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  • Name: Mimi
  • Age: 36
  • Occupation: Full-time investor
  • Location: Brisbane
  • Followers & Copiers: 6000 & 800
  • Advice: Start slow and follow your passion

Not many people can say their full-time job is travelling, but for 36-year-old Mimi, that’s exactly what she’s spent the last five years of her life doing.

The Brisbane local left the IT company she was helping run, sold off many of her belongings and packed her bags for India with no clear plan in mind for her future. All she knew is that she wanted to give back and volunteer.

“I decided to travel full-time not knowing what my career would be next or where my life would lead to next. All I did was just pack my bags, get on a plane, and I began volunteering in India first,” Mimi said.

“It was extremely nerve-wracking, exciting, but freeing at the same time. I could’ve been [working at the IT company] for another 20, 30 years possibly. But I felt, in the end, it wasn’t for me and I didn’t feel passionate about it,” she added.

Helping fund her philanthropic journey was Mimi’s full-time role as an investor on the global online broker platform eToro. The Brisbane local first came across the site while casually dabbling in investing.

Within several years though, she’d decided to take the plunge and go full-time as an investor, using eToro to support her love of travelling and volunteering.

The 36-year-old’s success on the site isn’t limited to her ability to fund her passions, she’s also managed to position herself as one of the broker’s most popular investors, with thousands of followers watching her every trade and over $2 million under management.

While this sort of career change isn’t for everyone, Mimi encourages anyone with an interest in investing to get involved no matter where they’re at in life.

“Whether you’re 19, whether you’re 60, it definitely isn’t too late to start trading,” she argued.

“For anyone who’s thinking of getting into trading, I would say make sure that you don’t quit your day job first. Just dabble in it a little bit and do your research, educate yourself, don’t invest more than you can afford to lose,” she added.

She also recommends taking the time to figure out what you’re interested in investing in to start slow, practicing where you can.

“You can do that in the eToro platform,” Mimi explained.

“There’s a virtual section where you can just play around with fake money and invest in certain stocks and just see if it really is for you,” she said.

“I trade predominantly cryptocurrencies. I did begin with stocks when I began trading a few years ago, but I found my passion in cryptocurrencies and although the market doesn’t close, a part of me really thrives on that,” she added.

Along with the ability to practice, eToro also offers a social element not often present in other online brokerage platforms. Investors can connect with other investors on the site as well as having the option to follow people like Mimi.

“I’m constantly chatting to the copiers on eToro as well and that is something that I really enjoy doing. It gives me a sense of community. Through the highs and the lows, we’re all here for each other,” Mimi said.

This sense of community has been a big source of help and comfort for the 36-year-old since COVID-19 hit, effectively curtailing her ability to travel.

“The ability to communite with my copiers and help guide them through their investments is something that I’m extremely passionate about,” she said.

Once border restrictions lift and she’s able to travel again, Mimi said her focus will remain firmly fixed on her passion — helping others, whether through investing or other volunteer work.

“I needed to really, in a way, find my passion and find my purpose in life and I found that through travelling, I found that through volunteering and trading really helped me along the way,” she explained.

“I really love trading, I really love investing, it’s a lot easier and a lot less stressful than running an IT company. There’s no overheads, there’s a lot of flexibility,” Mimi said.

“There are challenges of course but it’s become a passion of mine and I definitely recommend it to anyone,” she added.

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