From three digits to seven digits, this practical handbook is worth owning
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From three digits to seven digits, this practical handbook is worth owning
99% of the crypto market is noise, scams, and failed projects, but that 1% success is enough to completely change one's fate.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsWritten by: hoeem
Translated by: AididiaoJP, Foresight News
You may often hear stories about turning $300 into millions of dollars, but Grant (@Grantblocmates) actually did it. Not only that, he’s one of the few who has achieved genuine 100x returns multiple times in this market cycle—even achieving over 1000x through Fartcoin, which he bought when its market cap was just $900,000. So if you're wondering how to go from zero to millions, listen to Grant's story.
I hope this article further shares strategies so you can truly learn and put them into practice.
Grant’s crypto journey hasn’t been smooth sailing. Since entering the market in 2017, he grew an initial $300 investment into a seven-figure portfolio—then nearly lost it all, only to rebuild and earn even more. He recently shared a video detailing his complete strategy for going from three figures to seven in crypto speculation.
Along the way, he experienced euphoric bull runs, brutal drawdowns, total portfolio resets, and unexpected rebounds. He founded @blocmatesdotcom, survived a hardware wallet disaster, and turned contrarian bets into outsized gains.
This is his case study: what worked, what failed, and the tactical framework he now uses to survive and thrive in one of the world’s most volatile markets.
Step One: The $300 That Started It All
Grant’s first crypto move was in 2017 as a student, buying XRP with around $300. The price surged quickly, but before he could act, a crash erased all gains.
But he didn’t quit.
Partly because he used student loans to invest, leaving him feeling like he had no way out.
He describes this phase as “completely useless”—blindly following algorithm-driven content, making trades he didn’t understand, mistaking luck for skill.
Tip: Everyone starts here. The faster you move past it, the better.
Breaking the Cycle of Bad Decisions
Grant’s first real breakthrough came from cleaning up his information sources:
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Only follow people who are consistently early and right.
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Track whether their predictions hold up over time.
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Remove braggarts who never admit losses.
Why this matters: If you can't explain why you're making a trade, you won’t know when to exit.
He dove into podcasts, fundamental analysis, and technical analysis. Slowly, he learned to identify market patterns and conduct his own fundamental research.
Two Market Modes
Grant simplifies markets into two modes:
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Easy mode: Ample liquidity, narratives last weeks, even junk projects go up.
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Hard mode: Liquidity dries up, major coins weaken, good news leads to price drops due to selling pressure.
The fatal mistake? Bringing aggressive easy-mode behavior into hard mode.
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In easy mode: Go all-in, ride momentum.
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In hard mode: Reduce risk, prioritize survival.
Reading the Cycle Before It Becomes Obvious
Over time, Grant learned to spot signals:
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Pre-cycle: Quiet discussions in niche communities, volume spikes in small-cap coins.
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During cycle: Everything rises, fundamentals don’t matter.
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Late cycle: Fundamentals ignored, traders mentally pre-positioned, good news fails to push prices higher.
His rule: Attack before the cycle, defend at the end.
Why You Can’t Trade Your Way Out of a Bad Market
One of the hardest lessons Grant learned early:
“Trying to trade your way out of a bad market is like trying to exercise your way out of a poor diet.”
In bear markets:
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Move 80%-100% of funds into cash or off-chain assets.
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Keep a small portion as “learning capital” to stay sharp.
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Focus on research, networking, and refining tools.
Goal: Survive so you can go all-in when easy mode returns.
From Over-Diversification to Focus
Early on, Grant held too many positions, leading to scattered attention and no big wins. Later, overtrading during downturns wiped out profits and changed his habits.
Now he follows three principles:
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Concentrate on high-conviction plays.
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Exit while strong.
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Accept that building wealth and preserving it require different strategies.
This is how he turned a $50,000 all-in Solana bet back into seven-figure returns.
It’s also how he went all-in on GOAT and found Fartcoin when it had a $900,000 market cap. When he finds a focused bet, he sizes up.
Lessons From the Meme Season
Meme season taught him: Market value doesn’t have to align with personal values.
He profited by:
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Entering early, before mainstream hype.
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Treating hype as the engine of the market.
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Selling early when conditions get overheated.
From these wins, he moved ~85% of profits into tangible assets and kept 15% as “play money” for aggressive trading without risking ruin.
Four Stages of Portfolio Growth
Grant sees portfolio building as four distinct “games”:
Three digits to four digits
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Define your replenishment rate (how fast you can reload if funds are lost).
