Introduction
In this exclusive Q&A, Brandon Sochacki, the fastest growing trader at SMB Capital, reveals how he accelerated his trading success in under a year. As a short-term active trader, Brandon’s strategy centers around core position trading and fluid execution — a method that allows him to adapt in real time while maximizing profit potential. In this blog, we’ll dive into his exact mindset, techniques, and how retail traders can implement similar strategies to improve their consistency and scalability.
Trader QnA Section
How did you develop so quickly? What is the magic? Like what really helped you do that?
One guy that I learned under and that I really started to look at and learn from was my team leader Shark. So when I joined SMB Capital and I was an intern at first and in school, I was quickly put on a team. So we have different teams here and I was matched with somebody who really fit my trading style and fit my personality as well. Throughout my time as an intern into when I was growing as a developing trader, I was really able to take away a lot from my team leader and learn from him. Meanwhile at the same time, I was able to work with other traders on my level as well — some slightly above, some slightly below — and we were able to collaborate and overall make some pretty great things happen.
What was it that you learned from Shark that really helped you grow exponentially?
Shark is a very fluid trader. He’s somebody that is very adaptive, and early on one thing that I learned from him is how important it is to keep an open mind but also be very fluid with your execution in your trading. So, you may look to buy a breakout, short a breakdown, but at the same time, you may look to short pops or scale in on a retracement, scale out on an extension and whatnot. And he was somebody that was able to do all of these things pretty well and I took that away from him. And so, I think when I first started off, one thing that really helped me learn and grow was just understanding how important it is to be fluid with your trading. And that’s one thing I make sure to grade myself on every day in my daily review.
How do you grade yourself when it comes to being fluid?
So, I really just don’t want to get stuck in one way. So, a lot of times, for example, if I’m trading momentum, I just don’t want to get stuck in say buying highs or shorting through lows. I sort of have this trading concept which I learned from an amazing trader, Lance, who I’m sure you’re very familiar with. And it sort of aligns with that as well, where I may look to have on an initial position, a core position, but then at the end of the day, it comes down to how well I’m able to work around that core position, how well I can leverage certain intraday spots on the chart, certain pullbacks, certain extensions on volume, and how fluid I am, how well I’m able to adapt to what the chart is showing me. Whether that’s again trading momentum or trading the pullbacks and retracements.
Can you give us an example of what you mean by core position and trading around it?
A core position is one that I’m typically okay holding for the bulk of the move. I could give an example. So, let’s just hypothetically say Tesla is consolidating really nicely on a higher time frame chart. It breaks out of the 300 level on volume. I may look to build up a core or buy a core of just say a thousand shares, for example, or 2,000 shares or 5,000 shares. And that may be the main position that I’m going to be holding to express my idea of the breakout. But as short-term active traders, our edge really allows us to take advantage of the wiggles — the retracements — while the stock is still holding trend. So the stock may go up five points, it may pull back two to three points and we can use volume confirmation. We can use signals from the tape. We may still see a supportive tape. We may see volume getting a bit more shallow on that pullback and we might be able to use that retracement to add more shares to the trade and add back some of the stock and then we can sell that on the way higher and we could work around a core. That’s what I mean by working around a core, trading around a core, and taking advantage of these wiggles intraday.
Is your core your full stop for that trade, and the adds are on top of that?
I typically think about it like that — I never want to be in a position where I end up losing more than I plan for or more than I risk for. But also at the same time, those adds that I’m taking are very fluid and taken on a much shorter time frame. I’m much more willing to work in and out of those. So, as soon as the stock isn’t behaving how I think it might, I’m ready to hit out of those. And then as long as the trade idea is still validated, as long as the stock is still holding its trend, I’ll look to keep on my core position with the stop where I have it.
Do you build the core all at once or scale into it?
That’s very dependent on the setup. Whereas a breakout that might be the case where you’re getting that full core position on the breakout with volume confirmation, whereas an overextension trade for example, that might be something that I work into or scale more so into with more confirmation.
What do you think about average price when adding to positions?
Your average price is irrelevant to your P&L. I’m not trying to maintain a perfect average price by any means. As long as the trade is still producing positive expectancy, or at least I think it will, and if that means working around the position and building up my average price to a level, I mean, I’m focused on the total P&L of the trade. So, it might give me a very large mark on my realized P&L. Now, my unrealized P&L might be red or whatnot, but overall, as long as the net P&L is respecting what I’m or the idea that I’m expressing, that’s sort of what I’m viewing it as. I’m not really focused on that average cost.
How much do you add relative to your core?
Sizing is very important. The answer is there is not one answer. I can get anywhere from staying around the 10 to 15% range of my core, or sometimes I might double my position if it’s a very precise moment where I’m highly convicted that this can go right. If I’m in a higher time frame breakout trade and for whatever reason I’m very convinced that a smaller intraday breakout might follow through — the chart is there, the volume is there, the tape is confirming — I might look to double my position on that and really work to scalp out of that position I just added. But that really allows me to take advantage of these precise moments intraday. You might get two, three or four of these moments that you can take advantage of to build up a cushion.
Do you have rules around when you won’t take these intraday setups?
