The chapters in our stories are often marked by wins and losses. Getting a new job, getting fired. Getting a life-threatening medical diagnosis, beating it and getting a clean bill of health. Too often, due to a societal expectation of modesty and humility we are discouraged from talking about the risks we’ve taken that led to those ups and downs – because often those risks draw attention to how we are responsible for the outcomes – positive or negative. But those risks matter. Those stories matter. We asked some brilliant entrepreneurs, artists, creatives, and leaders to tell us those stories – the stories of the risks they’ve taken, and we’ve shared them with you below.

Andrew Morgans

While I have lived a life full of risk taking, my biggest risk I have taken would be the one that began my entreprenurial journey, and the creation of Marknology. Marknology is an Amazon Brand Accellerator, and since it’s inception we have worked with over 200+ brands, have managed over 150 million in sales, have made 17 millionaires, hired 36 employees around the world, sold in 11 different countries, sold in 7 different languages, been involved in 12 business exits, have had 36 # best sellers on Amazon, saved at least 5 companies from closing their doors, Read more>>

Alexander Martin

Taking a risk can be extremely hard for someone who struggles to believe in themselves at times and lack the fear of failure. I am more than sure many of us have had this feeling at some point in time in our lives and I am no different. Creating my podcast Ethnic Ish N More was a major risk for me because I was not sure how it would be received. Having such a random thought turn into a wonderful organically grown show was the least thing that I expected would happen but, it would not have happen had I not taken that initial risk to gauge interest in creating a show. Read more>>

Robert Nida

The biggest risk my wife and I ever took was to go into business for ourselves. We had been working in the wine industry for years, and through the ups and downs of being in an emerging wine region, we decided to start our consulting business. As the consulting business was getting off the ground, we continued to work in tasting rooms to pay our bills and keep food on the table. After about two years, we had built up the business enough that it could support us financially. Owning one business wasn’t enough, and we took our most significant risk in 2018 when we decided it was time to get our wine label off the ground. Read more>>

Latrese Kabuya

I was in my mid 40’s when I decided to go back to college. It does not seem like a big deal, but for someone who had tried 3 times and failed. For someone who had 5 daughters and a whole husband and was busy with their lives it was a HUGE deal. How would I manage my time? I had already failed 3 times perhaps college was not for me! I am too old to be trying to live that dream. I am successful with a makeup business, and I have professional speaking engagements, not to mention who can say they co-hosted for their local lifestyle show on local TV. Read more>>

Dr. Alexandria Samuels-Ross

After completing my Master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. I began moving to different states including Indiana, New York, Connecticut, Kansas, and Missouri. This began because my boyfriend at the time, now my husband, contracted with various hospitals within these states for 1- 2 years. I looked at this as an opportunity to grow my relationship, grow my career, network, and travel. I guess you can say I took two risks, a risk with my career and my relationship. Read more>>

Barrett Jones

I would have to say I took a risk, or leap of faith if you will, to be in the current band I’m in; THE DEV. From 2017- Early 2019, I was in another band in the Orlando area. While the band was having some minor success, I was witnessing by actions and words of the other members that the band was at a stand still and wasn’t going anywhere anytime fast. Read more>>

Terrelle Hunt

The biggest risk I took was when I decided to become an entrepreneur and business owner over seven years ago. This journey hasn’t left any boxes unchecked as it relates to sacrifice, endurance, and commitment. After years of working in Med spa’s and partnering with colleagues, January 2021 I decided to take the leap of faith of total independence and become a solopreneur. This was the best decision I’ve ever made for me, my family, and my business. Terrelle’s Spa & Wellness has soared beyond my desired goals and created the freedom I’ve always desired as a wife and mother. Read more>>

Ashley Schroepfer

The biggest risk I took was packing up my car and leaving my hometown in Wisconsin in February of 2021. There were a lot of emotions as I drove out the driveway and down the road- I knew I wouldn’t be coming back other than to visit. I spent all of last year traveling around Texas doing work exchange, and in June I launched my art business. I quickly began learning the risks involved in just that alone. Investments, no matter how small or large, that you have to make in order to grow. Read more>>

Elise Craig

To be honest, I’m a bit of a late bloomer in the risk-taking department, but I’m glad to say I’ve come into my own in that respect lately. I made the decision this past May to leave my career of 23 years in public education in order to pursue my own creative endeavors as an artist. It’s definitely been a little scary taking a leap from the known into a new field that, frankly, I am still in the process of exploring. Read more>>

