Mike. Bellafiore

Co-Founder

@SMBCapital

and Author- One Good Trade and The PlayBook Board member-

@Traders4ACause

and

@Impact_Comp

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

Start thinking of yourself as an elite trader. In everything you do, do what an elite trader would. Sleep like an elite trader. Prepare like an elite trader. Review like an elite trader. Collaborate like an elite trader. Build technology like an elite trader. Eat like an elite

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

Developing traders who are gonna make it leave clues. You can spot them before they ever make significant PnL.

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

Trader: Bella, I am hungry (to become a 7-figure-a-year trader). Bella: Hunger is shown by executing on the daily inputs that drive performance. #proptrader #proptrading #stockmarket

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

The way to get better while developing as a trader is: a) make trading easier b) simulate real-time conditions c) make trading harder a) Make trading easier: Break down the components of a successful trade. For example, work on improving stock selection during an AM meeting.

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

Process finds edge. Process improves edge. Process grows edge.

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

Via LNKD I received a message from a college student, interested in

@smbcapital

summer internship, and looking for advice. College student: Just one question! What’s the one quality you look for in a trader at your firm? who outperforms consistently

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

Heard on the prop desk (to the summer interns): "If you didn't do a PlayBook of the IPO Technical Trade- SPCX (above 175), I can't take you seriously as a trader." I will leave out who said this.

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

The Real Reason You Haven't Made It Yet (And How SMB Fixes It) Want to know what actually separates a seven-figure or eight-figure prop trader from the independent guys who spend years spinning their wheels in the retail markets? Hint: It sure as heck isn’t just about having

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

When you are trading well, that's the time when you should be very hard on yourself- develop a plan to fix the holes in your trading. When you are struggling, that's the time to show yourself some grace.

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

Want to know what actually separates the traders who make a career out of this game from the ones who blow up? Hint: It isn’t about finding a magic indicator. It’s about how you manage your downside when you're completely wrong. https://t.co/KusLpoEbwP… via

@YouTube

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

Heard on the prop desk: "Too much variance in your PnL is hard to sustain,"

@sspencer_smb

, Co-Founder SMB Capital.

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

It is NOT how hard you work. It is working consistently, effectively, and intensively hard.

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

The Secret Structure of 8-Figure Prop Desks https://t.co/enFOTvydQs… via

@YouTube

[Mike. Bellafiore @MikeBellafore1]

You are meant to do something great! Stop trying to "fix" your flaws to become a better trader. What if the secret to elite performance isn't patching your weaknesses, but weaponizing the strengths you already possess? In this masterclass from the SMB Trading Summit NYC 2026,

[Mike Bellafiore @MikeBellafiore]

Want to know what actually separates seven and eight-figure traders from the rest? Hint: It’s not a secret indicator or some secret sauce strategy.

SMB recently sat down with legendary Market Wizards author @jackschwager and co-author @gfc4 on the podcast to unpack their upcoming book, Market Wizards: The Next Generation. SMB Traders @GarrettDrinon and @BeldenTim broke down exactly how today's elite solo performers are extracting massive profits, and we mean massive.

SMB’s very own Shark is in the book. SMB mentor Lance is as well.

What also makes this podcast so compelling and unique is that Tim and Garrett have had a front-row seat as SMB traders to what makes Shark and Lance great, and they infuse their observations into those of the authors. A podcast like this has never been done with the legendary Market Wizards author(s).

Here are the heavy-hitting lessons every trader needs to internalize right now:

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐞: Schwager highlighted the massive contrast between explosive, home-run traders who tolerate big drawdowns and steady "firefighter" types who can't stand losing and trade small but consistently [24:55]. Picture either trying to trade like the other—it’s an absolute disaster. If your strategy doesn't match your psychological DNA, you will go bust.

𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐫 (𝐈𝐟 𝐈𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐬): Our very own SMB heavy hitter, Shark, is featured in the new book! The authors noted that what looks like chaos from the outside—Shark managing dozens of positions and options strategies simultaneously—actually works because he built a style that uniquely fits his high-bandwidth personality [04:59].

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐜: George pointed out a remarkable truth after editing Shark's chapter: the vast majority of elite solo traders make the bulk of their money on just a few distinct days a year using a couple of core styles [08:26]. You don't need to force it every single day.

