If you are about to switch
If you're thinking about making the switch
Leo's advice for traders stuck in the prop grind? Start small—but start seriously. Whether it's €500 or €1,000, what matters is the system, not the size. He didn't need massive capital. He needed consistency, patience, and a clean mental game.
Use your prop skills—especially risk management—to structure your live trading plan.
Build monthly goals in % terms, not € amounts.
Withdraw small profits to stay motivated and grounded.
Track everything: trades, emotions, mistakes, wins.
Don't try to prove anything—build what works.
Today, Leo still trades part-time, gradually grows his live account, and helps other traders on Reddit and Telegram avoid the traps he fell into. He's not chasing dreams. He's building capital—for real.
Want to follow Leo's exact steps?
Download a demo app and build your own transition plan—especially if you're starting with €500–€1,000.Thin
Burned out by endless prop firm challenges? See how one trader turned a payout into a growing live fund.
Scaling a live fund from €600
Scaling a live fund from €600
Most traders believe you need € 10,000+ to start trading live seriously. Leo proved otherwise. With a €600 balance, a €5 max risk per trade, and consistent discipline, he started compounding slowly. “I treated it like I was still under prop rules—tight, clean, no ego,” he said.
He stuck to just two pairs: EUR/USD and GBP/USD.
He made 1–3 trades per week based on clean, repeatable setups.
He added €100 from his monthly income every two months.
Average monthly returns were 4–6%—a slow rate, but one that compounds.
He withdrew small profits occasionally to keep it real and stay motivated.
By month five, he was over €1,100. No magic. No flips. Just consistency. “Seeing the account grow slowly—but knowing it’s mine—was the best feeling I’ve had as a trader,” Leo said.
Why trading your own money hits different
Prop accounts gave Leo volume—but trading his own money gave him clarity. “When it’s your money, you take your time. You respect the process,” he said. With no pressure to perform for a firm, Leo’s psychology improved drastically.
He stopped overtrading and felt less emotional after losses.
He developed a tighter, more repeatable system (2–3 setups max).
He became okay with sitting out the market when it wasn’t ideal.
He treated his account like a business, not a lottery ticket.
Most importantly, he felt in control of his trading activity for the first time.
Leo says that what started with just €600 is now a long-term personal project. “I’ll keep growing it for years. No more passing challenges. I’m building something that’s mine.”
From challenges to chaos
From challenges to chaos
Leo got into trading, like many of us, through YouTube. He later found prop firms and thought they were the perfect shortcut to trade "big money" without having big savings. Over the course of two years, he passed three prop firm challenges from FTMO, The Funded Trader, and another smaller platform. But every time, he hit the same wall: strict rules and emotional burnout.
"I'd hit 10% in a demo and get funded, but one or two bad trades would kill the account," Leo told us. "You're always under pressure. You're not trading freely. You're surviving."
After his third reset, Leo decided it wasn't worth the emotional cost. With his last payout of €600 in March, he made the jump to live trading—with no external rules, no resets, and no split payouts.
Key takeaways from prop trading
Strict risk management became second nature—Leo still risks only 1% per trade.
He uses a structured trade journal with notes on emotions, setup quality, and outcomes.
Drawdown awareness helped him avoid overconfidence in his live trades.
He learned to stay patient and selective—no FOMO trades.
Most importantly, he stopped thinking in terms of payouts and started thinking in terms of equity curves.
Prop trading gave Leo structure, but it didn't give him the freedom he needed. With his own capital, he says, "I finally feel like I'm building something real."
Last Update
29.9.25
HOME > FAQ
HOW I BUILT MY LIVE FUND AFTER PROP TRADING
We spoke to Leo (name changed), a Colombian engineer living in Spain, who reached out to share his experience of transitioning from trading for prop firms to managing his own capital. Tired of resets, drawdown traps, and payout delays, he took his final €600 payout and turned it into a slow but stable live account. With his permission, here’s a look at how he did it, what changed, and why building your own fund might be the smarter long-term path.