Take Profit Trader is a futures evaluation and proprietary trading firm that gives traders a straightforward path to accessing the markets through its Test, PRO, and PRO+ tiers. The company has built its model around fast payouts, transparent rules, trading education, and access to live market trading. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Take Profit Trader CEO James Sixsmith to learn more.
James Sixsmith’s Background
When asked about his background and how professional hockey prepared him for a career in trading, Sixsmith shared:
I played professional hockey for years in both North America and Europe. It was a great experience, but like most athletes, I was always thinking, “What am I going to do with the rest of my life?” That career had a shelf life, and I wanted to be set up for the next chapter.
Trading initially caught my attention because of how well it fit around my hockey schedule. I came to the realization that the same mental discipline required to perform at a high level in sports, like staying calm under pressure, managing emotions, and executing a game plan, carried over almost directly into trading. That realization gave me a real runway to build something meaningful. When we launched Take Profit Trader in 2021, we were determined from day one to build a firm that actually put traders first.
How Take Profit Trader Started
When discussing how his experiences as a retail trader inspired Take Profit Trader, Sixsmith explained:
The idea really grew out of my own painful experience as a retail trader, which included losing nearly $150,000 of money I had earned from playing hockey. Painful? Yes, but an extremely helpful lesson in the long run. I founded Trade Context in 2015 to help traders avoid the mistakes I had made, and through that work, I spoke at seminars and met thousands of traders. All the while, I was still trading with several prop firms, and what I experienced firsthand, including slow payouts, restrictive rules, and customer support that made me feel like an afterthought, was increasingly frustrating. I also kept hearing similar stories from other traders, which led me to conclude that one of the most dominant obstacles for retail traders isn’t skill. It’s that they’re trading scared and being underserved by the very firms that are supposed to support them. Understanding that there was a bigger gap to close, we launched Take Profit Trader in 2021 with the simple mission of giving skilled traders access to real capital through a simpler, more transparent model where they could withdraw profits and feel like someone had their back.
Memorable Company Moments
When asked about his favorite memories from building Take Profit Trader, Sixsmith reflected:
One was when we launched live market trading in April 2023. This was a major milestone because the industry was still largely operating in simulated environments. The response was overwhelmingly positive from our trader community.
However, as impressive as that was, the moments I return to most are the individual success stories. One that stands out is when a trader made over $1 million in just two days while trading live on our platform. Results like that were virtually unheard of for retail traders before firms like ours helped level the playing field. Seeing it happen was a powerful reminder of why we started building in the first place. At its core, that’s what Take Profit Trader is all about: creating opportunities that simply didn’t exist before.
Core Products And Features
When describing Take Profit Trader’s core products and features, Sixsmith outlined:
Take Profit Trader is a futures evaluation and proprietary trading firm that gives traders a clear, straightforward path to accessing the markets. Our structure runs through three tiers: Test, PRO, and PRO+. We’ve built a reputation for having one of the fastest payout models in the industry. It’s a commitment we made from the very beginning because we knew firsthand how much it matters to traders.
Industry And Regulatory Challenges
When asked about challenges in the proprietary trading sector and how Take Profit Trader has responded, Sixsmith addressed:
The prop trading space has grown enormously over the past few years, and with that growth comes a lot of noise. Overall, staying ahead of the curve in an industry requires constant attention and effort from our team. That’s made a big difference for us.
On the regulatory side, we’ve been actively engaged with the CME. That’s not a small undertaking. It’s one we’ve embraced because we believe being on the right side of compliance is what separates firms that are here for the long run from those that aren’t.
We’ve also been very deliberate about investing in education. We brought on a Futures Trading Strategist and Trading Educator because we believe informed traders make better decisions. A better trader is more likely to succeed, and that benefits everyone. Education has always been a core part of our long-term vision, and we’re committed to providing the tools and resources traders need to help develop their skills and confidence.
