I recently purchased the dot card that is advertised on TikTok a lot and my initial thought was people can do this themselves if they were smart. The technology to pull this off is already out there and has been out there for years.

Many don’t remember but around 11 years ago, I wrote an article on creating a loyalty card business where you can create customized cards for businesses and offer them on a rack to shop locally.  Those cards had a scratch off on the back to read the serial number and get the secret activation code on the purchase receipt. 

The dot card uses a similar technology stack and looking at the dot card setup, this can definitely be a DIY project to build up a networking empire. The good part is it is not hard and pretty much you can get the cards and reader/writer on Amazon and BNPL instead of paying upfront. The digital site can be any theme package and also use Gemini or Claude or the free Qwen code on LM Studio or Ollama. 

In this article, we are going to discuss how to use an Afroasiatic implementation of this technology to create your own card networking platform and brand. The goal is to help you create your own self-ecosystem brand and build up a network of your own and use your networking card scheme to sell advertisements. 

The Network Effect Business Model

The business card will grow through the network effect by serving as a conduit. One person shares their card with another person and redirects to their profile page. They order their own card and create their profile page and start sharing and more and more connects are signing on to your platform. 

You will begin to see a pattern of people who actually network with each other and can spread word of mouth and have similar interests. Now you got a demographic to focus on marketing and advertising opportunities. You also have multiple revenue streams to make off these networked people in a local area to support local businesses. 

The Components

The major components are NFC touchpoints and a profile-based web site.  The NFC touchpoints can be in the form of a keychain, a wristband, or a wallet size card. One thing I did not like about the dot card was that anybody can scan your NFC without you knowing it and see your profile and phone numbers and social media links. 

One smart design would be to have a code like trying to use the bathroom at Starbucks that has to be spoken in order to access the profile page. Then they have to register to add this person to their profile or lose access to viewing profiles. 

The web site in my opinion should not be a one-page profile, it should look like a professional personal page with links and photo gallery and status like a more advanced social networking site - SNS - you can tell who is living that Japan life. 

Then there is one more web site - an admin template that let you look at analytics to see where your card is being networked and the density. This helps you target those areas with offering advertising and leads for local merchants.

Also consider tools like a newsletter of local events and meetups, how to network and market yourself in spaces and even offer subscriptions to motivation quotes generated by AI. 

Create Your Card/Device

The blank PVC NFC cards cost around $1USD to $1.50USD per card. Considering that you see them being sold for $20 to $30 as a networking card means there is a 2000% markup from cost - not a bad profit margin. 

For the logo, you can use a card printer to write your logo or you can use a service to print your logo on each card during the bulk order. The best option may be to get mass-printing of the NFC with a logo and start there instead of a blank card and try to slap a logo on it. 

The cards should be programmed with a full URL to the profile web site, meaning you may need to create the id of the profile page ahead of time to put on the card. The problem with that is the card scam going on where thieves steal the cards, get the number and put the card back on the shelf and wait for it to be used again or activated then start spending on it. 

One way to protect your cards from this kind of tampering is to generate a second code from the receipt which is the activation code. If they do not have an activate code, they cannot activate the card. But there is another benefit to this. 

Once they activate the account, you want to make sure they cannot change the name or have to pay to change the name so they don’t resell the same card and that money goes to them and not someone else. You disable the activation code and lock the profile to that user to that one card and avoid secondary markets for your cards. 

Create Your Web Site

The social profile web site template can be bought at a low-cost off the Internet. Another option is to have an AI platform generate a profile page for you. But you have to understand how to link data to the web site - AI can help you with that. 

It is recommended you use a key/value database where the ID is a key and the data is a JSON format of the entire profile page. You also need a key/value of the media files and link the ID to that media file to show profile pictures and more photos. With AI, it’s best to plan your site structure out in a general sense with example screenshots and ask to create you a similar profile site. 

Another suggestion is to use Google and Apple SSO to login and don’t roll your own login scheme for a site like this. Again, ask AI to generate this kind of login for you and ask it how to get setup with a token for the SSO connection. 

You also need a payment provider like Stripe or Authorize to charge for premium services. These could be enhanced profile pages and advertising. 

Kick It Off

So you realize this does not cost a lot of money to setup and it basically promotes itself once you get the right customers who need this to network with each other. You also set up the payment system to make sure you get money in your pocket and can eat at your table. The next question is how are you going to kick this off? 

The best way is to get your card sold locally at social events and trade shows. You offer an introductory price because if one person buys one, they can talk to someone else at the event and that person will want one as well. 

Another avenue is influencers - give them a complimentary copy for free. Now, let’s define an influencer because we are not talking about some social media character. Most social media characters are losers and loners and spend their time talking into a webcam for likes and views they cannot hug or go fishing with. 

You want the socialites who are connecting with people at the party or the gala - you gift them with one of these and talk to them directly as a gift. Be mindful some influencers or socialites are snobby and nobody really like them - that’s not the one you want. You have to discern and look for real ones who actually exchange cards with other people and have a high contact like a headhunter or insurance salesperson or a lawyer. 

But the best promoter is yourself - you get out there and don’t tell them you own the card company but exchange information with your card.

Growth and Development

The revenue opportunity is nice and Afroasiatic. Once you see the network is growing, you have real people, real leads to offer local businesses in communities where you card is strong. 

I would not sell banner advertising for example - what I would do is a buying club model with perks like the platinum card programs. These would be coupons to shop at merchants, priority seating at a local restaurant, early access to digital product releases like music and e-books. 

The perks win on both sides. You can have merchants enroll into your perks program for a monthly fee and they can offer promotion campaigns to get your highly networked customer base to do business with them and spread word of mouth. 

But you also can charge a premium card fee for $200/year perks where a card member can get access to clubs and lounges, deals and discounts with merchants, stronger ID verification with a checkmark on their profile page, and enhanced features on their profile site. 

This is a great way to have elite customers that are great for both customers paying premium and offering them to merchants to shop at without advertising directly at them. 

In summary - I didn’t tell you to buy a dot card and be a consumer - I’m showing how to run the empire yourself. And you should already know the scale will go out to Dubai, Tokyo, Bangkok, London, Seattle and more. You can also offer multilingual profiles that translate in other languages to network that way as well. 

The sky is the limit with this business model and I would suggest you take it serious as a revenue stream as part of your cash flow portfolio.