Are you a risk taker? Do you think you have a stronger appetite for risk relative to your friends and family? We asked some folks from the community about their approaches to risk and have shared their thoughts below.

Diana Beabout | Salon Owner/CEO

Overall, I’ve never really been afraid to take risks. I’ve always said that I would rather try and fail, then never try at all. I don’t ever want to look back and wonder what could’ve been. I also understand that often times for big rewards, big risks are necessary. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying taking risks isn’t scary at times. It absolutely can be. But I knew that the regular 9 to 5 desk job wasn’t for me. I knew that in order for me to have the life that I envisioned, that I would have to go out and make it happen. Blood, sweat and tears and all. Read more>>

Jessica Housewright | Business owner/hairstylist

I do not really look at myself as a risk taker. I look at risk as opportunity. We are sometimes afraid to set goals that might be too big or too far away, but you will never gain an opportunity you did not work towards. You are the only one who can limit how far and how quickly you move. Every opportunity I have had in my life has been perfectly positioned when I am ready to see it. I left a job after almost 8 years to create my own path. Was it scary and, to some, a risk? Yes. To me it was an opportunity to grow and expand to create something better for my daughter and myself. Sure, I did not know anything about business going in; but what I did know was that I have the skill set and knowledge to grow. Read more>>

Monet Benitez | Founder and CEO of Be Genuine Creations

Thinking about risk is imagine myself motionless for a second, is a battle within yourserlf…one part tells you “go for it” , while the other one plants the seed of the doubt. Every time I have taken any risk, I did it with fear… but that never stopped me; because you wont find success while staying in your comfort zone. Looking back, I thank myself for the braveness in taking the chance to start: ” Be Genuine Creations”. It has given me purpose and the opportunity to help my family financially. Read more>>

Jarob Bramlett | Lead Designer & Co-Founder of Quiet Strength Design

The best things in life involve some factor of risk. In marriage there’s the risk of being vulnerable. Giving all of yourself to one person for the rest of your life is risky, but also worth it. Having children and taking on the responsibility of raising another human being is so risky, but also worth it. This rings true in my career as well. In the spring of 2020, I was working as a graphic designer for Live Nation. A comfortable job that I had been working at for 8 years. Read more>>

Dono400 | Rapper

The way I look at risk, I look at best snd worst possible scenarios and what would happen with each action I took. With that being said though, I’m a risk taker. You don’t get nowhere in life without taking some risk for real for real. Im most likely if not always taking the risky route because I’m striving for the greater reward I ain’t satisfied with the bare minimum or following everybody else Imma make my own path every time and them folks don’t like when you bet on yourself. Read more>>

Jai Mayhew | Portrait & Fashion Photographer

Every opportunity I’ve been given has come with risk. Your chances don’t wait until you’re ready for them. I’ve shot for magazines when I didn’t feel technically ready for the responsibility. I’ve photographed public figures while screaming inside that my lighting was wrong, wrong, wrong (it was fine). Then I’ve taken risks and failed (meaning not done as well as I would’ve liked) and spent months wondering if it would’ve been better not to have done the job at all. In the end, each risk has always paid out with rewards. Read more>>

Jessica Tedder | Painter

Risk is a part of every day life. As a person who tries to minimize risk all the time, I find that this is one of my biggest struggles. There comes a point where as an artist you have to decide which direction to go. Personally, I see switching my major back in college to Painting as a risk. However, I did it anyway! There was nothing quite like holding a paint brush and creating for me. Society puts a label on artists early with jokes such as “starving artist” or “you’ll be working at McDonalds”. I thought if I wasn’t good at math- I was going to starve. Seems silly now that I look back on it. Read more>>

Tim Pollheide | Marketeer, Painter, Book Author

Taking risks and stepping out of my comfort zone has always been an important part. I truly believe this is the fastest way for personal growth, as we often feel insecure and frightened about things that lie in the future and we haven’t experienced them yet. I was born and raised in Germany and moved two years ago to the US. This obviously big change helped me a lot to grow but also to get inspired by a different culture, people, and things I am experiencing. Read more>>

