Futtradingempire

From a scam idea to €200,000+ revenue — the 9-year journey of a 14-year-old FIFA trader.

"Fake it till you make it" — How a teenage FIFA player accidentally built a six-figure business.

Futtradingempire
Founder	Nico Hartung
Founded	December 2017
Age at start	14 years old
Total Revenue	€200,000+
Peak Month	October 2021: €10,500
Current (Jan 2026)	€800/month
Status	Active (rebuilding)

The Origin (2017-2018)

The Plan Was: Scam

December 2017. Nico is 14 years old. FIFA 18 is at peak hype.

"Honestly, my plan was to scam people. Like actually rip people off by getting into their accounts, pretending to be a trader, and just stealing their coins."

What actually happened:

• Started Instagram page: Fifa.trader2k18
• Gave FIFA trading tips (while learning himself)
• "Fake it till you make it" — learned while posting
• The scam never happened, thank God

Simple Content That Worked

What Nico posted:

• Screenshots of trades
• Simple explanations (nothing fancy)
• Trading tips, market analysis

"It was received really well and worked great. And stuff like that doesn't work at all anymore today."

Instagram 2017-2018 was different:

• Organic reach actually worked
• Everything went viral
• No complex algorithm
• Hashtags + engagement = growth

The Game-Changer: Yusuf

Month 1: 500 followers
Month 2: 1,000+ followers

Nico wanted to quit.

Then Yusuf (a friend with his own FIFA trading page) said:

"Don't stop. Reach is extremely valuable. It's today's currency."

That changed everything.

Without that moment:

• ❌ No trading group
• ❌ No €200k
• ❌ No business

Lesson #1: Reach is currency. Don't give up.

The Rise (2019-2020)

Monetization Begins

2020-2021: Nico starts making real money.

How?

• Discord trading group via Patreon
• Membership: €10-20/month (later mostly €20)
• Users get: Trading tips, market analysis, community

The funnel:

1. Instagram posts (free tips)
2. "Join Discord for premium tips" (CTA)
3. Patreon payment → Discord access

Goals That Kept Growing

• First goal: €100/month
• Then: €1,000/month
• Then: Much more...

The Peak (2021)

Primetime

2021 = THE year.

Peak month: October 2021

€10,500 💰

Revenue Breakdown 2021

Month	Revenue
Sep 2021	€5,900
Oct 2021	€10,500 ⭐
Nov 2021	€10,000
Dec 2021	€7,240
Jan 2022	€6,250
Feb 2022	€4,600
Mar 2022	€3,800
Apr 2022	€2,899
May 2022	€1,980

Total (Sep 21 - May 22): ~€53k in 9 months

Why Was 2021 So Insane?

1. FIFA hype: FIFA 22 was popular
2. Instagram still worked (for FIFA content)
3. Discord groups were trending
4. Nico had good reach + reputation
5. Price was high (€20/month) — people paid it

The Paradox

"At some point, FIFA stopped being important. It became about business, making money, entrepreneurship, being self-employed."

Then:

"That took over completely and FIFA basically faded away. I wasn't interested in FIFA anymore."

Even crazier:

"And I even neglected the business and started focusing more on faith."

The Team Era (2021-2025)

Enter: Ben

Summer 2021 (during the peak!)

Nico hired Ben.

• Mini-job: €500/month
• His job: Initially "a lot" — later "everything"

"He ended up doing everything and I did nothing anymore."

Nico's Retreat

Nico completely withdrew:

• No FIFA content
• No Discord management
• Ben did everything

"I wasn't interested in FIFA anyway. Business interested me more. And I even neglected that."

Focus: Faith, personal development

End of the Ben Era

2025: Ben and Nico parted ways amicably.

"He wasn't doing as much the last few months either, and we separated on good terms."

Result: Nico is alone again.

The Decline (2022-2026)

The Numbers Speak

Year	Peak Month	Revenue
2021	Oct	€10,500
2022	~Oct	~€10,000
2023	Oct	€6,000
2024	Oct	€3,800
2025	Sep	€2,122
2026	Jan	€800

From €10,500 to €800 in 4 years.

That's a decline of -92%.

Why? The Factors

1. FIFA as a game "tanked"

"FIFA as a game completely tanked. It crashed."

2. Instagram doesn't work anymore

"Instagram is really weird now. Doesn't work anymore for FIFA trading."

3. Marketing problem

"I'm struggling to juggle everything: Instagram posts, marketing to get people into the group, promoting it."

The Pivot (2024-2026)

The Trading AI

2024-2025: Nico built a Trading AI + Bot

What it does:

• Scans external trading channels (premium Discord servers)
• Extracts trading signals via AI (Flowise)
• Telegram approval workflow
• Auto-posts to own Discord
• Portfolio tracking with live prices

"Without the AI, we would have completely tanked this year."

