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.

Greggory Covington | aka Eclipse Darkness | Founder & Creative Director of Oh I Like That Music

Life is all about taking risks. I took a risk on myself 5 years ago when I left my job. I often take calculated risks. It’s played a tremendous role in my career. It’s allowed me to continue to grow and learn the ins and outs of the production music industry. I thank God for all of my blessings. Read more>>

Jessica Mazzer | Esthetician + Massage Therapist

One of the biggest risks I’ve encountered so far is truly the founding of Moonbeam. When COVID struck the DFW area, I was working my first job out of beauty school (1 year at a lash franchise). I felt very lost. I had one refined skillset, no clients, and a strong vision of all the things I would do differently if I had a say. At the time I remember thinking “what is actually the worse case scenario, not the worse case I’ve built up in my head?”. A calculated risk is absolutely worthwhile, the answer to a question un-asked will always be no. Risks can open the right doors, if you let them. Read more>>

Riena Conrad | Henna artist and Medical Assistant

After having the opportunity to be able to work for myself and quitting my job I wouldn’t have it any other way. Taking this risk moved me to another state, bought me a car, and gave me travel experience and more. The most expensive thing I have received from risking everything was time. After working 60 hours a week I was able to sit down and just relax and not worry about my next clock in time. You have to take risks or you know what to expect 100% of the time and you learn nothing new. Read more>>

Megan David | Attorney and animal lover

I’ve never considered myself a person who takes risks; however, if you want to really go for what you want in life, you HAVE to take risks. No risk, no reward… it’s a cliche but it’s true. Prior to venturing out on my own, I assessed the risks and evaluated the pros and cons of staying as an employee at a great law firm, or doing my own thing. I realized that there really isn’t much downside to starting my own firm as far as risks are concerned. If I failed, I’m still a licensed lawyer and I can go work for a firm. If I succeeded, then I have the opportunity to be my own boss, have more freedom with my schedule, and do things my way. Once you accept that owning a business is going to be very hard, you’re able to focus on all the positives that will come. Plus, if it were easy, everyone would do it. Read more>>

Isaac Marion | Author

Every day I spend writing is a risk. There’s very little security in creative careers. You invest years into a project with no guarantee that it will make any money. There’s no way to make a budget or plan for the future. Every paycheck might be your last. Every year is its own unique puzzle to solve. Many writers buffer this problem with a reliable day job, like teaching. I’ve stubbornly refused to do that. Ever since my first writing paycheck, I’ve been betting everything on art, and it hasn’t always worked out for me. I’ve had years of big success, and I’ve had years where I didn’t know if I’d make it. Right now I’m living in an off-grid shed in the wilderness because I’d rather fall all the way to the bottom than take a safe route that kills what I love. Read more>>

Cristina Hernandez | Lash Artist

I think about it as if you’re not willing to take a risk you won’t get very far or if you’re too scared to try something or learn sometime new you’ll never know if you’re good at it. You have to be willing to take risks in life in order to succeed. Read more>>

Kala Klink | Modern Day Entrepreneur

Risks are kind of the way my life works – I would rather just do it and see how it goes then spend 10x the amount of time researching the decision, and then probably talking myself out of it anyways. Risk taking = experienced, hands on learning. This, in my opinion, is the best way to learn. Doing it yourself, finding the trials and errors, being under the pressure of having to quickly find the best solution; these are the key factors that implore someone to truly learn. Reading a book, a social media post, listening to a podcast, etc. does not help you learn. But risk taking helps you learn and forces you to learn in multiple aspects of your life. Many times the risk goes hand in hand with some sort of suffering, but the rewards given back many times from the risk make it worth it. Read more>>