Jessica Provencher | Mother, Wife & Team Lead for Pro Homes Group w/ LAER Realty Partners

Risk aversion is biologically engrained in us a humans. It’s completely natural that our ancestors limited their risk because climbing the wrong hill, or hunting the wrong animal could literally result in death. But we live in a different world now. There are very few decisions that we now make that would result in our eminent death, and yet people are still totally risk averse. They stay in jobs and relationships that they are completely unsatisfied in because they’re comfortable with the status quo. Read more>>

Elizabeth Bernal | Maker & Event Coordinator

I’m not one to normally take risks. I would never want to do something that would have a negative impact on myself or my family. That being said, when it came to starting my own business and other endeavors, I felt like jumping right in was the way to go. I had been thinking about starting a business for quite a while but I ended up starting out without having a solid plan. While this is not something I would advise everyone do, the fact that my business is craft based made that approach easier for me. I already had a lot of supplies to start out with that were from crafting on a hobby level and my family contributed items as well. Sometimes taking a leap of faith in terms of business, even when it might be risky could be what needs to happen to get the ball rolling. While there are stresses that come with it and trying to work things out financially, I do not regret my leap. Now physical risk taking, like jumping out of a plane, definitely not for me. Read more>>

Javaris Stevenson | Creative Director, Founder of Weird&OK

One of my favorite subjects is risk taking. I’ve been taking risks since the 5th grade when I started my own step team in elementary. So, it’s embedded in my blood. Making tough decisions based on the hope that gravity holds you when you jump is mentally and physically gratifying. And I mean both the scary and rewarding sides. Taking risks have shaped how I move forward in life. It’s why I failed and succeed. Fear holds so many people from being great or finding their true calling. As much as I can speak and write on this topic, my best advice is that taking risks lead gave me my greatest weapons, confidence, clarity and a career. Read more>>

Sara Rose Salih | Founder & Executive Director of The Usual Artspects

Risk taking definitely keeps things interesting! I think as we get older we all realize John Lennon was right when he said “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Sometimes things don’t fall in our laps, we have to take action and steps to make them happen. Taking any kind of action usually involves taking a risk and I personally believe it’s been worth it every single time. It’s how we learn, how we grow, and how things get done. Read more>>

Shana Ramsey | Black woman entrepreneur/store owner

I feel that every entrepreneur is a Risk taking. Think about it, we are taking a single thought and expanding it to become something way bigger than we could image. We at least that’s how my story goes. I took a single complement that stuck in my head for about a whole month And decided to act up on it. At that point I had no idea that people was actually paying attention to the way I dressed when I’m out. So after thinking about the conversation I ran with it. Then Covid-19 hit, everything was shut down and we was all on quarantine not knowing how long we would actually be shut down and quarantine that’s when I really started thinking yes I need to get my business off the ground by any means. Read more>>

Troublesome County | Texas Country Band

Well the music business is really all about taking risks, no matter how you look at it. Releasing your own music and hoping people will give it a chance is probably the biggest risk you can possibly take. We try to show people so many different styles of country, all blended together. That can be a pretty big risk, because people will either take it or leave it, you never really know. You just kind of have to go for it. Us personally, Troublesome County has been one big crazy risk. We all come from very different musical backgrounds. Read more>>

Lauren Riddei | Interior designer + vintage shop owner

When you are free to fail, you are free to fly. Cheesy intro? Maybe. But worth the risk. Risk-taking, in my life and career has been shaped (and continues to be shaped) by my comfortability with failure and tolerance towards mistake making. On the daily, my husband, Ryan and I deflate this fear of failure by asking each other, “how did you integrate a mistake today? Let’s talk about it.” Sounds backwards, I know, because not landing the deal or flopping that meeting or missing the mark suck and it’s absolutely painful. No doubt. But that means we took a risk that day by trying something new and challenging that ultimately produces learned blossoms in the garden. Read more>>

