Personal Notes Series 020 : Ikigai

Whenever I open my personal mentorship program to the online public, automatic na yan na lalabas mga haters and I'd get multiple reports and screenshots from supporters and friends.

"Sino ba siya? At anong credentials nya?"

"Ang mahal! Nagbabayad ba yan ng TAX?"

"Wag kayong magsayang jan, daming free sa Youtube!"

"Mas malaki kita sa Mentoring kesa sa trading!"

"Marketing lang lahat yan! Esp yung RAKs!"

"Group ng photoshop trolls!"

"Talo nya pa mga LEGIT!"

"SCAM!"

The list goes on... 🙈

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As far as I know (since 2013), I was one of the pioneers in our country to advocate/provide online stock market mentoring services both free and paid. Mas uso kasi dati yung:

- newsletter and stock pick subscription services

- physical seminars

- fund management

- of course, there were also a few people who were generous enough to share free lessons via blogs and forums 

Sino nga ba ako? I was just another rookie in the markets. When I considered some of the points ng mga bashers eh valid din naman. Wala akong credentials and heck! hindi pa Finance/Market-related course natapos ko. I graduated HRM - ang layo ano?

Hindi uso magpakita ng port snapshots or ledgers noon - unlike now. And my belief at that time was this:

"Pics or it didn't happen."

Dami kasi guru-guruhan dati. How would I know kung sino yung legit kung di magpapakita ng results? Today, nakakatuwa when people ask me to show my port/ledger. I'm happy to have been a part of building this culture of skepticism. Anyways, I started documenting my port performance since August 2011. 

I guess this was the main reason why people got attracted to my persona and personal blog that time (I went by two other names: Korrection on Financemanila and Switchblade on Gen. Dessert Storm's Group) This was also the reason why I was able to attract investors that led to my 4M trading fund. Because results speak louder than words. And as my fund grew, so did my audience.

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2011 (TIE: Trader's Info Exchange) and 2013 (PIG: Philippine Investor's Group) were the pioneering FB Groups as far as I can remember. Shared some of my posts there using my real account. Sumikat (but not really) ako overnight sa isang notorious FB group because of a deal I made with one incoming student I had. Told him na if I get him 7% on a trade, he'll post a testimonial in the FB group that he's in about the service I'm offering. If you wanna read about it, here it is: 

https://zeefreaks.blogspot.com/2015/01/tale-of-tap.html

It was during the FNI fiasco (year 2015) when ZFT and online mentoring started to be extremely in-demand. If a Guru who had the money, influence, educational background, and inside info got beaten by a "Kusinero na walang alam" - and earned a million in 3 trading days on their favorite stock, na at that time at hangang ngayon downtrend, why can't others do it as well? 😄

I had my reasons then for charging 5-7% of people's total port (a story reserved to my students and some people) instead of charging fixed amounts. Then the Subasta/Auctioning of slots came as a result of people complaining na mahal daw yung % based. Parang taxi driver rate lang eh no? Kaya siguro SCAM hahaha. Kung magkano gusto nyo ibayad, para di galing sakin presyo. Ultimately I had to stop it dahil napagod na rin ako teaching since sunod-sunod yung mga batches and I thought sobra na rin if people would end up paying more than half a million for a mentoring program that wouldn't be of fair value.

When I stopped my program that time, I noticed dami na palang nagsilabasang online mentoring service - which I think is good. Pati ibang bashers ko dati, naging mentor narin at nagtayo ng sariling community hahaha

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If you ask me now about credentials, I still have nothing to show for it. Kakatamad mag aral to get a degree eh. Di ko naman siguro ma trade yung diploma ko for 1M-5M para sulit yung oras diba?

Sometimes I have the urge na mambara sa mga closed minded market experts.

"What's the use of your market expertise and years of fine education if you can't even translate what you know into profits?"

I only have my portfolio, experiences, and my former students to show for. Their success is my success - And most of them, hindi rin Finance/Market-related yung background, halos lahat ata represented - from seafarers, nurses, doctors, freelancers, call-center agents, businessmen, undergrads, etc. And this is why na reinforce yung belief ko that anyone can be a successful trader as long as you

- have a clear trading career goal set

- have the discipline to follow your trading rules

- have the persistence to go through the learning curve

- and this is optional, but genuine love for the craft. 

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I am a firm believer that you can be successful in the markets without a mentor. I am a product of this belief. And there's a ton of resources out there for you to be able to make it if you want to learn how to trade - rather than taking the route of the reco. Yun nga lang, be prepared because the tuition can be crazy. I probably lost 8 figures developing the system I use. My advice if you ever go this path: 

Learn risk management and be a master of a thousand cuts.

As I continually grow as a trader, I have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of ways to make money in the stock market and there is no one better way of doing things. Dati kasi akala ko yung system ko na yung pinakaswak to the point na nakikipag away na ako sa iba - which is such a waste of time. So focus on making money, not on appearing to be right.

I'm happy to see so many stock market literacy service providers now. Those that are way cheaper than what I offer. Marami din mas legit kung credentials lang ang basehan. Marami ring FREE. 

Kaya di ko gets why people are so offended by my posts, beliefs, trading strategy, and company. I guess it's just the internet age empowering the entitled mind. 

It's really a matter of preference. Some people would rather avail of personal mentoring and coaching than learning the ropes themselves or the traditional classroom type setup. So if you find my service and fees offensive, then obviously you're not my market.

If there's one important thing I've learned about the service industry, it's that people talk. If you have a great or terrible product, if you have a good or bad attitude, whatever it is that you have, it will eventually come out in the open and that will either make or break your business and reputation.

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Why do I still mentor and blog?

From a business perspective, It's foolish to teach your system to potential competitors. Not just in mentoring, but in trading itself - Imagine teaching someone who has bigger funds than you at nagkita kayo sa market - sakit nun pag naunahan ka sa buyup or pagnabuhusan ka. 

But I think this is the best job in the world. I love it! I get to talk and impart about my craft and get paid for it. And beyond the monetary compensation, pag naging successful at nagpasalamat yung mentee and most especially yung blog readers ko, it's one of the best feelings out there. That you changed a life for the better. It ultimately brings purpose in me - that I'm doing something right and I am where I'm supposed to be.

Being Zeefreaks [Trading, Mentoring, and Giving back] is my Ikigai. And no amount of baseless hate will stop me.



How about you? Have you found your Ikigai?