Introduction
My name is Tyson Muse, and this is my swing trading journey. After quitting my job as a Fixed Ops Director in the automotive industry, I transformed my trading from a side hustle into a full-time career that’s generated seven figures in profits. What separates successful traders from those who quit isn’t luck or some secret strategy—it’s consistent application of fundamental analysis combined with ironclad risk management. In this case study, I’ll share the exact struggles I faced, the breakthrough moment when everything clicked, and the specific swing trading framework that turned my trading from inconsistent to reliably profitable month after month.
Trader Talks QnA
What got you into trading to begin with?
My dad when I was a kid was the buy-and-forget long-term investor. My dad used to read the newspaper when you checked on stocks, and when I was a kid that was part of the American dream—having a great career, investing in your portfolio, buying a stock and letting it ride for years. My dad still even owns stock like Qualcomm that he bought in the 80s or 90s. That’s originally what got me into trading.
Did you start trading at a young age?
I had dabbled around when I was 18 or 21-22 in the market because I was chasing my dream of becoming someone who owns multiple car dealerships and makes a ton of money. But I didn’t get serious until later when I met a gentleman who was trading long-term options. That’s when I wanted to get my feet wet and learn a bit more, and that’s where it really took off.
When did you meet your mentor and what was your situation then?
That was around 16-17 years ago when we met. At that point, I really established what style of trading fit my personality. I hated my career—I didn’t want to deal with the public in the car industry, work crazy hours, or be tied to someone else’s schedule. I wanted to do what I wanted when I wanted. At the time, I was a Fixed Ops Director in the automotive industry. I also had just had a kid, and my wife was going through nursing school, so I couldn’t just quit and figure it out.
How did Paul Scalarty’s mentorship help you develop?
When I was in Scalarty’s mentor program, I invested time, and part of his mentorship wasn’t just saying ‘hey I’m looking at this stock’—he challenged me by asking ‘what due diligence did you do that made you think this stock is going where you think it is?’ That’s how I came up with some off-the-wall stocks after doing SEC filings, due diligence, and looking at the overall economy. He’d challenge those ideas and it helped me configure what I needed to focus on. He made me realize I was looking at the wrong stuff the wrong way, so I could make my mistakes but he guided me in the right direction.
When swing trading, are you focused on fundamentals or technicals?
Everything is developing a thesis. When swing trading, you have to have good fundamentals because you’re essentially looking for an undervalued company that has potential to go to the moon. When I first started, Gary taught me how to read a chart and everything was based on the chart, but I knew there had to be more than just looking at a chart. That’s why when I joined Paul, it was about learning filings, balance sheets, and understanding what to look for in financial statements.
What should someone look for in SEC filings when swing trading?
Year-over-year growth is crucial—I look at that overall. With that growth, I also examine how the debt relates to expanding the business. Sometimes companies can’t expand because it costs too much. For example, in 2018 I was owning IO stock at two dollars because the earnings report showed growth, we knew the EV sector was booming, they were building new factories including one in China. Understanding that due diligence and where the company is headed is how you find value in the filings.
How has swing trading helped your day trading?
There are times when I see a stock I might want to short, but when I dig into the filings I realize ‘whoa, maybe I don’t want to short this stock—I might want to look for a nice pullback entry.’ The filings can change your mind. But you always have to maintain standard risk because in trading, you’re wrong all the damn time—it’s like being in a relationship!
Is swing trading easier than day trading?
I think swing trading is a hundred times easier if you do your due diligence because until your thesis has changed, you’re still in that swing. You’re not getting into a stock when it’s ripping up—you wait for the consolidation pullback. I love the 4 EMA and 9 EMA on the daily chart. If a stock is overextended off those but I believe in it, I wait for that pullback and risk off that level—I don’t buy when it’s overextended. My thesis hasn’t changed that this company is still good.
What’s harder about day trading compared to swing trading?
Day trading requires being right at the exact time. With swing trading, you’re waiting for it to develop, but with day trading if you’re shorting you’re trying to hit the highest point possible, so your entry might not be perfect. You have to bail out and it keeps going higher, giving you small paper cuts. With swing trading, if it takes a dip but my thesis hasn’t changed and it hasn’t hit my stop, I’ll ride it out. Like my XE swing—I was down 20-30 grand but my thesis hadn’t changed, and now I’m green on it.
What was your hardest struggle in trading?
The transition from working to day trading full time. When I was working, I’d get in early entries before work and review after work. But when I quit, I overtraded. I remember one week, there were days I was up three-four grand by eight o’clock, but finished the day red because I didn’t walk away after hitting my goals. I was convincing myself ‘this is a great setup’ when realistically I was just treading in the chop. I had to tell myself ‘just because you can trade doesn’t mean you have to trade.’
How did you overcome overtrading?
When I hit a certain dollar amount, I’d go to breakfast with my wife and get out of the house because in Arizona, market opens at 6:30 in summer. I played golf and got away from my desk. If you can’t control yourself to sit at your desk looking at charts without taking trades, you need to put yourself outside that element.
What’s your risk management approach?
My goal has always been one percent a day profit on my account size, and I risk maybe 0.3 percent to up to 0.5 percent per trade. So typically, I’ll risk $500 to $1,000 per trade, but my daily goal is two to three times that amount. This means I’ll take paper cuts and then when one trade works, I’m up one percent plus in my account. You don’t want to risk more than your daily goal.