Tiffany Buchen | Founder & Owner, Ashe Collective

Risk, by definition, is “a situation involving exposure to danger” — I view risk as “a situation involving exposure to opportunity”. We are unknowingly trained by society to believe that risks will lead to a negative outcome, and while this can sometimes be true, I have learned that these moments, more often than not, lead to growth, success, and evolution. During my career, I have been exposed to some of the great innovators behind our current public relations, marketing, social media, and content creation industries. Several years ago, a mentor of mine shared insight on their own successes in business which has stuck with me to this day and is a pillar to my ideology behind my current company, Ashe Collective. Read more>>

Adolphus & Bridget Scott | Owners of AB Scott & Co; fashion styling & music business

Playing it safe was only going to be just that…. safe! But taking a risk, walking in unfamiliar territory, not feeling prepared for the unknown, the what- if’s or asking if this is the right time, those type of thoughts that force you to put breaks on those things that you are so passionate about. Yes, you may even get rejected for it. But to sum it all up, it’s wrapped in fear. When we allowed fear to overtake us, we made zero progress. We focused our attention on the day to day responsibilities that couldn’t be ignored, but thankfully there are special people whom God uses to encourage so that we’d overcome and go forth. Read more>>

Christy Ibarra | Owner- Sunflare Creations

I think risk is exposing yourself to something new and taking that leap of faith to actually start or at least give it a try. I’ve always told myself I wanted to have my own business but never really knew what it would be, other than something I could pour my heart into. I’ve always had a love for crafting and went ahead and jumped on the opportunity to make it a business and hoping that other’s would appreciate and love the products I made as much as I enjoyed not only the finished product but making it as well. We also took a huge leap of faith when we decided to become an official vendor for Kappa Delta Chi, Sorority Inc. Being a proud member of the sorority, I take great pride in providing service for other sisters. With products that hopefully they will enjoy and perhaps even pass down to their future little ones, if they intend to continue the journey. Read more>>

Adua Hernandez | Illustrator & Visual Artist

Risk is something natural for me, something we have to deal with whether we want it or not, and in most of our daily lives, we face small risks, and we know the outcome depending on our choices. Once in a while, we have these big risk choices, and, when I’ve felt scared about a decision, I ask myself, “What’s the worst thing that could happen if I do it?” or “What would I lose if I don’t take the leap?” Most of the time, the answer to the first question is “nothing” or “something I could recover from.” Regarding the second question, the usual thought is, “I’d stay in the same place” (geographically, financially, or emotionally), and that thought terrifies me. I always choose to move forward. I am from Venezuela, and I think one of my best decisions has been exploring new horizons beyond my home country. I have found a welcoming community. I have advanced in my career, improved my personal growth, and found love! Read more>>

Maggie McClure | Singer/Songwriter, Musician, Actor, Filmmaker

I think that risk taking is absolutely critical in life and especially while pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. I was always a very careful person (who always followed all the rules) growing up but as soon as I became an adult I realized I was going to have to take risks and get uncomfortable to make progress. I’ve stepped out in faith time after time after time throughout my life and for the most part it’s always worked out for the best. Read more>>

TaQoyia Wells | Chef

I think of risk as taking a chance to excel. Risking taking has played a major roll in my life as well as career. Packing up my belongings and moving 1,200 miles from my birth place, family, loved ones & my clientele was the biggest risk I’ve taken in my life. But, It also has been the most rewarding risk! It came with many opportunities and open doors for my career. Read more>>

Jason Jones | Director & Story Teller

I am personally not comfortable with Risk but in owning your own business or carving out a career path for yourself you have to get comfortable with taking lots of risk. We all love to living in our comfort zones and I am absolutely no exception to that but when I started On The Ground Designs I have to tell myself that every single step of the way was going to be filled with risk and feeling uncomfortable. When I start finding myself in that comfort zone I know immediately I am not growing. This took many years to get use too. Read more>>