“Never listen to anyone; find your own way,” says Fintokei Star Bartosz from Poland

Hi Bartosz, and welcome to Fintokei Stars! How did you get into trading? What made you decide to pursue this activity?

I always liked the idea of an adrenaline experience, which can reward you with financial independence. That is, if all goes according to plan.

And did it?

Well, my first plan was to take 1,000 PLN, deposit it with a broker, and copy trades made by a famous Polish trader on US100. And that I did. The fact that I lost the whole deposit because the market went the other way is a different story. 😀

Yeah, it seems to me that the plan could use some tweaking. 😀

You’re absolutely right. But hey, it was my first experience, I had no real knowledge, and I thought that trading was easy money (it never is!). This is the idea you get about trading if you watch too many YouTube trading gurus.

I mean, you’re not the first nor the last person to do this. What’s important is how you manage to get back up from this experience. So what did you do after that?

I started developing my own strategy. After the failed attempt at copying the trades of others, I thought to myself that this was not the right way. If I were to continue, it had to be on my terms, with my own trading strategy.

FREE E-book: How to start with prop trading

Discover the secret to the discipline that turns everyday people into well-paid pro traders. Learn how prop trading works – and how you can start your own journey.

So you didn’t have anyone to help you?

No, and I didn’t want to, honestly. I mean, I watched YouTube videos and interviews with famous traders. I had my favourite YouTube trading channels – the usual stuff. But that was about it.

So you’re really self-taught. Could you tell us a little bit about the trading strategy you’ve developed?

It’s nothing fancy. I would say it’s relatively calm, repetitive, and borderline boring, even. 😀 The strategy is based on technical signals. I look for clear higher highs, then place a Fibonacci retracement from the low to the high. I enter if the price pulls back to the 50%–61.8% range, take profit at 0%, and stop loss at 85.73%. When going short, it’s the same logic, just reversed: lower lows and Fibonacci drawn from top to bottom.

I try to keep a 1:2 RRR for each trade, and I must say that my win rate is over 50%, which I’m quite proud of.

Boring? C’mon, isn’t there at least some satisfying aspect?

Yeah, there definitely is! When I manage to predict market moves with high precision, that’s the good stuff for me. 😀 Other than that, I try to be devoid of any emotions during trading, that’s what I mean by “boring”. It helps me handle losses, manage stress, and avoid other traps of trading psychology.

Despite having your emotions turned off during trading, do you remember your first win at Fintokei?

Oh, you bet I do! It was my first payout with Fintokei, and that day I felt really proud of myself.

How did you learn about Fintokei in the first place?

I didn’t have much capital to trade with, so trying prop trading seemed like a logical thing to do. I was comparing a few other prop firms, but Fintokei had one of the most affordable and flexible trading programs. I tried your challenge, and the rest is history.

Did Fintokei change the way you live?

I wouldn’t necessarily say so. I still work a full-time job, and trading is my “side hustle”. I still trade DAX when Frankfurt opens, from 9:00 till 10:00, and then NASDAQ with the opening of the US markets, from 15:30 to 17:00. Still looking for the same setup, still taking the same trade.

So, you try to keep things balanced in your life?

Precisely. I’m engaged, I have dogs, grow my own vegetables, ride a bike, and try to explore new interests whenever something catches my eye.

Bartosz, thank you for your time. Is there anything you would like to say to those who are trying to succeed in trading as you did?

Never listen to anyone; find your own way.