In three weeks, I grew a $5,000 principal to $100,000—it sounds almost mystical, right? In reality, it’s all about mastering the concept of “slow is fast.”

During last year’s market run, I didn’t chase hot trends or go all-in. Instead, I used a “simple approach”: like a cautious turtle, only making moves when it was truly the right time. Today, I’ll break down this strategy—data, logic, and the pitfalls I encountered—laying everything out transparently.

**Start Light, Don’t Go All-In Right Away**
For my first trade, I only used 20% of my funds—$1,000—testing the waters with 3x leverage. Why? Because the market never follows your script. Once I made a $1,500 profit on that trade, I only added $500 to my position, and even reduced leverage to 2x.

I’ve seen too many people go full position from the start; when the market pulls back even a little, they get liquidated immediately. Your equity curve isn’t a straight line up—it climbs in steps.

**Hold Through Sideways Markets to Get the Real Gains**
Last month, BTC consolidated in a sideways range for a full two weeks. During that time, my chat groups were full of complaints: “The market’s dead,” “Can’t go up, can’t go down.” Many couldn’t resist trading in and out frequently, losing a chunk just to fees.

I just watched the key resistance at 111,000 and waited for 12 days. When the breakout finally came around 2 AM, I placed my order and caught 70% of the entire upward move’s profit. The truly profitable trades usually only come three or five times.

**The Liquidation Line Is Your Lifeline**
This needs to be highlighted separately. If BTC is at $108,000, my liquidation price is always set below $96,000—at least a 10% safety margin. Sudden wicks are common; you need to make sure your account survives even in extreme conditions.

I’ve seen people use 5x leverage and put their stop loss right at a round number, only to get wiped out by a single wick—no chance to recover. With leverage trading, survival is the only way to keep your options open.

**Lock in Profits—Don’t Just Dream Big**
No matter how good your account looks, it’s meaningless if you don’t withdraw. My rule: If I double my principal, I withdraw half and keep rolling the rest with profits. When my account hit $100,000, I withdrew $80,000 and left $20,000 to keep trading.

Money in your bank account is the only real profit.

**To sum it up in four rules:**
Don’t use more than 20% of your funds on your first trade; only add more after profiting.
Only trade at high-probability key levels—sit on your hands the rest of the time.
Set your liquidation price far enough away to give the market room for error.
Withdraw profits in batches—don’t try to get rich in one bite.

Simply put, leveraged trading isn’t about who’s bolder, but who can survive longer in the market. If you execute well, you could be the next to double your money.