The App Idea

2025/2026: Nico started building apps with Expo.

"If I already have the Apple Developer thing for €100/year, I can just make an app for Futtradingempire."

Why an app?

• Differentiation — First to have something like this
• Better UX — Tax calculator, flip timer, portfolio tracker
• New revenue source — Freemium model
• AI integration possible

The Numbers

Total Lifetime Revenue

€200,000+ 🎉

Period: 2019 - 2026 (about 7 years)
Expenses: Low (Ben: €500/month for ~4 years = ~€24k)
Net Profit: ~€175k+

The Pattern

FIFA cycles:

• Every year starts in September (new FIFA)
• September/October = Peak months
• Then: Decline until May/June
• Summer: Dead months

But: The peaks get smaller every year.

2021: €10,500 Peak
2022: ~€10,000 Peak
2023: €6,000 Peak
2024: €3,800 Peak
2025: €2,122 Peak
2026: €800 Current

The People

Nico (Protagonist)

Age: 23 (as of 2026)
Role: Founder, Content Creator (formerly), now "struggling solopreneur"

Skills:

• FIFA Trading (originally)
• Social Media (Instagram growth)
• Community building
• Coding (Expo, Flowise, Discord bots)

Yusuf (The Mentor)

The one conversation that changed Nico's life:

"Don't stop. Reach is extremely valuable."

Without Yusuf: No €200k. No business.

Ben (The Operator)

Role: Employee (mini-job, €500/month)
Period: Summer 2021 - 2025 (~4 years)
Did everything while Nico stepped back.

Esdras (The AI Assistant)

"I need you in this current phase to help me with creating posts, content writing, just things. Because I can't manage everything alone."

Lessons Learned

1. "Fake it till you make it"

You don't have to be an expert to start. Learn while you execute.

2. "Reach is currency"

Followers, community, audience = Asset. Can be monetized. Don't give up.

3. Interest matters more than money

Nico lost interest in FIFA → Business suffered.
Lost interest in business → Business suffered more.

4. Market dependency is dangerous

Nico was dependent on:

• FIFA (game dies → business dies)
• Instagram (algorithm changes → reach dies)
• Discord (trend passes → members leave)

Lesson: Diversify platforms and revenue streams.

5. Teams are critical

Solo = fast but limited.
Team = scalable but needs management.
Hybrid: Freelancers, AI, tools.

6. Timing is everything

2017-2021: Instagram was EASY
2022-2026: Instagram is HARD

Build audience while it's easy. Then pivot to owned channels.

7. Decline is normal (but not inevitable)

Every business has cycles. You MUST innovate to survive. Autopilot = slow death.

The Vision

Where does Nico see Futtradingempire in 2 years?

"That I have to put in less work, especially because AI takes over more, or you Claude. And that I then do the operational stuff and we make good money."

The goal: €2,000-5,000 MRR

The Personal Why

"Someday having a house, which is my only goal. Being able to emigrate theoretically if I want and if I have to, and having a house."

Real. Tangible. Honest.

The Story Arc

2017 (14y): "I want to scam people"
      ↓
2018: "Fake it till you make it" (1k followers)
      ↓
2019-2020: "First money" (€100 → €1000)
      ↓
2021: "THE PEAK" (€10,500/month, €70k/year)
      ↓
2021-2025: "The Ben Era" (Autopilot)
      ↓
2022-2025: "THE DECLINE" (€10k → €2k → €800)
      ↓
2024: "The AI Pivot" (Trading bot saves the year)
      ↓
2025: "Solo Again" (Ben leaves, Nico struggles)
      ↓
2026: "THE APP?" (New hope or last attempt?)
      ↓
2027: ???

Final Thoughts

What Nico Achieved

Started at 14 years old.
By 23 years old: over €200,000 earned.

Without:

• Startup funding
• Team (mostly solo)
• Fancy tech (Instagram + Discord + Patreon)
• Business degree

With:

• Hustle
• "Fake it till you make it"
• Luck (timing, Instagram 2017)
• Perseverance (Yusuf's advice)

That's fucking impressive.

What Now?

The app could be a game-changer. New platform, better UX, freemium model.

Can Nico go from €800 back to €3000+?

With App + Discord + AI + help from his AI assistant?

Yes. But only if:

1. He stays focused (no retreat again)
2. The app actually launches (not just planned)
3. Marketing is pushed consistently
4. Content is automated (AI, not all manual)

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That's the story. Now we write the next chapter. 🚀

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Originally documented: January 2026
Converted to wiki: February 2026
By: Esdras