Steve Barker happy with new Stellenbosch arrivals as pre-season intensifies
Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker is happy with how his new signings have settled in at the club, as they start to gain momentum in their pre-season camp.
But instead of folding, he founded Booming Bulls Academy, one of India’s leading trading education platforms, to help a new wave of investors make smarter, calmer decisions.
His mission? To make financial literacy as mainstream as music videos and memes.
With over 1.6 million YouTube subscribers and a growing international footprint, Singh has positioned himself as a voice of reason in a landscape often clouded by speculation. His success is about consistency, emotional intelligence, and a relentless commitment to discipline.
Singh believes the right mindset is your biggest asset. Anish is building an ecosystem where everyday people, not just finance bros in suits, can learn to navigate the markets with confidence.
Through Booming Bulls Academy, he’s demystifying technical analysis, teaching risk management, and proving that trading can be both accessible and empowering.
And while the world obsesses over crypto highs and meme stock mania, Singh is clear-eyed about the importance of emotional control.
“You can’t trade well if you can’t think clearly,” he says. It’s this blend of hard skills and soft discipline that sets him apart and has earned him a growing fan base from Mumbai to Joburg.
GQ caught up with the trading coach to talk about crypto myths, Mental Fitness, and why mastering your emotions might just be the most valuable trade you ever make.
GQ: You first entered the crypto space during the 2017 Bitcoin boom. What initially drew you in, and what did that first experience teach you about both the potential and volatility of the markets?
Anish Singh Thakur: It was the hype, honestly. Everyone around me was talking about Bitcoin, it felt like the train you couldn’t miss. I wasn’t trading myself back then; I gave money to a friend, and I made about 10 lakh rupees. It felt like easy money, until the bear market hit. That experience taught me two crucial things: crypto is incredibly volatile, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you're gambling, not investing.
GQ: For anyone curious about investing in crypto today, what’s the difference between hype-driven investing and system-driven trading?
Anish Singh Thakur: Hype-driven investing is all emotion. You buy because everyone else is, without knowing why. It’s impulsive. System-Driven Trading Is Strategic, it’s based on logic, testing, and risk control. Hype follows the crowd; strategy follows a plan. That’s the difference between gambling and professional trading.
GQ: You've spoken openly about your early losses. What are the biggest traps you see new investors falling into?
Anish Singh Thakur: One big one, giving your money to someone else to trade. I did that, and it never ends well. Another trap is overpriced “masterclasses” and insider tips promising guaranteed returns.
And then there are pump-and-dump schemes that prey on hype. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Always learn before you earn.
GQ: Where do you see the most exciting opportunities in the crypto space right now?
Anish Singh Thakur: Bitcoin is still the most stable long-term play, especially for newcomers. Some altcoins with real-world use cases and strong teams are also worth looking into. But beyond coins, I think the real potential lies in infrastructure, DeFi, AI integrations, and scalable Layer 2 solutions. Research is key. Trends come and go, value sticks.
GQ: Crypto is infamous for triggering FOMO. What’s your advice for staying level-headed?
Anish Singh Thakur: Have a system. A checklist. When you know exactly what conditions you need to buy or sell, you eliminate guesswork. Accept that you’ll miss some plays, and that’s okay. Consistency beats hype. Stick to your strategy, set stop losses, and never invest money you can’t afford to lose.
GQ: What are three must-have habits or tools every new trader should adopt?
Anish SinghThakur: First, backtest everything. Test your strategies on historical data. Second, journal every trade. Document why you took it, the outcome, and what you learned. Third, master risk management, never risk more than 1–2% of your capital on one trade. Learn stop-losses and proper position sizing.
GQ: For someone who wants to take crypto trading seriously, how should their first year look?
Anish Singh Thakur: The first three months? Just learn. Watch videos, read books, and study technical analysis. Next 2–3 months, demo trade, no real money, just practice. The last six months? Trade with small amounts, not to make money but to build discipline. Treat your first year as tuition. Learn, refine, and Build Consistency.
GQ: AI and algo trading are on the rise. How do you see human traders fitting into the future of crypto?
Anish Singh Thakur: Algo trading is the future, no emotions, just data. We’re already automating strategies at Booming Bulls. But human traders still matter. They build the systems, interpret market shifts, and understand the psychology. AI can execute the playbook, but humans still write the game plan. It's about working smarter, not replacing ourselves.
Issued on GQ South Africa | https://www.gq.co.za/wealth/career-advice/the-rise-of-anish-singh-thakur-the-boomingbulls-story-e2e04a2e-0b7b-4fcb-b7be-e79121a092f6
