Q Mag - Spring 2021 by Qoin

mag Spring 2021

Rolling into the UK

Qoin’s global expansion continues An ode to Qoin

The sky’s the limit for WA electro-preneur

Join the Q Club

P14

P23

Qoin will soon be interchangeable with the world’s largest cryptos

Welcome to Q Mag Q

oin is certainly on a roll. London called and we answered and topped off an already great year with expansion into our third country — the United Kingdom. It is with immense pride that the Qoin community is continuing to grow and venture into new markets. And we all know, the more businesses that join Qoin the more everyone benefits — that’s the purchasing power of this everyday currency. With as many as 38,000 validated merchants and 80,000 wallet holders now trading within the utility coin ecosystem, the future is bright and ‘prosperous for all’. In further exciting news, the Qoin Association is working with an external technical partner to build a bridge whereby a current Qoin can be wrapped into a token ‘wQoin’ on a public blockchain like Ethereum. This will enable wQoin to participate in various decentralised

finance ‘DeFi’ projects that support ERC20 tokens and hold it in an Ethereum Wallet like MetaMask. The bridge is anticipated to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year. This enablement of Qoin onto public blockchains and decentralised exchanges to allow trading with hundreds of other cryptos, subject to buyers and sellers, is an important milestone. In this, our second edition of Q Mag, we not only share more detail about our expansion, but also speak to some of our most engaged merchants, and offer insights and practical ways to identify how Qoin can assist small business. We hope you enjoy the read — let’s keep the Qoin Community growing. Tony Wiese, Qoin Governor

Qoin. All rights reserved. General Advice Warning: This information is of a general nature and does not take your specific objectives, needs or financial situation into consideration. Before acting on this advice you should consider how appropriate it is having regard to your personal circumstances. You should also read the relevant combined FSG and PDS before making any financial decisions. Call 1300 228 274 for a copy

Qoin Spirit A page from my Qoin diary by Shelly Pathak

I am in awe of its simplicity… As I encountered the myriad possibilities and the potential of Qoin, I discovered that Qoin was my imagination! It’s clear reflective quality helps me discover more of myself everyday....

We value doing the right thing We value our Qoin Economy We are Passionate We value Relationships We value Innovation

A clear vessel that lets you reside in it, and reflects without prejudice or inhibition... When I filled it with too much anticipation and expectation, there was a conflict there...

04-05

THE WORLD IS QOIN’S OYSTER

It is only when I moved away from myself, and stood right back… I captured the Qoin Spirit!

TOOWOOMBA SIGHTSEEING TOURS

The Qoin spirit is free... free from the burden of our anticipation and expectations; All my concerns dissipated as I moved from the mode of wanting to giving, from owning to sharing...

THE EXTRA PIECE OF THE PUZZLE

A CHEEKY BOTTOM LINE

HUKA FALLS RIVER CRUISE

Maybe we are stuck too far to the left... looking for the riches... the Qoin story starts from the right and moves further right... it starts from abundance and lands in love and connection!

HOUSE OF CHANGE

TOOLS FOR SUCCESS

Let us not stay stuck to the left... the sky doesn’t move from left to right... nor does the ocean... the free spirit of Qoin doesn’t need a tie down...

12-13

KOORI KICKS ARTS

Abundance cannot be realised in exclusion, nor can freedom or joy… nor can the connections and communities be formed in isolation!

THE RAW FOOD KITCHEN

14-15

FLYONE IS TAKING OFF

A paradigm shift! A benevolence so grand... that money loses power, inflation loses significance, the reigning financial value systems yield control... and all greed melts away...

TIME CENTRAL NZ

BODI HQ

Qoin is ready to rewrite in the simplest format, the grandest story of connection, abundance and freedom and pivot away from the world we know... away from its current, limiting concepts of wealth...to the world we have always craved...with community and connection as the central spinning wheels of this new humanistic evolution…

NETWORKING AND EDUCATION

20-21

SALES CHAMPIONS

Q CLUB – THE BENEFITS

It is only by sharing this pristine clarity that the ecosystem shall be formed...as the brimming cup flowing indiscriminately in all directions, writes the Qoin story of Abundance…

Q Mag is part of the Qoin Digital Network (QDN). Editor: Mel Healy QDN delivers regular information, news and views to the Qoin Community. Videos are available through our Qoin YouTube channel, and follow the Qoin World Official Facebook pages for blogs and all the latest Qoin information.

mag

Shelly Pathak is General Manager of Qoin and Bartercard in WA.

Qoin rolls into the UK T

he past 18 months has seen amazing growth for the Qoin Community, and now, we’re taking on the world.

The company’s mission has always been to make Qoin the most widely accepted digital currency. To achieve this, we must expand, and where better to build Qoin’s first base in the Northern Hemisphere than the UK? London is renowned for its incredible landmarks like Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, and the River Thames, but now there’s a new attraction in the British capital — Qoin, and its introduction is a big win for the 38,000-strong merchant community.

Visit the Qoin.world website

“Qoin meets the UK regulatory requirements and we have already onboarded three Master Agents — Nathan Costley, Adrian Doughty, and Chris Kirby,” Bill Key, Qoin’s Head of Communications announced recently. “And through our Bartercard associates we already have access to a few thousand users to kick it off.” With a population of 68 million consumers and six million small businesses, the UK market is more than double the size of Australia and New Zealand combined, so it’s safe to say the prospects for future growth are exceptional. Considered one of the financial capitals of the world, Qoin’s presence in the London market is a coup.

MEET YOUR UK MASTERS

In order to be able to venture into the UK, Qoin was expected to adhere to a number of legal requirements:

NATHAN COSTLEY

Firstly, we had to consult with reputable law firms on local regulatory frameworks, and then obtain the regulatory approvals and or advice where relevant. We had to write and adopt the anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing act program, consider exchange controls and taxation rules for each country.

Nathan has had his London eye on Qoin’s expansion into the UK for a while, and now it’s a reality. The qualified Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser is one of three Master Agents the team at Qoin has appointed in the UK. “The opportunity to provide a different or additional sales channel to businesses is what attracted me to Qoin initially,” said Nathan. “As an accountant and business adviser, my main goal is to work with businesses to help them grow and become more profitable. Being able to offer a different sales channel stood out [to me].” Having grown up in country Victoria before heading off on a 12-month gap year that turned into a longer term proposition, Nathan understands the London market and said he had already been contacted by interested business owners. “Some have asked how they can sign up straightaway, while others are still in the process of understanding how it differs from Bitcoin,” said Nathan, who has been living and working in the UK for the past 16 years. As the director of his own company, Nathan knows that digital currency is the way of the future, and he’s excited to

Wallet technology upgrades for local currency conversions and know your customer laws had to be addressed, along with approvals by Apple and Google stores. Qoin met the brief, and while the foray is in its infancy, Qoin is poised to further expand into markets including Singapore and South Africa (Johannesburg, Cape Town), then it’s onto North America (Canada) and South America (Brazil). All going to plan, Qoin will have a presence in all six continents within the next 12 months. “The future we see is a bustling community of merchants and businesses all over the world maximising their revenues by trading with their new customers,” said Qoin Governor Tony Wiese during his presentation at Online Merchant Week. “We see a future where all Qoin holders, especially our business owners and merchants have multiple ways to spend and utilise their Qoin currency.”

