Everything Starts with Phantom: My First Step into Solana's World

The moment I was paid on-chain for freelance work was the moment I understood Solana's power, and Phantom made it effortless - Big Dexter My First Payment Wasn't in Fiat I've done freelance work in the past - long email threads, waiting for 21 business days (or more) for international wires, and ongoing PayPal disputes - the struggle was and is still real. One day, I came across Superteam Earn and I completed a UI/UX Design & Review bounty on Superteam and voila - I got paid instantly on-chain, in USDC and swapped it to SOL. All I needed? My Phantom Wallet That was the day I went beyond "learning" about crypto and actually started using it. Phantom was not just a wallet - it was the gateway that turned a gig into a global payment, a portal into a world of endless opportunities and possibilities. What is Phantom Wallet? Phantom is Solana's most popular self-custodial - a browser extension and mobile app that is your bank account and ticket for the decentralized world. With Phantom, you can: store SOL, USDC and many other tokens, send & receive crypto payments, connect to Solana dApps, stake tokens directly from your wallet, view your NFT collections, swap tokens instantly, and get notified of transaction in real-time. With a superb onboarding, it is fast, user-friendly and beautifully designed - making it ideal for first-time users and power users alike. Getting Paid with Phantom: The Superteam Story It was May 2024. One day while searching for ways to earn in crypto as a budding blockchain developer and I came across Superteam Earn where designers, developers and content creators can compete in bounties, complete projects, and get paid in global standards the real value of their work. Fast-forward to September 2024, I came across a UI/UX Design & Review bounty on Superteam Earn. After months of designing and crafting user experiences in Figma, I came in 1st place. Shortly afterwards, the payment was made into my Superteam Wallet and then I withdrew the funds into my Phantom wallet - and just like that, I was paid in USDC and then swapped it to SOL. No banks. No middlemen. No waiting. Within seconds, I got a Phantom notification informing of a successful transaction. Seeing the funds sitting in my wallet, I could stake it, send it, swap it or just hold it. All from my phone. The payment wasn't just a reward - it was enough proof that crypto would work for me. Security That Doesn't Get in the Way When dealing with and handling real money, you want to feel a strong sense of control. Phantom strikes that balance perfectly. Through out the entire set up and onboarding journey, it felt like I was being guided - not stressed or overwhelmed. I was given my seed phrase, let me back it up securely, and even showed me exactly what permissions each connected site was requesting. Having seen wallets that feel like a command center for hackers and bad actors, Phantom is an app that anyone could use without - compromising security. More Than a Wallet, it's an Ecosystem Launcher After that first payment, I started venturing more, exploring: tokens swap on Jupiter, buying & selling NFTs on Tensor, trying out DeFi protocols like Marinade, and participating in community DAOs & consortiums. And then each time, Phantom was the bridge - seamlessly connecting me to a plethora of dApps while keeping me safe and informed. The Real Value: Confidence Beyond just learning about or developing solutions for Web3, Phantom gave the extra confidence boost to go deeper and explore the Web3 space. It was not abstract, futuristic or far-fetched anymore. It was real. I got paid. I controlled the funds. I used them. And it all felt natural, seamless and empowering. For me - and thousands of other Superteam Earn users - Phantom is the reason we keep coming back to Solana. Final Thoughts Getting paid and rewarded on-chain for my creative design skills felt like a superpower. But then, having a wallet like Phantom made it feel... normal. Now, that's truly revolutionary. So, should you ask me, "What's the one product that made Solana click with you?" - I don't need to think twice. Phantom was not just where I started - it's why I stayed.

Apr 5, 2025 - 05:32

Everything Starts with Phantom: My First Step into Solana's World

The moment I was paid on-chain for freelance work was the moment I understood Solana's power, and Phantom made it effortless - Big Dexter

My First Payment Wasn't in Fiat

I've done freelance work in the past - long email threads, waiting for 21 business days (or more) for international wires, and ongoing PayPal disputes - the struggle was and is still real.

One day, I came across Superteam Earn and I completed a UI/UX Design & Review bounty on Superteam and voila - I got paid instantly on-chain, in USDC and swapped it to SOL.

All I needed? My Phantom Wallet

That was the day I went beyond "learning" about crypto and actually started using it. Phantom was not just a wallet - it was the gateway that turned a gig into a global payment, a portal into a world of endless opportunities and possibilities.

What is Phantom Wallet?

Phantom is Solana's most popular self-custodial - a browser extension and mobile app that is your bank account and ticket for the decentralized world.

With Phantom, you can:

store SOL, USDC and many other tokens,
send & receive crypto payments,
connect to Solana dApps,
stake tokens directly from your wallet,
view your NFT collections,
swap tokens instantly, and
get notified of transaction in real-time.

With a superb onboarding, it is fast, user-friendly and beautifully designed - making it ideal for first-time users and power users alike.

Getting Paid with Phantom: The Superteam Story

It was May 2024.

One day while searching for ways to earn in crypto as a budding blockchain developer and I came across Superteam Earn where designers, developers and content creators can compete in bounties, complete projects, and get paid in global standards the real value of their work.

Fast-forward to September 2024, I came across a UI/UX Design & Review bounty on Superteam Earn.

After months of designing and crafting user experiences in Figma, I came in 1st place. Shortly afterwards, the payment was made into my Superteam Wallet and then I withdrew the funds into my Phantom wallet - and just like that, I was paid in USDC and then swapped it to SOL.

No banks. No middlemen. No waiting.

Within seconds, I got a Phantom notification informing of a successful transaction. Seeing the funds sitting in my wallet, I could stake it, send it, swap it or just hold it.

All from my phone.

The payment wasn't just a reward - it was enough proof that crypto would work for me.

Security That Doesn't Get in the Way

When dealing with and handling real money, you want to feel a strong sense of control. Phantom strikes that balance perfectly.

Through out the entire set up and onboarding journey, it felt like I was being guided - not stressed or overwhelmed. I was given my seed phrase, let me back it up securely, and even showed me exactly what permissions each connected site was requesting.

Having seen wallets that feel like a command center for hackers and bad actors, Phantom is an app that anyone could use without - compromising security.

More Than a Wallet, it's an Ecosystem Launcher

After that first payment, I started venturing more, exploring:

tokens swap on Jupiter,
buying & selling NFTs on Tensor,
trying out DeFi protocols like Marinade, and
participating in community DAOs & consortiums.

And then each time, Phantom was the bridge - seamlessly connecting me to a plethora of dApps while keeping me safe and informed.

The Real Value: Confidence

Beyond just learning about or developing solutions for Web3, Phantom gave the extra confidence boost to go deeper and explore the Web3 space.

It was not abstract, futuristic or far-fetched anymore. It was real. I got paid. I controlled the funds. I used them. And it all felt natural, seamless and empowering.

For me - and thousands of other Superteam Earn users - Phantom is the reason we keep coming back to Solana.

Final Thoughts

Getting paid and rewarded on-chain for my creative design skills felt like a superpower. But then, having a wallet like Phantom made it feel... normal.

Now, that's truly revolutionary.

So, should you ask me, "What's the one product that made Solana click with you?" - I don't need to think twice.

Phantom was not just where I started - it's why I stayed.