Been trading for about 8 months now with decent results but struggling to get people to actually invest with me.
Most potential clients want to see years of track record before they even consider it. What approaches have worked for you guys when you were building your client base?
Focus on your own growth first
Managing investor funds is different from trading your own money. The pressure can mess with your mindset.
You might handle a 10% drawdown fine with your own cash, but feel panic when it’s someone else’s. This panic can hurt your decision-making.
Focus on growing your own account first. Get comfortable with larger positions before taking on that responsibility.
Eight months is too early to manage other people’s money. Most successful managers spend 3-5 years building their reputation before they attract real clients. You need a solid track record first. Use a third-party service to document your trades. Keep trading your own funds and aim for consistent growth. After 2 years of proven results, consider starting small with friends or family. Your performance will speak for itself - avoid sales pitches.
Skip investors for now. You need at least two full market cycles before anyone serious trusts you with their money. Eight months is not enough. You haven’t seen a real bear market or major volatility spike yet. That’s what separates actual traders from those who got lucky. Keep grinding with your own cash and document everything. Show consistent profits through different market conditions, then investors will come to you.
8 months isn’t nearly enough time. Keep trading with your own money and build up that track record first.
Been there, made the exact same mistake rushing to manage other people’s money after my first good year.
Reality check came hard during my first bad month with an investor. Lost sleep for weeks over normal market moves. Started overtrading to recover faster and just dug a deeper hole.
Document everything on MyFXBook or similar. Transparency builds trust over time. I posted my real results there after year two - helped big time when I finally took clients.
Don’t forget the legal stuff. Managing investor money means compliance headaches depending where you live. I looked into it and decided it wasn’t worth it for the small amounts I could realistically pull in early on.
Scale your own account first. Consistently grow a bigger personal account and investors will come to you naturally.
Start with friends and family money first.