What to Expect in Your First 90 Days In The Trader’s Thinktank

Most people think joining a trading community means getting access to a Discord chat with random traders posting screenshots.

That's not what this is.

The Trader's Thinktank isn't a chatroom. It's not a signal service. And it's definitely not a place where you show up, lurk for three months, and magically become profitable.

It's a structured trading environment with professional traders, daily live market coverage, group coaching, and—most importantly—a system designed to accelerate your development faster than grinding alone ever could.

But here's what nobody tells you before you join: the first 90 days are critical. What you do in months one, two, and three determines whether you become one of the traders who achieves that 62% average performance improvement we track—or someone who drifts, doesn't engage, and wonders why nothing changed.

I'm going to walk you through exactly what to expect in your first 90 days. What happens day one. What you should focus on in week one. The pattern you'll see in month one. How things shift in month two. And what month three looks like when everything starts clicking.

This isn't marketing. This is the actual member journey I've watched hundreds of traders go through since 2017.

Day 1: Onboarding and First Impressions

You join. You get your welcome email with access credentials. You log into the community platform.

Here's what happens next—and what you should actually do.

Your first login: You'll see multiple channels. Premarket Prep. Trade Review. Group Coaching. Daily Livestream. Resource Library. It's going to feel like a lot.

Don't try to consume everything on day one. You'll overwhelm yourself and quit before you start.

What to do instead:

1. Read the welcome guide. Seriously. It's there for a reason. It explains how the community works, what each channel is for, and how to get the most value.

2. Introduce yourself in the main chat. Name, experience level, what you're trying to achieve, what you've struggled with. The community only works if you engage. Lurking doesn't accelerate development.

3. Read the most recent Premarket Prep note. It's posted every morning at 8:45 AM ET. This is your daily roadmap: market outlook, key levels, trading plan. Start here.

4. Attend the live trading session. We go live at market open. Full screen-sharing of ES/NQ futures trading. You'll see real setups, real execution, real risk management. Not theory. Not backtests. Live trading.

Day one isn't about mastering everything. It's about orienting yourself to the structure and showing up.

Week 1: Acclimating to the Rhythm

The first week is about building the routine.

Daily pattern you'll experience:

• **8:45 AM ET:** Premarket Prep note drops. QQQ/NQ outlook, precise trading levels, economic data, game plan.

• **9:30 AM ET:** Market opens. Live trading session begins. You'll watch setups develop, hear the thought process behind entries, see trade management in real time.

• **3:45 PM ET:** Session Recap published. What worked, what didn't, next-day setups, big-picture analysis.

This happens every trading day. No gaps. No "we'll skip today because the market is slow." Professional traders show up every day. So do we.

What you should focus on in week one:

1. Consume, don't trade. Seriously. Your first week is observation. Watch how the pros read the market. Listen to the rationale behind decisions. Notice the discipline in position sizing and stop placement.

2. Take notes on the setups you see. You're going to see the same patterns repeat. The pullback setup. The breakout setup. The failed auction reversal. Start recognizing them.

3. Ask questions during the live session. The moderators and I are there. If you don't understand why we took a trade or how we're managing it, ask. That's what the community is for.

4. Review the Premarket Prep and Session Recap together. Morning prep gives you the plan. Evening recap shows you how it played out. This is where you start seeing the correlation between analysis and execution.

By the end of week one, you should have a clear sense of the daily rhythm. You're not trying to be profitable yet. You're building the foundation.

Month 1: Finding Your Footing

Month one is where reality sets in.

You've been watching for a few weeks. You understand the daily structure. You've seen setups repeat. Now you're probably thinking: "Okay, I should start trading this."

And that's where most new members make their first mistake: they jump in without a plan.

What actually happens in month one:

You start paper trading or trading small size. You think you understand the setup. You take the trade. It goes against you. You panic and exit early—right before it reverses and works.

Or: You nail a trade. It works perfectly. You make money. Then you immediately overtrade, give it back, and feel worse than before.

This is normal. This is part of the process.

Here's what you should be doing in month one:

1. Attend at least two group coaching calls. These happen weekly for 90 minutes. We cover trading psychology, specific strategy breakdowns, member Q&A, trade reviews. The coaching sessions are where the real learning happens. Don't skip them.

2. Submit trades for review. We have a dedicated Trade Review channel. Post your setup, entry, exit, and thought process. You'll get feedback from professional traders—not just me, but the dozen full-time traders in the community. This is where you identify blind spots.

3. Master ONE setup. Don't try to trade everything you see. Pick one. For most members, it's the pullback setup we teach in the Two Hour Trader framework (which is FREE with your Thinktank membership). Trade that setup exclusively for 30 days.

4. Journal every trade. Wins, losses, mistakes, emotions. The journal is your accountability system. Without it, you're just gambling and hoping.

One of our members, Robert, said this about his first month:

"Prior to joining, I was a predictor and anticipator. I didn't have proper rules of engagement. Since joining, I have learned to be patient and actually learned to trade."

