Two income streams: Artem's story | Upscale
Artem is 26 and an air traffic controller from Moscow — and for him trading isn't a replacement for his job but a second income alongside it. Over a year and a half in the market he went through liquidations and failed challenges, but he didn't quit: he refined his system on demo and withdrew exactly $990 from a $10,000 funded account on Upscale. His approach is no "money button" — it's calm trading from clear zones in the time between shifts. This is a story about how to combine trading with an ordinary job and turn discipline into a steady result.
Trading as a second income
Artem had been eyeing the financial markets since his student years, but only got serious about trading about a year and a half ago. He has no plans to quit his job as an air traffic controller — on the contrary, he sees trading as a way to combine work that's genuinely useful with earning on the markets.
"Trading lets you combine some useful work with working on the financial markets. Essentially, you'll have two income streams."
He trades in his free time — mostly on weekends, and sometimes analyzes the market at night between shifts, when important news comes out. For him that rhythm isn't a limitation but a comfortable one.
Through liquidations to his own system
The start was typical. His first attempts ended in liquidations — Artem quotes a line he'd heard, that everyone goes through a first big loss on the market, no matter what amount they start with.
Then he tried another prop firm, but failed his first challenges there. He didn't buy new ones — instead he focused on reviewing his own mistakes: he spent a long time trading on demo and on small real amounts, refining his strategy. When he learned about Upscale, he moved over: by reputation the platform suited users from the CIS better.
"There was a plan of sorts, and we stuck to it somehow."
It was this systematic approach and patience that ultimately let him pass a real challenge — and a boosted 90/10 profit split from an Upscale promo increased his first payout.
Strategy: zones of interest and confirmation
The foundation of Artem's approach is working with buyer and seller zones of interest on the 4-hour timeframe. He marks these zones by the large wicks of candles where price has already reacted sharply, and waits for a return to them.
A second layer is a liquidations indicator and a futures supply-and-demand gauge: they hint at where large players are actively building positions. But Artem stresses that he doesn't follow such signals blindly.
"If you just blindly enter on the bot's signals, you have to set a very long stop — and that way you can breach the daily drawdown and fail the challenge."
So he waits for price to reach a strong level, and only there checks it against the signals — a kind of "symbiotic" trading, where the signal only confirms his own analysis. A separate rule is about size: for intraday trades he enters larger and closes earlier, and for multi-day holds he uses smaller size, so the daily drawdown reset at 00:00 UTC doesn't close the position at a loss.
What the AI report showed
After the challenge, Artem broke down his trading through the platform's AI report — and treated it with respect, because it exposed real weak spots.
In the top 3 mistakes, the report flagged large losses on individual trades, breaching allowed limits, and impulsive entries — precisely those trades on liquidation signals where price reacted weakly. But there were strengths too: a 71% win rate, fairly long hold times, and trading a range of large assets rather than Bitcoin alone.
"I get the sense that if you did this report more often, you'd make mistakes less often."
How this review works and what exactly it shows, we covered separately — Upscale's AI challenge review.
Why Upscale
Comparing Upscale with his previous platform, Artem — a minimalist by nature — points first to the interface: nothing extra, only the tools needed for intraday trading.
He also adds a practical note: the app installs on iPhone, Android, Windows, and macOS and works without a VPN, and Russian-language support is available around the clock — through a Telegram bot and the community chat. For a user from the CIS, that turned out to be noticeably more convenient than dealing with support only in English and by email.
What the $990 went to
Artem split his first payout in half: part on everyday needs, part he moved to an exchange as his own money. There he tried a separate strategy — shorting overheated "shitcoins" on the expectation of a pullback — but essentially broke even: he made some, lost some. He keeps that money as a reserve to buy another Upscale account in the future and increase his trading size.
Payout certificates
Artem's payout from a $10,000 funded account: $990 (July 9, 2026).
Verified results
Artem's results are verified by:
- An interview on the Upscale YouTube channel, with the account, statistics, and strategy shown on screen
- An Upscale payout certificate from a $10,000 funded account
- An AI challenge report with trading metrics (win rate, hold time, mistakes) in the platform interface
All Upscale payouts are made on-chain and can be independently verified on the blockchain.
Key Takeaways
Artem's story is about how prop trading really can be combined with a full-time job, if you approach it systematically.
Trading is a second income. Artem isn't giving up his profession as an air traffic controller — he trades in his free time. The funded model lets him grow a second income without risking large capital of his own.
Signals are confirmation, not a command. He uses liquidations and demand indicators together with his own level analysis, not blindly: he enters only when price reaches a strong zone.
A challenge as a test of yourself. In Artem's view, every trader should pass at least one challenge: if you do, you're heading in the right direction; if you can't, it's a signal to work on your strategy, psychology, or risk management.
Mistakes are clearer in numbers. The AI report exposed his impulsive entries and limit breaches — and Artem himself admits that with regular review, such mistakes become fewer.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Artem and how much did he earn on Upscale?
Artem is a 26-year-old trader from Moscow, an air traffic controller by profession. He's been trading for about a year and a half. Passing a $10,000 challenge, he withdrew exactly $990 from a funded account — with a boosted 90/10 profit split from an Upscale promo.
Can you combine prop trading with a full-time job?
Yes — Artem's story is exactly about that. He trades in his free time, mostly on weekends, and sometimes analyzes the market at night between shifts. For him trading is a second income alongside his profession, not a replacement for it.
What strategy does Artem trade?
The base is buyer and seller zones of interest on the 4-hour timeframe, marked by the large wicks of candles. As confirmation he uses a liquidations indicator and a futures supply-and-demand gauge, but he doesn't follow signals blindly — he enters only at a strong level. Separately, he adjusts position size with the daily drawdown in mind.
How does Artem treat trading signals?
As a supporting tool, not a command to enter. In his words, blindly entering on a bot's liquidation signals is risky: it requires a long stop, which easily leads to breaching the daily drawdown and failing the challenge. So for him a signal only confirms his own level analysis.
What does Artem advise beginner traders?
Pass at least one challenge — as a test of yourself. If you do, it's a sign you're moving in the right direction; if not, it's a signal to work on your strategy, psychology, or risk management. And he also reminds us that family and the people close to us matter more than any trading results.
