The Simpler Story
The Simpler Story is a long tale. Long and vibrant and still going on. We are excited about the future and proud of our past.
Diving In
After graduating from the University of Texas with degrees in Economics and History, John F. Carter went to work as a corporate financial analyst. But his personality was more suited to wrangling snakes—and unpredictable options trades—than shuffling day-to-day office paperwork. He’d grown up on his grandfather’s farm in Nebraska, and he missed the wide open skies and daily connection with the natural world.
In 1999, while living in La Jolla, California with his wife (his children hadn’t been born yet), John registered Simpler Trading as his first business. Not only was he shifting from a dependable salary to an income from trading, but he was active in the online forums full of people who shared his obsession with the account growth potential he saw in charts and options spreads. His involvement in trading communities put him into regular contact with traders such as Henry Gambell, Eric Purdy, Bruce Marshall, Raghee Horner, David Starr, and many others who mutually respected each other’s work.
Like many successful traders, John increased his independence by demonstrating his tried-and-true strategies, trading live in front of an invited audience. As John helped aspiring traders win their independence, he understood that a greater educational niche wanted to be filled. He had gone through years of trial-and-error in order to teach himself. What if he could offer mentorship, not just from himself, but also from many successful traders with different methodologies? He knew quite a few people who were interested.
Start-up Squeeze
It was 2010, and the Carter family was settling into their starter ranch in the Texas hill country. John tracked the markets using six monitors and a cutting-edge computer, customized by his young protégé, Henry Gambell, whom he had hired away from Geek Squad. John had authored the best-selling book “Mastering the Trade,” commissioned a popular indicator known as the Squeeze, and founded a business in the Silicon Hills of Austin, Texas. At the small company which would later morph into Simpler Options and then Simpler Trading, experienced traders livecast their strategies to online audiences that ranged from 100 to 500 people. By purchasing a membership, an aspiring trader could watch and interact with full-time traders doing their work live, in front of audiences, every hour the markets were open.
Although the core company was situated in two 2 bedroom apartments, next to a swimming pool that got noisy during the long summertimes in Texas, John and his team of four people were actively recruiting talented individuals to provide content, to help customers, and to reach out and help grow the business.
Office manager Angela Garza was one of the first new hires. “In my previous jobs,” Angela says, “I worked for people with a corporate lack of humor. My interview with John was over coffee at a Barnes and Noble bookstore, and he had me laughing within the first minute. That’s how I knew this place wasn’t going to be a stuffy grind.”
In early 2014, John made headlines in financial news by earning $1.4 million on an overnight trade, which attracted new clients. His business had purchased Thinkscripter, owned by indicator developer Eric Purdy, and added several accomplished individuals to the trading team. Simpler Trading was growing so fast, it ranked #21 in the fastest growing private companies in America, as assessed by Inc. 5000. It was time to expand out of the apartment and into a high tech office space.
Beyond the Expected Move
Natural sunlight, and proximity to a lake nestled between dramatic cliffs, characterized the glassy office which John and his full-time team moved into. They added neon decor, beer on tap, gigantic Lego blocks, plus a few motivational pictures, and soon the space felt more homey than the apartment had. Dogs and hoverboards were welcome. Employees organized volleyball tournaments and barbeques after work, and every so often, the Simpler management team treated everyone in the office to a movie night out, or a boat party.
One of the biggest challenges Simpler Trading faced around 2015 was a mess of outdated websites and difficult-to-use interfaces. A major upgrade was needed. Not just an upgrade, but an overhaul—and it had to be done while the current websites were still active and vital.
John, Henry, and Bruce livecast regularly from the Austin office, while other regular traders livecast from their home offices in Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, Alabama, Iowa, and other states. In order to keep all team members in the loop, the company hosts quarterly offsite meetings and makes use of cutting edge technology. Traders looked forward to the annual Simpler Trading Mentorship; an exclusive conference featuring live trading, discussion panels, and a poker night.
1999
Simpler Trading Registered While living in La Jolla, CA with his wife, John Carter registered Simpler Trading as his first business.
2010
Met Henry Gambell - Henry Gambell was John’s young protégé whom he hired away from the Best Buy Geek Squad and is now Vice President of Simpler Trading.
2014
$1.4 Million TSLA Trade John made headlines in financial news by earning $1.4 million on an overnight trade, which attracted new clients to become members of Simpler Trading.
2015
Site Overhaul One of the biggest challenges Simpler Trading faced around 2015 was a mess of outdated websites and difficult-to-use interfaces. So we began the process of making SimplerTrading.com what it is today!