How I Made My First 1.5 Million Dollars in Four Months and Then Almost Lost Every Cent
It’s 2017, I’m a broke college student working at Starbucks, worried about paying off student loans. I’m not sure what I’m going to do after university: school is boring, but I don’t want to make lattes for the rest of my life. Because I have to work, my grades are tanking, my family is upset, and everyone thinks I’ll be nothing.
Broke, worried, and desperate, I decided I needed a way to escape.
Early 2017, Bitcoin is worth 1,000 USD. It’s gaining some traction, but most people immediately label it a scam. With promises of quick money and no other solution, I started tracking the chart.
Fast forward a few months and Bitcoin has doubled in price, hitting 2,000 USD. FOMO hits hard, so I scrape together my ten-thousand-dollar net worth from my savings and decide this is my escape. Bitcoin gave me something I didn’t have anywhere else in my life: hope.
Young, dumb, and broke me at the time didn’t think of “risk management” or the consequences. With minimal knowledge, big balls, and hope, I took a risk: long BTC, 20x leverage, ten thousand dollars.
At the time, I was only hoping to make at most double my investment, but my perspective quickly changed. By December that year, my almost five-Bitcoin position is worth 1.5 MILLION dollars. I still remember the feeling of closing that trade—it was like buying my future. In that moment, I decided, fuck Starbucks, I’m going all in on this opportunity.
I felt invincible, untouchable, and unsurprisingly, this is where things went wrong for me. By this point, Bitcoin had dropped down to 12k. I naively thought I would quickly catch the dip and make 8 figures. I was inexperienced; I didn’t know the risks of leverage on the downfall. I only knew the upside. I watched my 1.5-million-dollar portfolio turn into 300k in a week.
I had no job, no support, I had dropped out of college, and I was down 1.2 million dollars. I had to close the trade. Most people would’ve stopped at this point, but I didn’t. I reflected, I sharpened my emotions, and waited until what felt like the perfect time.
To make a long story short, I bought in at 3k. I risked 300k, my future, and my family’s hopes in one trade. Less than a year later, I bought my family a house and owned an AP.
Trading is brutal, 99% of people lose, but most people stop before they win. I could’ve easily become another statistic - but I refused to accept that. Before I was in the one percent I believed I was the one percent and that’s what kept my trading during my lowest moments.