Samuel Leach

As an avidly successful stock trader, CEO, entrepreneur, trading advisor, coach, and general financial inspiration, Samuel Leach has successfully carved a place for himself in the global financial market at a remarkably young age. Aggressively pursuing his passion for stock market trading, the University student turned faux paper trades into real-world profitable endeavors, and swiftly garnered financial success. Recognizing the transformative power of a fruitful career in the stock market industry, a motivated Leach set forth to transition a humble initial investment into massive liquidity to build the infrastructure of his trading portfolio. Before graduating from the University of Hertfordshire with a degree in Marketing and Advertising, Leach turned his initial £2,000 educational stipend investment into an impressive £178,000.

As Founder and CEO of Samuel and Co. Trading, Samuel Leach built his trading training programs based on his own trading principles, algorithms, and the nuanced considerations that led to his own successes within the markets. Launched in 2012, Samuel & Co. Trading has garnered a global reach and has trained in excess of 3,000 individuals from over 63 countries worldwide.

Leach trades within various markets, parlaying his perfected skills, algorithms, and business savvy. In addition, he personally spearheads the CPD certification training programs at Samuel & Co. Trading, and dedicates his time to championing the successful trading careers of thousands of individuals annually. Through his dedication to helping individuals successfully enter the stock markets, Leach has changed the lives of countless individuals and has made stock market trading accessible to individuals who may have previously considered the undertaking too daunting, complex, or otherwise inaccessible.

Where did the idea for Samuel and Co. Trading come from?

As a teenager, I shared one room with my father and brother in shared accommodations after my parents’ divorce. This time was transformative, and I recognized that I never wanted to find myself in a potentially financially unstable condition throughout adulthood. Thus, I utilized this experience as a motivator to establish myself financially early within my adulthood. I began to research career trajectories that would have the highest probabilities of fruitful financial returns and declared that the vast nature of the stock markets, alongside the continuous global activity that occurs within the stock markets, would provide the highest potential payoff.

From there, I set forth to accomplish the task of teaching myself everything there was to know about the global stock markets. Without any liquidity to perform real trades, I began to make faux paper trades and followed my progress in a notebook. As my grades were very high, I received an educational stipend from my University for £2,000 and recognized this as potentially the only opportunity to proverbially put my money where my mouth is. Thus, I invested this money into the stock markets and effectively worked toward building a profitable portfolio from this initial investment.

Nearing graduation, I purchased £10,000 of stock in a company that provided the competing Android version of Apple TV. At the time, the company invested heavily in equipment and was set to make a big push, pending safety checks. As I always worked to remain abreast of tech and industry news, I immediately recognized this as an opportunity to invest in the company prior to this large push propelling the company’s net worth tremendously. After investigating the results of similar safety checks performed on other products, and garnering an expected rate of passing, I determined that the risk was minimal enough to warrant investment, and was proven right when the company passed the equipment checks. After this pivotal moment, my purchased stock became worth £110,000.

While my initial successes in the realm of stock market trading were paying off substantially, my peers began to seek guidance in entering the stock markets. Borrowing a few empty lecture halls, I began to hold seminars for peers interested in gaining an understanding of stock market trading, preparing novices to enter the field in a confident manner. Recognizing my ability to thoughtfully, and effectively, provide the needed information to set up novice traders for success, and recognizing my passion for sharing my insights, I quickly saw the potential to turn this bespoke guidance into a business opportunity. Thus, Samuel & Co. Trading was born.

Launched in 2012, I started the company as a means of making the stock markets accessible to all parties interested in trading. By providing various levels of education to fit the unique needs of future traders, I championed the ability to provide others with a successful mastery of the field. Since I found such a transformative experience within the realm of professional stock market trading, I wanted to pay it forward by providing guidance to others.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

Typically waking at 5:00 AM, I usually play with my dog, grab a banana for the commute to the office, and I’m swiftly off to capture the most of the day. Most of my mornings in the office begin early and are spent reviewing the most up-to-date financial headlines, and market reports. By the time the UK markets open at 8:30 AM, I have reviewed the performance of all of my investments, and am ready to trade. I break for lunch at exactly 12:00 PM and have a relatively healthy lunch delivered to my desk daily. While I continue to watch the news during my short lunch break, I sometimes indulge in playing Xbox games. I work until the markets close, and take a daily trip to the gym immediately after work. As my girlfriend is a professional chef, she typically prepares a healthy dinner for us to enjoy together, before taking the dog out for a nightly walk.

