Pietro ValastroVerified

I don't think it is necessarily because Order Flow itself makes you profitable.

There are two main points for me.

First, Order Flow is data. Obviously, your ability to interpret that data is what matters. But generally speaking, in almost every field, having access to more and better information gives you more inputs with which to make better decisions.

Second, there is a particular mindset that comes with studying and understanding market microstructure.

It creates a mentality of investigation, research and going deeper into the market. In my experience, that approach tends to be closer to a professional way of looking at markets.

David and I have completely different trading styles.

That said, I think his ability to manage risk in a championship environment is exceptional. His mental resilience and his ability to handle pressure are also clearly above average.

He is a great person and a great professional with a huge amount of experience. Even though our approaches are very different, I have a lot of respect for what he has achieved and for the way he handles competition.

In my personal case, my social media presence is practically unmonetized.

I don't sell courses, signals, mentorships or affiliate products. I have recently started working together with DeepCharts, the trading platform I have used for years, but until now my social media presence has actually cost me money rather than generated it.

Putting my personal situation aside, I think there is an important distinction to make: in general, trading content creators are usually more content creators than traders.

I get criticized quite often because of my age and the lack of experience that naturally comes with being young.

And that criticism is fair to a certain extent. I am young, and I do not have decades of experience in the markets.

But I don't see that as a problem. I am still studying, still training, and increasingly have the opportunity to learn from some of the best traders in the world.

The fact that I don't have decades of experience is a reality that I embrace rather than something that bothers me.

I hope to remain a lifelong student.

As I mentioned earlier, I won't compete again in a championship whose format does not meet my standards.

The Robbins Cup is a great competition in the sense that the results cannot simply be fabricated: it involves real money and the results are audited by the NFA.

However, I don't find the competition rules transparent enough for my standards.

In my opinion, the current structure can reward gambling-style risk-taking and big swings more than disciplined capital management.

If the format evolves to better reward the quality of trading and risk management, I would certainly reconsider competing.

First, I would get a job.

You cannot realistically expect to live from trading with $1,000. In my opinion, even $10,000 is not enough to make that a sensible decision, and even with $100,000, living exclusively from trading would probably not be advisable for most people.

Second, I would invest in education and study risk geometry, particularly how to use funded firms and external capital intelligently. As I generated withdrawals, I would progressively move those profits into my own personal capital.

Third, I would diversify my own capital across different operating models and strategies, allocating more capital to whichever models were performing best at each moment.

And above all: study, study, study. Work, work, work. Fall down and get back up, a thousand times, and then do it one more time.

That, for me, is the real process.