We asked some of the most interesting folks in the community to open up about how they think about taking chances and the role risk has played in their lives and careers. Risk is by far the topic folks talk to us most about and we hope the responses below will help shed light on many different perspectives.

Thalita May | Wedding and Portrait Photographer

I like to think that taking risks is very important as long as one is still very wise about which risks they’re taking. I guess I can say that risk-taking has made one of the biggest impacts on my life, as I decided to leave my hometown in Brazil, along with absolutely everything and everyone that was familiar to me, and move to the US back in 2014 to learn English as a second language. Risk-taking shaped who I am today, and the rest is history. Read more>>

Christopher Totaro | Massage Therapist & Yoga Instructor

In general, I’m pretty averse to risk. I wear my seatbelt, I don’t invest in stocks, I always leave the house with plenty of extra time. But at the same time, I’m not afraid to go out on a limb if I’m confident that I have what it takes to make it happen. When I left behind three hundred massage clients in New York City in exchange for a better life in Austin, it was only after four years of research, evaluation, and design. The transition was not easy. It did — and continues to — require a lot of work. But I’m not afraid of hard work. Uncertainty frightens me but having a reasonable degree of assurance and tenacity can go a long way. Read more>>

Sara Daigle | Content Creator

It’s funny because I ‘ve never really considered myself to be a risk-taker, but everyone that knows me says that I am. I like to push myself to be the best version of me that I can be- making the conscious decision to remove myself from situations that don’t add value to my life or are causing mental duress- which can be really hard at times. Risk has inadvertently influenced most of my major decisions and choices and has led me to be where, and who, I am today. I don’t think about risk as being dangerous or doing crazy things that could get me in trouble or put me in harms way; Read more>>

Robin Moss | top frog

Risk is an inherent part of life. Managing risk, making risk work for you, is how you get ahead in life. I’ve always been a risk-taker. While I have always been in “marketing,” I switched from semiconductors to animal healthcare to software to digital marketing. I must admit that starting ribit is one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken. In 1994, when I started ribit, there were not a lot of companies designing corporate websites. Read more>>

Holland Haiis | Workplace Strategist, Speaker, Award-Winning Author

Like most people, I’ve taken risks that have paid off and others that haven’t. This has given me a framework to view risk with some structure before jumping in head first. Think about risk as an opportunity, gauge your fear, and consider what the progress could mean for you and the business strategy moving forward. Every opportunity has a risk. How much time will it cost, will it deplete the team’s time and energy, what’s the overall advantage of taking the risk? And you have to think big picture as well as for the moment. Read more>>

Timothy Hokett | Artist, Fashion Designer, and the King of Product Design

To me, risk is a calculated process of implementing your ideas in a way that’s easily understood by your target audience. If you can identify a problem, you can pinpoint and corner a market; and then if you can corner the market you have the ability to lessen your probability of failure. Define your business and then find your customer. Read more>>

Brittney Williams | CEO & Founder of The Creative Juices Group

Being an entrepreneur and pursuing this lifestyle comes with a lot of risk. I’ve always wanted to own my own business and knew that with it ultimately came with many obstacles and would need the necessary dedication to see my success all the way through. I think about risk as both a personal and professional necessity. Without it, you’ll always leave yourself and decisions on the fence of wondering what if? And with taking risks you honestly can never really lose, it’s all about how you look at it. You either accomplished something or you learned from the choices you made by taking that risk. Read more>>

Shartesia Love | Loan Officer & Business Owner

I think risk are well needed in life . No matter if you are a entrepreneur or working for someone else. I mean if you don’t take risk you will never know the outcome. Since I’ve started my own business I been taking risks . Some risk were good and some were bad . However overtime I grown to learn that it’s the best way to live life so that there are never any unanswered questions . Overall , taking risks has got me far in life . I have a stable career as a loan officer and I manage my own business on the side . I would say for anyone that is too afraid to jump off the cliff I would encourage them to just DO IT ! Read more>>

Michelle Hill | Owner and Founder of All Junked Up a junk removal company

I believe that being a risk taker is an essential part of starting a business. You must be  willing to throw everything in and give a 100% and continuously work towards your dreams and goals. I honestly have learned so much along the way as to how to run my business. You must be willing to fail in order to succeed and learn. It is by your mistakes that you build your foundation and learn to be successful. Enjoy your journey to whatever level of success and what that means to you! Read more>>

Tabia Cannon | Founder and Creative Director

I believe risk-taking can either break or make someone depending on their perspective. Creating my own business was a very big risk but has allowed me to learn a plethora of knowledge and changed my perspective. Risks can be scary when one bases their judgment on how the risk went by if they succeeded or failed. Typically people don’t want to take risks because they are thinking that they will fail and view failing as a negative thing. I like to think that taking a risk is an opportunity to learn, whether it was a success or failure. If the risk resulted in succeeding, you now know the steps to recreate what you learned to produce a great outcome. Read more>>