Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Belian Baticz of Babel Traders.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Our core business is trading on the currency (many known as FOREX) and on the stock market. The reason why we're here is that we've launched a trading school. We collected all of our knowledge and experience from the past ~7 years, put that into an effective course and opened up for anyone who would like to learn this profession. Our customers are mostly boys between 20-30 years. We love our women students, but as of now, sadly, they're the minority in our community.
Tell us about yourself
I was always interested in the stock market, and I am still in love with that today. Sitting in front of the charts, watching prices move, trying to take advantage of pieces of information that are presented to me through different sources. I can safely say that I've found my passion. On the other hand, this is a really lonely task/job/profession and I love teaching. Twelve years ago, every Thursday and Friday after high school, I went to a local ski slope to teach little guys and girls how to ski and snowboard. Had multiple businesses since that, worked as a sailing coach in my free time, and been a financial analyst, then advisor, but always felt that those jobs were not my way. Now my days are filled with the two things I love. Trading and sharing my knowledge with my student. Seeing them succeed makes me way happier than my own winning trades. The feeling of making an impact on someone else's life and giving them a new perspective is simply something worth getting up to.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Focusing only on our trading education business, the biggest win is definitely our complete course and mentorship system. We created a complex online school which theoretical videos, homework, knowledge tests, workbooks, and of course, lots of practical examples. We have over 450+ sample trades, described all of them as in-depth as possible. Just by consuming our material, our students will have more experience than most of the wanna-be stock/forex/crypto traders out there who trade for months or even years. So yes, the biggest accomplishment was to create this extremely complex but learning-friendly online school. It took months to build, but this is definitely a game-changer for everyone.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
I think this question is 100% business dependent. Currently, the biggest challenge is definitely marketing and sales. I can safely say most scammers are operating in this field and it is really hard to stand out (especially in the beginning). Simply because some "less professional" educators photoshop their results, marketing their product with the super fake luxury life and demo money. Sadly (or not), in the online world, those kinds of content spread extremely fast. None of us from the team are living a lavish, show-off lifestyle; we're just humble, everyday people who trade the markets and create the best trading school available on the market. Reaching our first strong customer base is our priority and our hardest challenge right now. Kinda ironic, but it is easier to make a 10% return on a week than to bring in 10 new students.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Have a solid marketing plan. Before this point, we totally missed this. I was 110% focused on the product (our whole teaching world). Now that's ready, but til this point, we placed 0 effort into making it "sexy" for the public and making that appealing to potential students.
- Before launching your business, don't spare time to learn the profession. It took me six years (and around the same as my co-founders) to become a professional in my field. A little more learning can easily save you thousands of dollars.
- Never give up. Don't be naive, don't run with blinders. If something doesn't work, change. Pivot, replan, go on. Still doesn't work? Pivot and change again. The most important characteristic of a successful entrepreneur is that he/she tries one more thing and does not give up.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://babeltraders.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babeltraders
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babeltraders/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/babeltraders
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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