NEXT STOP SINGAPORE NEHALI PATHAK Qoin’s global expansion will continue in Singapore, and in preparation for that the team has a Sales and Marketing Manager on the ground there. Nehali Pathak landed in the banking and financial hub of Southeast Asia late last year and has been working to source merchants, coach accredited independent Agents and Master Agents. With more than a decade of experience in the finance industry and having run her own business, Nehali is ‘super excited’ to be welcoming Qoin into the Singapore market soon. “It is the first Asian country we have expanded to,” said Nehali. “Singapore is a massive international business hub, which makes it a great place to connect to the Asian market. It is one of the first Asian countries to welcome the idea of a Central Bank Digital Currency which is progressive and exciting.” Qoin’s Singapore office is situated in one of the city’s main financial/business districts, and according to Nehali it is hoped that she will be joined by a Foundation Master Agent soon. Contact Nehali at nehali.pathak@qoin.world

be part of Qoin’s first foray into the Northern Hemisphere. Nathan is keen to speak to anyone who may be interested in joining Qoin on its path to being the most widely accepted digital currency. “We will be working out of London but will have teams working right throughout the UK, including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.” When asked if he could envisage the Qoin branding someday being emblazoned across an Arsenal football jersey, he said: “Yeah, let’s see if we can aim for that, that would be amazing.” To get in contact with Nathan, email nathan.costley@qoin. world or get in touch with him via Linked In.

ADRIAN DOUGHTY “It’s so easy to transact using the QR code which I think will help it be well received,” he added. Adrian is based in Eastbourne, a resort town on England’s southeast coast, around 24-kilometres from Brighton and Hastings and Dover. “The people that have been talking to me, they’ve all got friends who have played with various digital currencies … so they’re ready to have that Qoin experience.” A professional public speaker and natural motivator, Adrian is excited to be joining fellow UK Master Nathan Costley in driving the expansion of the only everyday utility currency of its kind in its third global market. “I think the world [not just the UK] is ready for this.” Contact Adrian at adrian.doughty@qoin.world

Adrian is already a towering figure of the UK entertainment scene, thanks to his ability to transform the atmosphere of any room, but now he’s a Master of something new. He’s recently joined the Qoin team in the UK as a Foundation leader as the digital currency makes its presence felt in Europe. “The phone hasn’t stopped, let’s hope that’s a sign of the future,” Adrian said. An entertainer for 30 years and with 25 years as a senior manager for a major UK retailer, Adrian believes that people are ‘open to digital currencies like Qoin’ now more than ever.

All aboard for a tour of Toowoomba L

indsay Booth has become a ‘driving’ force in Toowoomba since starting his sightseeing bus tours across this part of the Darling Downs. With a fascinating history dating back as far as the 1840s, Toowoomba has a number of historic buildings and locations. It also hosts the Carnival of Flowers every September. Toowoomba certainly offers plenty of tourist appeal. “In 2016 I had this great idea, that here in Toowoomba we needed a sightseeing bus, many many years ago we had one,” Lindsay said, noting that originally he wanted an old tram. “Eventually I bought a little white school bus and vinyl-wrapped it like an old tram, and TransLink and Queensland Transport were very happy with that, and away I went.”

On Qoin, people can come to me directly, they don’t have to pay a 20 per cent booking fee like on other sites

Although hit quite hard by a drop in visitor numbers as a result of Covid, Lindsay has broadened his offering. While he still runs his daily Eastside and Westside loops, his bus is also available for corporate outings and day trips. “I get a lot of visitors from out of town, day trippers from Brisbane, the Gold and Sunshine coasts, but I’ve had to change the business in the past 12 months or so, to do more corporate time, more day outings,” he said. In a bid to provide his business another revenue stream, Lindsay made the decision to join Qoin’s healthy merchant community. “It’s an extra avenue stream, I’ve got spare seats on my buses and there are many, many people who have spare service time, it’s another way of enticing customers to the

business,” the retired real estate agent and fencing proprietor added. “On Qoin, people can come to me directly, they don’t have to pay a 20 per cent booking fee like on other sites.” Happy to take 100 per cent Qoin as payment for tours and corporate outings, Lindsay is of the opinion that whatever people are purchasing off him [tours] it’s really only costing him his time.

Lindsay has noticed a shift in the demographic of those venturing to the region of late, with more affluent Coast visitors than the Grey Nomads he was seeing pre-pandemic, and with the Carnival of Flowers once again in full bloom and welcoming visitors for the entire month of September, he’s hopeful that Qoin consumers might seek out his service when they’re next in the Garden City. “People are always very appreciative, you know sometimes I get back from a tour that’s got 10 to 12 people on it, and often they applaud, some of my TripAdvisor reviews say that they felt like part of the family,” he added. If you’d like to join Lindsay on one of his bus tours on 100 per cent Qoin log onto toowoombasightseeing.com.au or search him in the Qoin Directory. Tickets cost from $25 for two hours with Carnival of Flowers tours lasting for three hours.

Scan the QR code to watch the video

The extra piece of the puzzle Y

ou get out of Qoin what you put into it. That is the consensus when it comes to success with the digital currency, according to merchants and agents within the ecosystem. Patrick Healy has been on Qoin for just over three months, and already his business Outback Leather Products is reaping the benefits. “We’re based in Mandurah in Western Australia, and we make the best leather hats, belts and wallets,” he told us recently from the Gold Coast Small Business Expo, where he was looking for extra lines he could sell in his business for cash.

Qoin’s Pete Fenton caught up with Patrick Healy at the Gold Coast Small Business Expo

“Ideally, if merchants can help us by introducing us to new people that can fill their spending, it grows the community, and you’re offsetting your costs. That’s what we want.” Belinda Baker is one of Qoin’s Melbourne-based Master Agents. She’s had her own business for 13 years and enjoys helping SMEs benefit from the digital asset. Recently, as part of Qoin’s first Merchant Week, Belinda explained the spending wheel concept and how it was helping merchants broaden their reach.

We’ve already got our set of customers, but now we want to bring in new people with products that will complement what we’ve got and open up a new stream of income for us

According to Belinda some merchants were actively searching out and welcoming new customers into their business and even encouraging them to join the ecosystem.

“We’ve already got our set of customers, but now we want to bring in new people with products that will compliment what we’ve got and open up a new stream of income for us,” he added.

“There is effort involved,” Belinda noted. “It takes time, effort and money, and competition is steep in order to get new customers.” Aimed at merchants like Pat who have been accepting Qoin and need some help putting that extra piece of the puzzle together by finding suppliers to pay in Qoin.

Aside from the productsourcing trip, Pat recently put time into working out where he spends his money in his business and where he might be able to target new and existing merchants that may be able to fulfil some of those spending requirements, which ultimately frees up more cash overall.

“A Qoin spending plan maximises the benefits of Qoin in your business. So, for example, for a cafe it could be coffee, beans, marketing, napkins, all sorts of options, while for a mechanic it could be oil, batteries, and for a winery it could be labels for bottles,” she added. Another thing worth considering is what a business is doing themselves that they could potentially outsource? “This could be Facebook marketing, bookkeeping, their website,” she added.

“Where we want to try and use Qoin is in the peripherals, our online presence, our packaging, labelling, anything that’s going to help us sell our product and if we get into new markets, if we can find some products that we can sell alongside ours,” he said.