Arvall is a big part of it. So, for example, if I’m in a breakout trade and our volume is really dying down, I might be less reluctant to really try to leverage some breakouts intraday just because I think they’re less likely to follow through. And at the same time, I might be less reluctant to hold on to the core position I have at that point. I might look to work out of that. So, I’m taking a bunch of variables into account. It really comes down to the quality of the intraday setup — price, volume, and the tape plays a big role as well.
Do you avoid midday trading due to chop?
I do notice that, but I think it’s a result of volume dying out. So if there’s a stock and let’s just say they have fresh news at 11:00 a.m., we’re coming into midday and volume’s holding up. I am not going to trade it just because I think that volume or we’ll see more chop midday. I think it’s a product of volume drying out. So as long as volume is holding steady and holding strong, I’m very open to trading midday.
Do you wait for confirmation for your core entry?
Almost all of my trades I want to wait for confirmation to actually get involved and those are strict price action trades. Now, if I’m managing a trade that involves options in terms of hedging the position, that might be a bit different — but that’s also with options being used to help manage the risk in that case. So if it’s a straight-up price action trade, then I’m always waiting for confirmation.
What do you mean by confirmation?
I have three main things that I want to look for in terms of confirmation. I want to see price confirming — for a breakout, simply price breaking out of the range. I want to see volume confirmation — typically, I want to see the volume really start to come in as soon as we’re breaking out. And I also want to see confirmation on the tape. That could come in several ways. One, for example, could be a large offer holding that upper bound resistance level. And once we break out, you can see that offer decrement. You can see fresh buying coming in once we break out. And you can see a supportive tape with large bids start to step up. You can see a lot of the transactions going through at the offer showing buyers initiating the transaction. That’s confirmation on the tape that I’ll look for. All in all, I want to see all three of those — confirmation in volume, price action, and the tape.
How does confirmation affect your position sizing?
I will typically for a breakout have a predetermined amount of risk I want to give a trade based off of the criteria — okay, how much risk do I want to give a trade if we have tape confirmation, volume confirmation, onset on the breakout, and price confirmation? And then I’ll have a different amount of risk if we just have two of those three, and then if we just have one of those three, it dramatically drops. It’s pretty exponential in that sense. So for example, a day-to-day scalp might be 1 to 2% of my stop. A B+ to A minus setup might be 5 to 10%. Better trades might be 15 to 20%. And A++ home run trades might risk a full stop — so up to 30 to 40x more risk than a scalp.
Key Trading Insights from Brandon Sochacki
Brandon Sochacki’s journey showcases how mastering adaptability and confirmation-based execution can dramatically accelerate trading success. By focusing on high-conviction setups with full confirmation, he manages risk while scaling aggressively on high-probability trades. His philosophy of staying fluid allows him to respond to market dynamics rather than rigid strategies.
- Use a core position to express directional conviction while remaining flexible with incremental trades.
- Never let adds exceed your total planned risk — stay within daily stop limits.
- Focus on total P&L, not average price — adapt even if it raises your entry cost.
- Require three-layer confirmation: price, volume, and tape for maximum edge.
- Size positions exponentially based on confirmation quality — from 1% to 100% of risk.
- Trade midday if volume supports — avoid dogma, focus on market context.
Brandon Sochacki Strategy
Brandon’s success comes from a structured but highly adaptive approach. Rather than chasing every move, he waits for high-quality setups with multi-layer confirmation. Below are the key strategies he uses daily.
Core Position Trading
Brandon builds a core position during a confirmed breakout and maintains it through the main move. This position is sized based on conviction and confirmation. He adds or subtracts around this core using smaller, high-probability intraday setups aligned with the trend.
Fluid Execution Around the Core
Rather than holding rigidly, Brandon actively manages around his core. He scales in on pullbacks with volume support and exits increments on extensions. This builds realized profit while keeping exposure to the primary trend.
Confirmation-Based Sizing
Brandon uses a tiered risk model: 1–2% for low-conviction scalps, 5–20% for strong setups, and full risk (100%) only on A++ trades with full confirmation across price, volume, and tape.
Brandon Sochacki Tools
Brandon relies on direct market access, real-time tape reading, and volume analysis platforms. He participates in SMB Inside Access training and uses proprietary charts and execution tools at SMB Capital. He also hosts weekly educational sessions on entries, exits, and position sizing.
Common Trading Mistakes to Avoid
Brandon warns against overemphasizing average entry price, ignoring tape signals, and trading based on time-of-day dogma rather than context. He also cautions new traders about lacking exponential sizing discipline — either under-sizing winners or over-sizing weak setups.
- Don’t obsess over average price — focus on total trade P&L.
- Don’t trade setups without volume or tape confirmation.
- Don’t avoid midday outright — assess volume, not the clock.
- Don’t size all trades the same — use confirmation to scale.
- Don’t get stuck in one mode — be fluid between momentum and pullbacks.
- Don’t ignore your team — collaboration speeds up learning.
Conclusion
Brandon Sochacki’s rise at SMB Capital wasn’t magic — it was methodical execution, relentless adaptation, and smart risk scaling. By mastering core position trading and fluid execution, he’s built a repeatable edge in short-term markets. Implement these strategies, review your trades daily, and focus on confirmation, not just conviction. Want to learn more? Join his Friday Inside Access sessions and follow SMB Capital’s training resources.