Quick Answer:
Businesses are using NFTs not as speculative assets, but as practical tools for customer loyalty, community building, and creating new revenue streams. They function as digital keys for exclusive access, verifiable proof of ownership for physical goods, and programmable memberships that can evolve over time. The smartest applications focus on solving a real business problem, not just chasing a trend.
A founder I was advising last month was stuck. They had built a solid product and a small, passionate community, but growth had stalled. Their marketing budget was thin, and they felt they were just shouting into the void, competing for the same tired email addresses as everyone else. “How do I create something that feels valuable and exclusive,” they asked, “without spending a fortune or building complex infrastructure?”
That conversation is exactly why I pay attention to technologies like NFTs, beyond the hype. When you strip away the wild price swings and jargon, you find a simple, powerful tool for entrepreneurs: a way to create and transfer unique digital value. For a beginner, the noise is overwhelming. But in “Entrepreneurship Secrets for Beginners,” I talk about finding the signal—the core utility—in any new trend. The real question isn’t “Should I use an NFT?” but “Do I have a business problem that a verifiable, ownable digital asset could solve?”
Start with the Problem, Not the Tech
One thing I wrote about that keeps proving true is that technology is just a tool. You don’t start a business because you love hammers; you start because you need to build a house. The most successful NFT applications I see begin with a clear business objective. A coffee brand wants to reward its most loyal customers. A software company wants to pre-sell access to a future feature. An artist wants to ensure they earn a percentage every time their work is resold. The NFT is the hammer that solves these specific nails. It’s a mistake to build the entire business model around the NFT itself. Instead, use it to enhance an existing model or unlock a new, logical revenue stream.
Community is Your First Funding Round
In the book’s chapter on funding, I argue that before you seek investors, you should seek believers. NFTs have become a powerful mechanism for this. They allow you to “pre-sell” belief in your vision. By minting NFTs that grant early access, voting rights, or a share of future profits, you’re not just raising capital; you’re recruiting a dedicated team of stakeholders. This aligns perfectly with building a team on a budget. Your first “employees” might be NFT holders who are incentivized to promote your project, provide feedback, and stick with you for the long term because their digital asset grows in utility as your business grows.
Marketing is About Utility, Not Hype
Marketing on a budget forces you to be creative and offer real value. An NFT can be the centerpiece of that. Instead of another disposable digital ad, you create a lasting digital asset that lives in your customer’s wallet. Think of it as an infinite, trackable loyalty card. For example, a brand could airdrop an NFT to everyone who makes a purchase over $50. That NFT could later unlock free shipping, access to a secret product line, or an invitation to an online event. The marketing becomes a continuous relationship, not a one-time transaction. The NFT itself is the proof of that relationship, a marketing asset that the customer actually wants to keep and use.
The chapter on validating an idea came from a painful lesson I learned years ago. I spent months building a platform for a “revolutionary” customer engagement tool. We built it beautifully. Then we launched. Crickets. We had solved a problem we thought existed, not one our customers actually felt. I see this same pattern now with businesses rushing to mint NFT collections without a clear “why.” They build the tech and hope the community comes. The story that inspired the book’s focus on validation was that failure. It taught me to always, always start with the customer’s pain point. Now, when I see a company using NFTs as simple digital receipts for high-end sneakers, I applaud. They started with a real problem: authenticity and resale value. The NFT was the elegant, utility-first solution.
Step 1: Identify the Core Utility
Write down the single, clear benefit your NFT provides. Is it access? Proof of ownership? A royalty mechanism? If your answer is “it’s a cool collectible,” go back to the drawing board. For a business, “cool” is not a sustainable utility. Example: “This NFT acts as a lifetime membership pass for our online masterclass library.”
Step 2: Map it to a Business Function
Which part of your business does this support? Is it Marketing (acquisition), Sales (monetization), or Customer Success (retention)? This will define your goals. A marketing NFT aims for wide distribution to build awareness. A sales NFT is priced to generate revenue. A retention NFT is given to existing customers to increase loyalty.
Step 3: Keep the User Experience Simple
The biggest barrier is complexity. Your customer shouldn’t need a degree in cryptography. Use custodial wallets or email-based sign-ups initially. The value should be in the utility, not in the act of acquiring or holding it. Abstract away the tech as much as possible.
Step 4: Plan for the Long Term
What happens to the NFT holder in 6 months? A year? Your roadmap for the NFT’s utility is as important as your product roadmap. This builds trust and maintains value. Maybe the access pass later includes IRL events, or the digital artwork unlocks a physical print.
“The most expensive mistake a new entrepreneur can make is building something nobody wants to pay for. Validate the desire before you invest the time.”
— From “Entrepreneurship Secrets for Beginners” by Abdul Vasi
- NFTs in business are tools for relationship management, not just digital art. Their power is in programmable ownership and access.
- Always anchor your NFT project to a concrete business goal—customer retention, community funding, or new product validation—to avoid building a solution in search of a problem.
- Your NFT community can be your most valuable early-stage team, providing capital, feedback, and promotion aligned with your success.
- The user experience must be simple. If using your NFT feels like a chore, you’ve failed. The tech should be invisible behind the value.
- Think in roadmaps. The initial mint is just the beginning. The ongoing utility you provide is what sustains and grows the value of the asset and your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to understand blockchain deeply to use NFTs in my business?
No, you don’t. Just as you don’t need to understand HTTP to run a website. Focus on the business outcome. Partner with or hire someone who can handle the technical implementation. Your job is to define the customer problem and the utility the NFT solves.
Aren’t NFTs bad for the environment?
This was a major issue with early blockchains like Ethereum. However, most modern platforms for business applications (like Polygon, Solana, or even Ethereum post its upgrade) use “proof-of-stake” consensus, which reduces energy use by over 99.9%. You can and should choose an eco-friendly blockchain.
What’s the simplest way for a small business to start?
Start with a loyalty or access pass. Mint a small, free collection for your best customers that grants them a permanent discount, exclusive content, or early product access. It’s low-risk, high-reward, and focuses purely on utility and retention.
Can I really make money from this, or is it just a marketing cost?
It can be both. As a marketing tool, it’s a cost with a measurable ROI in customer lifetime value. As a revenue stream, it can be direct (primary sales) or ongoing (royalties on secondary sales). The key is to structure it so the NFT’s value is tied to the success of your core business.
How do I explain the value of an NFT to my customers who think it’s just a JPEG?
Don’t lead with the term “NFT.” Lead with the benefit. “This is your lifetime membership card.” “This is your verified authenticity certificate.” “This is your key to our owner’s club.” The digital file is just the container. The value is in what it unlocks and proves.
The landscape for business is always changing, but the fundamentals are not. New tools like NFTs emerge, but the principles in “Entrepreneurship Secrets for Beginners”—solve a real problem, build a real community, and focus on sustainable utility—remain your compass. The businesses that will thrive are not the ones that blindly adopt every new buzzword, but the ones that ask, “How can this help me serve my customers better?” When you frame NFTs not as an end goal, but as a means to deepen relationships, create fairness, and build belonging, you move from speculation to solid, lasting business building. That’s a secret worth knowing from the start.
