Nickel & Diming

Along with becoming a youtuber this week, I'm making my first "investor" official. We both view his contribution as philanthropy, but it's neither truly an investment nor a tax-deductible donation. He's simply paying my LLC revenue.

We didn't feel a subscription to this blog was the right format, so I'll start a monthly "investor update" for financial backers and maybe include subscribers beyond a certain tier. From the start, I've imagined Andy Group would consist of a bunch of aligned folks, and it's wonderful things are finally coming together.

When I sent the payment link through Stripe, I had the option to bill at the price we agreed upon, or I could have front-loaded the fees so I'd net the full amount. After lots of calculations and needless pondering, I finally found the abundance within me to let those neuroses go. I exhaled.

The fees are meaningless. What matters is the connection and our relationship. I have the opportunity every day to grow my share of his wallet through proven value. It's not about nickel-and-diming on minor transaction costs.

I'm also not opposed to supporting Stripe, in large part because they published Stubborn Attachments which influenced me greatly. Also, their climate work seems legit. I suspect the Collisons are morally aligned with me.

By the way, stablecoins are quietly cutting card fees in half—very exciting.

Technology is deflationary. Let's teach each other (then our culture, then the government) to think more carefully about penny-pinching by focusing at the right level of abstraction on the big picture.