At Trendsignal, we’re proud of our achievements over the past 19 years in helping people learn to trade with confidence.
At the heart of our success is the technology we have created to identify high-probability trade set-ups and the rules-based strategies we have designed to help people take advantage of those trades.
But it’s more than that.
Helping people learn how to trade
Trendsignal’s success and reputation as a leading trading education company also depends on the key players in our team who help our members learn how to trade and make money with our tools and strategies.
Among them are our trading coaches who work alongside our members on our trading courses from Day 1 to ‘show them the ropes’ and teach them how to trade with our strategies.
Meet the team
I’d like you to meet some of the team, starting today with one of our coaching team, Mike Mullaney.
Before Mike joined us at Trendsignal, he was already a member of our Trendsignal Plus trading course.
I asked him a few questions to find out a bit more about his history as a trader, his experience and even what he would say to you to help you on your own trading journey.
I started by asking Mike what he likes about Trendsignal…
ADRIAN: So, Mike, let me put you on the spot here. You’ve been with us at Trendsignal now for the best part of 10 years, helping our members learn how to trade. So, something’s clicked for you. Can you tell me a few things you like about Trendsignal – about the company and what we do?
MIKE: Yes, sure. Well, first of all, it’s got to be about the trading and the methods we use.
ADRIAN: OK, and what do you like about them?
MIKE: I’d say it’s the repeatable, easy-to-follow rules for entries our strategies have. That and the proven track record. Frankly, using rules-based entries has transformed my results. And I have Trendsignal’s trading methodology to thank for that.
ADRIAN: That’s great to hear and validates our core mission to make trading simple with our rules-based approach. Anything else?
Helping ordinary people learn to trade
MIKE: Yes, I also like the way we, as a company, make trading accessible for ordinary people. When I began trading, some 23 years ago now, I felt like there was a certain stigma attached to financial markets. That it was for City professionals only and it was quite inaccessible to ordinary people.
ADRIAN: I absolutely agree with you there. It’s at the root of how Trendsignal came about all those years ago. With the growth of online trading, Jerry (Miller, Trendsignal’s founder) wanted to empower people to trade with confidence from home. And to be able to get some of what the professionals had had to themselves for so long.
So, how do you feel we are helping people learn to trade, Mike?
MIKE: Well, with the right mindset, anyone should be able to become a successful trader. Over the years, through coaching and meeting different people, Trendsignal has evolved to meet the needs of traders at every level of experience. We can help beginners and more experienced traders alike. I see that all the time in the coaching I do.
ADRIAN: And do you see there being a secret to that success?
MIKE: I’d just say that Trendsignal continues to make our strategies as simplified as possible, which is important, I think. Humans generally try to over complicate things. Simple just works. And we stick to that principle in all our trading courses and strategies.
Why Trendsignal?
ADRIAN: OK, good point. Moving on, I'd like to ask you why did you join Trendsignal?
MIKE: I liked the fact that this wasn’t a get rich quick scheme and that there wasn’t a yacht moored off a private island in sight! The integrity of Trendsignal made we want to join.
ADRIAN: Well, perhaps I should remind you that you had to change your mind before you eventually joined! I remember back in April 2013, I asked you if you would consider coaching and you said ‘no’! Can you explain why that was?
MIKE: Yes, true! My thinking was: What could I offer? I wasn’t a coach. I was a trader, trading for myself, albeit with Trendsignal’s strategies. And to be honest, my concern was that it would also interfere with my trading business.
ADRIAN: But you changed your mind, which I think worked out well for both of us.
MIKE: That’s right. You asked me to consider it over the weekend and after some thought, I agreed. One of the best decisions I have made. I am here at my screen anyway. Coaching has been a two-way process where I have picked up other insights from clients (some of whom later became Trendsignal coaches, too). And in turn, that has made me a better coach and trader. Once we start believing that we can do something, we are most of the way there.
Learning to trade: The early years
ADRIAN: That’s a good way to look at things, I think. OK, so next question – let's turn the clock back a bit and ask what is your trading experience? How did you get into this?
MIKE: Well, I began trading in stocks in 1999. Access to other markets was not as available back in those days. But things changed soon enough. In 2000 I began trading commodities and forex and in 2001, I was mainly trading US stocks and stock options.
ADRIAN: So quite a mix in your formative years learning how to trade. Can you say a little about how you did and how you progressed to being the accomplished trader you are today?
MIKE: Well from those early days, I tried to learn lots, by reading countless books and trying to educate myself as much as possible. Winners came and so did the losers. In essence, while profitable, I wasted nine years at the start of my trading business trying to do it on my own. That was until I made what was an important discovery for me...
ADRIAN: Go on, what was that? It sounds like you have a secret to share with readers wanting to know how to trade!
MIKE: The way I see it, we can all call the direction (generally) of a market or an asset price, but it is the entry which will ultimately determine how successful the outcome will become. Too early and we have more chance of failure, too late and we miss the boat.
ADRIAN: Very true. Timing is important. And has that realisation led you to like one style of trading more than others?
MIKE: To be honest, I like a few different approaches. And it’s why I feel comfortable coaching on the different trading courses we offer. I love doing analysis on long-term charts (stocks, forex, commodities). But I like to mix it up a bit with the faster trading opportunities on crypto and 2-minute index charts.
ADRIAN: That’s interesting and I can see that you like the different challenges and opportunities these different markets and timeframes offer. OK, one last question, Mike. Could you share a top tip from your trading experience that our readers might find useful or that might inspire them to learn how to trade?
MIKE: OK, sure. Let me preface that by saying: if I can do this, anyone can. I have been through most of the major market upheavals (dotcom bubble, 9/11, the 2007/08 Great Financial Crisis) and survived. What I have learned from those experiences – and something I am happy to share – is that you need to develop a trading plan (or save yourself years and use Trendsignal’s approach) and then stick to it. Trading can be a very lonely business. During drawdown, we feel that the world is picking on us. It is helpful to know that there is a trading community that temporarily experiences the same or similar drawdown before cracking on to the next rise in equity curve.
ADRIAN: That’s a good place to end, I think. The idea of a trading community is something we believe in and aim to foster here at Trendsignal, in our trading courses, our live trading rooms and our free live webinars. Thanks, Mike, for talking to me today.
MIKE: Thanks Adrian, it’s been a pleasure.
Endnote: I hope you enjoyed my interview with Mike. Look out for further interviews with members of the Trendsignal team in future blogs. We are here to help you learn to trade with confidence. To see more about our strategies and trading courses, use the GREEN BUTTON at the top of the page to book into one of our free live webinars.