And thirdly, agents work with merchants to find out what products and services they’re not using that they probably should. If you would like a Qoin spending plan for your business, make an appointment with your agent or call Qoin Support to put you in touch with someone who can help you.

These peripherals were identified in the spending plan drawn up specifically for Outback Leather Products’ needs, but it’s available to every merchant as one of the tools they can use to analyse their spending and consider what other businesses are around them that they may benefit from by welcoming into the community.

Scan the QR code to watch Belinda’s video

Download a spending plan template at: qoin.world/spendingplan

The cheeky bottom line

Brendan Lo shows off his six pack ... of socks

rendan Lo has proven he has the business nous to ensure that his ‘cheeky’ underwear makes its way on to every butt in Australia. Not only are the quirky men’s and women’s Smartassbranded briefs and socks emblazoned with tongue-incheek motivational reminders, they are sustainable to boot and made of a fabric that has been engineered using recycled soda and water bottles. “It all started with the messages, I have a long background in martial arts and I’m an Occupational Therapist by trade, so I’ve always been interested in meaning and purpose and wisdom in all its forms,” Brendan said recently from his home base in Northern NSW. ‘Happiness Ain’t Luck or Privilege, it’s a Badass Choice’; ‘Sit that Ass Down and Meditate’ and ‘Invest in Kindness, it Pays the Best Dividends’, are just a few examples of the wisdom Lo is imparting on his client base – there are 12 of these in total. With this in mind, it is no surprise that the toilet wall in the Lo household has long been a place for quotes from the likes of Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and Dr Zeus, with this in mind it was a so-called ‘3am brain fart’ that put those somewhat private quotes into their rightful position – on the rear ends of men and women everywhere. “I thought ‘what’s something people do every day’? Most people change their underwear, don’t they?” he said with a chuckle. “Every single message we have is a message that I need every day to help reinforce myself to have that positive mindset. Every day, you need something to renew your values, renew your enthusiasm.”

I’m a big fan of Qoin ... I love the community, the trading and the opportunity it offers

Designed right here in Australia, the products are as much about the message as they are the environment. “There are no trees cut down making our undies,” added Brendan. “Fifty per cent of our profits are committed to establishing and planting trees and saving and buying back rainforests, particularly Queensland’s Daintree.”

shortly after starting his business and he’s happy he did.

The business is a passion project for Brendan who often spends his evenings and weekends processing the business’s orders at home.

“I’m a big fan of Qoin, my son trades in digital currency,” he said. “I love the community, the trading and the opportunity it offers.”

“It is totally a hustle, seven days a week, I work my day job during the week and pack things and fill out spreadsheets at night.”

Like so many, Brendan is keen on seeing Qoin expand. “It’s really started to blossom in Qoin sales,” he said, adding that if someone was considering joining the digital currency community, it was a really easy decision.

It’s all proving pretty successful right now with plenty of happy customers ordering the goods.

“It’s a no-brainer, really, you’ve got nothing to lose. Because you control how much you take how much the percentage you take where we’re still saying we’re taking 100 per cent Qoin for our first sales, online. We are asking for cash for postage now, but it’s so flexible.”

“Comfy underwear with attitude!” Matthew, from Byron Bay said. “Who would have thought you could turn to your underwear for inspiration and motivation. That is exactly what you get when you put on your Smartass Undies. A quirky reminder that the power of positivity is fundamental to your health and well-being.”

To purchase some of Brendan’s sustainable undies, head to smartassundies.com.au and select your cheeky mantras today.

Although just a year into the Smartass Undies journey, Brendan is a keen Qoin merchant. He joined the ecosystem

Qoin floats this couple’s boat

to just 15m wide as it squeezes through a volcanic canyon, it’s the pressure that causes the water to burst out of the gorge with such force that it forms the incredibly popular landmark.

ave and Ange Kilmister weren’t too sure where they were going to settle when they returned to New Zealand from the UK. It was their car that had the casting vote, and the couple hasn’t looked back since.

Unfortunately, Covid-19 has reduced their international tourist numbers considerably, but the Kilmisters remain hopeful that the stabilisation of the Trans-Tasman border bubble will increase the visitor numbers from Australia.

“We thought we would drive around the country and find a nice place [to settle] but our car broke down here in Taupo, so while we were here we looked in the paper and saw some jobs come up, one of them was a jet-boat driver/mechanic,” Dave said.

In the meantime, Dave is reliant on the domestic market. In April he joined Qoin and has been offering it as a payment method since.

The position took his fancy, and fortunately for him, he got the green light – it was this that cemented the pair’s decision to call Taupo home.

“We’re going into our quiet season now, but I’ve had about a handful of payments on Qoin, and I’ve probably had about that many inquiries going forward over the next month or so,” Dave noted.

Not long after that the Kilmisters took over the local riverboat outfit – Huka Falls River Cruise. “I always sort of wanted to do something for myself and the riverboat wasn’t really being run to its capacity, so we took it on, and we’ve grown it consistently since,” added Dave.

“We’ve got about 25 merchants on Qoin in Taupo at the moment, I know Laura at the Mole and Chicken Restaurant and Bar down the road takes it, and she’s starting to get more, and the local bike shop, Top Gear Cycles is also taking it.”

Having grown up on a rural farm, Dave admitted he had always enjoyed spending time outdoors and enjoyed being in the tourism sector.

When out on the river, Dave enjoys actively speaking to his Qoin customers, engaging them about their plans in the area and advising them on where they can spend their digital currency.

“We get different people every day and everyone’s on holiday, so it’s always a great experience.” With three daughters and Ange part of the cruise team, the Huka Falls cruise ventures along the Waikato River, taking in the Aratiatia Dam & Rapids, and of course, the Huka Falls – the most visited natural attraction in New Zealand.

“As for ourselves, things like printing would be good for us to spend our Qoin on, or parts for the boat,” he added, saying that he was looking forward to Qoin’s expansion globally over the coming year. For more on Huka Falls River Cruise check out hukafallscruise.co.nz or find them in the Qoin directory.

The Waikato River narrows from 100 metres wide

House of Change, a real saving ‘Grace’

very night across Australia more than 116,000 people sleep rough, whether that be on the streets, in a car, or on a different person’s couch.

‘Grace’, will be built on the Gold Coast with donor’s funds assisting in the build. Each apartment block will have 10 one- or twobedroom self-contained units with an onsite manager occupying one of them to serve the 20-30 residents.

“I spent periods of my life bouncing between people’s floors and sofas,” one of those affected told us. “I had stuff everywhere and nowhere, no place to relax, feeling like you’re imposing, in the way, or overstaying your welcome. It’s damaging to your sense of identity and security.”

Each of these buildings will provide a caring place of refuge where those forced onto the streets can receive real help, the endgame to change their circumstances, keep family units together, and get them back on track.

It can be hard to believe, but sadly it’s more common than we may realise, and this homelessness can be a result of domestic violence, abuse, poor health, or financial hardship. State Governments take months to house the few lucky ones.

We know from experience that Crisis Housing provides safe, secure and affordable accommodation to those in times of need to assist them in breaking the cycle of homelessness and secure long-term, independent and sustainable housing solutions.

