0xJulio

I’ve been asked a couple of times how to position yourself during a bear market, and recently by a good friend who is a Solidity developer looking for work. I wanted to share here what I told him, because I think it applies to other people. In a bear market, there is usually a lot of consolidation. Bigger companies get bigger and gain more market share, while smaller companies tend to dry out. This happens because risk aversion increases, so users and capital naturally flow toward the most established teams. The same logic applies at the individual level from a career perspective. It becomes valuable to help drive that consolidation yourself. For example, instead of hiring separate frontend developers, backend developers, Solidity developers, and external security teams, many companies will prefer to hire a single get-shit-done person who can operate across multiple areas, often with the help of one or two extra AI agents. If you are a Solidity developer who is also security-focused, someone who understands fuzzing, formal verification, and can think beyond just writing contracts, you are well positioned to replace multiple internal and external functions that companies previously relied on, but can no longer justify during tighter budget cycles. So go learn more skills and be that one man army that everyone is looking for.

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Everyone in my niche charges $45–$50 per hour and has an insane portfolio. I knew I couldn’t compete head-on as a beginner, so I made a different move. I positioned myself like an expert, adjusted my pricing, and used strong CTAs to attract the right kind of clients. I landed a client who wanted to cut costs. I later found out their original budget was $400, and that was all they planned to spend. For that type of task and tool, people usually charge way more. But because I knew how to negotiate and communicate value, I secured the deal at a good starting price. We agreed on $400 and I clearly defined what that would cover. As the project went on, they realized it would take more time than expected, so I communicated that early. They agreed to pay for extra hours, and that one deal ended up bringing in over $3,000. It was a good deal for and for them if they had gone for the idolo's they would get billed like crazy. A lot of people on X will say one thing and do something else in reality. Don’t let them speak for you. Not everyone is closing $3K deals, and that’s fine. Now with AI in the mix, things are even more competitive. I still take $20–$50 jobs, but I’m clear about scope. "I tell clients exactly what that budget will cover if you want quality you get to pay higher, and if it works, we move forward." I made about $15K in my first year, mostly from small jobs. Those small jobs compounded. The same clients told me they are coming back with more projects because I was affordable and reliable within their budget. And I can also get referrals too. That’s how I built my portfolio and real experience all in my first year in the tech space. Everybody is shouting “you can’t charge 50K.” But sometimes, the real problem is not the amount, it’s the lack of negotiation skills. Most people in tech don’t even know how to negotiate properly. It’s not always about charging the highest price. It’s about knowing how to position yourself, communicate value, and negotiate your way into bigger opportunities. No, all of us go make $5000 and that's fine.