From Trader to Teacher: Siddharth Shirodkar’s Journey from the Markets to Building The School of Dalal Street

Siddharth Shirodkar did not take a conventional route into finance.

He dropped out of college and entered business at an early age, eventually building a successful creative agency. He completed his graduation later in life, but his professional journey had already taught him something important: there is more than one way to reach a goal.

His entry into the stock market was almost accidental.

As his creative agency moved towards remote working, Siddharth was often the only person in his office. Two friends began using vacant desks to trade during the day. Curious about what they were doing, he started trading too.

Like many new traders, he made mistakes. He lost a considerable amount of money. What set him apart was that he decided to stay with the market and understand it rather than walk away from it.

That decision began a journey that has lasted since 2011.

Learning Beyond Theory

More than a decade of experience in the market changed the way Siddharth viewed financial education. He found that understanding a concept theoretically and applying it in the market were two very different things.

Patterns and setups that appear straightforward in theory can behave differently when real market conditions introduce unexpected variables. For Siddharth, much of that understanding came through observation, practice, and trial and error.

That experience eventually shaped his approach to teaching. He encourages students to observe the market even when they are not trading, allowing them to gradually develop what he calls “traders’ conviction”, an understanding of market behaviour built through repeated observation and experience.

From Trading to Teaching

Siddharth began teaching in 2020, during the COVID lockdown. Initially, it was not intended to become a new career.

With his business operating remotely and the country in lockdown, his wife, Priyanka, suggested that he conduct webinars to occupy his time. He did, and the response from attendees encouraged him to begin teaching professionally.

What started as a temporary activity eventually became The School of Dalal Street.

Today, Siddharth describes himself as a trader, investor, author and stock market coach. He has taught more than 1,200 students, with practical learning and risk management forming important parts of his teaching approach.

Building The School of Dalal Street

The School of Dalal Street grew from Siddharth’s belief that market education should go beyond simply explaining financial terminology or presenting theoretical setups.

His approach focuses on breaking complex concepts into smaller ideas, using stories and everyday examples to make them easier to understand. Practical learning is reinforced through paper trading, while risk management is treated as a mindset that should remain part of every market decision.

His own experience also influences his approach to beginners. He believes students should spend time understanding the market and practising before putting meaningful capital at risk.

For Siddharth, teaching is not simply another business activity. He sees himself as a guide, while the market itself remains the real teacher.

His professional journey has therefore come full circle: from entrepreneur, to self taught trader, to educator and founder. The common thread through each stage has been the willingness to learn through experience and to keep refining what works.

Today, his focus is on helping people who genuinely want to understand the stock market develop that understanding through structured, practical education.