Hey, Traders,

When I first started trading, I thought it was all about speed: Click fast, get in fast, sell fast. 

After I found a good setup, I used to rush into the trade like the opportunity would disappear if I blinked. 

But what I learned is that patience and planning matter more than speed.

I began to realize that it isn’t just what we trade, it’s how we trade it.

Last time in Jack of All Trades, I discussed key aspects of my Seven-Figure Cycle, including:

• Relative volume
• Different kinds of chart candles, and 
• Types of breakouts. 

This time, I’ll walk you through the things I wish someone told me when I was starting out.

These are the little details that can save you lots of time — and money.

Let’s get into it. 

Cast Your Safety Net

One of the first big shifts in my process came when I started to understand order types. 

It sounds boring, but if you’re not thinking about how you enter and exit your trades, you’re setting yourself up to lose. 

Early on, I used market orders almost every time. 

I’d see a stock ripping, and I’d panic and hit “buy.” 

It was usually right when the stock was at its highest price, and then the price would drop just as fast. 

That’s when I learned to use limit orders instead. 

They gave me control. I could wait for my price, or skip the trade if the setup didn’t hold.

Stops are another tool that changed the game for me. 

I don’t mean random stops — I mean placing them based on the chart. 

Sometimes I’ll set a stop just under a key level. If that level breaks, I don’t want to be in the trade anymore. 

The old me would hold and hope. 

The current me would rather take a small loss than blow up my account.

Hold Your Horses

Before I place a trade now, I slow everything down. 

I look at the overall chart; if it’s messy, I move on. 

I want clean price action. I want to see volume coming in with each push — not dying off. 

And I always know where I’m wrong. 

I don’t enter unless I can point to a spot on the chart and say, “If it breaks below there, I’m out.”

The time of day matters too. 

I used to trade all day long, thinking more trades meant more chances to win. 

But midday action is usually dead. 

Now I focus mostly on the open and the last hour. That’s when the biggest moves usually happen.

And man, I’ve made all the rookie mistakes. 

I’ve chased green candles after a stock was already up 100%. I’ve doubled down on losers just to “make it back.” 

I’ve gone in too big on a setup I didn’t fully understand. 

It’s painful to admit, but those losses taught me more than the wins ever did.

What I learned is that no trade is worth blowing up your plan. 

The second you start breaking your own rules — even just once — it gets easier to do it again. 

And that’s a dangerous road.

Work That Plan

These days, every trade I take has a reason. 

I know my risk before I enter. I know what I want out of the trade — in dollars and in setup quality. 

If it’s not clean, I don’t touch it.

You don’t need to trade every setup or to be in the market all day. 

What you do need is a plan, the discipline to follow it, and the patience to wait for your moment.

In Part 3, I’ll get into how I track my trades, how I recognize patterns before they fully form, and what my exit process looks like.

That’s where the real money is made.

Talk soon,
— Jack