Hey everyone,

My name is Tim Janssen. I was born on February 28, 1993, in Vlissingen(Flushing), the Netherlands and I come from a middle-class family with two kids. Growing up, I was always a quick learner, but also extremely lazy. I barely studied, hated doing homework, and just did enough to pass. Still, I managed to get through school and graduate with a HAVO diploma (similar to high school level in the Netherlands).

After that, I started three different college programs in three years — and dropped out of every single one. Looking back, a major reason was that I had been smoking weed since I was about 15. What started out innocent quickly turned into a habit that took over my life. I quit sports, started skipping school, and spent most of my days hanging out and smoking. Even though I managed to finish high school, college life went downhill fast, and I had no real drive or idea what I wanted to do with my life.

Everything changed in 2013. I was hanging out with my brother and a friend, and that friend mentioned something about Timothy Sykes and penny stocks. It was around the time The Wolf of Wall Street came out, so we were already hyped about trading and the stock market. My brother and I dove headfirst into researching Tim Sykes and his strategy. After about a year of reading, watching, and dreaming, I was convinced: this was it. This was what I had been looking for — I wanted to become a full-time day trader.

I convinced my parents to let me quit college to fully commit to studying Tim’s strategy. My brother Koen and I both joined the Millionaire Challenge, opened a trading account, and got started with a ton of excitement. But… we were still smoking weed every day. And it didn’t take long before that started interfering. We’d be trading on laptops in parked cars or sitting in coffee shops getting high while watching the markets. Of course, it didn’t work. We weren’t focused, we weren’t serious, and eventually, we gave up.

To this day, quitting back then is one of my biggest regrets. It haunted me for years.

In 2015, my brother and I moved out and rented an apartment together — partly for financial reasons, but also because we still held onto that dream of studying and trading again. In 2016, we gave it another shot. We built a trading desk, bought multiple monitors, got the How to Make Millions DVDs, and even received a €3000 investment from our father to fund our account.

Once again, weed got in the way. The addiction was stronger than our discipline. And once again, we gave up before we ever gave it a real, honest shot. We knew we had gold in our hands — Tim’s teachings, the community, and the strategies all made sense. But deep down we also knew: none of it would work unless we were willing to go all in.

For years after, we drifted through life. Smoking. Isolating ourselves. Living like hermits. And all that time, there was this voice in my head telling me I needed to go back. I kept following Tim. I kept reading, watching, and staying interested in trading, crypto, and financial markets. I always knew deep down — this was my path.

Then everything changed.

A year ago, I decided to turn my life around. I had reached 160 kilograms (about 350 pounds), was completely out of shape, and still addicted. I signed up for bariatric surgery and underwent a mini gastric bypass on January 24, 2025. Leading up to the surgery, my brother and I quit smoking weed. I’ve since lost over 50 kilos and, more importantly — I’ve regained control of my life.

And now, the fire is back.

For the past couple of months, I’ve been diving back into all the material — watching the DVDs, studying the videos on Profit.ly, and taking everything seriously this time. I opened a small account on IBKR and I’m more focused than I’ve ever been. I’m clean, fit, and 100% committed to making this work. I finally feel ready to give this dream the respect and effort it deserves.

I’m incredibly grateful to Tim, the other mentors, and the entire community for all the knowledge and insight they’ve shared over the years. It has truly kept the spark alive through all the ups and downs. I hope to soon rejoin the Challenge as a student — this time with full dedication — and I can’t wait to reconnect with everyone. 💪🏻

I know the road won’t be easy, and I’ve got a lot of ground to make up. But I’ve never been more excited — and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me.

Let’s go!