One Light Charity, in line with its ethos to bring lasting and sustainable change, is hoping that the foundation’s ‘House of Change’ campaign will ensure that those in dire need of a roof over their heads, ‘come in one way, and leave in another’.

It will take all levels of society to achieve this mammoth project - state governments, local councils, and partner organisations - and with a target goal of $3.5 million to fund land and the construction of Grace.

The program hopes to construct nine House of Change apartment blocks across the country – the first of which,

So, now is the time to dig in and help make this project a reality.

Artist’s impressions of Grace house

We invite community members, builders, tradies, estate agents, local councils, parliament members, business leaders, corporate sponsors and not-forprofit organisations to partner with this community project. Please share the campaign with friends and family. To make a donation or to find out more, go to onelightcharity.com/product/ house-of-change/ or scan the QR code

THE ONE LIGHT GUARANTEE IS AS FOLLOWS: • Every member of our team is a specialist in their field. Together we operate a very lean cost structure, utilising volunteer and sponsored resources. This means 100 per cent of your donation will be applied to this project. • Donors will be acknowledged on the public House of Change campaign page. • Corporate Naming Rights for each apartment unit is available on request.

Father and son have all the tools for success

Adding Qoin to the daily grind

eoff Muir began tinkering with machinery on his family’s dairy farm when he was a teenager.

elbourne roastery Astur Coffee is renowned for supplying ethically sourced, sustainable brew, but it is a new product that is strengthening its customer appeal – Qoin.

“I was quite interested in that and then one day I took mum’s car just down the road for a service. I knew the guy who ran it and asked him if there was any chance that I could do some work experience during the Christmas holidays,” Geoff recalled. “Two days into it he offered me a job.”

Founded by Mohamed Mumin in 2015, Astur’s prides itself on serving up smooth, quality coffee and supporting its network of growers in Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America.

While it came as a surprise to Geoff’s parents, who expected he’d go to agricultural college, five years later, at just 23, he was running his own business.

“I was born in Somalia, our neighbour, Ethiopia, is considered the birthplace of coffee and I had the opportunity to interact with farmers during my travels in 2020.

“I’m now 54 and my son Bradley has been working with me since he was 14,” said Geoff from his BLC Auto Repairs workshop in Wollongong. “He was a trainee by the time he was 19, and we’ve got a couple of other boys who work for us.”

“It didn’t sit right with me that so many farmers, who are already desperate and underprivileged, are not properly remunerated for their crops by importers,” said Mohamed, who saw an opening in the market for a speciality coffee roasting company in Australia’s coffee capital, Melbourne.

With 5,000 customers on their books and more than enough work on, Geoff is a relatively new merchant on Qoin. “I quite like the concept of it, I’m a bit of a digital currency fan anyway, you know, I like Bitcoin and trading in cryptocurrencies myself,” he added.

Signing up to be a Qoin merchant made sense to the Astur team.

“I’m happy for people to pay for services through Qoin, and small repairs depending on what’s needed, I’m happy to do Qoin transactions if it works.”

Mohamed said he liked the fact that ‘there was no cost to join, and we receive the benefit of exposure to new customers’.

Geoff knows he can spend his Qoin on some of his business expenses instead of dipping into his cash.

“Qoin is a marketplace for businesses, and we joined because we want to be a part of a community based on a united environment for small businesses,” he added.

“The first thing I need to do is get some business cards and then we’re going to get on to some marketing,” said Geoff, who is ‘in a happy place right now’ among the 38,500-strong Qoin merchant community, working and living life alongside his son.

“Astur Coffee is a three-dimensional business. Our coffee beans are available online and served in several cafes in Melbourne. We also offer coffee cart hire, which is now payable on 100 per cent Qoin.”

“It’s very situation normal [despite lockdown], we fish together, and we work together.”

The company’s coffee cart services metropolitan Melbourne and has been used at several regional Victorian events, ranging from sporting, corporate and charity functions, to birthdays and weddings.

BLC Auto Repairs looks after everything from logbook servicing, to tyres, brake, and auto repairs, as well as electrical accessories and immobilisers.

Koori artist is kicking goals

about 3,000 on Instagram, but I’ve done a lot of corporate work too,” said Lee (pictured above second from right).

ee Hampton identifies as ‘mixed race’. His mum is a member of the Stolen Generation, his dad a ‘white Australian’.

Lee manages his art business Koori Kicks Art in tandem with Black Door Gallery, which aside from framing, helps promote other Aboriginal artists by featuring their works.

“I’m a kid of the 70s and 80s, so you know, in Western Sydney [growing up] it was very Anglo-Saxon back then, there wasn’t a lot of diversity of culture,” Lee said.

It was an unexpected visit from Qoin Agent Tim McCracken last October that alerted Lee to Qoin.

Despite a lifelong association with the Indigenous culture, Lee admitted that his mother lacked that deep-seated cultural connection others have, and understandably so, considering she was removed from her family at nine following the death of both her parents.

“He was just walking the beat talking to business owners about Qoin, I had a conversation with him about it and ended up investing within a week,” the now established artist said.

“[As a result of that] I never really had a cultural connection … until 2014,” he said. “That’s when I started painting, and I felt a real spiritual connection, which is something I never thought I would ever feel.”

“Tim gave me a lot of confidence about it and explained what I could do with it. I actually found a local company that does website design. I’ve spoken to them and they’ve come out and checked out what we’re doing at Black Door Gallery, just to get a feel for who I am as an artist and what my style is, and from there we’ve started the process of designing a website, they’ve also redesigned my logo for me.”

Still not knowing who his ‘mob’ was, Lee admitted that in the beginning art was a way of dealing with life’s stresses. “I was doing more contemporary style artwork,” the Penrith local said. “I started off painting football boots and motorbike helmets, anything I could get my hands on really, even skateboard decks, things like that. I never actually did any real work on canvas to begin with.”

Lee recently reached out to another merchant in his area, Timber Living, who he has approached to help him with some shop refitting work he needs done. “He’s quite happy to do it and I’ve got the Qoin there, so if it means I can get the job done without digging into my cash, that’s great.”

Lee joined his parents’ Black Door Gallery custom picture framing business straight out of school.

Lee has sold artwork on Qoin and actually had one client contact him from Far North Queensland who agreed to pay full Qoin for the pieces he was after.

“I’d always seen myself as a framer,” he admitted. Art, when he found it, was only meant to be a hobby. But, within a few weeks of posting pictures of his artwork on social media, he had hundreds of followers. Within a month that grew to a thousand, and after a couple of months he was being approached by people wanting to buy his work.

“He purchased three pieces of art and paid upfront, and then from there he actually sent work down to be framed through our framing business as well.” Wins all round for Lee, who is definitely a Koori kicking goals right now. Through some corporate work he did for

“Now, I have about 12,000 followers on Facebook and

Raw appeal

manda Brocket has plenty of ‘raw’ talent when it comes to educating others about the benefits of a plant-based diet and now she’s venturing into the Qoin ecosystem. Her interest was prompted by a need to overcome a five-year battle with systemic candida. With her focus firmly on raw food, she trained as a raw vegan chef/coach and launched her own business.

the Sydney Local Health District, for NAIDOC Week and then collaboration on an Aboriginal Strategic Health Plan, Lee came across a guy by the name of Ricky Lyons who he worked with for a few years.

