Many new traders are asking: with only a few hundred dollars, how can I survive in this market?

Honestly, the easiest trap for small funds to fall into is chasing quick profits. The market is never short of stories about getting rich overnight, but what’s lacking are traders who can last long enough. I’ve seen too many people, starting with $1,000, desperately chasing 10x returns, only to have their accounts wiped out by a single adverse move.

Recently, I met a fan who started with $800 and took 42 days to steadily grow it to $45,000. The key wasn’t that he was particularly smart, but that he adhered to one principle: **Pace is more important than capital**.

This fan taught me a four-step method, which is simple to say but hard to do—because the difficulty lies in whether you can truly control greed during execution:

**Step 1: Divide into three parts, discipline first**
Start with $800, split into three portions. Use only one-third to enter a position, while the remaining two parts act like a "sea anchor," staying put. Never touch the market without a clear signal—no adding to positions, no bottom fishing, no stubbornly holding through losses. Many people fail at this step because they see market movement and can’t resist deploying all their ammunition.

**Step 2: Only pursue high-probability opportunities**
Range-bound markets? Stay out. Wait until a trend emerges before acting. If you can’t catch the entire move in one go? No problem—divide it into three parts, nibble at each, and accumulate small wins into bigger ones. The benefit of this approach is maintaining a calm mindset, because there’s always a next opportunity.

**Step 3: Let profits compound, cut losses ruthlessly**
If the first trade earns $100, then for the second trade, add that $100 to the original capital and invest again. Gradually increase your position size, but always within controllable limits. Remember: profits are made by compounding, not gambling. Also, set strict stop-losses—once triggered, close the position immediately, no hesitation.

**Step 4: Take profits when the time is right, be content and happy**
When others are getting wiped out, that’s when we take profits and exit. When others chase highs, we’ve already secured our gains. Doubling your money is just the final result; the core goal is simple: stay steady, control your trades, and exit precisely.

Many small-cap traders are more impatient than anyone else—opening trades recklessly, setting stop-losses casually, losing more and more, then trying to recover, falling into a vicious cycle. In fact, trading isn’t about gambling; it’s about rhythm. To survive long-term and earn steadily with small funds, the first step is to learn how to stay alive, then focus on growth.

Details determine success or failure. How you split your positions, how you seize opportunities, how you control the rhythm—these are the skills that can save you two years of losses. Market opportunities are everywhere, but only if you’re still in the game.