Justin Caswell has had a riveting journey, one of transformation and moral motivation. He began his career in oil and gas. He then founded his own company to further the decentralization of the internet. Through it all, he’s worked tirelessly in a new and often daunting direction, all in the name of expanding the common good.
In 2018 Caswell founded RevoFi, which he describes as “at the intersection of software, cloud-native microservices, networking, and blockchain,” have taken the ingenious route of merging public benefit with personalized incentives for those who help to build this unique new platform. Take a look at his advice to get on the same track and find a way to leverage a decentralized internet to make a living!
Take the Leap
Are you worried about leaving your 9-5 job to jump into an industry or start working on an idea that’s still pretty new? Everyone starts somewhere, and the trick is to go ahead and dive in instead of overthinking it. Of course, this isn’t always easy—sometimes it takes an event, a conversation, or a little push of some sort to get there. Caswell’s advice is not to rush it but to be cognizant of and grab the opportunity when it does arise.
Here’s where he took the advice he’s giving you. As he explains from his own experience, he knew that he wanted to leave the fossil fuel industry for a long time. But as he was gainfully and stably employed there, he had difficulty parting ways for good. Though big dreams were germinating in his mind, nothing really happened until he was invited to the Aspen Institute. He used a chance meeting to solidify his path forward, so he could finally take the leap and put all his resources into realizing his dream. A year and a half later, RevoFi was up and running. It wasn’t an easy road, but it was the right one for Caswell, and only a few years out, he’s standing at the cusp of something potentially groundbreaking. Don’t hesitate to take a chance on yourself.
Don’t be Afraid to Upset the Status Quo
Do you recognize your own power in the business world? Don’t sell yourself short—often, the people who get ahead are simply those who believe in themselves and in their vision.
Think outside the box, and find solutions to things that people aren’t looking for, even if it means upsetting most of them! For example, what would you think if someone told you that the Internet as we know it is highly centralized? This means an individual must first obtain the necessary hardware, then pay an I.S.P. (Internet Service Provider) monthly to begin accessing the web. It sounds like there should be a better way, right? Still, how we think about internet access is so deeply ingrained that we hardly ever notice it. We accept that access to the web must be purchased from a service provider and maintained with monthly payments.
But Caswell’s mind worked differently, and now, RevoFi produces routers that can provide internet service to an entire office building through a single device. And, by utilizing a RevoFi hotspot device and opening it up to public use, you can contribute to widening internet access—on terms not defined by cable providers. As a result, you can also start to earn cryptocurrency at the same time.
RevoFi has carved out a potentially limitless space for the mutually beneficial democratization of internet access through the simple marriage of personalized incentive and public benefit. There is certainly a lesson here for current and aspiring business owners: find a way to make your product benefits both individual contributors and the public generally. And incentivizing people to contribute to the means of your service is a great way to grow and spread it while taking some of the weight off of centralized expenditures and benefiting everyone involved.
It’s a revolutionary yet simple concept and one that has the potential to change the way we think of such a massive industry as internet service provision. All you have to do is think like Caswell and find a bold, status-quo disrupting idea of your own! Consider what he has achieved as proof that bold, outside-the-box thinking really pays off—not just because it’s well-intentioned, but because it really works.
Leverage Whatever You do to Get Paid
Does that sound confusing? What we mean here is that you can get paid for things you never thought were possible—like using the internet! The thought that you could be making money while simultaneously helping to expand internet access sounds almost too good to be true. And that you would be earning cryptocurrency while you do it? Fascinating!
But the truth is, it’s just a well-thought-out program, backed up by simple, solid tech. There’s nothing magical about how RevoFi works—it’s just taking advantage of the fact that internet use can generate revenue and letting that revenue go into your pockets instead of big cable providers. Since the RevoFi user is hosting a gateway to the web, the user can reap those rewards.
If this all seems somehow bizarre or unlikely, consider this: where currently, cable providers possess and host the means of internet access, then charge each person an entry fee, keeping the revenue for themselves, the RevoFi model instead encourages individuals to make the small investment to obtain the necessary equipment, and then to start offering internet access to others, free of charge, and reap the rewards obtained thereby. You have to find your own RevoFi.
The Democratization of Industry—The Way of the Future?
Do you know what sets Caswell apart from a lot of other entrepreneurs? He went for it without worrying about the possibility of failing. That’s a powerful tool in itself, learning that all failure can lead to more innovation.
Leading with, as Caswell did, a powerful idea to really bring people something that no one else is doing at the moment. It was, behind all of this, that of making things more affordable and accessible to the public while at the same time challenging established market dominance.
Consider how you can follow in his footsteps and find an innovative industry to jump into–whether it’s getting paid to use the internet or something entirely unique to your skillset. The idea that everyone involved could stand to benefit simply from rearranging the parts of an industry or service while at the same time improving and making it more affordable, well—what’s not to like? Things are changing all around us, and if you can zero in on an area or industry that seems ripe for a new approach, what’s stopping you from helping shape the future?
About Justin Caswell
Justin Caswell is the founder and CEO of RevoFi and an advocate for a decentralized wireless infrastructure platform owned and powered by the people. RevoFi’s Hotspot Devices ensure that anyone can begin building their own network by providing network coverage and sharing resources. Learn more at https://revofi.com/
