How @dreycosting and other traders secured funding

“To be honest, I no longer adhere to a strict trading routine at my current level.”

Meet Aundre Leslie (@dreycosting), a Funded Trader with Funding Frontier. Discover how dreycosting and other traders secured funding and gain insights and tips for a successful trading journey.

Please introduce yourself: Who you are, your age, where you are from and what you do for a living?

My name is Aundre Leslie, better known as @dreycosting to the public. The ‘drey’ came from my name, while ‘costing’ came from my skillset as a great Cost Accountant in my field. I am 38 years of age and a qualified accountant with 24 years of experience in the field. Yes, I have been doing accounting since age 14, which my father introduced me to. He and most of my family are in that field. I am from Jamaica, in the Caribbean. I am a father of two children, a boy who is 2 years old and a girl who is 5 months old, with a supportive wife who has been by my side throughout my trading journey.

How did you get introduced or start trading?

As an accountant, I was exposed to financial statements and analyzing balance sheets for top companies in my country, many of which were publicly trading their shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. This sparked my interest in stock trading, which I began in 2017. However, I found it to be slow and not as lucrative as I had hoped.

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and I started working from home, I became more aware of how people were making significant profits online. I felt trapped in the traditional 9-5 system and sought alternative avenues for income. I initially began with IML (iMarketsLive), and unlike many others who had negative experiences, I was fortunate to receive guidance from @StephensonLindor. He introduced me to forex trading, focusing on market structure and currency strength.

I engaged in IML for four months, from May to August 2020. Following this, I enrolled in @CueBanks’ course, as he was a fellow Jamaican and renowned trader. Through his course, I learned about order flow, Fibonacci retracements, and advanced chart analysis techniques.

Further refining my skills, I enrolled in @RajaBanks’ course, where I gained insights into support and resistance levels, candlestick patterns, and the nuanced interpretation of price action. These courses provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the forex market and enhanced my trading strategies.

Do you have any hobbies and what do you enjoy outside of trading? Do you find that these hobbies etc benefit your trading? Please elaborate.
Unfortunately, I don’t have many hobbies, but I do go to the gym religiously. I weigh and track my food, monitor my body composition using a smart scale, and keep a record of my workouts. This routine brings me joy and helps me stay in good shape physically.

Additionally, I find solace in prayer and dedicate time to constantly reading and learning. Maintaining discipline in all aspects of life is crucial for success as a trader. Many people mistakenly believe that discipline only applies to trading itself, but it extends to one’s overall lifestyle.

Therefore, when I maintain discipline in my diet, exercise routine, and household chores like making my bed, and spending quality time with my children, it positively impacts my trading performance.

What is your trading routine?

To be honest, I no longer adhere to a strict trading routine at my current level. Instead, I simply check the charts, mark off my levels, and set alarms. Whenever the alarms go off throughout the day or week, I take a look at the charts.

What are your goals with funded trading?
To get exposure, I have a lot of skillset & experience within me, that I would love to give back to the world, that is what gives me true joy, not money, but helping other people grow. That gives me a meaning for living.

Do you have a trading plan in place, and do you strictly follow it? Please elaborate.
Yes, I adhere to my trading plan rigorously. Here’s a breakdown of my approach:
Do you have a trading plan in place, and do you strictly follow it? Please elaborate.

1) I start by checking the market structure on the weekly, daily, and H4 timeframes. I draw supply and demand levels on these timeframes, which serve as my area of interest (AOI).
2) I look for high-probability retracements, preferably around Fibonacci levels of 50% or 61.8%, within the AOI.
3) After identifying potential setups, I wait for wick rejections on the H4 timeframe within the AOI, indicating that liquidity has been swept.
4) Next, I move to my entry timeframes, typically ranging from M30 to M5, and base my decisions on the market behavior observed at the time.
5) I confirm entries based on the presence of BOS (Breakout or Support) patterns, such as higher lows or lower highs, with support or resistance forming.
6) When placing stop-loss orders, I position them below or above H4 wick rejections whenever possible, aligning them with market structure rather than emotions. Additionally, I determine my Risk to Reward ratio based on the market structure observed on the H4, daily, or weekly timeframes, selecting the appropriate ratio based on my objectives.

How would you describe your trading style?
My primary trading style revolves around position trading, as showcased on my Instagram, YouTube channel, and other platforms. I focus on setups from the daily or weekly timeframes, with GBPJPY being my main pair of interest. When price establishes structure on the daily or weekly charts, I enter trades for potential moves ranging from 200 to 500 pips. I typically cash out TP1 around 3R and let the remainder of the position run, a strategy controlled by Magic Keys. These setups primarily follow a reversal style, based on supply and demand dynamics. Additionally, I employ a hedging strategy, especially when GBPJPY exhibits slow movement. This strategy may seem unconventional, but it relies on a fundamental understanding of numbers and mathematics.