In terms of productivity, I believe that personal motivation is the key to remaining positive. I truly love my job, my company, and my industry. I’m motivated by the prospect of helping others successfully enter the realm of stock market trading, and this commitment allows me to focus on a myriad of tasks without losing sight of the grander picture. Since I remain vigilant about my schedule throughout the week, I actively devote weekends to family time.

How do you bring ideas to life?

In my professional life, all ideas must be vetted by a risk analysis, and are mostly viewed from a pragmatic perspective. Early within my professional trajectory, I learned the crucial need to limit emotional connection within the financial industry. Thus, if I have a particular idea in terms of trading, I make sure to substantiate this inner inkling with tangible evidence to support my thoughts. Prior to making real-world moves, I always attempt to garner as much information about a particular idea.

In growing Samuel & Co. Trading, my ideas are usually reviewed by trusted team members, as I believe in the transformative power of surrounding oneself with a committed, talented, and devoted team. For example, in my desire to grow our Madrid team, and build the infrastructure needed to support unemployment in the region, I understand that in order to set this idea in motion, I’ll need to support this growth via the adequate training of staff, and championing leadership of staff.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Globalization of markets has excited me for quite some time, and has provided unique opportunities for traders to get involved in worldwide business operations. Through the ability to connect on a real-time basis with just about any individual or organization in the world, we have the capacity for finding financial opportunities on a global scale, a feat that was not previously available to professionals within this industry. While extended opportunities arise, the global culture created by this worldwide connectivity has also created a new culture, one that relies on the consistent ebb and flow of cohesive worldwide collaboration. Thus, with unsteady international relationships, globalization has also led to rapidly changing global markets, impacted by swift political moves. While this can make it increasingly difficult to capture fruitful global investment, it also keeps global traders on their toes, creating an exciting time to be involved in the field.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I credit my continued drive to being able to focus on the big picture, maintaining strict schedules within the entire scope of my existence, and not being afraid of working hard. These three guiding principles sum up the doctrine of my daily life as an entrepreneur, business owner, trader, and active adult.

By not getting bogged down by the vastness of my daily to-do lists, and choosing to focus on the bigger picture goals that will be manifested as a result of the continued accomplishment of smaller objectives, I am able to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of work that needs to be accomplished on a daily basis. For many professionals, becoming consumed by the never-ending plethora of tasks can somewhat eliminate the deeper rooted ambition needed to remain productive, and make professionals forget why they actively chose their field of expertise in the first place.

In the same vein, remaining vigilant about a daily schedule allows me to retain structure in my life, an important feat for any entrepreneur looking to consistently scale their business. Without the structure and organization of having a schedule, life can begin to seem chaotic, unorganized, and unmanageable, with time often seemingly slipping away.

What advice would you give your younger self?

