lventhusiast
Iron
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2026
- Posts
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"Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are." — Niccolò Machiavelli
The Backstory (Why I even care)
I’ll start off with some context. I’m a 15-year-old guy from the US, currently grinding through my junior year. I won’t dox myself or give out too much info, but I’ll admit my family is comfortable. You might read that and think, if your family is well-off, why are you even trying to make money? Honestly? Because nothing is actually given to me besides the absolute basics and maybe a few extras like nicer shoes or a standard family vacation. I can’t just go out and buy whatever I want. If I want real money, I actually have to work for it. And personally, I despise the idea of a normal "job" clocking in, acting like everyone else, and trading my time for a fixed, miserable wage. Obviously, I’ll put in the work to make things happen, but only on my own terms. Credentials-wise, I’ve made over six figures in the past two years. People will cope and say I just got lucky with gambling, but it wasn’t the typical brain-dead slot-machine pulling you see in Vegas (I’ll explain the exact difference later). People also love to ask, “How do you even trade without an ID or SSN if you’re a minor?” It’s called being resourceful. I just used my dad’s ID and SSN to bypass the KYC stuff, plus in crypto, you can trade without that anyway if you know what you're doing. I wasn’t always on this type of timing, though. Back in middle school and early high school, I had literally zero friends. I used to walk around thinking I was one of the "cool kids" when in reality, I was a total loser. I didn't start taking money seriously until the end of ninth grade (early 2024). I saw kids on social media getting rich, and it just sparked something inside of me I’ve never felt before. I realized the traditional path is a slow trap designed for average people. I just decided I wasn't going to be average.
Stop Calling it "Larping"
My first piece of advice is about a term you see thrown around a lot: "larping." I wouldn't say larping is necessarily bad, but it’s a cheap word for what actually works. The real term is savoir-faire, which is French for "knowing how to do." Savoir-faire is a tactic used all the time in the real world by businessmen and politicians. It’s when someone sweet-talks their way through a situation and completely convinces the other person they know exactly what they’re talking about, even if they don't have all the answers yet. Think of that one person who has a position or status they definitely don't deserve because, honestly, they’re actually kind of dumb. They might be dumb, but their savoir-faire is maxed out. They know how to hold eye contact, how to talk, and how to project absolute confidence. If you want to get anywhere, you need to learn how to project competence. Act like you belong in the room, and people will just assume you own the building.
Actual Networking
This ties perfectly into my second piece of advice: Networking. When you’re our age, networking isn’t about wearing a suit and connecting with randoms on LinkedIn. That’s fake. Real networking is looking at your immediate environment, school, the soccer pitch, the track, wherever you are, and assessing who is actually of use to you. It’s about figuring out what they’re interested in, playing to that, and gaining their trust so you can leverage them later. Obviously, you don't have to sociopathically use every single person you meet. If someone is actually smart and more of a long-term asset than a one-time use, be real friends with them. Build a circle of guys who actually want to win. No ulterior motives there. But for everyone else? Figure out how they fit into the bigger picture. Treat relationships as an exchange of value.
You Can't Be Good at Nothing
Every person is different, and no two people are built with the exact same stats. But you need to learn a hard skill to actually be useful to people. You cannot be known for being good at nothing. Going back to savoir-faire, you need to convince people you actually know things. A little larping might get your foot in the door, but if your only skill is talking, people will eventually realize you're a fraud. Convincing people you’re good at something is a skill itself, but eventually, you have to back it up with actual execution. Find your edge and sharpen it.
An Academic Approach to Social Engineering
One hard skill I learned was speaking languages. I am confident in speaking four languages (at least a B2 level), including English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. Speaking languages isn't rocket science, especially Spanish. I recommend learning Spanish first, not only if you take it in school, but for everyday leverage. You don't even have to know the full language; just greeting people or thanking them in their native language instantly drops their guard and makes you much more likable. I noticed this firsthand back when I was traveling in China in October the ability to cross that cultural line completely changes how people treat you.
Academics, in this case, can be split into two sections: actual grades and perceived knowledge. Obviously, you should not be failing classes. A solid 'B' is preferred as a baseline. I say this because a teacher is statistically way more likely to favor a passing student than a failing student since it shows you actually care enough to play the game. You can later use these teachers to your advantage, especially when it comes to rounding borderline grades or getting those rec letters for brutal college applications. Knowing how to talk about certain topics also makes you look untouchable. You don't have to genuinely care about an AP Class or math class, but if you can confidently break them down and sound like you get it, people automatically assume you're the smartest kid in the room. It’s all about managing perception.