In essence, when the market approaches a supply level, I initiate a reversal entry with a small lot size (e.g., 0.01). If the price retraces, I capture a small profit. However, if it breaks the supply and continues upward, I adopt a hedging approach by gradually adding incremental lot sizes to subsequent entries (e.g., 0.04, 0.08, 0.15, etc.).

Eventually, when the market retraces, I execute a bulk operation on MT5, closing all trades at the mid-point retracement. This approach ensures a net profit. However, it comes with drawbacks, including sleep loss, time consumption, and challenges with evaluation firms due to stringent rules.

While effective, this strategy isn’t suitable for everyone, especially those less proficient in numbers. Hence, I reserve it for occasions when I have ample time. Overall, I prefer the position trading style, allowing me to take only 2 to 3 trades per month. This affords me more rest, and quality time with my family, and aligns with my priorities.

What was the most challenging obstacle in your trading journey?

Mindset, like for most new traders, was a significant challenge for me. I used to have my set of rules, and interestingly, I’d preach these rules to my students only to break them myself every time. It felt like being a novice driver behind the wheel – nervous, jittery, and prone to making mistakes. But much like mastering driving, the more time I spent in front of the charts, the more relaxed and confident I became.

@Lamboraul always reiterates, “The only traders who fail are the ones that quit,” and that mantra has resonated deeply with me. Despite knowing I had mindset issues, I committed to showing up daily, never taking a day off from trading. I believed that with persistence, I would eventually excel.

Over time, I found myself placing less emphasis on my trading mindset, and focusing more on living my life. Surprisingly, my mindset improved without conscious effort. It was a testament to the power of consistency and perseverance in overcoming challenges.

What did you find easier, the FUNDING FRONTIER Challenge or the Verification phase? Share your thoughts.

I don’t dwell on it much; trading is simply trading to me. To be honest, I don’t pay much attention to funded accounts. I primarily trade through my brokers, HFM & Dominion Markets. When I receive an email notification from the challenge indicating I’ve passed, that’s when I take notice. I remain quite relaxed about it all.

To me, it’s just a step closer to a live account, not a split-second decision. Many fail these challenges because they overly fixate on them, constantly checking stats, Metatrader, or CTrader. In contrast, I stick to my trading rules religiously. I don’t even bother looking at the percentage or dollar stats; all my focus is on reading candlesticks and letting things unfold naturally.

How would you rate your experience with FUNDING FRONTIER?
No issues thus far, what I love the most are the trading conditions, great spreads, great latency, and little to no slippages.

What advice would you give to other traders attempting the FUNDING FRONTIER Challenge?
Gain the knowledge first; invest in a course. Don’t fall into the trap of pride, thinking you can go it alone. All you’ll do is waste time and money when instead, you could be leaps ahead, providing for yourself and your family. Once you’re educated, aim to grow a small account with a broker, starting from $100 to $500. Then, withdraw that money to invest in a challenge to level up. I’ve often heard Raja stress this point, and now I understand its importance. Essentially, it’s about safeguarding your mindset. Challenges can be mentally taxing, so trying to rush through the learning curve might leave you in a detrimental state of mind.

Do you plan to take another FUNDING FRONTIER Challenge to manage even bigger capital?
Yes, that is the plan!

Describe your best trade.

I’ll never forget December 7th, 2023. I caught my typical 3R on a GJ drop, and then GJ dropped 700 pips within 24 hours. The runner went crazy.

What is the number one piece of advice you would give to a new trader?
Do not compare yourself to those influencers on social media who have been in the game longer than you. It will kill your joy. Run your own race. Remember, “the only traders that fail are the ones that quit.”

How did you first hear about FUNDING FRONTIER?

Raja Banks, once he cosigned, the rest was history.

Can you describe your risk management plan?
I use Magic Keys to manage my risk. Currently, I risk only 0.5% on a trade, but through Magic Keys, I select the settings so that it’s based on the account balance. What does this mean? It means that when I’m winning, my account grows cumulatively because the 0.5% is calculated on the new balance. If I’m losing, then I’m losing on a reduced balance basis, not a straight-line basis, which means that the 0.5% is calculated on the lesser balance each time. To simplify, the lot size increases on a winning streak and decreases on a losing streak. This would be harder to do manually, but with Magic Keys, it’s made easy. Now, when people speak of risk management, they often only look at the risk side, but you must also consider the profit side. You can’t leave money on the table, so typically, I always try to cash out 81% of my position at 81 pips (Kobe) and leave a runner of 19%.

In closing, we extend our sincere gratitude to Aundre for sharing his valuable insights and experiences as a Funded Trader with Funding Frontier.

We appreciate his candid responses and wish him continued success as he works toward his ambitious funding goals.

To all our viewers and traders, we hope you found this interview informative and insightful.

If you have any further questions or wish to explore funded trading opportunities with us, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you for being a part of our trading journey.

Stay tuned for more interviews and trading tips from Funding Frontier. Wishing you all profitable trades and a prosperous trading journey ahead!