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[Investor Story] From Losing Everything to Gaining 8 Million! How Can Small Capital Achieve 'Exponential' Growth?

If you had lost all your principal when you first entered the market, would you have the courage to come back? This episode of Investor Story features a guest@烙大vMore than ten years ago, as a novice, I borrowed money to invest in stocks and lost everything; after leaving the market for many years, I returned to the market,Turning my portfolio 150 times over in a year, increasing my assets to 8 million!

Lao Da V: "Making money is something you know, I know, even one-eyed people know, so how can you make a fortune? Invest in future mega trends!"

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1. Losing 200,000 in tuition fees: My first investment lesson in life

Q: Hello Lao Da V! Your investment performance is quite impressive, could you introduce yourself?

A: You flatter me, it's not that great, just good luck.

About ten years ago, when I had just started working, I was very bold. Fresh out of college, I thought I was very capable, so I borrowed 200,000 from the bank to invest, mistakenly trusted others and bought 'penny stocks,' and before long, the entire 200,000 was gone. That blow was significant, making me realize that I wasn't cut out for investing at the time; for a year or two afterward, I completely left the stock market. It wasn’t until around 2019, attracted by Futu’s new customer promotion, that I re-deposited funds. Initially, I just wanted to earn the sign-up bonus, but as I got more involved, I felt the itch again and decided to buy shares of some big companies.

Q: Is investing your main occupation?

Investment is just a side job. I previously worked at a listed company in Hong Kong, specifically responsible for preparing financial statements for tax purposes and submitting them to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, among other tasks. I may have a slight advantage in this area, knowing which parts of the information can provide me with useful references.However, investing is about betting on the "future," while financial statements merely present what has already happened in numerical form.So I am also learning how to obtain useful reference information beyond financial statements, but I believe many fellow investors and seniors are better at this than I am.

II. The Understanding of Monetization Behind 8 Million: How Can Small Capital Achieve "Exponential" Growth?

1) Earned the first pot of gold through PLTR.

A: At first, I actually stumbled upon it by accident.$Palantir (PLTR.US)$It was around 2020. I saw it on the rising stocks list on Futu, and there was a lot of discussion about it, so I ignorantly followed and bought it. I remember the price was quite high at that time, and after I bought it, it kept falling. I then added to my position in batches, accumulating an investment of about tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars. At the worst point, the stock price dropped to over five dollars, and I almost lost all my principal, thinking I would repeat the same mistake again.

But later, after I seriously researched and reflected on it, I realized that this company has great potential; it was just that it was still operating at a loss at that time, which led everyone to sell off their shares.PLTR has a strong moat in the military sector by utilizing AI and has an advantage due to its close relationship with Trump; additionally, the "warming around the stove" support from the Niuniu Circle community has kept me holding on.

In 2024, things finally turned around and the stock price surged multiple times (it was over $40 at the time), so I sold my shares. Looking back now, I clearly sold too early, as it has since risen to nearly $200. However, at the time, its trend and price had exceeded my understanding, and I preferred to shift my capital toward stocks with greater growth potential. During that period, I decided to sell $Palantir (PLTR.US)$ all of it (both the common stock and options) and use part of the profits for more stable investments. A gain of approximately 1 million Hong Kong dollars was then allocated to $SoFi Technologies (SOFI.US)$ 。

2) moving into SOFI growth stocks, using LEAPS CALL options to achieve 3x leverage

A: Starting with investing in $SoFi Technologies (SOFI.US)$ , I mainly focused on Options Trading. All of the 1 million Hong Kong dollars in profits were used to purchase long-term in-the-money or near-the-money call options (LEAPS CALL). These in-the-money options provide about 3x leverage, allowing me to amplify my gains when my directional view is correct while maintaining relatively controlled risk.

For example: If SOFI’s stock price is at $10, I would prioritize buying options with strike prices of $8 or $6, which are already profitable.

My approach to analyzing $SoFi Technologies (SOFI.US)$ is very straightforward.Because I believe that a company's main large expenses are actually labor costs and rent. It is an internet bank, so it doesn't need many physical branches, saving on rent; additionally, it uses a lot of AI to assist with tasks now, so it doesn’t need as many employees, reducing labor cost expenditures.If it can control these two types of expenses well, this company has great potential. As long as it can outperform several traditional banks, its market share will continue to grow. Judging from the performance, over the past three quarters, the number of subscribers has been increasing, market share is improving, and it has started to turn a profit. During this period, I haven’t seen any significant deterioration in fundamentals, so my current strategy is to continue holding.