Trading Vs. Gambling
When people see a teenager making real money, they immediately cope by calling it "luck." Let's be brutally honest: throwing cash at random meme-coins and praying for a pump is just pulling a slot machine lever. What I do is calculated. My edge is simple. For crypto, I just buy the main coins and patiently hold them while unexperienced people panic-sell every 20% dip. (And if you're complaining about needing an ID to trade: just use CashApp, find a Discord server, and swap your cash to crypto. It's not that deep). I also trade prediction markets like Kalshi. While others treat it like a sportsbook, I treat it like an inefficient data matrix, simply front-running slow algorithms and extracting money from poorly calibrated bots. But you don't even need a complex algorithmic exploit to find alpha. I recently turned $50 into $15,000 manually, just by fading the public. The market constantly misprices assets based on pure emotion, so I bet on the "underdog." Look at things like the upcoming March Madness tournament: a statistical underdog isn't necessarily the worse team on the court; they are often just the team the general public doesn't recognize or like as much. It's basic market manipulation. People bet with their feelings, which creates pricing errors. Until you understand the difference between throwing darts blindfolded and executing a statistical probability, you will always be stuck at the bottom.
The Bottom Line
Look, at the end of the day, age is just an excuse used by lazy people to justify why they aren't winning. We are growing up in a world where the rulebook has been completely rewritten. The traditional system wants us to put our head down, stress over minor assignments, beg for a college acceptance letter, and eventually trade our time for a mediocre salary. If that’s the life you want, close this tab and go back to being a normal high schooler. But if you actually want to make it to the top, you have to stop playing their game and start building your own leverage. Master savoir-faire, build a network of people who actually serve a purpose, find a hard skill that gives you a mathematical edge, and execute without emotion.
The gap between the guys making six figures and the guys complaining about being broke isn't luck. It’s execution. Stop acting like an normie, stop waiting for permission, and start building your leverage today or get used to taking orders for the rest of your life from someone who did.
P.S. I know majority of this may be common sense to others, but for some, it may not be.
The Backstory (Why I even care)
I’ll start off with some context. I’m a 15-year-old guy from the US, currently grinding through my junior year. I won’t dox myself or give out too much info, but I’ll admit my family is comfortable. You might read that and think, if your family is well-off, why are you even trying to make money? Honestly? Because nothing is actually given to me besides the absolute basics and maybe a few extras like nicer shoes or a standard family vacation. I can’t just go out and buy whatever I want. If I want real money, I actually have to work for it. And personally, I despise the idea of a normal "job" clocking in, acting like everyone else, and trading my time for a fixed, miserable wage. Obviously, I’ll put in the work to make things happen, but only on my own terms. Credentials-wise, I’ve made over six figures in the past two years. People will cope and say I just got lucky with gambling, but it wasn’t the typical brain-dead slot-machine pulling you see in Vegas (I’ll explain the exact difference later). People also love to ask, “How do you even trade without an ID or SSN if you’re a minor?” It’s called being resourceful. I just used my dad’s ID and SSN to bypass the KYC stuff, plus in crypto, you can trade without that anyway if you know what you're doing. I wasn’t always on this type of timing, though. Back in middle school and early high school, I had literally zero friends. I used to walk around thinking I was one of the "cool kids" when in reality, I was a total loser. I didn't start taking money seriously until the end of ninth grade (early 2024). I saw kids on social media getting rich, and it just sparked something inside of me I’ve never felt before. I realized the traditional path is a slow trap designed for average people. I just decided I wasn't going to be average.
Stop Calling it "Larping"
My first piece of advice is about a term you see thrown around a lot: "larping." I wouldn't say larping is necessarily bad, but it’s a cheap word for what actually works. The real term is savoir-faire, which is French for "knowing how to do." Savoir-faire is a tactic used all the time in the real world by businessmen and politicians. It’s when someone sweet-talks their way through a situation and completely convinces the other person they know exactly what they’re talking about, even if they don't have all the answers yet. Think of that one person who has a position or status they definitely don't deserve because, honestly, they’re actually kind of dumb. They might be dumb, but their savoir-faire is maxed out. They know how to hold eye contact, how to talk, and how to project absolute confidence. If you want to get anywhere, you need to learn how to project competence. Act like you belong in the room, and people will just assume you own the building.
