Last week late at night, I received a private message from a newcomer who had just entered the market. They said they were sleepless all night with $1500 in hand, dizzy from watching the market during the day, and woke up in a fright from a dream of a sharp drop in numbers, fearing that they would wake up to find half of their capital gone. It made me both laugh and feel heartbroken, as this was just like me eight years ago.

In nearly ten years of navigating this industry, I have seen too many newcomers with one or two thousand dollars thinking they could 'turn their lives around.' This amount of money is not much; it might only be enough to buy a bag, but it is also substantial, possibly half a month’s salary for a graduate. Holding it in hand feels heavy, like holding half a roasted sweet potato in the cold winter, hoping it warms you but also afraid of crushing it if you’re not careful.

Today, let me be honest: if you want to survive in the cryptocurrency world with this little capital, it’s not about complex indicators or insider information, but rather three iron rules I’ve learned through my own experiences. These words may seem simple, but they are much more useful than staring at the screen for twelve hours.

First, learning to admit defeat is the beginning of survival. Newcomers often regard a few hundred bucks as a turning point, fantasizing about becoming rich overnight. I once bet two thousand dollars all on a popular project and lost seventy percent in three days, to the point where I couldn’t even eat. It was only later that I realized this amount of capital couldn’t even make a splash in the market. Don’t dream of getting rich; first, ensure you don’t lose. If you can keep up with the mainstream in a bull market and gain more than the average, you’ve already won against most people. Remember, staying alive is the key to waiting for the wind to come.

Second, avoid air coins; every penny should be earned with effort. There are always people in the group flaunting new coins that double in a day, and immediately others follow suit asking for the code. But I must remind you that with less capital, you can’t afford to stumble. My advice is to allocate funds proportionally. Invest $600 in the top two mainstream coins; they are as stable as ballast.

Third, look at the market less; making more money is the hard truth. Some quit their jobs to watch the market for just over a thousand dollars, their emotions swinging with the K-line, ultimately losing everything and exiting. The biggest advantage of retail investors is their ability to learn; saving time from watching the market to read white papers and research reports is much more useful than guessing price movements. But the most crucial thing is to develop off-market income. With little capital, you can’t withstand fluctuations; having a stable cash flow helps you stay calm in a bear market and allows you to act when opportunities arise. This is more important than any technique.

In summary, to survive with small funds, one relies on rationality, patience, and the ability to continuously earn money. Don’t let the red and green numbers on the screen control your life; take steady steps, and time will give you the answer.