As a fledgling trader, still in University, I garnered a part-time job at a local bank, quickly taking on much more than one person could effectively handle. Trading roughly three to four days per week, I also attended University on a full-time basis, along with the coursework required to maintain top grades, and worked at the bank three to four days per week. Feeling burnt out and increasingly anxious, I was briefly hospitalized. Not only did I compromise my health by attempting to proverbially “do it all”, I also was not able to devote my fullest energies to all of these projects. By spreading myself too thin, I was not able to dedicate the needed amount of time and energy into anything to succeed, essentially hurting my chances of succeeding within any venture. I would remind my younger self that spreading oneself too thin only dilutes focus, and can have negative ramifications that can last indefinitely.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Though I’m certain there are many individuals who agree with my stance on risk, the entire concept of risk taking seems to be somewhat polarizing for most individuals. On one hand, conservatives often consider abundant risk-taking to be foolish, and attest to the power of “slow and steady” when it comes to gaining value, reward, or any positive outcome as the result of a strategic move. On the completely opposite end of the spectrum, many avid risk-takers profess the unparalleled power of the statement, “the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward”. While I tend to agree with the latter expression, I do subscribe to a cautious risk-taking methodology, one that lies somewhere in the middle of the bell curve. It is my belief that many individuals who find themselves at the opposite ends of this topic enact their policies through an emotional connection to risk, or emotional adversity to risk. In either case, this emotionally driven response can be considered inappropriate. For me, removing any emotional aspect, and working on algorithm, pattern, and practical information alone can easily shed light on the risk-to-reward ratio of the proposed question.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Since Samuel & Co. Trading was completely self-funded, I have recognized the importance of maintaining a rather strict system in order to avoid wavering from a set path. While seeing initial growth, it becomes very easy for entrepreneurs to get caught up in initial successes, and throw caution to the wind. Thus, over and over again, I return to my business plan, review long-term goals, and ensure that I am sticking to my outlined goals, trajectories, and benchmarks.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

Because Samuel & Co. Trading offers an educational experience instead of a retail product, I keep customer satisfaction at the forefront of importance necessary to grow the business. By championing the success of customers, and remaining focused on their comfort, confidence, and ability to transition their newly gained insight into professional success within the stock markets, I have been able to grow the business through word-of-mouth, and a positive reputation. In this field, a positive reputation is absolutely needed to thrive.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

As a trader, not all of my investments have panned out, though they have certainly provided me with valuable learning experiences. In 2011, I invested in the currency brokerage MF Global and was almost amongst the many investors who found themselves completely wiped out after the company collapsed. Luckily, I withdrew funds prior to the collapse and sought to eliminate the risk associated with a middle man by establishing my own currency trading firm.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Though I don’t have a specific invention or idea to give away, I do utilize an algorithm that can be applied to all facets of life, including the creation of a positive business idea. I believe that patterns and algorithms exist in human behavior, and can be somewhat embraced, learned, and effectively translated into various goals. Thus, I would encourage readers to consider the top traits of successful individuals who they would like to mirror. Consider those traits, recognize their patterns of professional behavior, and aim to emulate these patterns within your own daily behaviors to incite similar successes.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I save the majority of my earnings but occasionally spend on luxuries that will truly impact my quality of life or the quality of life for those closest to me. My mom, who has always been my supporter, and works in the HR department of Samuel & Co. Trading has been eyeing a particular Jaguar F-Type for what felt like forever. Recently, I purchased the car for her as a gift and relished in the happiness that it brought her.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

As someone who needs to be constantly connected to the pulse of the markets, I rely heavily on my smartphone to remain updated on global headlines. Additionally, I utilize my office computer for a dozen applications simultaneously, and consistently need it in order to be functional in my professional life.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

I’ve recently published my first book, titled “The Formula for Success: How to Win at Life Using Your Own Personal Algorithm”, which is a great read for anyone looking to professionally embark on the journey to becoming a trader. Throughout my professional trajectory, I’ve been asked about how I’ve grown my career independently, and how I’ve managed to transform my life in such a seemingly short period of time. Thus, in order to answer these questions, and provide an insightful look into my methodology, I have written this book as a manifesto for success.

What is your favorite quote?

“Hard work is not easy.” It is such a simple sentiment, but it perfectly embodies the road to success in just about any activity, profession, or goal.

Key Learnings:

• Maintaining a focus on bigger picture goals can alleviate the pressures of a constantly thriving professional schedule.
• By assessing the risk-to-reward ratio for all considered investments, the minimization of risk can manifest in ongoing successful, well-considered investments.
• In order to maintain clarity on a long-term basis in the stock market business, one must eliminate emotional connections to investment, and think pragmatically.