Personally, I have no issue whatsoever with a trader looking to add sales channels to their trading business. Sure there are traders out there who spend their trading lives in the shadows, quietly building their fortunes with no interest in the public eye at all. And then there are guys like Timothy Sykes, who develop their business in more public ways.

Sure there are guys out there who can’t trade and make money selling systems that probably don’t work, but if Sykes is prepared to share all his trading records (current and historic), how can he be a a huckster?

You will come to clearly understand the right place right time hypothesis.

They can’t replicate the trade, but they now have a reputation that they can sell, and they sell it well.

The trading education industry is loaded with them, John Person and Larry Williams to name two more. Then there are those who have never successfully traded like Steve Nison and Martin Pring, they are just good writers with a gimmick.

How do I know this? I have met ever single one of these people in person, including Sykes. Trading is the last thing on their mind, the “sale” is all that matters.

A real trader will not waste their time hawking. Trading is way too lucrative when successful, for that.

Trading is hard work, long hours, dedication in sweat and capital. It can take YEARS to become a proficient trader who can live on his own profits. It takes 6 years of school to get an MBA and 10 plus to be a doctor. People who think they can trade in a few short weeks or months are fooling themselves. That type a trader is a rare bird.

These guys make a fortune selling a dream that is not ever going to happen for 90% plus who enter the game.

Unfortunately, in bad times like these, hucksters and snake oil traders do even better as desperate people flock to them for salvation.

In the end they spend they money on education and loose what little is left over trying to replicate something the author can’t even do. But then that’s pretty much all of Wallstreet. And thus the mess we have today.

I’ll admit that I haven’t read much about what he does other than your post about him and a quick glance at his site, but he seems like a one trick pony. Kind of contradictory to his mantra of continuous learning. He must be pretty good at hawking his product though, since he even says in his video that you get stuff “straight from his blog”. Why someone would pay $300 for something that’s already available online is a bit puzzling to me. Maybe there’s actually something worthwhile in his DVD’s. I’ll have to see if I can pirate it.

In fact the reason I wrote this blog, was because I wanted to know how Tim Sykes attracted such a following. It seems now that product sales make up a large portion of that revenue, but his audience is only going to grow!

Apologies if I’ve offended, I certainly didn’t intend that.

the AtticMan

Looking forward to your blog post – are you saying you will be sharing the finances of you blog ASWELL as sharing the finances of your trading business?

Surely then, all the naysayers would have nothing on you!

I say, fair play to you, you’ve bucked a trend, and may you continue to make money!