Stephen Bliss runs a burger van called The Sizzling Griddle off the A174 in North Yorkshire. Between orders, he trades on eToro, where he manages about $6 million and has convinced nearly 5,000 people
Stephen Bliss runs a burger van called The Sizzling Griddle off the A174 in North Yorkshire. Between orders, he trades on eToro, where he manages about $6 million and has convinced nearly 5,000 people to copy his moves. The 34-year-old trader picked up 893.16 percent gains in 2017, powered by the cryptocurrency rally that dominated the back half of the year. British media covered his story in early 2018.
The path to eToro fame took time. Bliss started in February 2014 with £3,000 and watched it shrink. He lost about half his stake that first year, posting a 51 percent loss.
2015 changed direction. His account returned 36.38 percent. Then 2017 arrived.
This year has been quieter on paper. That has not shaken his faith in crypto assets. His closed positions between January 1 and July 26 show: of 24 non-crypto trades, 79 percent turned profitable; of 150 crypto trades, 95 percent produced gains. His closed wins and closed losses combined favored profit.
His 2018 returns suffer from open positions he entered when prices sat near their highs. He plans to hold these for years, betting that patience pays.
Bliss was born in Middlesbrough and trades from Redcar. eToro named him a Popular Investor in June 2016. He describes his approach as swing and position trading on a medium to long timeline.
"My strategy is 50 percent fundamental analysis, 40 percent technical analysis, and 10 percent gut feeling and experience," he says.
An unexpected influence shaped his trading discipline. Before the burger van, Bliss spent years doing aggressive inline skating—tricks off handrails, ledges, gaps on rollerblades, often with drops of 20 feet or more on the other side. One misstep meant broken bones or worse.
"Every trick taught me risk-versus-reward," Bliss says. "I had to calculate whether each move was worth the potential fall. And I learned when to stop pushing and cut losses. I skated for 16 years and never broke a single bone."
That same thinking applies to trading. He focuses on cryptocurrencies because of their fundamentals. "They're fast, secure, cheap to use, and decentralized," he explains. "No middlemen, no corruption. They're what's next. I'm comfortable holding some of these for years."
When Bliss entered trading in 2014, few places offered easy crypto access. eToro was one of them. The platform had six asset classes and more than 1,200 instruments. "It was the only platform where I could quickly and securely buy Bitcoin," he recalls. eToro has added more coins since then, bringing its crypto offerings to almost a dozen.
The social element hooked him as much as the tools. eToro functions as a trading network. Users watch traders they respect, comment on their positions, debate ideas. Bliss keeps a watchlist of traders he follows and reacts to movements in assets he cares about.
"You can follow your favorite traders and stay on top of what they're doing in the instruments you track," he says. "It's organized like Facebook. The platform is reliable, easy to use, and secure."
His ascent to Popular Investor status came over time. In late 2015, people started copying his trades. By the time he hit 10 copiers, the responsibility weighed on him.
"When I reached 10 people copying me, I thought, wow, I've got people betting real money on my decisions," Bliss recalls. He adjusted to that pressure, applied for Popular Investor status, and was accepted in June 2016.
The designation opened doors. "You can make real money as a Popular Investor," he says. "It gave me financial freedom and the option to work fewer hours at the van. I could leave the burger business now, but I like it, so I stay."
His vision for the role is simple. "My goal is helping average working people build wealth. I want to keep learning and growing everyone's investments, year after year."
For traders still building experience, Bliss keeps his advice simple. Find assets you know and enjoy trading. Pick things you have genuine interest in, not what trends. Balance your holdings across different sectors.
"Practice first," he says. "Use the practice account if you haven't got money to risk. Get consistent and profitable in simulation before you use real capital."
He suggests a beginner's path. Copy strong Popular Investors first and let them handle the work while you learn. Once you have a clear strategy and style, you can branch out.
"Some Popular Investors I recommend following are GoodGoing, JayNemesis, Wesl3y, MrThor7734, and LiamDavies," he says, mentioning himself as another option.
eToro's user base now includes 10 million people.
The platform offers several advantages. Its interface is straightforward and easy to navigate. Trades execute immediately, locking in prices. Tools like CopyTrader let users follow experienced traders. The crypto community shares knowledge. The company operates under regulation.
Not everyone should purchase cryptocurrencies. Crypto assets lack government or central bank backing. Users trust technology to support their value. Registered investment services offer protections not available to crypto buyers. Cypriot investment firms may provide access to the Investor Compensation Fund and Financial Ombudsman Services Compensation Scheme. Clients in the UK lack access to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme or the Financial Ombudsman Service for dispute resolution. You could lose your entire investment. This does not constitute investment advice. Past results do not guarantee future results. Your capital is at risk.
