Interview With Pro Trader Caan Berry
BTC: So Caan you started your career in the Army? Can you tell me how, when and why you realized you wanted to be a trader?
-Sure, I always had a Betfair account for some time although after seeing a video clip of Adam Heathcote making £1k+ a day it had my attention. In the Army I had what would of been considered a half decent wage along with the various perks although after becoming a father for the first time I realised I needed to do something serious to get what I wanted in life and be able to give my son everything I hadn’t had. It didn’t take long for me to realise that this was actually possible despite all that those around me were saying, Once I started to make £100 – £200 on a weekend I realised it was something I wasn’t going to give up on.
BTC: Do you think your Army days helped with your trading, as I think you have to be pretty strong mentally to be in the Army?
You’re not the only one to have asked this question, I think quite possible the discipline I had already aquired and self control could of possibly helped as you may be thinking although I think the biggest thing for me was ‘self-belief’. When serving I passed P-Company selection (plenty of clips on YouTube) which was nothing short of hideous, but it taught me a lot about myself in the sense that if you don’t give up even when the chips are down then eventually you’ll succeed.
BTC: Do you regret the decision to trade?
I don’t regret the decision to trade at all as it’s been a life changing experience, no boss breathing down my neck etc. not to mention the rediculous increase in income. To put it into comparisson in the army I would have one holiday a year, several weeks off and have a few hundred quid spare a month. Over the last couple years trading I’ve trebbled that in every area and am looking at buying a property soon. Although one thing that concerns me is the ever closer upper band of Premium Charge.
BTC: I know this question is perhaps one you get asked a lot but how long did it take you to get profitable?
For the first year or so there was always mixed results, possibly even for a bit longer so its hard to say exactly although it was probably about a year until I was comfortable I understood what was happening at times in the markets, the usual downfalls were always linked to my mindset and emotions when trading. If you look back through my blog you’ll see for yourself!
BTC: I know for me trading full time offers the flexibility over my work and social life that most people are envious of, is this the case for you as well?
Most definitely, worst still I almost take it for granted now. It’s not just about money, the flexibility to be able to have my son a bit longer or take the day off is a massive bonus. The frustrating part is often finding someone else with the same kind of flexibility to go on a last minute holiday with me!
BTC: What would you say is the biggest change in habit from starting to where you are now?
That’s a very good question. And this in my opinion although some may find it frustrating to answer is the holy grail of successful trading – my beliefs/views. It’s effected all areas of my life. Changing the way I think has changed my life massively. Monitoring my own state of emotions and feelings while trading allows me to keep my trading decisions in check, making sure I fit in with whats happening in the market rather than what I think or ‘feel’ I want to happen in the market if that makes sense. There’s a YouTube clip on the channel where I talk about beliefs if you want more explanation.
BTC: For me I was given some great advice once about trading and that was to ignore the figures and concentrate on what is actually happening. Have you even been given a piece of advice that made sense and improved how you trade?
Yes, and I’ve said this elsewhere too before. In the early stage of trading I run a thread on the Geeks Toy forum (Challenges & Diaries section) and a full-timer who I respected said to me something along the lines of ”get your kicks from spending the money, not earning it”. That was probably one of the best tips I could have recieved although at the time did not realise quite how important it was.
BTC: Do you think a community such as this one (www.betfairtradingcommunity.com) can help traders?
Sure, I have a look in from time to time. It’s always good to talk to others who are like minded and trying to achieve the same things. Outside of the trading world, until I was making a lot of money it was always met with negative comments so I’d say to anyone new its best to keep your trading talk there or trading forums. Again they also have their negative trolls but I’d just tend to ignore them as its not going to help you!
BTC: You have a very successful website, firstly what can people who have never read it expect from you and what can old reader expect to see over the coming months?
The site’s been going for some time now. You’ll find a few bits about me and my journey there. The blog is a mass of information over time right from when I started until the present so you can imagine along the way there is some interesting views aswell as nasty downfalls. Going back to some of the older posts can be quite helpful starting out. In the coming months I’ll continue to post and hopefully add some more YouTube clips to the channel.