For those not quite to minnow yet... I have to say that that while it costs a little bit of coin, at current Steem price levels reaching minnow status is pretty achievable for many people (Wish I could say the relative threshold to achieve dolphin status was that easy, but I'll get there eventually 😉)
The crypto winter won't last forever, and even now seems to be showing signs of giving way to a bull cycle. If one believes in Steem's future, it's possible it may never be this affordable again...
It's not much more than $200, which may be affordable to some. I know people who have invested a lot more than that. If people show commitment but buying some Steem I may be able to give them extra votes
I make a lot less now than I used to or many here (the bear market has been brutal for my income), so I know it can be hard to commit money to this. But regardless, in the spirit of "put up or shut up", I just converted some of my mining income into STEEM and powered it ALL up, almost doubling my SP to just under 1000.
So... who's going to be the next one to power up? 😀