There is a wealth of academic research that suggests that differences in risk appetite are at the heart of differences in career and business trajectories. We wanted to go beyond the theory and ask real people from the community about their perspectives and experiences with risk and risk taking.

Tobi Tinubu | Actor & Entertainer

Risk is growth! You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take! Taking risk has played literally one of the biggest roles in my life! For me, taking risk means stepping out of your comfort zone! There is nothing comfortable about growth and that’s what’s makes the journey so much more exciting to me. In order for you to get something you’ve never had, go places you’ve never been, do things you’ve never done, You have to get uncomfortable & learn to adapt. Read more>>

Tara Brown | Owner and trainer, 30 Minute Hit Humble

The act of opening a business itself is a risk. We opened the doors to 30 Minute Hit Humble in August 2020, which was right in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. That decision was risky to make but I felt confident that it would make a positive difference for women in my community. We are a ladies-only, high intensity boxing, kickboxing and core workout circuit that is taught with an emphasis on self-defense. I believe that without taking a risk, there’s rarely a reward. Read more>>

yazmin reyna | Xenia Salazar and Yazmin Reyna / Candid photo booth founders / aspiring entrepreneurs

Starting our Photo booth business alone was the product of many risks along with trials and errors for my partner Xenia and I. We both have concluded that without risk there is no lesson to be learned in order to grow. If we risk it all now, we bet to know for sure we have lived entirely without a doubt or regret. The price you pay when you take a risk is more of an investment that helps you grow strong over time. So one day you can get up and lift the weight off your shoulders, a weight full of all the wonder of what something could have been if you ever tried. To risk is to dig down into the unknown, with the ambition of building a skyscraper. Read more>>

Angelique Hudson | Houston Model&Front Desk Executive

We take risk every day in my opinion, some are bigger and some are simply just deciding what socks to wear that day . As an entrepreneur in the modeling business you have to keep a layer of tough skin on at all times . Some agencies will see you and love you and wouldn’t change a thing about you, other times an agency will pick you apart and tell you you’re too skinny or too big , too short etc etc . Each day you market yourself as a model you risk hearing something about yourself you may not want to hear. I’ve been told for a good portion of my life growing up that I should model. Read more>>

Sade Ashworth | Lashes and Brow Technician

Risk-taking shows a team that the entrepreneur is a true business visionary and leader who believes in the potential reward on the other side. Taking risks is the way to create opportunity and progress. Once the business is running, an entrepreneur continues to make calculated risks to grow a business.Failed risks aren’t always negative. Sometimes, they provide the most valuable business lessons an entrepreneur can learn. Failure helps shape future business strategies and can eventually lead to business growth. Read more>>

Kierstan Hernandez | Health & Wellness Instructor

– Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” – Romans 8:31 “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Risk taking doesn’t have to be terrifying. Nor does it have to be a drag. It’s all in how you look at the risk in hand. I am a woman of faith and that helps when it comes to making any decisions on life. Read more>>

Yancy Villatoro | Portrait, Maternity and Newborn Photographer

For me, risk is necessary in life; living in your comfort zone or the ordinary won’t allow one to develop to see if you can accomplish the goals you thought you weren’t capable of. Without risk, you will never reach your true potential. I have taken risk in my life from the moment I left home chasing dreams, with my now husband of 27 years, to the recent when we relocated to Houston (3 years ago) – an unknown place and market. In that opportunity risk my talent emerged. Read more>>