can be hard for those who helped build it to take a step back and objectively critique their own work. Starting your first business ends up being much more work than you initially imagined. It’s difficult to accept the reality that many things won’t go as planned and you really have to be agile to react. I saw the value in working for big businesses, but loved the rush of a startup. The idea of creating a new system rather than improving old ones seemed much more enticing to me. Ultimately, I ended up leaving school and moved to San Francisco with the belief that the fastest way to learn how to create a successful business is by throwing yourself into it and learn in real time. I came across the amazing team and mission behind Hilo.io, where I instantly could see the value Hilo was bringing to crypto.

Why did you personally decide to work on Hilo?

There are a few different things that went into deciding whether or not I was going to join. First was the idea, did I think the idea was good? This was an easy yes, as I had experience in both joining and guiding people into the crypto community.

The second major draw for me was the team. I asked myself, were the current members (only 3 at the time) awesome? I was initially captivated by their enthusiasm for the mission, but I could also see how well they worked together.

Lastly, did I think I had something to contribute? I had spent a few days designing a concept for a mobile version of Hilo to help myself fully understand the product. After fully understanding what the team was trying to build, it was much easier to envision where I could help. Thus I felt an urge to join the project.

What is the biggest problem that Hilo aims to solve?

Hilo.io solves arguably the biggest problem in crypto - the difficulty of getting into crypto. When I returned home for a visit, I surveyed students at my school and found that nearly half the people who weren’t in crypto hadn’t tried because they didn’t know where to start. The fact that you have to go to 10+ different sites just to get started is a huge deterrent for newcomers. We’re providing people with a one-stop platform for all things crypto. There has yet to be a social platform that provides domain-specific value as Twitter & Reddit, price-tracking value as CoinMarketCap, and the portfolio-tracking value of Blockfolio.

What personal experiences help you in the process of building Hilo?

From a young age I enjoyed creating things. One of my earliest endeavors was building Minecraft maps for Youtubers with one totaling over 60,000 downloads. The most satisfying feeling for me is putting in a significant amount of time and effort into creating something and then stepping back and seeing how people perceive what I’ve built. It’s incredible that you can make something people value enough to spend their time consuming. That’s when you know you’ve created something amazing.

What mistakes do you see a lot of crypto founders currently making?

I think one of the biggest mistakes is doing a token sale prior to having a product. One of the most valuable things you can find in a team is the willingness to give up everything for an idea. When you raise millions prior to building the product it rids the team of any sense of urgency or worry about moving quickly. For the last 6 months we’ve been grinding to complete this compelling product on-time.

What other companies in the blockchain space do you think highly of?

The two I look to the most are Ethereum and TRON. First is Ethereum, and Vitalik Buterin has done an incredible job at guiding the community in the right direction. The Ethereum core team has really nurtured the different projects built on their platform. The second is TRON and Justin, TRON has and still is the fastest growing community in all of crypto. Justin has done an incredible job with growth.

Who or what influences or inspires you outside of crypto?

There are many people who inspire me. I don’t like looking up to one person because that implies that I believe they are the closest to perfect. I am inspired by different attributes that I see in different people. I look up to my mother for her understanding and sacrifice. I look to my dad to understand how to be kind. I look at Steve Jobs to understand intuition. I look towards Nikola Tesla to understand the love that comes from creating. Many people, whether dead or alive, guide me to be the best person I can be and create a life worth living.

Is there any trait or skill that you’ve developed or improved working on this project?

There are many traits I’ve improved while working on Hilo. Every person on this team has taught me something new, from the importance of team work to the willingness to change. The biggest thing I’ve developed is the belief in myself. It’s hard to leave the safety of school especially when everyone’s telling you not to. I feel I’ve been blessed with an opportunity to work with such an amazing team.

Why is “now” an ideal time for Hilo?

The crypto community has the attention of the world, but no easy entry point for newcomers. The word is spreading and now these people need somewhere to go. Hilo.io will be your connection to crypto.

To learn more about Hilo.io, or crypto in general, please check out the resources below: