Most Traders Fail Because They Treat It Like a Game
Staff Writer • 2025-05-21
Engineer-turned-trading-coach Brian McAboy breaks down the brutal truth about why most traders lose money—and how applying business principles can flip the script. In an age of TikTok traders, Reddit-fueled FOMO, and broker ads on every scroll, the dream of quitting your 9-to-5 for full-time trading is more seductive than ever. But according to Brian McAboy, founder of Inside Out Trading, that dream often becomes a nightmare—not because the market is unfair, but because most traders bring the wrong mindset entirely. “People treat trading like a game,” McAboy told Stonks Go Moon Podcast host Rocco Strydom. “But if you wouldn’t open a restaurant without a plan, why would you put your money into markets without one?” McAboy’s journey into trading wasn’t textbook. Originally a mechanical and quality engineer overseeing a $100 million manufacturing plant, he transitioned to trading in the late ’90s—back when trades were made via landline phone, not an app. He learned the hard way, blowing up a $47,000 account and watching it crumble to $1,700. “That was when my wife told me: either take a break or we’re getting a divorce,” he said. The break came first. The divorce came later. But it was a wake-up call that led McAboy to a lightbulb moment: apply the principles of quality engineering—defined systems, repeatable processes, and accountability—to the chaotic world of trading. The Real Reason You Can’t Stick to Your Strategy McAboy argues that the biggest reason traders fail isn’t psychological trauma or lack of intelligence. “It’s bad training,” he said. “Imagine dropping someone into a project manager role with no guidance. Of course they’d struggle. Trading is no different.” He says the key isn’t finding the perfect strategy—it’s creating a mental operating system. Just like in business, traders need objectives, metrics, feedback loops, and—most importantly—structure. “Trading looks easy. That’s the trap,” he said. “It’s like golf. Just because you understand the rules doesn’t mean you’re good at it.” From Engineering Floors to Equity Charts What sets McAboy apart in a saturated field of self-proclaimed gurus is his ability to bridge disciplines. His approach borrows from Six Sigma and lean methodologies, turning the wild west of trading into a measured, almost boring process. That’s the point, he says. “Once you organize your process, trading becomes less emotional, more like any other job,” McAboy said. “Most people want to be full-time traders, but don’t realize that very few want to stare at charts for 10 hours a day. A structured trader can make good money in just a few hours.” Why You’ll Probably Blow Up Your First Account In today’s culture of dopamine-driven content and overnight success stories, McAboy warns of a harsh truth: most new traders won’t take trading seriously until they lose enough money to be humbled. “Respect is either earned through maturity or slapped into you by the market,” he said. “And the market has a brutal way of teaching respect.” The Playbook: Treat It Like a Business or Don’t Bother McAboy’s message is simple but powerful: if you don’t have a plan, you’re the plan. He advocates for a back-to-basics philosophy—write down your objectives, build a structured plan, test it in a sim account, and only then risk real money. “You wouldn’t invest in a startup with no business plan and no qualified leadership,” he said. “So why are you investing in yourself as a trader with nothing to back it up?” For those ready to stop gambling and start building consistency, McAboy’s Inside Out Trading offers a rare thing in the noisy world of trading content: clarity.
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