Q: Would this approach be used for other stocks?

My core holdings at present are $SoFi Technologies (SOFI.US)$ and $Figure Technology Solutions (FIGR.US)$ , including those I invested in before, such as $BABA-W (09988.HK)$ , all adopting the same investment logic.That is, using long-term call options to replace direct stock holding, as my principal is not substantial, and I hope to achieve my goals quickly through short-term explosive growth.So far, things have been going relatively smoothly, and I hope to maintain this good fortune through 2026.

III. Stock Selection Logic: Only buy growth during the 'realization phase' and don't get shaken out by 'false negatives.'

Q: What are the most important core dimensions when selecting investment target assets?

(1) Look at the company’s development direction for the next three to five years

The share prices of companies that are already highly profitable have already reflected that. I prefer to look for thosethat are still growing and just starting to realize their potentialin that category.

(2) Management is very important

Whether the direction is right is one thing, but whether they can actually execute it is more important. They don’t need to get every step perfect, but as long as you seetheir plans being gradually realized, I’m willing to continue holding on.

(3) Do not blindly follow short-term news or panic

For example, when major shareholders reduce holdings, many people immediately think it's negative news, but I won't jump to that conclusion.Because every story has two sides.Major shareholders reducing their holdings could be due to tax planning, personal financial arrangements, or even compensation in shares (shareholders are human too and need money), and may not necessarily be related to the company's fundamentals. In fact, from another perspective, such reductions increase the liquidity of the stock, which, assuming the company itself is solid, isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Q: Speaking of management, can you give an example?

Focus on technical trends, and trade CALL/PUT options in batches by buying low and selling high. $Tesla (TSLA.US)$For example,The number of Teslas on the road and its stock price have grown exponentially over the years, proving that it’s not just about storytelling but delivering the 'right' product to the market.I highly value Musk’s ability and execution. Precisely because of this, I pay attention to what he does next, like SpaceX, and if it goes public in the future, I’d really hope to participate.

4. Managing Emotions After Losing Millions Overnight

Q: How do you manage your emotions when facing huge fluctuations in your account?

A: The biggest progress I've made in recent years is patience.Many people’s biggest misconception is thinking that once they buy, the stock should immediately rise. But markets are noisy; the key lies in understanding the bigger picture of the company and the overall market direction.

Here’s a real-life example: $SoFi Technologies (SOFI.US)$ On the evening of Q3 2025 earnings release, the stock price initially surged but plummeted after-hours due to a secondary offering. My account value once evaporated by nearly 40%.Though it was painful at the time, I was clear that the logic behind my purchase hadn’t changed. If I had sold everything because I panicked, that would have been a real loss. Now, when facing daily fluctuations, I can look at things differently: is a sharp drop perhaps an opportunity the market is giving me to add more shares?

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to fellow investors at the same stage?

A: You need to understand yourself—know whether you’re suited for short-term or long-term trading. There are many ways to make money; I’ve chosen the long-term approach.But ultimately, you must learn to analyze and filter out market noise. Don’t assume that a certain piece of news will definitely cause the stock price to rise or fall—there’s no absolute certainty in this world.

Long-term investing has never been easy. But when you truly understand what you’re buying, why you’re holding, and when to let go, returns become a byproduct of time. Hopefully,@烙大vthese useful shares can provide some reference and patience for fellow investors who are repeatedly experimenting in the market.

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Fellow investors are welcome to share in the comments whether you’re now closer to patience or still struggling with emotions.

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Disclaimer: The content of this article was provided by@烙大vAccept@牛友有料到The interview was compiled, and the images in the text were provided by@烙大v. The cases in the article are for reference only and do not constitute any investment advice. The information related to the article does not form any industry or index recommendation; the information and introductions of the stocks involved represent the personal opinions of the user and do not constitute any stock recommendation. Past performance of the stocks does not indicate future results. The stock market involves risks, and investment requires caution.

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