“The Raw Food Kitchen inspires and guides people who want to have more energy, clarity and natural health using plant-based foods as their foundation,” said Amanda. “It is possible to have a diet where everything on your plate is medicine.”

“Ricky came to me in 2018 and said: ‘Would you be interested in designing Cliff Lyons’ [Manly Sea Eagles] jersey for the 2019 Indigenous NRL Round?’, I wasn’t going to say no,” the devout Penrith Panthers supporter added with a grin.

According to the brains behind the business, a woman who is also a published author, The Raw Food Kitchen ‘takes customers by the hand and removes the overwhelm they can often feel when embarking on the journey to a more plantbased diet’.

After meeting Cliff the next day to talk through his thoughts on the design, the pair sealed a deal and Lee cemented himself as way more than just a ‘hobbyist’. The partnership with the Sea Eagles for their Indigenous Round artwork has been ongoing now for three years, and while Manly hasn’t won any of the three matches, it hasn’t deterred the NRL outfit from signing Lee again for 2022.

Now nine years old, the Sydney-based enterprise offers plant-based online courses, recipes, detox programs, fermentation kits, live workshops, and events. Most recently it added Qoin to the menu.

Both Lee and Manly are part of Qoin – Lee as a merchant and the Sea Eagles as a sponsorship partner.

“Our introductory course, ‘The 7-Day Raw Food Plan’ is now available on Qoin,” noted Amanda. “It’s the perfect starter kit to introduce people to the wonderful world of plant-based eating with easy incremental steps they can take to incorporate more plants into their daily diet.”

“I always hated Manly growing up, but since I’ve worked with them and gotten to know the people behind the scenes, the players and the staff, they’ve become my second team,” he added. And while it’s onwards and upwards right now, we’re pleased to say that that sense of cultural belonging Lee had been missing for all those years has now been solved.

Available for purchase on The Raw Food Kitchen’s website, Qoin can be used at the checkout.

A DNA test through Ancestry.com has shown that Lee’s heritage can be traced back to the Wodi Wodi, Worimi, and Yuin Nation tribe.

“I like offering a different type of currency through my business. Digital currency is the way forward,” she admits.

“It has taken me the best part of 20 years to finally find my place in the world, something that really excites me to discover my journey moving forward.”

“When customers sign up via our website, they receive a free eBook and a four-part video series on topics including how to swap out unhealthy items in the pantry with healthier options and how to read food labels.”

As for Qoin, and for others who may not yet have joined the ecosystem, Lee’s advice is: “Speak to the right people ... it can be really beneficial to your business.” For more on Lee head to blackdoorgallery.com.au

Flying high with zero emissions

orum Ellis is a man on a mission. Not one to shy away from a challenge and with a vision that’s ahead of the curve, this ‘electro-preneur’ is hellbent on delivering an electronic aircraft fleet with accompanying e-plane charging infrastructure. “The light sport fixed wing aircraft [currently in development] will be fully electric with zero emissions,” Korum told us from his base in Western Australia. “We also have a flight school that operates as part of our FlyOnE business.” With 13 of the 20 hours of required flight time logged, it won’t be long before he’s piloting an aircraft and a world-first green energy project.

It’s very important to be versatile in the way you operate your business, a lot of people are using and wanting to trade digital currencies right now. I can’t imagine why any business wouldn’t make them a payment option.

and New Zealanders shortlisted from 200,000 applicants for the now-defunct Mars One project that was to involve a nine-month reality television voyage to the Red Planet. Self-employed by the time he was in his early-20s, Korum, who grew up on the NSW Mid North Coast, eventually relocated to WA about 12 years ago where he currently runs Universalfuze, a national vehicle electronics distribution network; Ride On E, a Perth-based e-bike and e-surf hire company; and FlyOnE.

“I want to be like Elon Musk … everyone loves that man,” Korum said emphatically. And while it does – Korum Ellis seem like quite the ambition, when you consider this guy’s interest in the digital asset world and the move he’s making into the electric aviation space, it’s not as wild as it may sound. “It’s very important to be versatile in the way you operate your business, a lot of people are using and wanting to trade digital currencies right now,” the selfproclaimed ‘disruptor’ advised. “I can’t imagine why any

Those who know Korum know he’s always had a plan, and those plans are usually forward-thinking - well beyond what’s considered possible. Aside from the modelling and acting work he’s done successfully in the past, this go-getter was actually one of the 38 Australians

Below: Artists impression of the ‘Smart Hangars’ and electric aircraft

Below: Korum also runs e-bike hire and his Audiocom company

“Our ultimate medium-term dream is to build a zero emissions electric passenger aviation network in the Pilbara region, so we’re trying to line up five sites where we’ll install these Smart Hangars – solar energy collection hangers that charge the electric aircraft – and then a slate of small aircraft that carry eight people at once, these aircraft exist and will be available in just a year or so,” he said.

business wouldn’t make them a payment option.” Korum joined Qoin earlier this year and said he was particularly attracted to the business networking side of the Gold Coast-based utility coin operation. “I think it’s a really nice way for a startup to add value, that’s why I was happy to get on board,” he noted. Korum has had interests in digital currencies for some time now and accepts many of them, including Bitcoin and Qoin, across his business portfolio.

“So we’re looking to connect with people who will help enable it with funds and adoption and also use these sorts of services in lieu of conventional combustion engine aircraft – hopefully we can catch the attention of the right people.”

“We’ve been able to do a good bit of Qoin trading, connecting with clients both on the east and west coasts, clients that may not have come to trade with us otherwise,” he said.

For more on this project or to spend your Qoin with any one of Korum’s businesses, check out flyone.com.au, audiocom.net.au, or rideone.com.au

“I have a student in the flight school at the moment that paid 100 per cent Qoin to get his license here at Jandakot Airport in Perth … he’s a few lessons in and he’s loving it.” When it comes to sharing his experience with others interested in the Qoin ecosystem, Korum said: “It’s happening, you really need to get onto it as soon as (possible). I spent two years learning to understand it, I watched the space, and gained an understanding of what drove the value of the various coins”.

Subscribe to the Qoin YouTube channel for all the latest Qoin news

Right now, he is capital-raising for FlyOnE and on the search for angel investors who may be interested in getting behind his ground-breaking project.

No hands, no feet, no excuses Blair has been tinkering with time for more than 25 years.

Blair’s timing with Qoin is like ‘clockwork’ I

t was a part-time job at Citizen Watches that was right on time for Blair Shallard and led him on a path toward horology. “I found school easy and because of that I got pushed into a white collar career,” Blair said. “Law wasn’t really for me … I realised I would much rather spend my time working with my hands.” It was his workmates at Citizen who told Blair there was good money in repairing clocks, which piqued his interest, so he set about finding out where he could learn and ‘made the leap’.

parts for that,” Blair said while showing the sizeable mechanical clock on Zoom.

