From Losses to Consistency: How Austin Silver Built a Profitable Futures Trading Process With Structure, Psychology, and Journaling
From Losses to Consistency: How Austin Silver Built a Profitable Futures Trading Process With Structure, Psychology, and Journaling
Austin Silver began his trading journey in Forex before transitioning to futures, where he built a structured, process-driven approach. In this interview, he shares how mentorship, journaling, and risk control helped him move from losses to consistency. His story highlights the power of discipline and why focusing on process over profits is the real key to success.
Disclaimer: The content in this video is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice, investment advice, or a recommendation to trade any specific strategy or security. Trading involves significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Always do your own research and due diligence before making any financial decisions. TradeZella and its affiliates are not liable for any losses incurred from trading decisions based on this content. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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This week, we had the pleasure of speaking with Austin Silver, a full-time trader, educator, and founder of ASFX. He has built a reputation for his structured trading approach and commitment to helping traders develop consistency.
He shared his trading journey, from the early struggles of finding consistency to becoming a disciplined futures trader with a structured approach. Along the way, Austin explained how mentorship, journaling, and focusing on “process over profits” have helped him avoid tilt, build discipline, and achieve long-term success in the markets.
Exclusive interview with Austin Silver, who shared how he transformed early trading struggles into a consistent futures strategy by focusing on mentorship, discipline, and a process-driven approach.
Getting Started: Curiosity Turned Obsession
Austin’s introduction to trading began while preparing for his Series 7 license, a requirement for becoming a financial adviser in the U.S. While studying, he discovered day trading and quickly became hooked by the idea of:
Time freedom
Financial independence
Location flexibility
But like most new traders, the reality was tough. For the first 18 months, Austin lost money, jumped between strategies, and fell into information overload. He spent thousands on courses and content, only to realize that none of it guaranteed success.
The turning point came when he sought out mentorship. Traders like Brian Shannon and Scott Redler helped him move away from randomness and toward structure. This shift set the foundation for everything that followed.
Common Struggles Traders Face
Through his mentorship work today, Austin sees the same mistakes repeated by most struggling traders:
Lack of guidance – Trying to figure it out alone wastes years and money.
Ego – Refusing to admit mistakes prevents growth.
Money focus – Trading with desperation often leads to tilt and blown accounts.
As Austin explained:
“Swallow your ego, get around people who have what you want, and detach from the money. Trade a process, not a P&L.”
This mindset shift from chasing profits to following a process, was what allowed him to finally build consistency.
From Forex to Futures
Austin started out in the Forex markets, where he learned technical analysis and developed his price action skills. Over time, he transitioned to futures, focusing primarily on the S&P 500 (ES futures).
By sticking to one market, he gained a deeper understanding of its rhythm and avoided the distractions of constantly switching instruments. This narrowed focus brought him the clarity and results he had been chasing.
Prop Firms: A Tool for Growth
Austin sees prop firms as one of the biggest opportunities for traders today. They allow traders to access capital without risking large amounts of personal money. But, he warns, they can also be a trap if approached recklessly.
His advice is simple:
Don’t buy too many accounts.
Start small and build gradually.
Use built-in risk tools (like daily loss lockouts) to prevent tilt.
Treat accounts as if they were your own money.
“If you treat prop firms seriously, they give you a real chance to grow without risking financial ruin.”
If handled properly, prop firms can accelerate a trader’s growth without the financial setbacks that often come with early mistakes.
Structure and Routine: The Foundation of Success
For Austin, success isn’t just about strategy, it’s about structure. His daily routine is designed to keep him disciplined and in balance:
7:00 AM – Family time.
8:00–8:30 AM – Market prep and reviewing key levels.
9:30–11:00 AM – Primary trading window.
Afternoons – Coaching, podcasts, and business.
By limiting his trading hours, he avoids overtrading and ensures he only acts when the best opportunities are present.
Tracking and TradeZella
One of Austin’s biggest edges comes from tracking every trade using TradeZella. The platform helps him:
Build Playbooks for high-probability setups.
Review performance to see which strategies are working in current conditions.
Use video recaps to reinforce lessons and identify recurring mistakes.
Here's how Austin tracks his trades inisde TradeZella
This constant review keeps him adaptable. Instead of forcing trades, he adjusts quickly when market dynamics change.
Win Rate and Risk Management
Austin’s overall win rate sits around 70–71%, a level he has maintained consistently for years. For him, that high win rate is not about bragging rights, it’s about psychology.
He knows he doesn’t handle long losing streaks well, so he built a strategy that allows him to win often, even if the wins are smaller. On average:
Winning trades last about 21 minutes.
Losing trades last about 9 minutes.
This shows that he cuts losers quickly and lets winners work, a simple but powerful formula.
“If I stay at a 70% win rate and keep my losses small, I’ll be okay. The real issue isn’t losing trades, it’s tilt.”
Playbooks: Structure for Every Setup
A big part of Austin’s consistency comes from documenting his setups in structured playbooks. Instead of relying on memory or gut feel, every trade idea has clear criteria, from entry triggers and stop placement to how he manages trades once he’s in.
By building these playbooks inside TradeZella, Austin not only tracks performance but also creates a repeatable system that filters out randomness. When market conditions change, he can quickly see which setups are still working and which need to be sidelined.
For him, playbooks aren’t just about setups, they’re about discipline. They make sure every trade has a reason, and every reason is backed by data.
Managing Risk with “Feeler” Trades
Austin often starts sessions with small “feeler” trades. These light positions allow him to test the market’s direction without significant risk.
If the trades work, he gains confidence to scale in.
If they fail, the loss is small, but the information is valuable.
This approach reframes losses as data, not failure.
Tilt and Discipline
Tilt — the emotional spiral that leads to reckless decisions, is something Austin openly admits he’s battled.
In the early years, tilt happened weekly.
Later, he reduced it to once a month.
Recently, he’s cut it down to once a quarter.
The key, he says, is awareness and damage control. Tilt may never fully disappear, but traders can reduce its frequency and financial impact over time.
Discipline outside of trading also plays a role. Fitness, family time, and balance all help Austin stay sharp when he’s at the desk.
Discipline Inside and Outside Trading
For Austin, discipline isn’t just about following rules on the charts. It’s about how you live your entire life.
If you slack at the gym, you’ll likely slack in trading.
If you don’t follow through on your word, you won’t follow through on your plan.
He believes doing hard things outside of trading, like fitness routines or accountability practices, makes it easier to stay disciplined when it matters most at the desk.
Lessons and Advice for New Traders
If Austin could change one thing, it would be embracing prop firms earlier. Beyond that, he doesn’t dwell on regrets. Every mistake was part of his growth.
His advice to traders is straightforward:
Don’t chase big wins.
Avoid account-damaging losses.
Track and review everything.
Build balance in and out of trading.
Above all, focus on the process, not the outcome.
“Success doesn’t come from chasing profits, it comes from mastering a process you can trust.”
Conclusion
Austin Silver’s journey shows that consistency isn’t built overnight. It comes from mentorship, structure, and a relentless focus on process.
By trading one market, leveraging prop firms responsibly, and tracking everything through TradeZella, Austin transformed from a struggling beginner into a consistent futures trader.
For anyone still grinding through the learning curve, his story is proof: success in trading comes not from luck or prediction, but from patience, process, and discipline.