𝐍𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞: A universal trait of the greats is complete emotional control when the chips are down [12:16]. Whether they just recouped a month of losses or took a massive stop, you shouldn't be able to tell if it was a good day or a bad day by looking at them.

𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞: Jack’s timeless advice for anyone starting out? Start small. If you have $500k in risk capital, do not fund an account with $500k—start with $25k [35:15]. Give yourself the room to mess up, adapt, and stay in the game long enough to actually learn.

Trading is an unforgiving game, and most people are honestly better off not doing it [28:20]. But if you have that deep, persistent faith in yourself, talent for the trading you are doing, and the work ethic to back it up, the opportunity is limitless. Study the winners, master your own temperament, and build a PlayBook of strategies over time. You have the power to write your own wizard story—now go put in the work.
#MarketWizards #Trading #StockMarket

How To Become A Market Wizard with Jack Schwager (and George Coyle) https://t.co/Pamo2TNE28 via @YouTube

[Mike Bellafiore @MikeBellafiore]

It is NOT how hard you work. It is working consistently, effectively, and intensively hard.

[Mike Bellafiore @MikeBellafiore]

The Secret Structure of 8-Figure Prop Desks https://t.co/f0SrrKrIDs via @YouTube @GarrettDrinon

[Mike Bellafiore @MikeBellafiore]

You can’t miss the best trades. Period. Full stop.

And as a trader, you don’t have time to be an analyst.

Traders need to trade.

And wouldn’t it be awesome to cut your AM prep time?

Do you want to learn how a pro SMB trader, @SperoTrades, uses AI to ensure he doesn’t miss the best trades?

In this video, you will learn how to automate an AM prep system using AI. The core lesson is how to build an "AI Trading Assistant" using Claude to build an actionable dashboard before the opening bell.

Here is what you will learn:

1. The Strategy: Stock Selection
Traders often spend over an hour every morning manually scanning emails and newsletters, creating a "bottleneck" where daily stock selection occurs too late for the market open [00:00]. You will learn how to solve this by creating an automated workflow that extracts:

Macro Tone & Snapshots: Summarizing the Fed stance, geopolitical developments, and overnight sentiment [01:02].

Structured Economic Calendars: Prioritizing data releases by their potential to create volatility [01:45].

Earnings & Top Movers: Identifying Stocks In Play with clear catalysts like upgrades, downgrades, or guidance shifts [02:45].

Sector Themes: Recognizing broader narratives (e.g., AI infrastructure spending) that connect multiple tickers [03:30].

2. Building your stock list with zero coding
Even with zero coding background, you can learn the step-by-step process to build this system yourself [00:43]:

Connecting Data Sources: Linking Claude to your Gmail to automatically scan professional research emails [08:34].

Framework Prompting: Defining a clear structure so the AI prioritizes the specific information traders care about most [09:12].

Dashboard Creation: Transforming raw text into a clean, "dark theme" HTML dashboard that is easy to scan in minutes [13:39].

Unattended Automation: Scheduling the workflow to run every weekday morning at 8:00 a.m. so your research is ready by 8:30 a.m. [15:30].

3. The Professional Shift
The most important takeaway is the shift in mindset from being a "researcher" to being a "trader." By automating AM prep, you gain the same infrastructure advantage used by billion-dollar hedge funds [17:10]. This allows you to spend your mental capital on decision-making and execution rather than data entry. It lets traders be traders. It let’s you trade at your best.

The Bottom Line: Strive to be the very best trader you can be; and that begins with building a process that scales. By leveraging these tools, you can ensure you never miss a big trade again and enter every trading day with professional-level preparation.
#proptrading #proptrader #trader #AI

I Automated My Pre-Market Research With AI (Here's How) https://t.co/SxgO8uD3Wt via @YouTube

[Anne-Marie Baiynd, Trader @AnneMarieTrades]

Be what you want to become!!!

[Mike Bellafiore @MikeBellafiore]

Start thinking of yourself as an elite trader.

In everything you do, do what an elite trader would.

Sleep like an elite trader.
Prepare like an elite trader.
Review like an elite trader.
Collaborate like an elite trader.
Build technology like an elite trader.
Eat like an elite trader.
Execute like an elite trader.
Risk Manage like an elite trader.
Exercise like an elite trader.
Research like an elite trader.
Build a PlayBook like an elite trader.
Be open-minded like an elite trader.

Think of yourself as an elite trader.