Irwin’s Journey of Four Years of Setbacks

By Scott Geekie
November 14, 2022
9:46 am
Funded Traders

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Irwin, a trader from the Philippines, shares his remarkable journey to becoming a CTI Portfolio Manager. After four years of struggling, making common trading mistakes, and experiencing several failed funded accounts, Irwin finally developed a winning strategy and disciplined mindset that allowed him to pass CTI’s evaluation. In this interview, he discusses how he overcame his challenges, refined his trading strategy, and offers advice for traders still facing similar obstacles.

Field	Details
Program	CTI Funded Account
Result	PASSED ✅
Account Size	$50,000
Risk Per Trade	0.25% initial, scales to 0.5% on confirmation
Trading Hours	3:00 PM – 6:00 PM only
Trading Style	Sniper approach (selective, high-conviction entries)
Validation	✅ Validated by CTI Risk Team

Irwin’s Background in Trading

Irwin started trading four years ago and went through many struggles, including falling for Telegram signals, being scammed, and blowing multiple accounts. It wasn’t until he decided to take matters into his own hands, developing his own trading strategy, that things began to change. Through trial and error, he learned how to remove emotions from his trading and focus on executing a solid trading plan with proper risk management.

Developing Discipline and Mindset

Irwin emphasizes how becoming disciplined and focusing on setups was the key to his success. He now sticks to a strict trading schedule, trading only between 3 PM and 6 PM. He has trained himself to avoid over-trading and chasing the market, a shift that transformed his trading style. Irwin compares his evolution to becoming a “sniper” rather than shooting at will, ensuring that he only takes trades that meet his setup criteria.

Irwin’s Trading Strategy

Irwin’s strategy involves using a combination of EMAs, Elliott waves, and order blocks, with the stochastic indicator as a confirmation tool. He begins with small trades and scales into his positions when the market confirms his analysis. His strategy prioritizes managing risk over chasing big gains, which has led to his success as a funded trader.

Overcoming Setbacks

Irwin shares how his biggest struggle was staying consistent and avoiding emotional decisions, particularly when he was close to giving up. He advises traders to stop chasing the perfect strategy and to focus on finding one that works, testing it, and following it consistently.

Advice for Struggling Traders

Irwin’s key piece of advice is to develop and stick to your own trading strategy rather than relying on external signals or trying to get rich quick. He emphasizes the importance of patience, risk management, and emotional control. Irwin also stresses the need to treat trading like a business, especially when managing prop firm capital.

Experience with CTI

Irwin praises CTI for helping him remove emotions from trading and focus on managing percentages rather than obsessing over the dollar amount he could make. He believes trading with CTI’s funded accounts has helped him succeed where he might have failed using his own capital. Now, as a CTI Portfolio Manager, he is ready to scale his account further.

Conclusion

Irwin’s journey showcases how perseverance, self-discipline, and a solid trading plan can turn even the toughest trading challenges into success. His story serves as inspiration for traders looking to build a sustainable trading career.

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Scott Geekie

Scott Geekie is CTI’s Chief Marketing Officer, focused on growth and retention in prop trading. He has spent 8+ years inside the model — progressing from trader to intern, client relations, marketing manager and now CMO, a path that spans the full trader lifecycle: who a firm attracts, how traders behave once funded, and what actually drives long-term retention rather than short-term spikes. That perspective shapes how CTI grows: deliberate about who it brings in, attentive to behaviour beyond conversion metrics, and mindful that in this model small changes compound quickly. Scott is Certified in Content Marketing, SEO and AEO, and is the author of ‘The Trader in the Chair: A Story for Anyone Who’s Bled Quietly at the Charts.’

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