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.

Talena Gulash | Interior Designer & Contractor

The ability and willingness to take risks is absolutely a requirement of any entrepreneur. I don’t think I was much of a risk taker in my youth. Over the years as hurdles in life presented themselves, my perseverance and absolute determination to overcome anything in my way, lead to the person I am today. As with anything in life, when you work through a problem and come out on the other side, there is always a lesson to be learned. Sometimes we, as entrepreneurs have failures. Those failures, without question, are absolutely dreadful at the time but are often the catalyst for growth. Read more>>

Tiffany Mayfield | Small Business Consultant, Tax Franchise Owner, Best Selling Author

I believe taking risks is vital to the success of my companies and leadership. I am comfortable taking risks. The act of following through with your business vision is a risk in itself. However, the fear of not being open to taking risk, rarely ends in reward. The moment I decided to become an entrepreneur, I knew my mindset and belief system were my highest risk. I had to believe in my talents and abilities beyond a shadow of doubt. I knew I had to align myself with strong business women and follow their blueprints to success. I hired a business coach and professional development coach in order to remove to the roadblocks I kept in my own way. Before I become an entrepreneur, I had to become the woman God created me to be while embracing my new found self and standing in my power and integrity. Read more>>

Saad Masrur | Marine & Mechanical Engineer

Risk is an important aspect to manage in a business. To deliver competitive returns, risk has to be present. The key to a successful company is making calculated risks with the appropriate level of mitigations. As CEO of HAS Construction and Consulting, I take on the toughest jobs. Our risk is mitigated by our experienced field technicians/ managers and level of detailed planning. We know that with the expertise we have, HAS Construction and Consulting can deliver strong results together through tough challenges. Read more>>

Cie Sharlece | Entrepreneur

Moving across the country definitely was the biggest risk I took in my life. It helped me gain a clearer mind and be precise on who I invest my energy to moving forward. Read more>>

Whitley Telford | Mompreneur

In January of 2021, I decided to quit my job and go full force with my business. I decided to stop “self-destructing “, and instead fill my thought process with a different narrative. What if everything goes right, instead of ” what if I don’t succeed? ” If you know me then you know I love taking risks lol, I love stepping out on faith and seeing where it will take me. I am a firm believer in the saying ” There is no elevation in comfort “. In order to reach your full potential, you have to be willing to get uncomfortable fast and challenge anything, especially yourself. Taking risks has not only allowed my company to grow but most importantly it allowed me to grow as a person. Read more>>

Shannon Melody | singer-songwriter/musician

I think risks are a crucial part in how our lives turn out. For me specifically, I never took the risk of really considering music as a career in fear of it not working out or being judged by people up until recently. When deciding whether or not to take the risk of doing or not doing something, you really just have to trust your gut and do what you think is the right decision. If this is something that is going to bring you happiness, then I would say the risk is worth it, and even if it doesn’t go the way you expect, take it as an opportunity to learn and grow from it. Read more>>

Erik Cavazos | Owner/Operator

Oh my… Where to start… I have been taking risks all my life, some calculated, and some, just a hope and a prayer… At the end of it all, some of those risks didn’t always pan out, but I wouldn’t necessarily say, that the direction taken by a few of those risks, weren’t a direction needed. In other words, sometimes “a hope and a prayer” do work in your favor. I have found over the years, that my intentions or my risk taking didn’t always go as planned, and I’m OK with that. I learned a long time ago that “people don’t plan to fail, they just fail to plan”. I wish I could say I followed that – I mean, I may somewhat more these days, but as a young man, that wasn’t always the case. Read more>>

Karen Terrazas | Certified Floral Designer

I think I’ve always been a gutsy person, I’ve always believed in being true to yourself, no matter what that means. When I decided to leave the safety of a corporate setting I knew that it would be a big change and I knew that I wouldn’t ever want to go back. To me that just meant I’d have to work really hard to get things to grow. I’m not going to lie, my first year as a florist and a business owner was pretty tough, a lot of mistakes were made but it’d made me much stronger and my vision clearer. Read more>>

Irsan Tisnabudi | Entrepreneurial Investor

Risk seems to become more of a spiritual experience to me, as I continue my journey both in life and/or career. Usually, these elements will hold true: a crossroad or a narrow path, somewhat like a hanging wooden bridge across two cliffs where it feels life threatening; a path or a decision, even with plenty of support, that I have to take on my own; a huge unknown, where the result is always not quite as expected that can either be very good, so-so or very bad. One thing holds true, is when I feel the most vulnerable during the process of taking such risk is when I feel the most spiritual. Read more>>

Shantel Challenger | Pro Makeup Artist & Entrepreneur

If it wasn’t for risks, I would’ve never started. Risk taking is what stretches my faith and trust in God. Risks truly show me the meaning of “faith without works is dead.” It catapults me into another level of understanding when it comes to needing God’s grace and strength. Grace, which is undeserved but gives me the ability to work effectively and in excellence. Strength, which helps me to push through even when I feel like giving up. Because truth is, sometimes I do. But when you take risks, you’re allowing room for growth in character and skillset. It allows you to learn the ropes beforehand and gives the ability to make changes. Read more>>

Carolina Alfaro | Fitness Coach

I believe the word “risk”, is both a strong and scary word for many. For myself, it was definitely both, as a single mom of two, it was something I had to give some thought to because it was not only for myself, I was risking for but for my children as well. I worked a full-time job when I decided to open my gym to the public in January of 2021. At this time, I only offered 2 class times, a 6pm and 7pm. Not knowing if COVID would affect my decision on doing this, giving the virus was its peak and peoples concern and safety of course on joining a public gym, however this was not the case. Read more>>

Cecille Wright | Jewelry Designer & Business Owner

Risk- taking is important in business it leads to new opportunities and innovations. The willingness to experiment with new ideas and being open to new ideas I feel is key to business growth. If you don’t embrace taking a risk, you might want to reconsider being an entrepreneur. Customers have constantly changing demands. For this reason alone, business should be adaptable and be in constant state of progress. Read more>>