When your account is under 1,000U, do your palms sweat every time you watch the market? Always thinking, "Maybe this trade will help me break even"?

Don’t rush. Last year, a friend started with a capital of 800U, and after three months, his account balance grew to 18,000U, with zero liquidations along the way. His secret? Actually, just three rules—simple to hear, but few can stick to them.

**Less money means you can’t afford to be reckless**

There’s a harsh truth in crypto: the probability of liquidation is the same whether you have 100U or 100,000U. The biggest danger for small funds is the "Well, it’s not much anyway, let’s go all-in and see what happens" mentality—that’s basically giving your money away. Having less capital doesn’t mean you can mess around; on the contrary, you can afford to lose even less. Surviving is more important than anything.

**Three hard rules**

**1. Divide your funds into three parts**

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Here’s how my friend did it:
- 30% for short-term trades in mainstream coins, quick in and out;
- 30% waits for daily-level signals before making a move, for swing trades;
- The remaining 40%? Locked up as emergency funds, absolutely untouchable.

This 40% is your bottom line. No matter how tempting the market is, touching this money is cutting off your escape route.

**2. Only follow trends, don’t guess directions**

The market spends 70% of the time grinding—up a little, down a little, moving sideways. If you chase pumps and dumps during consolidation, the fees alone will eat you up.

It’s not shameful to wait until the trend is clear before entering. When you’re up 12%? Take your principal out first and let the profit run. That way, even if there’s a pullback later, you don’t lose.

**3. Use rules to control your hand**

Human emotions are unreliable, so set your rules in advance:
- Cut losses at 2%, no exceptions;
- When you’re up 4%, take some profits and secure your gains;
- Never add to a losing position to average down—that’s a death sentence.

It’s best to use the automatic stop-loss and take-profit features in trading software; don’t count on yourself to resist the urge.

**Making fewer mistakes is profit**

Turning a small account around isn’t about catching every opportunity, but about making fewer mistakes than others. There are only a few real big moves in a year; the rest of the time is a test of patience.

Leave yourself a way out, wait for signals, stick to discipline—these nine words are easy to say but hard to do. The crypto market will amplify your greed and fear endlessly; only by staying calm can you survive to the end.

A seed needs time to grow into a tree—don’t pull it out yourself. Opportunities are always there, but only if you’re still in the game.