He Failed Form 4 Three Times. Then He Discovered Cryptocurrency and Retired His Parents

Meet Steve Kipkoech, a 28-year-old self-made millionaire from Eldoret. His story serves as inspiration for those who have faced failure but refuse to give up on their dreams.

Steve was an average student attending high school in Uasin Gishu County. He struggled academically throughout his education.

Despite studying hard and taking extra classes, Steve failed the Form 4 national exam not just once, but three years in a row.

At age 20, after his third failed attempt, Steve dropped out of school completely. He felt dejected and directionless.

But this series of failures lit a hidden fire within Steve – one that would drive him to achieve success beyond his wildest imagination just a few years later.

The Difficult Years After Failure

After dropping out, Steve took up casual labor jobs to support himself. He dug farms, worked construction sites, and performed other manual jobs to earn Ksh500-1,000 per day.

However, the work was inconsistent and barely allowed Steve to afford rent and meals in his small town. He struggled with deep self-doubt after years of poor grades and 3 failed exams.

“My own family told me I wouldn’t amount to anything because of how poorly I performed in high school. I started to believe that was true,” Steve confessed.

For 2 years, Steve fluctuated between low-paying odd jobs, unable to see a path forward. He knew he had potential, but couldn’t figure out how to unlock it after years of academic failure.

That’s when fate intervened to change the trajectory of Steve’s life forever.

Discovering His Calling in Cryptocurrency

One evening while drinking at a local pub, Steve struck up a conversation with a stranger named John.

John revealed he worked remotely for an overseas cryptocurrency trading company. When Steve asked what exactly cryptocurrency was, John explained the basics.

Steve was immediately fascinated by the idea of decentralized digital money and how early pioneers were earning fortunes trading Bitcoin and other coins.

That night, Steve decided to take a leap of faith. He asked John to teach him everything he knew about cryptocurrency.

For the next 3 months, Steve apprenticed under John – learning how to analyze the crypto market, execute trades, and secure digital assets in virtual wallets.

Without access to enough capital to day trade himself, Steve soaked up as much knowledge as possible with a plan to eventually put it into practice.

When John relocated abroad for a new job, Steve continued self-study watching YouTube tutorials and reading online guides. He felt compelled to become an expert in this new world of digital finance.

The First Taste of Success – A Crypto Windfall

After a year of intense learning, Steve was ready to put his skills to the test. He started off slowly, using small amounts of his limited savings to make low-risk crypto trades.

The practice paid off quicker than Steve imagined. After catching a solid altcoin run, Steve managed to turn an initial investment of just Ksh5,000 into over Ksh200,000 in profits within 4 months!

For the first time in his life, Steve had a chunk of capital to work with. He reinvested a portion back into more diversified crypto assets and used the remaining funds to support his parents back home.

This first big trade gave Steve the validation he needed that he had genuine ability as a crypto trader.

“When I withdrew that Ksh200k and sent some home to my family, I knew this was my calling. I needed to go all in on becoming a pro trader.”

Mastering the Markets and Making Millions

Motivated by his first success, Steve dedicated himself fully to cryptocurrency trading. He upgraded his equipment, refined his technical strategies, and networked with other traders worldwide.

Within 18 months, Steve grew his trading capital from Ksh200k to over Ksh15 million. He achieved consistent returns by exploiting arbitrage opportunities on exchanges and speculating promising projects early.

As profits compounded, Steve moved away from casual labor work to become a full-time crypto trader operating from home.

Today, Steve’s crypto portfolio is valued at over Ksh50 million. He trades a range of assets from Bitcoin and Ethereum to smaller cap coins and NFT collections.

By mastering risk management and the psychological aspects of trading, Steve was able to turn modest beginnings into life-changing wealth.

The Key Strategies Behind Steve’s Crypto Trading Success:

• Continuous learning – Steve spends 5 hours a day improving his knowledge
• Risk management – He uses tight stop losses and never risks more than 3% capital per trade
• Arbitrage – Steve exploits price differences across exchanges for profits
• Speculation – He researches projects deeply and invests early in promising cryptos
• Networking – Steve builds connections with crypto peers worldwide for new opportunities

Giving Back: A New Mission

Now financially secure, Steve is focused on helping others avoid the pitfalls and challenges he faced growing up poor.

He recently purchased land for his grateful parents back in the village to retire on. To honor them, he named the estate “Pana Simba”, which means “There is a Lion” in Swahili.

Steve remarked:

“After failing school and being told I wouldn’t amount to anything, I feel like now the lion has been let out of its cage!”

Additionally, Steve set up a cryptocurrency educational program to provide free training to youth from low-income families in his community. He hopes to open doors for them in the world of crypto.

“I wasted so many years after high school feeling lost. I want to give back and make sure other kids have the right guidance to succeed,” Steve commented.

Key Lessons from Steve’s Journey

Steve Kipkoech’s incredible rags-to-riches story offers inspiration and powerful lessons for those facing long odds:

1. Persist despite failure – Steve could have accepted defeat after failing Form 4 three times. Yet he persisted and found his calling.

2. Invest in learning – Steve committed himself to rigorous crypto self-education before attempting to trade.

3. Start small – Steve proved himself with small trades before scaling up and compounding profits.

4. Ignore doubters – Despite being written off by peers, Steve bet on himself by pursuing his crypto vision.

5. Pay it forward – Now in a position of privilege, Steve gives back to uplift others.

Steve’s journey reveals that circumstances don’t define your destiny. With self-belief, perseverance and a willingness to learn, anyone can bounce back from failure to achieve remarkable success.

The next generation of crypto fortunes in Kenya may very well depend on determined individuals like Steve who refuse to surrender to early setbacks. Because in life, there are no limits – only the ones we set for ourselves.

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