I’ve had a number of enquiries from Australia and we just had three watches go to the post office today

“There was no official training in New Zealand, in those days you couldn’t do apprenticeships, so I basically had to turn up at the shop a few hours a day a couple of days a week, they taught me how to do various things. “They said ‘here’s a quick mechanism, take it home, pull it apart and put it back together again. If you can put it back together and it works, you know you’ve got some promise and we’ll teach you’.” Quick to find out what real repair work was like at a workshop in West Auckland, Blair went on to learn how to restore antique clocks and handle watches worth upwards of $40,000. Today, Blair owns his own business, Time Central, in Rotorua, and he’s hoping to take on one of his biggest projects to date, one that’s in much the same vein as the historic tower clock repairs he undertook for Heritage New Zealand in Wellington. “This is part of the Rotorua Clock Tower and it’s a much bigger clock than the Wellington one, there are four faces on either side of the building and one of the pieces is broken so we need to rebuild it and we need to make

It’s just one of the many jobs he’s got ticking along at the moment, and despite Covid he’s as busy as ever. “To do this job, you need quite a rare skill set, you need to think your way out of a problem – every single clock or watch that comes through the door has a problem.” Just as his business has grown, so has Blair’s interest in alternative payment streams like Qoin.

“I was introduced to Qoin in February by Morgan Wilson, he had a cafe in the same street as my shop and I thought it looked promising,” said Blair. “Since then, I’ve had a number of enquiries from Australia and we just had three watches go to the post office today. Notwithstanding the fact that I’ve sold a few thousand dollar watches on Qoin recently, we have day-to-day a mix of batteries and minor repairs that we do on Qoin.” Blair said he asks his customers if they’d like to pay in Qoin at every opportunity. “I usually lead in about the banks being greedy and tell them that you’re in control of your Qoin, you’re not handing the keys to your wallet to a third party to take money from.” He has admitted that he’s interested in Qoin’s long game, but is actively seeking out trades and services he can spend his Qoin on to help the business offset its costs – it’s a bit like his approach to work. “I just back myself,” he said. For more on Time Central check out timecentral.co.nz.

The most fun I’ve had in business Z

en Mele was set to leave for the Air Force when his mum passed away.

“Within a couple of weeks of her death I pulled my Air Force application and decided to turn things around,” Zen said. “I repeated Grade 11, became school captain in Grade 12, and I started a health and fitness program, I just had to do something like a community initiative.” It was in 2013 that Zen (pictured) founded Bodi Allegiance, a business focussed on developing a comfortable, safe, and fun environment for all ages to achieve their fitness goals. In his own words ‘he kind of just made stuff happen’. Three years later, Zen started a training centre in a very small space at the back of a cafe in Coolangatta. “In 2016 we started a business called SFX in a tiny, little studio, it was only 15 metres squared, but it was pretty cool. We laid fake grass, painted the walls and had a little sign-up area … you’ve got to start somewhere right?”

Qoin gave us an opportunity to expand in a way we didn’t think was possible, it opened our mind and now we can impact people everyday.”

While he said it was pretty scary to think back, he knows it was a cool first gym with a great backstory. “I had liquid courage back then,” he told us from the home base he shares with his partner in Burleigh Heads. Staying the course and continuing to be spurred on by his mum’s desire to educate and instil a sense of importance about maintaining good health, Zen rebranded SFX to Bodi HQ last December. Not long after, one of his friends started sharing posts on social media about Qoin.

“Workwise on January 1 we released our Burleigh gym to the Qoin community, and people have come through, it’s been so valuable to have those feet on the floor. We rebuilt our gym on 50 per cent Qoin and 50 per cent cash,” Zen said triumphantly, adding that the floors, sauna and some of the equipment were all purchased on Qoin. He also convinced the woman who rents space in the building to join Qoin.

As for the future, now that the Gold Coast entrepreneur has the support of the general community and Qoin merchant ecosystem, he knows there is nothing he can’t do.

“A couple of times we were like ‘Oh, what’s this?’, and I was like, no I need to make money … and then they finally told us that they had seen results with this Qoin, so I was like, ‘I’ll have a look’,” said Zen.

“We would love to expand across Australia with Bodi HQ, our five-year plan would be to be impacting anywhere between 500 to 1000 people a day, whether that’s across multiple locations or online. However we do that — activewear online or if we have the opportunity to open up more studios, ideally we’d love to be impacting up to 5,000 people a day.”

An ‘avid risk-taker’ by his own measure and someone who loves stepping outside of his boundaries, Zen opted into the unknown world of digital currencies. “I just dived in, it was three or four days before Christmas. We have another product-based business which is activewear, so it ties into the gym,” he said. “We started with this and we thought ‘we’ll see how it goes’ on the Qoin Collective Facebook page.

When it comes to sharing his Qoin experience with others, Zen is adamant it’s something every small business should consider.

“My gosh, it was mental,” he added. “It was probably the most fun I have had in business. In the space of 24 hours, we did more sales than we ever had.”

“There’s no umming and ahhing about it. For me, there is no risk, just dive straight in and give it a go,” he said. “Aside from the sales we got and the influence it has had on getting people through the centre, Qoin gave us an opportunity to expand in a way we didn’t think was possible, it opened our mind and now we can impact people everyday.”

While by his own admission it has been ‘one heck of a journey’, Zen said Qoin had provided an ‘incredible opportunity for his business’ and himself personally. “I’ve bought and sold cars, we went on holidays to Melbourne (pre-lockdown), we’ve been to Yamba; and for like three weeks there we didn’t cook, the food on Qoin was great.

For more on Bodi HQ search bodiheadquarters on Facebook.

Qoin is networking and educating N

etworking and education are some of the best ways to achieve Qoin’s vision – to be the world’s most prosperous trading community – which is why over the past few months the Qoin team has been hosting conferences and online education sessions aplenty.

MASTER/AGENT CONFERENCE The first event of the year was the Master / Agent Qoinference, which was held on the Gold Coast. Thirtytwo Master Agents from right across Australia and New Zealand converged on RACV Royal Pines Resort for the first two days (May 21-23) before they handed the baton to the 158 Agents who met from May 24-26. The separate agendas saw the entire Qoin team – HQ staff included – participate in meetings and education sessions, panel discussions and practical workshops. They were introduced to Qoin’s vision, mission and values, and offered a chance to mingle and celebrate the future of the everyday utility currency at a Qoin Awards Gala Dinner celebration. It was a great week and the feedback positive.

ONLINE MERCHANT WEEK Due to the Covid lockdowns across much of the country, instead of a gathering of Merchants, the team opted for an Online Merchant Event. Hosted on Qoin’s official YouTube channel over three consecutive days, the three segments attracted plenty of viewer interest, amassing more than 8,000 views. Topics discussed included tax, the eight steps to liquidity, global expansion, education, the future, and offered plenty of practical information that Merchants within the ecosystem can use to enhance their Qoin journey. The success of the event can be attributed to the Qoin marketing team – notably Andy (our videographer) and Bill (Head of Communications) and our in-house presenters, including Tony Wiese, Justine Oakhill, Peter Fenton, Mark Ferszt, Alix Buckingham, Hank van der Merwe, Belinda Baker, Andrew Barker, Steve Roberts, and our external contributors Wally and Louis. Each of the three episodes are available for viewing as required on YouTube. It’s also worth noting that each of the individual segments have been uploaded to YouTube so you can view each of them separately as required. And they are all easily accesible via the help button on your wallet

Scan the QR code to watch all the videos from our online merchant week

Qoin Digital Network: Keeping you up to date Each week for the past three months, real Qoin staff – Mel Anthony, Bill Key, Peter Fenton and Alix Buckingham along with some great guest presenters, bring you the latest in Qoin communication, including updates, news, entertainment, and answer some of the most frequently asked questions within our community. QDN is hosted on our YouTube channel and you can watch each episode by scanning the QR code featured here.