Technology Evolution
When discussing how Take Profit Trader’s technology has evolved since launching, Sixsmith described:
Back in 2021, the priority was building something so resilient that traders could trust it instantly. We needed rock-solid infrastructure before anything else could take priority. Over time, we’ve been able to expand significantly, adding support for more than 15 trading platforms, including Tradovate, NinjaTrader, and TradingView, giving traders the flexibility to work in the environment where they’re most comfortable.
Launching live market trading in April 2023 was probably the single biggest technological leap we’ve made, as moving from a simulated environment to real market execution is not a small endeavor.
Most recently we launched the TPT Scorecard, a dedicated analytics dashboard that gives traders a real data-driven window into their own performance, tracking everything from trade history and P&L to win/loss ratios, expectancy, and process scores across both test and funded accounts. Traders can even rate their daily adherence to their trading plan through the integrated process scoring system, because we believe the best traders are the ones who are constantly learning from their own data and holding themselves accountable to their process.
We’ve also been investing heavily in the infrastructure needed to support our growing global trader community, including bringing on senior leadership with deep fintech backgrounds to make sure we’re scaling the right way.
Major Company Milestones
When asked about Take Profit Trader’s most significant milestones, Sixsmith highlighted:
Getting to 90,000 active traders on the platform is a milestone that stands out, especially knowing that we built that entirely through self-funding, with no outside investors and no venture capital. It was organic growth built on doing right by our traders. The payout model has also been a milestone in its own right because becoming widely regarded as one of the fastest in the industry didn’t happen by accident. We designed the business around the idea that traders should have reliable, timely access to their money, and we’ve remained committed to that principle as we’ve grown, with aspects such as payouts speeds becoming faster and setting standards in the space. Being recognized by outlets like Finance Magnates among the top prop firms in 2026 is also a recent reflection of the work the team has put in to build something that traders actually trust.
Trader Success Stories
When invited to share examples of the impact Take Profit Trader has had on its customers, Sixsmith recounted:
The stories that resonate with me most are often the quieter ones. The trader who came to us convinced the markets were never going to work for them, put in the effort, passed their evaluation, and is now generating consistent withdrawals month after month. Those are the moments that remind me that the mission is bigger than any headline number or milestone. It’s proof that we’ve achieved what we set out to do.
I read reviews from traders saying things like, “This is my first prop firm, and I wish I had found TPT years ago,” “I requested my first payout, and it was processed quickly with no hidden fees,” or “The rules are clear, the platform is reliable, and the payout process has been smooth.” That’s the direct line back to why we built TPT in the first place: to create real opportunities for traders who might not otherwise have had them.
That’s why we’re constantly investing in our platform to give traders more tools to help them learn to be better traders, most recently with our TPT Scorecard, which gives traders a real, data-driven way to analyze, adapt, and optimize their trading performance.
Self-Funded Growth
When asked about Take Profit Trader’s funding model, Sixsmith clarified:
Take Profit Trader has been self-funded from day one, and that was a deliberate choice. Growing organically forced us to stay close to our customers, listen to their feedback, and continually improve the product based on real-world needs rather than outside pressures.
Future Goals
When discussing Take Profit Trader’s future goals, Sixsmith emphasized:
The bigger-picture goal has always been to expand market access to traders who have the skills required to compete. That’s a mission we’re committed to for the long term, and we’ll continue building products, tools, and opportunities that help level the playing field for talented traders around the world.
Putting Traders First
When invited to share an additional message about Take Profit Trader’s guiding principles, Sixsmith concluded:
From our payout model and commitment to transparency to live market trading and the educational resources we produce, everything we’ve built has been designed with the trader at the center. While we’re constantly looking for ways to improve, our commitment to doing right by the people who trust us with their time, effort, and ambition remains unchanged. That principle guides every decision we make behind the scenes. It’s been the foundation of our growth from day one, and it will continue to shape the way we build, innovate, and serve our trading community for years to come.
