# 8 Years in Crypto: From Zero to Millionaire - The Real Playbook

After spending 8 years in the crypto space, going from nothing to a net worth of millions, my biggest takeaway is simple — there's no shortcut to making money, but there definitely is a playbook.

Many people ask me: how do I break through with less than 200k capital as a starting point? The answer is straightforward: don't mess around. Concentrate your firepower, execute one major wave per year, and wait for the rest of the time. Paper trading will never lose you money — get your feel for the market down before deploying real capital. The hard truth here is that one fatal mistake can knock you out of the game. So compared to how much capital you have, your knowledge and mindset are worth far more.

When good news drops and the market opens higher, that's your exit point — don't get greedy. Clear a portion of your position before holidays to guard against black swan events. That's a lesson I learned the hard way.

When it comes to execution, there are three core tactics:

**First tactic: Flexible mid-to-short term trading strategies.** Always reserve cash. Sell on rallies, buy on dips. Those with portfolio flexibility last the longest. This isn't rocket science — it's just the basic logic that you need to stay alive to make money.

**Second tactic: Only focus on volatility and volume.** Don't touch dead coins — the opportunity cost is too high. Instead, hunt for highly volatile assets. Large dips followed by sharp rebounds create opportunities. Time your entries right and profits flow naturally.

**Third tactic: Stop-loss is your life insurance.** For short-term trades, I use 15-minute candles with KDJ indicators to find entry and exit points simply and effectively. The moment the trend changes, I cut the loss. Capital in hand means you get another shot.

Don't overcomplicate. Master two or three methods and you'll eat well for life. Most people's problem isn't shallow knowledge — it's greed. These three tactics came from 8 years of real-world testing. Use them, and don't let time slip away.