The Optimal Beginning: Building, Learning, and Growing Together

Hey everyone,

I’m excited to kick off this blog, where I’ll be sharing everything—the wins, the losses, the experiments, and the lessons—as my team and I build our first e-commerce business from the ground up. If you’ve ever been curious about starting an online store or navigating the world of crypto, you’re in the right place.

This is a real, unfiltered journey, and the goal is simple: learn, adapt, and grow—and bring you along for the ride.

Who Am I & Why This Blog?

I’m Carlos Lenis, founder of Optimal, a project dedicated to making everyday life easier through smart solutions. My first big project was an open-banking-enabled budgeting app (think RocketMoney, Monarch, etc.), designed to help people track and manage their money effortlessly.

The app made it to 85% MVP completion before I had to hit pause in mid-2024 to reassess my priorities. The vision is still alive, and I plan to outsource the final development to a team in an emerging market soon.

But in the meantime, I wanted to tackle something different—something immediately actionable and scalable.

E-Commerce: Building a Business from Scratch

Let’s be real—making money online is one of the most talked-about topics today. The easiest way to get started? Selling products on social media.

But here’s the catch: I don’t have an audience. My team doesn’t either. We’re starting from absolute zero.

Rather than seeing this as a setback, I see it as a challenge worth documenting. How do you build a brand, find products, and grow sales when no one knows who you are? That’s exactly what we’ll be figuring out.

The First Business: Exotic Candy Resale 🍬

People already love candy, so the goal is simple:
✅ Offer unique, hard-to-find flavors that people have never tried
✅ Target people who already enjoy sweets—women, kids, and candy enthusiasts
✅ Dial in the logistics—pricing, sourcing, fulfillment

Right now, we’re focused on supply chain and marketing strategies, and I’ll be sharing what works, what flops, and how we adjust along the way.

Crypto: Making the Markets Accessible

Beyond e-commerce, crypto is another passion of mine. It’s rapidly evolving, and while institutions are moving in, there’s still a massive opportunity for everyday people to get involved—if they know what they’re doing.

The problem? Most people don’t. The crypto space is flooded with hype, technical jargon, and outright scams. That’s why I want to bridge the gap and make crypto understandable, accessible, and practical for retail participants.

Here’s how I’ll approach it:

1️⃣ First, we focus on the fundamentals. We’ll cover blue-chip projects like Ethereum, Solana, and Base—breaking down why they matter, how they work, and what role they play in the ecosystem. This isn’t about blind speculation—it’s about understanding the foundation before diving deeper. (The first post on Ethereum (ETH) is dropping today!)

2️⃣ Then, we explore the riskier side—strategically. There’s a place for higher-risk, “degen” opportunities, but most people approach them the wrong way. Instead of reckless gambling, we’ll take a calculated approach—analyzing odds, managing risks, and making informed bets. It’s about playing the game intelligently, not just throwing money into hype.

Crypto is still early. If you know where to look and how to think, there’s a real chance to build something meaningful.

What You Can Expect from This Blog

I’ll be posting once a week in three categories:
🟢 Talking Points – Business insights, industry trends, and thought-provoking discussions
🟠 Crypto – Market updates, project breakdowns, and how to take smart risks (ETH post coming later today!)
🔵 E-Commerce – The step-by-step journey of building a profitable online store (First post goes live Monday at lunch!)

This blog isn’t about selling you a dream—it’s about showing the process, making sense of complex topics, and learning in public.

If you’re interested in starting an online business, staying ahead in crypto, or just watching someone build from scratch, stick around. Let’s figure this out together.

Carlos Lenis
Founder, Optimal