Taking Risk is essential, but how much, when and why? Taking risks effectively is as much of an art as it is a science and we’ve asked some of the brightest folks in the community to tell us about how they think about risk taking.

Natasha Dadwani | Jewelry Designer

Entrepreneurship is fundamentally all about taking risks. It is about trying new ways of doing something and solving a problem that nobody else before you thought about solving. I believe in order to succeed or starting a new business you need to change your mindset, Almost be naive about the risks involved and be so passionate about your vision that you believe it will work. You believe in your vision, backed up by 100’s of hours of research backing that idea that no fear stops you from doing what you believe is possible. And of course when things don’t work, because I promise you they won’t 90% of the time in the beginning, you quickly pivot and tackle it from a different angle, but you do not lose focus. For me personally, risks is the driving force to every project I have started. It’s the monotony that scares me. Read more>>

Alecia Lawyer | Founder, Artistic Director & Oboist

Ironically, risk taking can only be done in a place of vulnerability. If it came from strength, there would be no space for real possibilities beyond what you can see. It helps to focus on the flip side of “what do you have to lose?” Instead, there is great power in “what are the possibilities and connections?” My drug is connection. I see it, seek it, profess it, share it, and circle back again to observe it. When you have a purpose and a vision, risk turns into a logical step instead of a dreaded barrier. Founding ROCO came out of a deep love for people, musicians, for my church that was being renovated and would be a perfect place to perform, and for this amazing city of Houston. The culmination of all of these 16 years of raising a ton of money to record our live performances and experimenting with livestreaming years before covid is that I have been able to actually physically weave our music through the landscape of Houston. Read more>>

Jenah Maravilla | Editor, Author & Community Leader

Ah, what a wonderful question! I believe that risk is hardly ever spoken about in a day-to-day context, but rather, through one big pivotal moment –when that simply isn’t true. Risk is all about self-empowerment, reflection, and reward. This was most apparent when –from an outsider’s perspective– I had seemingly dropped my nursing career in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. If you didn’t know me, you would assume I quit in capricious temper, instead of what had actually occurred: I finally listened to what I truly wanted. During 2016 up until the hurricane, I had been taking small risks outside of work to figure out my voice within the larger context of community organizing. I was building relationships with those who found importance in my story, with those I realized were important to learn from as well. I was observing what kinds of lives other people live outside of my comfort zone in STEM, how rewarding and fulfilling I can still be regardless of where my energy is spent. Read more>>

Hortencia E Camargo | Entrepreneur & Author

I’m no gambler but a strong believer in “bet big, win big”. Losing has never intimidated me; any loss in life, friendship, or business is a lesson learned. Time is too valuable to sit and dream of “what if”. I much rather roll the dice and play this game called life. I have been self-employed and an entrepreneur since the age of 17; I’ve never looked back. The safety net of a 9-5 was not attractive enough for me to play it safe. I took risks, I lost, I fell, I hit rock bottom but I got up, and that’s what matters, and that’s what my four sons will remember when I’m gone. I was taught to turn over every rock and always get back on the horse. Risk was something my father taught me to not only expect but to welcome and love. The word risk in my house was equivalent to hope and chance. If there was even the slightest chance that my return on investment (either time. love or money) would grow; I’d jump right in! I have lived my entire life and will continue to do so holding on to that ideology. Read more>>

Dawine Dacosta | Publicist & Entrepreneur

Who would you like to dedicate your Shoutout to? There are a number of people I would like to dedicate my shoutout to as so many have played an essential part in my success. I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to God, my husband, my mom, my pastors, & my ministry, Refuge Temple Ministries. God has been a constant & consistent source in my life. I’m beyond grateful for His faithfulness, direction, love, correction & everything He has shown Himself to be in my life. Andy, my husband, has been so supportive and is a trooper. He has listened to all of my overthinking, all my questions, and more. He had been very encouraging since the beginning! I’m so grateful. My mom has always taught me that whatever I desire to do and become in life, I can do it. There are no limits to anything I aspire to do. She has always looked for ways to support me. Before my website was even completely up, she had already shared it with pretty much all her contacts. Read more>>

Jiovanni Jones | Visionary, Lawyer 2021, Fitness Enthusiast & Entrepreneur

Risk is a necessary evil. A good friend of mine told me, while in Vegas, if you are too scared to spend money then how can you make any. Everyone wants to be rich, but no one wants to do what is necessary for wealth to accumulate. Successful people take risk everyday. They risk their investment, their business, their livelihood. The difference in successful people and regular people taking risk is the type of risk. Risk is a situation involving exposure to danger. Most people see this and either run or they blindly take the risk. Successful people make sure to do their risk assessment which is a systematic process of evaluating the potential risks that may be involved in a projected activity or undertaking. Going back to my Vegas friend example; my friend was making much higher bets than me. I made about $500 dollars but he had made over $4,000. The reason why was that he was not scared to bet big because high risk equals high reward. Read more>>