Partnering to build the digital economy of tomorrow

$32 trillion growth tipped for tokenised assets

oin’s Blockchain is built on the leading enterprise Quorum platform developed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. Earlier this year, the open source blockchain platform was acquired by ConsenSys, a New York-based Ethereum venture studio. Established by Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin (pictured) in 2014, ConsenSys Quorum is an opensource protocol layer that enables enterprises to leverage Ethereum for their private or public production blockchain applications. The company has released projects such as MetaMask, which makes a browser extension and a mobile app that connects to the Ethereum blockchain with about three-million active monthly users, and groups of developer tools like Codefi and Truffle. While ConsenSys has long held a ‘convergence

he world is on ‘the starting blocks of another fundamental transformation of the finance industry’ and Australia is poised to lead the way thanks to digital assets like Qoin, industry experts say. The sentiment comes off the back of an exciting projection that suggests the volume for tokenised assets will grow from zero to AU$32 trillion by 2027. This ‘tokenisation’ wave, as its being called, is positive news for the Qoin community, especially as the core purpose of the Qoin project is the tokenisation of the spare capacity in each business in the community, which is then traded in Qoin. This latest forecast, combined with the ongoing developments in digital technology and the assertion of Blockchain as a mainstream infrastructure for many Australian businesses has culminated in the formation of Australia’s Digital Finance Co-operative Research Centre (CRC). The body, that was set up by the Federal Government, the Reserve Bank of Australia, leading companies, and universities, is designed to develop and commercially utilise the opportunities arising from financial market transformation. “By seeding the new Digital Finance CRC with $181 million, Australia policymakers and regulators showed they realise they need to prepare to ride the tokenisation wave set to wash over financial markets,” an Australian Financial Review media report said. “Blockchain and other [distributed ledger technologies] are set to become a fixture in financial markets in the years ahead and may eventually lead to structural changes to market processes or even the market itself,” said Greg Medcraft, the OECD’s Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs. Aside from the ever-increasing interest in ‘tokenomics’ globally, the hype around non-fungible tokens (NFTs) continues to explode too, with everyone from artists, athletes, global conglomerates like Formula One, and even auction houses opting into the tradeable asset space. In recent months Sotheby’s International Auction House sold a rare diamond at auction for $12.3 million in cryptocurrency, digital artist Mike Winkleman, or Beeple as he is known, sold his artwork as an NFT for $69 million, and a single LeBron James highlight NFT fetched more than US$200,000. Although, like Qoin, asset tokenisation is in its infancy, the CRC projection indicates that it is about to escalate quickly, and the movement promises to democratise financial markets.

theory’ that although it would take a while for consumers and companies to adopt digital currencies, they eventually would, Mr Lubin said this is starting to happen now. “We’re seeing quite significant convergence at this point,” he told Bloomberg recently. ConsenSys is currently working with Australia, France, Hong Kong and Thailand to assist in developing Central Bank Digital Currencies. Qoin’s Blockchain was built with the following requirements in mind: • Fast transaction speeds, high transaction volumes, scalable for millions of accounts and a high-capacity storage system. • Highly secure, to ensure safety of funds, rewards and financial data. • Governance friendly and interoperable with other tokens, chains and exchanges. Ethereum is the largest programmable blockchain in the world, leading in business adoption, developer community, and DeFi activity. On this trusted, open-source foundation, ConsenSys says it is building the digital economy of tomorrow. Qoin is a proud partner.

Taupo agent has a winning approach

ulian Sayed thrives on discovering new businesses and building relationships, and it’s his knack for building rapport that pushed the Taupo-based agent to the top of the Qoin sales chart for June. “I spend a lot of time with my customers,” the New Zealand agent admitted. “Qoin is a great product, but I always believe that at the end of the day it comes down to the customer’s belief in you as well.” A long-time member of Bartercard, Julian completed his sales training with Qoin last October and says he’s been living and breathing it since, even to the point of having his car emblazoned with the Qoin logo. “I do love Qoin, you’ve got to really believe in it,” he adds. “We have a great support team, and my Master Agent Tony Brooks is great, you need a good Master.” Julian first dabbled in sales at the age of 20 and his most recent job involved training people on how to sell. He was brought into the Qoin ecosystem after an engaging conversation with Master Agent Steve Roberts. Since then, he has taken the digital currency concept and run with it. “At the beginning I just thought, right, I have got to approach the best businesses first, the people that are really good business-people, since then everyone’s been a referral,” Julian said.

Ruka is a driving force in NZ R

uka Te Moana is driven, driven by a belief in Qoin and its ability to ‘help everyday people have some prosperity in their lives’. “I signed up for the sales training in February, the initial plan for me was to do this part-time, but two days into it I realised Qoin’s vision, and I wanted to be a part of something awesome,” Ruka said from his base in New Plymouth. “I wanted to be a front-runner in terms of helping others get on board.” A secondary school teacher for a decade, Ruka then spent five years working on oil and gas rigs around the world before returning to New Zealand’s Taranaki region where he has since cemented himself as one of Qoin’s most productive Master Agents. “I explain it like this — there are cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin on one hand and fiat currency and credit cards etc on the other and Qoin is the bridge between the two — there’s really nothing else like it.” While Ruka has amassed 40-odd merchants of his own in the past six months, he also spent time supporting a small team of New Zealand agents. “I love helping people along and being a leader,” he noted. “I’ve really enjoyed that in my previous roles — it gives me a boost to lead by example.” Awarded sales champion for July, Ruka believes in setting realistic targets and showing people how the digital currency works.

With merchants covering everything from restaurants to builders and plumbers, Julian works alongside his stepson Matt and between them they prioritise regular visits to those SMEs in their patch.

“We’re doing a kitchen renovation at the moment, and we did some landscaping at home too and he wants to sign up; the sparky is on Qoin, the plumber’s on Qoin and I’m really close to getting the kitchen people on to Qoin, on a percentage basis – they just need to see it in action and see what you can do with it,” he said.

“Every Friday I pop in and see each of my clients and when I’m talking to someone new, I take them for a coffee and pay in Qoin so they can experience it straight away.”

“Between Taupo, Rotorua and Queenstown, there are a lot of Qoin options in New Zealand … it also helps to tell interested merchants about the positives coming out of Australia.”

It’s an approach that shows the practicality of the ecosystem. Julian and Matt also host client functions, and they’re reaping the benefits of the follow-through.

Buoyed by Qoin’s expansion into the UK and soon Singapore, Ruka and his team are excited about the future and showing no signs of slowing up in their bid to help make Qoin the most widely accepted digital currency.

NZ Conference

Dad’s Army from left: Sam Barnes, Mark Dawson, Tony Brooks, Julian Sayed and Blair Miller

he Bartercard and Qoin teams in New Zealand came together last month for a two-day conference that was held in New Plymouth. There were around 100 in attendance with plenty of time spent on the Qoin project and its future, along with some education around the history of Bartercard and a rundown on Qoinville – the home for the community. There was an awards dinner during the event with several sales gongs given for merchant registrations and pack and block sales. According to the Kiwi team most of those who attended came away from the few days with a sense of ‘coming together’. Others said it provided ‘a great opportunity to share ideas and hear about the exciting updates from Qoin’.

