Community Highlights: Meet Matt DeLong of Real Life Trading

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt DeLong.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but my dad would always say “Get good grades, so you can get into a good school, qualify for a good job and retire with benefits.” I thought to myself, “What kind of lame suggestion is that?” Who wants to spend their entire life being extraordinarily average? Not me!

I graduated high school in Orlando, Florida with solid “C” grades – which unfortunately only allowed me access to a local community college. I wasn’t a bad student and it wasn’t my lack of knowledge, it was simply that a different material seemed more exciting, interesting, or enticing. After a few semesters, I dropped out – but decided I needed to continue learning how to be an entrepreneur somehow and didn’t have money, so I did what any broke college student would do… I decided I was going to read “Entrepreneur Magazine” – cover to cover – every month – for the next 10 years!

My entrepreneurial career began with an achievable (easily dismissable) actionable step and an education that cost me $25/year! Over the next 20+ years, I went on to launch 14 companies and sold a few along the way, the rest just didn’t work out, and I was ok with that. That $250 education was the education that fueled tens of millions of dollars in revenue, deal flow, and income for myself and my family! I heard a fun quote once; “Readers become leaders because rich people hide their secrets in the place most poor people will not look, inside a book.”

Mine happened to be a ‘magazine’ but the concept rang true for me and still is my number one suggestion for anyone else looking to obtain riches and success! In January 2016, my last company CoreCommerce was acquired by investors in Nashville and I started trading stocks with my own capital. In 2019, I invested in Real Life Trading LLC and as a co-owner and CTO, I oversee the technology for our education business.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being an entrepreneur isn’t like most people think, it’s not a zip-line thrill ride where you know exactly where you will end up. It’s not a bunch of high-fives all day with your team either. Hollywood has glamorized it so much that people often have unrealistic expectations.

Being an entrepreneur is more like taking a small boat through a hurricane-level storm with unexpected circumstances – you have to adapt just to survive. The storms come in all severity levels, things like staffing problems and customer complaints are just the start.

I have survived numerous lawsuits, failed business relationships, made & lost tons of money, survived hackers stealing 250k credit card numbers and it was — and still is both exhausting and exhilarating at the same time.

We’ve been impressed with Real Life Trading, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Real Life Trading teaches everyday people how to trade stocks, options, futures, crypto & forex. What makes us unique is that we offer our content online and for FREE. We also have inexpensive fees for select in-person events and premium courses.

Our mission is to enrich lives, but we teach so much more than just trading. First of all, we genuinely care about people. We teach mindset, life transformation, impact, and how to leave a legacy. We teach people how to make a difference in the world vs. a “get rich quick” scheme like most trading education companies pursue.

In 2021, we launched our non-profit Real Life Foundation and we’ve raised almost 6 figures to fight human trafficking (Operation Underground Railroad), fund cancer research (LLS), and combat global hunger (Feed the Children). We have over 48,000 students who we teach live and online classes with every month. We now have satellite offices in Australia, India, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and growing.

March is Kids Month at Real Life Trading and we are launching our first “children’s” trading book. We are teaching young adults (ages 8+) how to trade the stock market. Many schools don’t teach kids about money, mindset, and finance, but at RLT, we are! We are changing the way people think about money and finance and starting them younger than ever.

It’s easy to learn our strategies and with the right discipline & focus, anyone can achieve financial freedom. I would love the opportunity to discuss our company further with you and your readers. Thank you for reaching out and letting me share about Real Life Trading.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I moved to the Nashville area in 1994, so I’ve been here a few years Nashville/Middle Tennessee has a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem and somewhat reasonable real estate (for now). The weather is a great blend of 2 extremes – the heat of Florida and cold of Michigan, all blended into the mild Nashville climate.

Personally, Nashville is the perfect place for my wife and our 2 daughters. My oldest is attending a local university with a major in songwriting. My youngest daughter is a professional equestrian and trains with top riders in the area. What other city can offer the best of both of those 2 words?

Can’t really complain about Nashville at all, although the traffic isn’t the best at times.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://reallifetrading.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/mattdelong90
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattdelong90
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/reallifetrading

Image Credits
Amber Larkins