That shift—from guessing to systematic execution—is what month one is about.

Month 2: Refinement and Feedback Loops

Month two is where things start clicking.

You've been trading one setup for 30+ days. You've submitted trades for review. You've attended coaching calls. You're starting to recognize patterns faster.

But you're also hitting a frustration point: you're not as consistent as you want to be.

This is where the community becomes critical.

What happens in month two:

You'll start noticing the same mistakes repeating. Entering too early. Exiting too soon. Trading setups that don't meet your criteria because you're bored.

This is when you need external accountability. Because left alone, you'll rationalize these mistakes and keep making them.

Here's what you should be doing in month two:

1. Post your journal summaries weekly. Not every single trade. But your weekly performance: win rate, average win/loss, biggest mistake, pattern you noticed. The community will spot things you're missing.

2. Engage with other members' trade reviews. When someone posts a trade, comment. Ask questions. Share what you would have done differently. Teaching others reinforces your own learning.

3. Revisit your trading plan. After 60 days of data, you should have enough trades to identify what's working and what's not. Are you better at breakouts or pullbacks? Morning setups or afternoon? Trending days or chop? Refine your focus.

4. Deepen your psychology work. By month two, your technical understanding is solid. The gaps are psychological. Fear of missing out. Revenge trading. Profit targets based on greed instead of structure. The coaching calls address this directly.

One member, Maureen, described her month-two realization:

"I realized I had been focused on the chart and management, not once looking at the P&L. I'm also finally better understanding who I am as a trader."

That self-awareness—understanding YOUR patterns, not just market patterns—is what month two unlocks.

Month 3: Results and Momentum

Month three is where you start seeing results.

Not every trader. Not guaranteed. But the pattern is consistent: members who engage fully for 90 days report measurable improvement.

First green month. First payout. First week of consistent execution without emotional interference.

What happens in month three:

You're no longer learning the basics. You're refining execution. The setups are second nature. You're not hesitating on entries. You're not panicking on stop-outs. You're managing trades like a professional.

And here's the thing: you're not doing this alone. You're trading live with us every day. You're getting real-time feedback during the session. You're seeing how other profitable traders handle the same setups.

Here's what you should be doing in month three:

1. Set a performance goal for the next 30 days. Not a profit target—that's outcome-based and emotional. A process goal. "I will execute 20 trades that meet my criteria. I will not trade outside my setup. I will journal every trade."

2. Help newer members. You've been here 90 days. You understand the structure now. Answer questions. Share what worked for you. Teaching solidifies your own learning and builds community.

3. Consider scaling up. If you've been profitable on small size for 60 days, it's time to increase position size—gradually. We cover this in coaching: how to scale without blowing up your account.

4. Evaluate your next step. Do you want to pursue prop firm funding? Automate your strategy with the AutoPilot Trader? Refine your manual execution further? Month three is when you start thinking about the next phase.

One member, Martin, said after his first few months:

"I've managed to double my port since joining the group and have finally found my stride."

That's what month three looks like when you do the work.

What Makes Thinktank Different

I've seen the inside of many different trading communities. So has Christopher, one of our members. Here's what he told me:

"The value I found when I joined the PTG team was unparalleled. You won't find anything like this."

What makes it different isn't the tools. It's not the charts or the indicators or the "proprietary system."

It's the structure. The daily accountability. The access to professional traders who actually trade for a living. The coaching that addresses psychology, not just strategy.

Most communities are noise. Alerts. Screenshots of wins with no context. Hype without substance.

The Trader's Thinktank is the opposite. It's structured. Professional. Focused on one thing: helping you become consistently profitable.

What Happens After 90 Days

Month four and beyond? That's when you're operating independently—but with a support system.

You don't need us to tell you what to trade anymore. You have your plan. You have your setups. You have your routine.

But you stay because:

• The daily Premarket Prep saves you hours of analysis

• The live trading sessions keep you disciplined

• The group coaching addresses new challenges as you scale

• The community accountability prevents regression

Trading alone is brutal. The feedback loops are slow. The emotional swings are harder to manage. The temptation to chase shiny new strategies is constant.

Trading with a professional community? You stay on track. You progress faster. You avoid the mistakes that would have cost you months of capital and confidence.

The Bottom Line

Your first 90 days at Trader's Thinktank determine your trajectory.

Show up every day. Engage with the community. Submit trades for review. Attend coaching calls. Master one setup before expanding.

Do that, and you're positioning yourself for the same 62% performance improvement we see across engaged members.

Skip the structure, lurk without engaging, and try to do it all yourself? You'll waste three months and wonder why nothing changed.

The community works. But only if you work it.

If you're ready to commit to 90 days of structured development with professional traders, check out the Trader's Thinktank at powertrading.group/pricing.

And if you want to understand the core strategy we trade live every day before you join, grab the Two Hour Trader framework (free with membership) at powertrading.group/the-two-hour-trader.

Your first 90 days start the moment you decide to stop trading alone.