‘I lost $60M during COVID … and made $180M back in 6 months’: This multi-millionaire broke down sharing how his family survived civil war in El Salvador to achieve the American Dream (twice)

For most individuals, dropping $60 million would ship them right into a frenzied panic. For Rafa Martinez, it’s simply a part of the job.

“I fortuitously don’t stress about something. I’m the best dude within the room — it doesn’t matter if I’m approach up or approach down,” Martinez instructed Noah Kagan throughout an episode of Noah Kagan Presents, a podcast for entrepreneurs.

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Martinez trades pure commodities for a dwelling and is nicely on his method to turning into a billionaire. Nevertheless it’s maybe his childhood — rising up in the course of the civil struggle in El Salvador — that formed who he’s at the moment (and provides him a excessive tolerance for threat).

In March 2020, Martinez was in Spain watching Actual Madrid play Barcelona when the world began shutting down due to COVID-19. “I’m watching crude collapse,” he says. “We noticed my ebook simply lose tens of millions of {dollars} in a single day as a result of individuals began panicking.”

In reality, he misplaced about $60 million in a matter of three weeks.

However as an alternative of panicking, Martinez purchased himself out of his place and doubled down the alternative approach. “The whole lot that I misplaced, I multiplied it by fully reversing my view, all in a matter of a month.” He ended up making again about $180 million, as he instructed Kagan.

In pursuit of the American Dream

His household emigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador when Martinez was simply 12 years previous. He was born right into a 12-year-long civil struggle (from 1980 to 1992) between the federal government and the Farabundo Martí Nationwide Liberation Entrance, which was punctuated by violence and human rights violations.

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“I keep in mind as a child once I lived in El Salvador listening to the bombs and the gunshots and folks operating on the roof and us hiding beneath our beds,” says Martinez.

“As a child I didn’t actually respect what my dad and mom of their early 20s have been going by way of,” he provides, his voice cracking with emotion. After the struggle, they lived a modest life: that they had a home, that they had meals on the desk, however they didn’t have any luxurious gadgets — they couldn’t even afford Christmas presents.

His household left for Houston in 1997 in pursuit of the American Dream, working minimal wage jobs and renting a one-bedroom residence that value $450 a month. Martinez knew he was going to make one thing of himself so he may help his dad and mom sooner or later, “as a result of I wasn’t going to cease till I did.”

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From immigrant to multi-millionaire

Martinez made his first million when he was 29 years previous, buying and selling pure gasoline. He’s nonetheless a dealer, although he’s additionally a serial entrepreneur, investing in quite a lot of start-ups, from health and racing to building and tech. He attributes his success, partly, to the actual fact he doubtless has a “greater tolerance of stress and threat than most individuals.”

Whereas buying and selling pure commodities will be an effective way to generate wealth, he says it’s additionally a “nice method to be wired and lose your thoughts over the stresses of the market.” In different phrases, it’s not for everybody — particularly since commodities are thought of one of many riskiest methods to take a position.

However the secret to his success? He trusts his intestine — even when he occurs to be down $60 million.

“I perceive markets are going to fluctuate, and so if I can stand up to the fluctuations and nonetheless persist with my weapons, then I can see positions play out whereas different individuals typically must get out.”

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