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Concentrate on 1–2 positions.
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Avoid TVL-based airdrops—they lock up capital.
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Prefer time-based airdrops—cost is time, not liquidity.
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Build high-quality information sources; avoid being farmed by “KOLs”.
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Trade on-chain, not just on centralized exchanges.
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Join active Discord and Telegram groups.
Four digits to five digits
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Log every trade (profit, loss, reason).
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Adjust aggression based on market mode.
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Position ahead of catalysts—don’t chase news.
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Don’t try to trade your way out of a bad market.
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Don’t over-leverage.
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In bad markets, keep small positions but stay curious.
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Narrative precedes price rise.
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What benefits before the catalyst hits?
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Stay sharp by daily conversations and digesting correct info.
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Build a trading framework.
Five digits to six digits
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Go big early in rotations.
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Bet on “leader tokens” within strong narratives.
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When sectors rotate, fully shift to new areas.
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Treat micro-cycles within each macro cycle as raids—fast in, fast out.
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Ask: Is liquidity flowing in or out? Zoom out.
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You can’t be smarter than macro and outflows.
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We live in an attention economy—fast money is attention. Narrative and attention are key.
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Anything triggering a strong reaction is worth watching—you’re here to make money, not to be right.
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Ask yourself: “If I were starting today, would I buy this at this size?” If not, sell.
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Think: “How does this go to zero?” Find early warning signs.
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Where will attention go next?
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Stay curious.
Six digits to seven digits
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Avoid positions too large to exit cleanly; size relative to circulating supply.
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Structure portfolio as core holdings plus high-beta correlated plays.
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Use only slight leverage on majors, never more than 2–3x.
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After a big win, run a “new save file” reset: withdraw most profits, restart with smaller capital.
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You can’t use previous strategies—your size prevents wild entries into tiny caps.
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Know your edge, drop illusions—you now know what you’re good at.
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If you perform poorly in choppy markets, reduce risk.
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If you excel in trends, enter early and scale out gradually.
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When wrong, accept the blow to your ego.
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Stop-loss, rotate, reset.
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You don’t need to always be positioned—opportunities are endless, but your capital isn’t.
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Shift to airdrop farming, spread trades, test new frameworks with small capital.
Market Health Litmus Test
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Healthy market: Good news triggers strong, sustained rallies.
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Weak market: Good news brings flat or negative price reactions.
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This single filter can save you months of effort in bad conditions.
Positioning in Weak Markets
In bad markets, Grant looks for:
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Assets holding price or rising during sell-offs.
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Volume surges before clear catalysts.
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Projects continuing development despite low sentiment.
Position before the catalyst—entering after news makes you exit liquidity.
Non-Negotiable Portfolio Management Principles
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Concentrate capital, don’t diversify.
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Distinguish trading (price-driven) from investing (fundamental-driven).
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Sell while strong.
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Be comfortable holding 100% cash.
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Rotate early when sectors shift.
The End of the Four-Year Cycle
Grant believes the classic four-year cycle is over; now, opportunities come in shorter bursts. He treats them as raids:
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Enter early.
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Go big during strength.
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Exit before mania.
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Hold cash until the next pre-cycle.
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Most importantly, follow liquidity—reduce exposure when it leaves.
Three Traps That Kill Portfolios
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First love syndrome: Being emotionally attached to the first token that made you money.
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Price anchoring: Refusing to buy because it’s “more expensive” than before.
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Lifestyle projection: Mentally living the dream life before selling.
The goal isn’t to be right every time, but to be profitable often.
Advanced Play With Large Capital
At higher levels, Grant:
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Targets projects where he can own a meaningful share of circulating supply.
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Treats small caps as built-in leverage.
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Avoids long-term locks unless position size justifies it.
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Tests new strategies in calm markets.
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Warning: Unless your crypto capital exceeds $2–3 million, chasing yield is usually less effective than following trends due to illiquidity, smart contract, and dilution risks.
Survival First, Profit Second
99% of crypto is noise, scams, and failed projects—but the 1% that succeeds can change your life.
Your behavior often sends top signals before charts do—recognizing this matters more than any indicator.
Opportunities are endless, your capital isn’t.
Summary
Three crypto cycles, deeply learned lessons, and plenty of setbacks—that’s the backdrop Grant (@Grantblocmates) calls his ultimate experience vault. In the video, he walks us through his investment journey since 2017 and how those experiences shaped his current approach.
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hoeem
