The new-trader roadmap
No strategy until
the foundation is in.
Our crypto trading roadmap for new traders runs in six phases, in order, from getting your head right to running your trading like a business. It's how every new member of the Crypto Renegades Mastermind starts. No skipping ahead.
Why do most new traders skip straight to strategy?
Because strategy is the fun part, right? Position sizing is the most boring concept in trading... and it's the one that keeps you in the game.
So why do so many crypto gurus lead with the strategy anyway? Position sizing doesn't sell courses.
There are two kinds of new traders. One wants the setup today and figures out risk later. The other is willing to build the foundation first, even when it's boring. The first one usually learns the hard way, with real money. This roadmap is for the second one.
Here's what we believe. Almost any reasonable strategy can work once the foundation is in place: position sizing, risk to reward and profit factor. Then you follow your rules with discipline. That's a belief about process, not a promise about profit.
So the roadmap makes you EARN the strategy.
The six phases
In order. Every phase is there for a reason.
- 01
Phase 0: Mindset and security
Get your head right for the markets. Then lock down your accounts, before a single dollar moves.
- 02
Phase 1: The foundation
Systems, platforms, risk management, position sizing, contract sizing and risk to reward. This is where Bill's basics calls live. Skip this and nothing after it holds up.
- 03
Phase 2: Your first strategy
Pick one of our strategies. They work hand in hand, so a second one later builds on the first.
- 04
Phase 3: Mock trading
A demo account with no real money, and a trade journal to audit every trade. The milestone: grow the mock account to $10,000 before going live. It's a practice milestone, not a promise about real money.
- 05
Phase 4: Fit it to your life
Swing trading for a busy schedule. Intraday trading for a couple of focused hours a day. Or market structure on a long-term holding account, the least hands-on option.
- 06
Phase 5: Build the business
A daily structure you can repeat: what to check, and when. Treat it like a business, not a hobby.
Is the $10,000 mock account milestone real money?
No, and that's the point. It's a demo milestone in a practice account with no real funds. Hitting it shows you can follow your rules long enough to grow a practice account. It says nothing about what real money will do, and it's not a promise of real returns.
What it does do is make you prove the process before real money is on the line. Think about it. Would you rather find your bad habits with fake money or real money?
Where do new traders get hurt on the roadmap?
Two places.
The first is month one. The members who struggle early almost all skipped the same thing: the onboarding call, the roadmap and the first modules. Then they show up on a live call and take a trade with no idea what they're doing.
The second is what Chad calls stage 2.5, the gap between spotting setups and taking them with proper risk management. In his words, you've got "a $20,000 trading account," and you "go full tilt, day one," sizing off the little slider on your trading terminal and picking your contract count willy-nilly. Sometimes the position is way too big, sometimes it's too small. And a capital stack that would have been healthy to trade live with gets blown up. "We've experienced this many, many times, even in this Mastermind." That's why Phase 1 covers contract sizing before you ever pick a strategy.
Why does the journal matter so much on the roadmap?
Because your memory lies to you. A journal doesn't. Every mock trade gets logged: the thesis, the invalidation level, the size and how you managed it. A coach can review it with you, and you get to see the same mistake show up three times before it costs you a dime.
And don't grade your own homework. If you're stuck, or you can't tell whether a chart is right or wrong, send it in for feedback. As Chad puts it, "You can't self-graduate here."
The people who "don't need a journal" are usually just the people who don't want to see the pattern.
Which trading style fits my schedule?
- Swing trading fits a busy schedule. You're not glued to the chart all day.
- Intraday trading fits someone with a couple of focused hours a day.
- Market structure on a long-term holding account fits someone who mostly holds and wants a better read on when to add and when to take profit.
You don't pick the style first. You pick it in Phase 4, after the foundation and the mock account. Picking the style first is like picking paint colors before the foundation is poured.
Where does the roadmap live?
The full roadmap, with coaching at every phase, is part of the Crypto Renegades Mastermind. Phase 1 runs through the basics calls. Phase 3 mock trades get checked in trade and chart reviews. And the live sessions are where you watch every phase done in the real market. Want to start on your own? Read our free guide on how to learn crypto trading, or work through the 5-Day Trading Challenge in the Skool Community. Every option is on the services page.
Pick your door. The phases don't change.
Roadmap questions
Ours runs in six phases: mindset and security, the foundation, a first strategy, mock trading with a journal, fitting a trading style to your life and a repeatable daily structure. No strategy until the foundation is in.
As long as it takes you. Nobody moves you on before you're ready. This isn't a race.
Yes. Phase 3 is a demo account with no real funds and a journal. The milestone is $10,000 in the mock account before going live with real money, and it's a practice milestone only.
The full coached roadmap is part of the Mastermind. The Crypto Renegades Skool Community includes the 5-Day Trading Challenge, from account setup to your first trade.
Start at Phase 0.
Apply for the Mastermind and we'll start you at the right phase. Willing to build the boring part first? Then this was built for you. Crypto is risky, and nothing here is financial advice.
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