Torbjörn Sandström

Why this persona fits the audience

He splits his time between freelance backend work and running a small Solana trading setup from home, mostly as a one-person operation. He has never paid for a specialized RPC product, instead using public endpoints, local scripts, and manual checks when he tests new strategies.

• Age: 28
• Location: Stockholm, Sweden
• Occupation: Independent developer and part-time trader
• Income: €70k-€120k
• Education: Self-taught with some university coursework in software engineering
• Company size: Solo operation
• Years in role: 3 years as an independent developer-trader

“The real challenge isn't just building something that works, but building something that works reliably, efficiently, and on your own terms.”

Torbjörn Sandström, 28, is an independent developer and part-time trader based in Stockholm. His journey into this dual career path began during his university years, where he pursued software engineering coursework but found the academic environment too slow-paced and theoretical for his practical inclinations. He left university to pursue freelance backend development, honing his skills in JavaScript and related technologies through real-world projects. This provided him with a solid income and the autonomy he craved. Around three years ago, his interest in personal finance and emerging technologies led him to explore cryptocurrencies, specifically the Solana ecosystem due to its performance characteristics. He began developing automated trading strategies as a personal project, initially using public RPC endpoints and custom scripts to interact with the blockchain. This setup, while functional for testing and smaller-scale operations, requires significant manual oversight and troubleshooting. He has never felt the need to invest in specialized RPC services, preferring to build and manage his own infrastructure, viewing it as a learning opportunity and a way to maintain complete control. His freelance work currently provides the bulk of his income, allowing him to reinvest profits into his trading ventures and personal savings. He lives frugally, sharing an apartment to manage costs, and prioritizes long-term financial security and technical mastery over immediate luxury. Torbjörn is driven by a desire to build robust systems and achieve financial independence through a combination of skilled development and informed trading, constantly seeking to optimize his workflows and deepen his understanding of both software architecture and market dynamics. His recent focus has been on improving the reliability of his trading scripts, particularly in handling network latency and data consistency from public RPC nodes, which has led him to explore more advanced local caching and data validation techniques.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Torbjörn's typical weekday begins around 8 AM with coffee and a quick scan of overnight market activity and any urgent client emails. From 9 AM to 1 PM, he focuses on freelance development tasks, often engaging in video calls with clients. After a simple lunch, he dedicates the afternoon, roughly from 2 PM to 5 PM, to his trading operations: monitoring bot performance, analyzing on-chain data, tweaking parameters, and writing new scripts. Evenings are reserved for personal learning, perhaps diving into a new JavaScript library or reading about DeFi protocols, or unwinding with a board game session with his roommates. He aims to disconnect by 10 PM.

Lifestyle

Torbjörn lives in a functional, shared apartment in Stockholm, prioritizing location and cost over luxury. His routine is structured around work, with evenings often dedicated to coding personal projects or analyzing market data. Weekends are a mix of social activities with his roommates and friends, often involving board games or exploring the city's nature trails. He's disciplined with his finances, tracking expenses meticulously and favoring long-term investments over immediate gratification. He cooks most meals at home, viewing it as both a cost-saving measure and a way to control his diet.

Work life

His workdays are a dynamic blend of client-facing freelance development and self-directed trading operations. He juggles backend tasks for various clients, often using Node.js and TypeScript, with the intricate demands of his Solana trading bot. This involves constant monitoring, script optimization, and strategy refinement. The pressure comes from client deadlines and the volatile nature of crypto markets. He collaborates remotely with clients but operates his trading desk entirely solo, relying on his own scripts and analysis tools. The lack of direct colleagues means he's solely responsible for problem-solving and technical decisions.

Relationships

Torbjörn maintains a close-knit circle of friends, primarily met through university and shared hobbies like tabletop gaming. He lives with two roommates, with whom he shares a friendly but independent dynamic. His parents are supportive but don't fully grasp the technical intricacies of his work, though they appreciate his financial stability. He has a few professional contacts from past freelance gigs, but his primary influence comes from online developer communities and trusted financial bloggers.

How they decide

Torbjörn is a highly analytical and research-driven decision-maker. He meticulously gathers information, compares options, and often runs small-scale tests or simulations before committing. He values efficiency and long-term viability, preferring solutions that offer a clear benefit without introducing unnecessary complexity or dependencies. He's not easily swayed by hype and tends to be skeptical of overly optimistic claims, preferring to see concrete data and demonstrable results.

How they sound

Speaks with a clear, measured cadence, typical of educated Swedes. His English is fluent but retains a slight, almost imperceptible Scandinavian accent. He tends to be direct and avoids excessive jargon unless discussing technical specifics with peers. He uses precise language and is comfortable with silence, often pausing to formulate his thoughts. He avoids overly casual slang and maintains a generally professional, albeit relaxed, tone.