Jennie Hill is the CEO of Australian training company ‘Motorvation.’ In this article for Micky, she reveals what attracted her to crypto trading.
In late 2017, I became fascinated by the world of cryptocurrency, and dipped a toe into the water. I was immediately taken with how few women were involved, and wrote about this dearth several times.
After those pieces appeared, many women expressed interest in crypto, but few
became actively involved. This was because the information I gave was light-weight
and general, and also because I felt the women I talked to were invariably scared. I
totally got this, because I was, too: in fact, terrified. What kept me going was the
friendship of other women, and the conviction that this strange new world was the
way of the future.
However, my growing interest in crypto coincided in a market drop during 2018.
Many became disheartened and cut their losses. Not me. Instead, I met Craig Cobb,
whose trading courses (under the name TraderCobb) are designed to work no
matter the market conditions. That is, they don’t rely on making money from steady,
long-term increases in value (called HODLing), but from intermittent, short-term
peaks and troughs, which can be used to place short-term trades.
Craig’s courses appealed. While HODLing worked when markets were rising rapidly,
it hasn’t worked so well this year, while markets have been flat for months. Yet
there’s nothing wrong with the markets per se, only with investing the wrong way.
Craig’s methods involve investing for short periods: from an hour, to a few days. This
appealed as his strategies are based on structured tactics, not guesses. I also liked
that Craig doesn’t give trading signals: he teaches people how to trade rather than what to
trade, so they learn for themselves. This meant I could trade by myself and not
remain dependent on an expert.
I was still sceptical of it all working, however, so I signed up for the introductory
courses. And during these first sessions I became hooked, and moved onto
subsequent programs.
Why did I love it? I liked Craig’s enthusiastic style, which felt chatty and personal yet
also structured, repetitive and unapologetically exacting. I liked that he gives no
guarantees of success and is, in fact, highly risk-averse. This made him appear
honest and upfront, which was refreshing in an industry crammed with get-rich-quick
promises. Craig also offers different levels of involvement depending on budget, and
a lot of support. There are Slack groups for communicating with others, and almost-
daily new video, written information and podcasts on many topics. It feels like part of
a community, which was motivating. Crypto trading is, essentially, one person and
one computer, and adding a social dimension makes it more fun and more
absorbing.
Despite all this help, though, I was slower to get involved than I wanted to be. Partly,
this was a confidence issue: learning new skills in my fifties is daunting, and scary.
However, I pushed on through these personal fear barriers. It didn’t help that nearly
everyone else in the groups were men but this isn’t Craig’s fault and, in fact, he tries
hard to employ, showcase and encourage women.
Partly, this is just good business, as marketing to the entire population is obviously
smarter than to only half (although the wisdom of this does seem lost on most other
men in crypto). I got the genuine impression, though, that Craig really does want
more women involved because he dislikes seeing women miss opportunities: and in
this opinion, I heartily concur.
So finally, two weeks ago, I took a deep breath and placed my first trade. I was
nervous, but determined. I was sweating as I pushed the button to purchase the coin
I’d decided to trade, and although the amounts I’m starting with are relatively small –
because I don’t want to risk more while learning – it felt like I was betting the crown
jewels. Of course, this isn’t betting and there are ways to limit risk, but it still felt like a
jump off a very high cliff.
After the trade was placed I kept refreshing the page, and watched the coin price
move up slowly. This was nerve-racking but also fun. It didn’t feel like gambling,
because it isn’t: it’s using planned strategies to make market predictions. And,
because I’d put in many hours of study and revision, this worked. I made the return I
wanted, and cashed out of the trade. It felt really good.
Since then, I’ve placed two more trades. One didn’t work (I was what’s called
“stopped out”, meaning the platform sold the coins when they dipped below a point
pre-determined by me), and one made a small profit. But although my returns are
still small, the learning isn’t. I’m gaining knowledge every day, and watching the
market so I can look for more trades. I fully expect to be able to earn money doing
this, and perhaps very good money. The time I’ve spent learning has been like an
apprenticeship, and well worth the investment.
For anyone interested in changing careers or making extra, I highly recommend
investigating crypto trading further. Especially women, because so many are at
home with children or are carers or otherwise unable to work in regular employment,
or might be looking at supplementing lower-than-desired wages (and with the gender
pay gap, isn’t that nearly every woman?).
However, be careful how and with whom you learn. Many forms of trading are less
than useless, but some are brilliant. I’m so glad I found one that’s careful, credible
and relatively easy to learn. Thanks, Craig.
Excuse me, I’m off now to plan my next potential trade. It’s tough work, but
somebody has to do it…
This article was written by Jennie Hill, who is a genuine client of Micky’s commercial partner Trader Cobb.
SPECIAL OFFER: To celebrate International Women’s Day, Trader Cobb is offering a 30% discount on all education packages until midnight on Friday, March 15. For more details visit tradercobb.com.au
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