Here are the biggest lessons I learned building one in mine.
The hidden obstacle that stalls adoption:
🌱
The hardest part of building a Bitcoin circular economy isn’t technical.
It’s social.
Wallets and Lightning are easy.
Making business owners feel safe? That’s the challenge.
🌱
Many business owners aren’t against Bitcoin. Many are curious. Many even like it personally.
But hesitation sets in when they think about going public and associating their business with it. They worry about how it will look - if they’ll face backlash, if people will label them unfairly.
This is the obstacle that quietly stalls adoption.
🌱
They worry:
• “What will my regulars think?”
• “Will people assume I’m political or extreme?”
• “Will there be backlash in the community?”
• “What if there are risks I don’t even know about yet?”
Even if they like Bitcoin personally, that mix of social pressure and uncertainty often keeps them hesitant.
🌱
The story you tell matters.
The narrative matters.
If Bitcoin is framed as “radical,” “political,” or “anti-system,” most merchants back away.
If it’s framed as local money that keeps value in the community and strengthens small business they lean in.
Adoption feels cooperative and positive, even patriotic.
🌱
In the Comox Valley I took action to overcome this hurdle by making adoption feel safe, friendly, and local.
Merchants aren’t “taking a risk,” they are joining the Comox Valley circular economy - a supportive network that celebrates local businesses.
• Branding is friendly and familiar, which softened Bitcoin’s image. Builds a familiar community brand people learn to trust, and are proud to be a part of.
• Merchants join as part of a circular economy - no one feels alone.
• I lead with community-first language (“keeping value local”) (“circular economy”) before saying Bitcoin.
• Merchants can start privately, then go public when confident.
• And when they do, celebrate them - so visibility feels like support, not exposure. And it shows others it is safe to join.
With friendly branding and positive language, Bitcoin doesn’t feel political or foreign, it starts feeling like community.
🌱
Celebrating new merchants isn’t just recognition - it’s visibility.
Most businesses aren’t waiting for better wallets. They’re waiting for proof it’s safe. Proof that others like them are already doing it.
When a familiar business accepts Bitcoin, two things click:
Normalization - Bitcoin stops feeling fringe and starts feeling ordinary.
Social proof - “If they can do it, so can I.”
This flips psychology fast. Even a town that feels against it can swing almost overnight - if just one or two respected businesses lead the way.
Visibility doesn’t just spread the word.
It turns hesitation into confidence.
That’s how circular economies begin.
Create a local group to proudly share and promote businesses accepting!
Give these businesses even more value for joining!
🌱
One thing I found crucial:
When talking with merchants and community members, I never frame Bitcoin as “against” anything.
Not against banks.
Not against inflation.
Not against the system.
I always speak in the positive:
• Local value staying local
• New customers walking in the door
• Community loyalty and pride
• Networking and community cooperation.
Bitcoin adoption grows fastest when it feels like an opportunity - not a confrontation.
🌱
The Takeaway.
If you ignore this obstacle, adoption stalls. If you plan for it, you can make merchants feel safe, supported, and even proud to go public in your community.
The way to do that is simple: step back and observe your community. Every town has its own barriers and dynamics - address those first. Don’t try to “get everyone to use Bitcoin.” Instead, focus on creating a circular economy that genuinely benefits the people around you. Pour value into that, and let Bitcoin be the tool that beautifully facilitates it.
🌱
These are the dynamics I observed in the Comox Valley.
Other towns will be different, but these principles are universal.
Bitcoin isn’t just software.
It’s social infrastructure.
🌱
Remember the real objective, center and align yourself and your approach with it often.
It isn’t just to get businesses to say yes to Bitcoin.
What is your goal? Get clear on that.
My goal: building communities and people that embody what Bitcoin teaches - patience, responsibility, truth, abundance, and voluntary cooperation. Giving people the tools to learn the deeper lessons Bitcoin teaches.
Each circular economy is a living node in the greater Bitcoin network.
I want to support you in your town!
Circular economies are where Bitcoin stops being theory and starts shaping the world with hard money.
-Joyce Dawn
