The first $10k is hard. $100k is harder. $1M feels impossible. For me, it took failed attempts and hard lessons and multiple brutal crypto cycles to hit 7 figures. Realized, not just paper gains. And here's the truth: Most people who "made it" without roundtripping in crypto actually had capital to start with, which allowed them to sustain hard lessons and losses from volatility. But many didn't start with money in the traditional sense -- like me. I didn't start with a trust fund, inheritance, or rich parents. Still, I had money to invest before I ever made big returns. My first $10k? Not from crypto. I earned it by working, saving, and living at home after college while my friends partied and rented apartments. My first $100k? Not from crypto either. I built it by starting a business and put a bit of disposable income in stocks, while friends stayed in "safe" jobs, hoping they wouldn't get laid off. Only then did I have the capital to ride crypto to $1M. Most try to skip that step -- they chase that next 100X coin they see glamorized by social media and peers, blow up, and start over and over until they burn out. The game isn't just about being rigged. Often times people are just undercapitalized. The fastest way to $1M? My nearly 12 years of experience in this space can confidently now say that I got "lucky" by being accidentally slow to have something worth risking. Then accelerate.