Brandon Sells

During the pandemic 2years ago I came to Atlanta with just 1 suitcase I left my home in the DMV I sold all my furniture and quit my job to pursue my career as an Fashion entrepreneur, Music executive/ songwriter, creative director, and a film and media executive producer!!! And it was the best thing I could have done for my career to date …. I have worked with celebrities such as Kamillion , Papchanel, China monai , Teyana Taylor , Jazmin Alexis , Komplete the Artist , Gabrielle Chanel the list continues, Iam also one of the producers for a new hit reality show called “Making it Big In Atlanta “ which is soon to air in Fall2022 , Read more>>

Glen & Gina

Glen: “I started in the fitness industry in my early 20’s. My first job in the industry was training athletes for conditioning, in which some of them were boxers. Doing this, I took an interest in the boxing scene. I began training and became a professional boxer. I fought eight times and won six out of the eight fights. Unfortunately, due to a nagging injury, I had to retire the boxing life. I restarted personal training as a side gig while I worked a full-time construction job. My personal training clientele increased, and I started focusing on training people full time. Read more>>

SLIM DRE DRIZZY

The biggest risk I have ever made was taking a leap of faith and moving out of my hometown. Moving to the major city of Atlanta, I know everyone wants to be the next big thing and Atlanta is a mecca of creative and talented minds, But I had a strategy, while everyone focused on what can be done for them. I thought to myself how can I become useful to the very people I wanted to be around? Successful people, that’s where my passion for film came into play. Read more>>

Xavier Scott

I believe everything in life is a risk, whether it is big or small. We take a risk getting out of the bed each morning not knowing it could be our last time doing so. My greatest risk came from moving out of my home town in North Carolina to Tampa, Florida to become a full time artist. At the time I knew no one in Tampa except for my dad and my step mom and left with nothing but my car, some clothes, and large amount of hope that I would some day fulfill my dreams. Read more>>

Neil Sheth

One of the first risks I’ve taken for my career set the path for where I am today when I decided to move halfway across the country to pursue a sports residency. Early in grad school, I knew I wanted to be involved in sports professionally and that pursuing a sports residency would improve my skillset to succeed in that field. After graduation, many of my interviews for residency didn’t move forward because I didn’t have enough experience. Read more>>

Keonia Forbes

being a photographer was a big risk taker for me. I was so clueless when it came to photography because i had no knowledge about it. I use to ask around for help to learn but i was turned down multiple times but one day i decided to take that risk and learn everything i could on my own. now when i look back from when i first started til this day. I’m very satisfied with my work. i owe all the credit to myself and ovcourse GOD himself. Read more>>

Ashley McVey

Before I started Hazel & Blues, I was a stay at home mom for 5 years and before that, I worked in case management in the non-profit sector. My degree is psychology and the intention I had was to pursue a career in private counseling, but after the first year of graduate school I came to the realization that it was not my true calling. Being a stay at home mom was fulfilling in a number of ways, but not in ALL the ways I needed to truly feel purposeful. I was constantly yearning for a creative outlet and a way to be impactful at the same time. Read more>>

LaShae Settles

Some entrepreneurs start out with a full plan. Everything is mapped out, funds have been stored and raised, marketing campaigns are mapped out, and inventory is stocked up. I don’t fall into that category. I started my entrepreneurial journey back in 2013 at the age of 20. I had no idea what I was doing. I was in college, working two part time jobs, and I needed a creative outlet. Read more>>

Johnny Steele

I can tell you the greatest risk I’ve taken was investing in me and taking the leap of faith in what I do today. Before I got into my craft, I was working as a Paraprofessional at a Behavioral school in the Chicago suburbs. I worked with kids that aged from Pre School to young adults as old as 22. I always had a urge to help kids who had a similar up bringing as myself. It was a great experience and taught me more about myself then I figured it would. Read more>>

Paul Bishop

Most good stories start by taking a risk. My first step towards establishing Bishop Design was all about braving the unknown. 18 years on and we’re still evolving, which I like to think is a result of maintaining that same mindset. With our roots in Dubai and most recently a studio here in Miami, our decision to venture across the pond has ultimately been a huge gamble. Read more>>