Actual Networking
This ties perfectly into my second piece of advice: Networking. When you’re our age, networking isn’t about wearing a suit and connecting with randoms on LinkedIn. That’s fake. Real networking is looking at your immediate environment, school, the soccer pitch, the track, wherever you are, and assessing who is actually of use to you. It’s about figuring out what they’re interested in, playing to that, and gaining their trust so you can leverage them later. Obviously, you don't have to sociopathically use every single person you meet. If someone is actually smart and more of a long-term asset than a one-time use, be real friends with them. Build a circle of guys who actually want to win. No ulterior motives there. But for everyone else? Figure out how they fit into the bigger picture. Treat relationships as an exchange of value.
You Can't Be Good at Nothing
Every person is different, and no two people are built with the exact same stats. But you need to learn a hard skill to actually be useful to people. You cannot be known for being good at nothing. Going back to savoir-faire, you need to convince people you actually know things. A little larping might get your foot in the door, but if your only skill is talking, people will eventually realize you're a fraud. Convincing people you’re good at something is a skill itself, but eventually, you have to back it up with actual execution. Find your edge and sharpen it.
An Academic Approach to Social Engineering
One hard skill I learned was speaking languages. I am confident in speaking four languages (at least a B2 level), including English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. Speaking languages isn't rocket science, especially Spanish. I recommend learning Spanish first, not only if you take it in school, but for everyday leverage. You don't even have to know the full language; just greeting people or thanking them in their native language instantly drops their guard and makes you much more likable. I noticed this firsthand back when I was traveling in China in October the ability to cross that cultural line completely changes how people treat you.
Academics, in this case, can be split into two sections: actual grades and perceived knowledge. Obviously, you should not be failing classes. A solid 'B' is preferred as a baseline. I say this because a teacher is statistically way more likely to favor a passing student than a failing student since it shows you actually care enough to play the game. You can later use these teachers to your advantage, especially when it comes to rounding borderline grades or getting those rec letters for brutal college applications. Knowing how to talk about certain topics also makes you look untouchable. You don't have to genuinely care about an AP Class or math class, but if you can confidently break them down and sound like you get it, people automatically assume you're the smartest kid in the room. It’s all about managing perception.
Trading Vs. Gambling
When people see a teenager making real money, they immediately cope by calling it "luck." Let's be brutally honest: throwing cash at random meme-coins and praying for a pump is just pulling a slot machine lever. What I do is calculated. My edge is simple. For crypto, I just buy the main coins and patiently hold them while unexperienced people panic-sell every 20% dip. (And if you're complaining about needing an ID to trade: just use CashApp, find a Discord server, and swap your cash to crypto. It's not that deep). I also trade prediction markets like Kalshi. While others treat it like a sportsbook, I treat it like an inefficient data matrix, simply front-running slow algorithms and extracting money from poorly calibrated bots. But you don't even need a complex algorithmic exploit to find alpha. I recently turned $50 into $15,000 manually, just by fading the public. The market constantly misprices assets based on pure emotion, so I bet on the "underdog." Look at things like the upcoming March Madness tournament: a statistical underdog isn't necessarily the worse team on the court; they are often just the team the general public doesn't recognize or like as much. It's basic market manipulation. People bet with their feelings, which creates pricing errors. Until you understand the difference between throwing darts blindfolded and executing a statistical probability, you will always be stuck at the bottom.
The Bottom Line
Look, at the end of the day, age is just an excuse used by lazy people to justify why they aren't winning. We are growing up in a world where the rulebook has been completely rewritten. The traditional system wants us to put our head down, stress over minor assignments, beg for a college acceptance letter, and eventually trade our time for a mediocre salary. If that’s the life you want, close this tab and go back to being a normal high schooler. But if you actually want to make it to the top, you have to stop playing their game and start building your own leverage. Master savoir-faire, build a network of people who actually serve a purpose, find a hard skill that gives you a mathematical edge, and execute without emotion.
The gap between the guys making six figures and the guys complaining about being broke isn't luck. It’s execution. Stop acting like an normie, stop waiting for permission, and start building your leverage today or get used to taking orders for the rest of your life from someone who did.
P.S. I know majority of this may be common sense to others, but for some, it may not be.
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