One Prop Trader a Day: Sai Krishnateja - I Failed More Than 100 Times

Quick intro – who are you, and what do you trade?

I am Sai Krishnateja, a 23-year-old forex trader from India. I trade XAU/USD and USD/JPY with prop firms, using Smart Money Concepts.

When did you become a funded trader, and what changed for you?

I became a funded trader in 2024. Since that day it has given me freedom and flexibility, along with discipline.

What is the first thing you bought with trading money that felt like proof it was working?

I bought a bigger prop firm account to scale my capital. It felt like expanding my business.

How many times did you fail before getting funded? What kept you going?

I failed more than 100 times before getting funded. At that point, all I had was hope and discipline. I had been at it for two years.

What is the single most expensive lesson you have paid for?

The most expensive lesson was not about money. I learned my mistakes late, and the real cost was my time and my relationships.

What was your lowest point in trading? Did you ever consider quitting?

Honestly, my lowest point is right now, and I never thought about quitting. Instead, I built up skills in video editing and graphic design to fund my trading.

Did trading ever affect you mentally or emotionally?

It used to, until I realised the market is not in my control. All I can do is execute my strategy correctly; win or loss depends on market conditions. To balance it, I learned extra skills to keep my income steady.

What does your trading style look like today?

I trade an EMA crossover on the 5-minute timeframe, combined with order blocks from SMC and candle breakouts from market psychology. I only trade the London and New York sessions.

What is a typical trading day for you?

My day starts at the London open and ends after the New York close. First I check the market trend on the 1-hour chart, and based on that I take entries when the EMAs cross over and my setup forms. I never take trades in a hurry; even if I miss some, that is okay, because it is better than taking the wrong ones.

Walk us through your most recent losing trade.

One thing I have realised from experience is that every year, from April to June, the market gives more losses, so it is better to take a break during that time. In my last losing trade I learned that the market often gives a clean profit after sweeps, but that time it swept my stop loss.

What is a popular trading rule you completely ignore, and why?

“Trend is your friend.” But the trend depends on your strategy and trading style; sometimes the trend becomes your enemy too.

Do people around you understand what you do? How do they react?

Being a trader is hard if you depend on validation from the people around you. About 90 percent do not even understand it, and even those who do tend to think it is gambling or easy money.

How has trading impacted your lifestyle?

More than financially, trading helped me grow my mindset and problem-solving skills, along with patience and persistence. I can endure hardship and struggle because of trading, and it has also helped me grow spiritually.

What separates you from someone who washed out at their third evaluation?

I am not focused on passing evaluations. I am focused on building a system that can endure any market condition and help me survive.

What advice would you give yourself one year ago?

If you build a strategy, take more trades and find more mistakes, so you can optimise it faster for a better win rate and risk-reward.

If prop firms disappeared tomorrow, would you still be trading? Doing what?

I would start with 100 dollars, so in two years I could turn it into a million.

If I gave you a $1,000,000 funded account today, what would you do in the first 7 days?

I would take trades risking 0.5 percent per trade. My strategy averages a 1:5 risk-reward, so even two trades would be more than 2 percent profit. And if I do not get any setups, your funded account stays safe with me. I definitely will not blow it.