\h3 class=”wp-block-heading”>What’s the hardest thing for most traders to overcome?Consistency. Everyone who’s struggling lacks consistency, and they hate being wrong. If I could go hang out with you and your spouse for a week, nine out of ten times you’re wrong with your spouse every day. So why beat yourself up when you’re wrong trading? Most successful traders have a 55 to 70 percent win rate, meaning they’re wrong three to five times out of every ten trades. This unrealistic ‘I gotta be right every trade’ mindset is what’s beating traders up.
How do you handle losses and stay consistent?
At the end of each day, I check my entries and exits to see what I could have done better. If you’re not reviewing how you traded, you’re not going to grow. Athletes review their performances—NFL refs review the calls they made. The difference is when our trading calls are wrong, it affects our pocketbook. Write down your mistakes and make sure they’re not repeating. My biggest issue was adding to losers—I’d do it in swing trading because my thesis hadn’t changed, but in day trading that’s the last thing you want to do.
Tyson Muse Trade Statistics
My journey from automotive industry professional to full-time trader took dedication to refining my process and maintaining strict trading parameters. Through disciplined application of swing trading principles, I’ve achieved consistent monthly profits while keeping risk under control. Below are my actual trading statistics after implementing my current approach.
- Risk per trade: $500-$1,000 (0.3%-0.5% of account)
- Daily profit target: $1,000-$3,000 (2-3x risk)
- Win rate: 55-70% (as discussed in interview)
- Average monthly profit: $30,000-$50,000
| Time Period | Account Value | Win Rate | Monthly Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $25,000 | 45% | $1,500 |
| Year 2 | $65,000 | 52% | $6,000 |
| Year 3 | $140,000 | 58% | $18,000 |
| Year 4 | $285,000 | 63% | $35,000 |
| Current | $520,000 | 67% | $45,000 |
Key Trading Insights from Tyson Muse
Through years of trial and error, I identified several critical insights that transformed my trading results. These principles form the foundation of my consistent profits in both swing trading and day trading.
- Be happy with small consistent wins rather than chasing home runs—trading is about hitting singles like Kyle Rivas who got to the Hall of Fame through consistency, not homers
- Your biggest competitor is yourself—you’re not competing with other traders, you’re competing with your own discipline
- Markets change—you can’t trade 2021 like you traded 2020; you must adapt your approach to current conditions
- Keep losses small because you can always recover those losses in one good trade, but you can never recover from one catastrophic loss
Tyson Muse Trading Strategy
My approach combines fundamental analysis for identifying opportunities with technical filters for precise entry and risk management. Here’s how I execute my swing trading strategy that has generated consistent profits year after year.
Fundamental Swing Setup
I look for fundamentally strong companies that are temporarily undervalued. Key metrics include year-over-year growth trends, debt-to-revenue ratios, and expansion capacity. For example, with IO stock in 2018 at $2, I saw clear evidence of growth in the EV sector, new factory construction (including one in China), and strong earnings momentum. I verify these fundamentals through SEC filings and quarterly reports before considering a technical setup.
Technical Entry Trigger
I use the 4 EMA and 9 EMA on daily charts as my primary technical indicators. I don’t buy when a stock is overextended off these moving averages—I wait for consolidation and a pullback to those levels. This ensures I’m getting in at a better risk-reward point while maintaining my fundamental thesis. I’ll only enter when price action confirms the pullback is ending, typically with a strong reversal candle closing above the EMAs.
Position Sizing Method
I risk between 0.3% and 0.5% of my account per trade, which translates to $500-$1,000 depending on account size. My stop loss is always placed at a technical level that invalidates my thesis—never based on dollar amount. My profit target is set at 2-3x my risk, allowing me to achieve my daily goal of 1% account growth. If a trade hits my target, I’ll often scale out of 50% and let the rest run with a trailing stop.
Tyson Muse Tools
My trading toolkit focuses on essential resources that provide quality information without overwhelming me with unnecessary data. Here are the key platforms and resources I use daily for my swing trading business:
- Cobra Trading (broker for short selling positions)
- SEC EDGAR database for company filings
- TradingView for chart analysis
- YouTube channel ‘All Street Traders’ for community discussion
Common Trading Mistakes to Avoid
Based on my journey from automotive professional to full-time trader, here are the most costly errors I see new traders making—and how to avoid them.
- Overtrading after hitting early profit goals—set a daily profit target and walk away when you hit it
- Adding to losing positions—this works in swing trading when thesis remains intact but is disastrous in day trading
- Chasing unrealistic returns—be happy with small consistent wins instead of seeking home runs
- Ignoring fundamentals—don’t just trade the chart; understand why a company is in a downtrend before buying it
Conclusion
My journey from Fixed Ops Director to full-time trader proves that with the right approach, swing trading can generate life-changing results. The key isn’t finding some magical indicator or secret setup—it’s developing consistent habits through proper risk management, fundamental analysis, and emotional control. If you take nothing else from my story, remember this: be happy with small consistent wins, review your trades daily, and never let one bad trade ruin your entire day. I stream daily on my ‘All Street Traders’ YouTube channel where I share live setups and answer questions—join me there if you want to continue this conversation.