Josh Akabum

When I was invited to a forex seminar via a WhatsApp group chat. I didn't have much expectation initially, but I had an open mind. When I saw all the earnings others made from the comfort of their homes, it was a WOW moment. I came from a failed MLM background, so to me this was the perfect business — you didn't need to convince anyone to join before you make money.

Trading is still at its early stages here. The predominant belief is that you should get good grades, secure a government job. In my early years, most people including family didn't understand what I was doing — anything related to making money online was considered SCAMMING. On top of that, we face infrastructural challenges like electricity outages and poor internet — your trade can fill several seconds late and those seconds can make all the difference.

I don't personally think ICT is superior to all other methods — I know traders who make money with other systems. But for me, ICT has context and logic that most retail systems lack. With other systems it's usually just patterns with no framework behind them. ICT and Smart Money concepts give you the reasoning for why price moves a certain way at certain levels. That logic made all the difference for me.

Go BIG or Go Home — meaning I tell you already: it can go both ways, and you must be ready to accept either outcome and still walk with your head up high. Before any flip I define the risk and accept it before taking the very first trade. With my 7+ years of experience I've come to recognise patterns that repeat themselves — based on my stats I turn successful 7 times out of 10. That experience reduces the psychological pressure significantly.

The EBP — Engulfing Bar Play — from the daily timeframe.

To create awareness at the local level in Cameroon and make youth understand they don't have to wait for government help. Trading is a business anyone can study and make a livelihood from. I want to open several trading hubs and academies throughout Cameroon and Central Africa. I derive fulfilment from seeing people's success stories after my training.

1. Don't try to figure it out alone — find a mentor with proven results. 2. Don't quit your day job just to focus on trading until trading is paying all the bills. 3. Stop looking for public validation on your growth — no social media posting after small wins, keep it humble and grow at your own pace.

I lost $4,500 — about 3 million XAF — in a single day. That was 2-3 years of savings from my former job. It started with a $750 loss, then I revenge traded and overleveraged trying to recover, and ended up losing everything. That day I learned my lesson in the most painful way possible. I won't ever forget that loss.

If knowledge and information isn't transferred, then the entire society is doomed. Teaching, communities, interviews and tournaments are means to create awareness and transfer knowledge to the next generation. Those who think a profitable trader should just sit quietly and compound wealth — to me they are the true selfish ones.