Tony is proud of his ‘Dad’s Army’ Q

oin Master Agent Tony Brooks fondly refers to his team of New Zealand agents as Dad’s Army.

diligence and opted in.

When we come up with challenges, we all come together and effectively figure out how we’re going to overcome them

“I’m actually the youngest member, and it can be hard to control them sometimes,” he said with a chuckle. “Seriously though, I’ve been lucky, I’ve got a team of guys who consistently perform and outperform the others because they’re older, they’re disciplined, and they’re experienced.”

Team Matador, as it is officially known, topped the Qoin sales leader board for June, with independently accredited agents Julian Sayed, Paul Noble and Blair Millar making solid contributions to get Tony’s team across the line. “Julian is consistently in the top two or three sales agents, he’s a legend,” acknowledged Tony. “These guys often contribute to the training and the way we should be doing things in the business, when we come up with challenges, we all come together and effectively figure out how we’re going to overcome them.” Tony joined Qoin just after Covid hit as his previous role in tourism as the manager of a commercial jetboating business was no longer tenable. His team is now split through the central North Island. He said Master Agent Steve Roberts approached him and the Qoin seed was planted. Not knowing ‘much at all’ about digital currencies, Tony went away, did his due

“It just took off under my feet,” he said. At the end of July Team Matador had just under 700 merchants on their books, all targeted and thought-out.

“We started off with hospitality, Julian owns a hotel himself, so we started off approaching accommodation and hospitality providers, and then we thought we need to have something for the ladies … so in order to get them into the ecosystem we needed to have options for them, so we went to massage therapists and boutiques and beauty salons. Then it was like what are we missing? So, we need tradies, and so it went on,” Tony explained. “It’s not a one-size fits all for everyone, you really have to do the work from your end to ensure that the client is going to be happy all the way through,” he said of the team’s approach to their merchants. Team Matador has welcomed Qoin’s expansion into the UK, and beyond over the next 12 months, Tony and his agents are looking forward to the confidence it will instil right across the ecosystem. “I believe in the model and Tony and Raj are very clever men, and we’re winning the race to be the first utility coin that can be traded for goods and services at scale.”

Wallet tips with Alix

id you know that within Qoin’s Q Shop there is the ability to list specific Products or Services? The Product and Services functions are similar to a ‘marketplace’ where merchants and users are able to list goods and services at a fixed price, payable by Qoin. There are currently over 2,500 products and 750 service listings within the Q Shop for merchants and users within the community to spend their Qoin on. These Q Shop categories are a great opportunity for a merchant to clear idle capacity stock that they are unable to sell via other distribution channels or to use as a control tool for selling goods on Qoin where they can limit the specific item(s) they wish to sell, the quantity and determine a price.

Refining your search For more specific results within the Q Shop, it’s best to refine your search. To do this, select your Qoin app on your mobile phone. Once you’re through to the homepage, select the Q Shop button, and this will take you through to your business, products, and services listings. Then click on the filter icon which will take you through to a new page. Here you can filter your options by category, address, and proximity. For example, select food and drinks if you’re looking for a restaurant. You can also type in your address and adjust the proximity slider to what which best suits you. Then you can click search again and this will take you through to all your relevant listings.

Service based merchants have been using the Service Listings to promote special offers or limited time only type promotions. Consumers have been using the Q Shop as a platform to sell excess goods from their home. Merchants can list products and services from the dashboard within their Qoin wallet or by logging in from their desktop. Users can request to list items with qshop@qoin.world. Listers should be specific with their listing, for example provide a succinct title, a good description of their product and/or service, the quantity available, pricing, the location of the goods or services and some high-quality images as these will help them secure a quick sale.

Reporting a listing If you’ve had some challenges with a listing on the Q Shop, you can report this to the team by taking the following steps. Open your Qoin wallet on your mobile device. Once you first have the homepage, you can then select the Q Shop button. This will take you through to the business, products and services listings. If, for example, you select products and go to the search bar and type in what you’re looking for. Once you select Search, you can then scroll down and find the listing that you’re looking for. Select that listing and then if you scroll down, you will notice that there is now a report button. Select the Report button and it will then ask you to outline what you would like to report about this listing. I’ve typed in wrong number. And then once you click Submit report, this will then go through to the Q Shop team to investigate this for you.

Listers can choose to provide contact details such as a mobile phone number and email as these will help facilitate communication with potential buyers, or they can choose to use the Direct Message functionality built into the wallet. Want everyone within the Qoin community to see your listing to encourage a quick sale? You can request to be included within the periodic Q Shop email direct marketing campaigns that go out to over 80,000 Qoin users within the community. To request this promotional support, email qshop@ qoin.world We’d encourage all Qoin merchants and users to take the opportunity to use the product and service listing functions within Q Shop; whether that be to clear some slow-moving goods or downtime within your business or some pre-loved items from the garage or around the home. Q Shop can help turn your excess into a digital asset!

Scan the QR code to watch our how to videos 22

Open the door to Q Club membership

he Qoin Association has recently launched Q Club – Qoin’s memberonly, value-added benefits and incentive program. It is available exclusively to eligible new and existing Qoin Merchants as our most important and valuable trading partners.

All status levels include the ability for you to provide your loyal consumers with their own Qoin wallets loaded with $50 worth of Qoin

Q Club memberships start from just $2,500 Australian or New Zealand dollars for the entry level Copper status and provide an exciting range of valuable benefits. These include the opportunity to reward 10 of your most loyal customers with $50 of value in a Qoin consumer wallet, access to Qoin College, a Qoin trading installation session with a digital trading expert via Zoom, a commemorative Qoin coin and some Qoin to spend to within the community.

service, finance, health and safety, IT, management, marketing, leadership and even blockchain and much more. It’s often several hundreds or even thousands of dollars for annual access to this sort of education and training course platform and it can be quite cost prohibitive for many small businesses, so this benefit alone is highly valuable for all levels of Q Club membership.

All membership status levels include a personalised Qoin trading set-up or consultation with a digital trading expert either via online conference or in-person depending on status level. This provides some key educational opportunities, exclusive spend options, expert consultancy, and guidance to get the best out of your Qoin journey.

All status levels include the ability for you to provide your loyal consumers with their own Qoin wallets loaded with $50 worth of Qoin to get them started. These can be used as a reward for key customers, as part of a promotional campaign or could be used to form the start of your businesses very own ongoing loyalty program, which you could continue to fund with the Qoin proceeds from your membership purchase or fund with Qoin earnings from selling your goods and services.

You can unlock even more benefits at the higher tier memberships such as the Gold, Diamond and Platinum levels. In addition to the above, you will receive advertising space within our digital version of Q Mag, as well as ongoing trading assistance and support to help you get the most out of Qoin. Depending on your membership status level, you will also receive a bonus quantity of Qoin to spend within the community.

All memberships include exclusive access to the Qoin Business College for 12 months with unlimited access to over 55,000 high quality professional and personal development online courses. Increase your skills and knowledge or those of your employees with courses in business basics, communication, compliance, customer

You can review the Q Club benefits table by scanning the QR code 23

YOUR EVERYDAY DIGITAL CURRENCY

SCAN THE QR CODE NOW AND GET STARTED FOR FREE!

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