For most of my trading career, I thought the goal was to get funded. Pass the evaluation. Follow the rules. Grow slowly. Then take payouts.
I changed my mind.
I decided to “productize myself.” Why? Because the traders ahead of me who only climbed the prop firm ladder never kept their payouts. I need to chose myself instead.
Thomas Merton once said, “People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.” I didn’t want to depend on prop firm’s rules—rules that could change overnight.
You have 24 hours, one brain, one session. No matter how hard you trade, you can’t multiply yourself.
But something has changed.
AI now lets one trader with a laptop reach thousands. You can record a trading lesson once and sell it forever. Build a risk calculator once and sell it forever. Write about your funded trading journey and reach traders worldwide.
Warren Buffett said, “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.”
You now have access to code (build a simple tool) and media (share your process). If you’re still only trading for a split of a simulated account, rethink your approach.
You are the product. Productize your trading knowledge.
Naval said, “If I had to summarize how to be successful in life in two words, I would just say: productize yourself.” That means packaging your edge, experience, and psychology into something that works without you sitting at a chart.
You don’t have to quit funded trading. Start small: write a weekly email about prop firm strategies or daily loss limits. Two years later, you might have 5,000 subscribers. You still trade—but you’re not stuck staring at a 5-minute chart at 2 a.m.
Find what other traders ask you for help with. That gap is your specific knowledge.
All returns come from compound interest. One tweet doesn’t matter. Two hundred posts over three years builds trust. Most traders quit too early.
The goal is freedom. You don’t need permission from a prop firm’s rule changes. Pick one medium. Write. Record. Teach. Build. Think in years, not months.
As Seth Godin said, “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”
The prop firm industry will keep changing. Rules will shift. Payouts will drop. But if you productize your knowledge, you’re not just a funded trader—you’re independent.
“Earn with your mind, not your time.” — Naval
