Legend holds that Cornelius Vanderbilt had built a massive fortune in the steamboat shipping industry, but then realized the railroads were the way of the future and invested almost his entire net worth into railroads. The gamble paid off and made Vanderbilt one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs ever. But risks are inherently…risky. How do you think about risk and how has it affected your life and career? Some of our community favorites share their perspective below.

Eldine (Dede) Thelusma | Online Boutique Owner & Healthcare Worker

Life is all about taking risks! I’ve always been a risk taker. There is always a risk in everything you do, even if you dont do it. So I learned how to manage and evaluate risks so that I can take risks in my life to be successful. I took a risk in starting a business at the peak of a pandemic and I told myself “you have nothing to lose” and I loved that I did it. I have learned so much. Read more>>

LISA BRAT MARTINEZ | Actor & Wrongful Conviction Advocate

Taking risks are frightening but also an opening of another avenue in ones journey in life. I have had moments when I wasn’t sure of what I should do next, I kept the faith and followed God’s lead. We all need to experience the good and the bad so we can appreciate what really matters. One of my biggest learning lessons from taking a risk has been, I can be me and not what others want me to be. You have one life so live it. Read more>>

Renato Lage | Samba Houston

Taking risks is part of the game. We would love to make all decisions knowing the outcome in advance, but unfortunately it is not a reality. From the creation of a business, when you do not know whether customers will be interested on your product/service or not, to daily operations, like every time you purchase additional inventory, there is always some level of risk involved. Of course, there are tools that can be used to minimize it, but the risk is still there. Read more>>

Erika Garfias | Owner of Enlace Jewelry

If I were to describe myself I would never choose risk taker. For as long as I can remember I have always had a plan for any major decisions. I over analyze things and if they were not in “the plan” I normally will talk myself out of it. However with Enlace it has been the exact opposite from the beginning . From discussing my business idea to my husband to launching Enlace it was less then a two week process. Read more>>

Andriko Gipson | Entrepreneur

I love the risk factor. My entire life has been about taking risks, I just know how to take calculated ones. Whether it involved opening my first apparel businesses at 18 years old and walking away from it all; to move to Houston, a place that was entirely new to me, I was always considering the possibilities of every situation. Even after investing every penny to start my business, I had to think ten steps ahead for everything to eventually fall into place like it was meant to. Despite every trial, I have learned how to move through all of it because of calculated risks. Read more>>

Latasha Solomon Campbell | CEO and Founder

The risks that I have taken in my life was like an epitome of stepping out on faith in my new career. I spent over twenty years in the legal world as a paralegal. However I have worked in many areas of law such as personal injury, probate, family and business law. When I took the risk of resigning from my full-time salaried job as a paralegal to operate my tax business on a full time business. Read more>>