Leaving Lennox

Hi! We’re Mick and Lauren AKA Leaving Lennox, an Australian-born duo who made the move halfway across the world back in 2019. This was definitely one of the biggest risks we’ve ever taken and even though it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, we have never looked back on our decision. After performing full-time in Australia, touring the East Coast multiple times and creating our LL fan-base back at home, we decided it was time for the next thing. We were selected to perform as featured artists on Carnival Cruise Lines for about a year and we absolutely loved it. Read more>>

Cole Coffman

I grew up in Michigan, in a suburb outside of Detroit. After high school I went away to college, about 2 hours north. I knew I never wanted to move back home after graduating, but I didn’t really know where I belonged. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree and found a “real job”, which proved to be super underwhelming. I took a job as an Assistant Event Coordinator – which was what I believed was my “dream job” – working at a weddings & events venue as a coordinator. In reality, I was paid $10 an hour to suffer the typical Corporate America abuse: Read more>>

Chuanica Pickard

I have taken many risks for my career. One risk was when I left my hometown of Greensboro, NC to move to Atlanta, Georgia to further pursue my acting career. I left my family, job, friends, everything I was comfortable with to move into an unfamiliar place. Things were going to be different. I knew I was going to miss out on special occasions for my loved ones at times and I knew this was a big financial risk as well. Read more>>

Bianca May

I’m currently living in one of the most exciting yet uncertain moments in my life, and as I’m writing this I’m sitting in a dimly lit dorm room trying to navigate a city 830 miles away from my hometown. I’ve recently taken the risk of moving to Nashville, Tennessee in order to pursue my dreams and goals of becoming a full time artist. I’ve dreamt of becoming a singer since before I can remember, and once I wrote my first song at 8 years old it pretty much sealed the deal for me. Read more>>

Jackie Stroud

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was leaving my career and starting my business. I had been working in sales and business development in the corporate beauty industry. It was very safe, secure, and I was actually good at my job! At this time I was up for a promotion at work. It put me in a position to really look at the trajectory of my career and my life, so I felt that I had to make a decision. I had such a strong vision for the beauty business idea I wanted to create, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So leaving the financial security and future certainly, felt almost inevitable. I couldn’t not do it. Read more>>

Zac Herrin

Risk is often associated with danger and fear. Throughout my life I have found myself in many situations people would call “risky” and have had to find a way of dealing with these risks as well as the danger and fear that come with them. My childhood consisted of racing motorcycles, an activity flooded with risks. Growing up I knew that the sport I had fallen in love with was dangerous, that injury was almost guaranteed at some point or another, and that death was possible anytime I got on that bike. Read more>>

Eric Bateman

I’d working in the animation industry for a couple years now, but wasn’t enjoying it. Since projects that are done for streaming platforms such as Netflix, or Hulu are classified as “new media” it allows those platforms to grossly underpay studios for their work. This results in artists and production staff being paid poorly for the amount of work they put in, and being expected to work extra hours to get the project done on time. Read more>>

Jennifer Brokaw

My entire Pilates adventure, from the very beginning all the way up until the present, has been one BIG RISK, but one that has filled my life with joy, stability and some of the best people I’ll ever know! I actually started my journey as an officer in the US Navy. It was there that I developed a passion for physical fitness (and as a side note also earned a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering). After leaving the Navy in 2004, I worked for a short time in the engineering field, but quickly realized that it was not something I desired to do for the rest of my life. Read more>>

Ariel Omarzu

I was 27 years old before I picked up any type of instrument. I had three children, a failing marriage, and basically no time whatsoever to devote to myself. It wasn’t until my kids were given a throwaway piano that was literally pulled from the recycling center, that I got a break one day during nap time and started plunking around. I was instantly hooked. I don’t know what exactly the word is, but I was always trapped behind a facade for the world. As a mother I had to be strong and present and just as myself, Read more>>

Stephanie Hoyte

I lost my job December 1, 2020 at that moment I didn’t know what I wanted to do however I decided to never work for someone again and utilize the experience and knowledge that I gained from 15 years of experience as a business manager and place that experience into myself and take a rest and continue to run my business to the best of my ability Taking that risk and not going looking for another six-figure job I decided to take that risk and invest in myself with a little money that I did have to start my business full-time and go into the mall at a kiosk for two months after that two months I took a risk and went even bigger into a store front of 1300 ft.² Read more>>

Shawn Bigby

As a believer, I try to live a life of faith so when I made the decision to go full-time into music ministry it was RISKY. At the time I was working in retail for AT&T however I knew what my calling and purpose were. In 2010 I met one of my musical mentors who asked me to lead worship at his church on Sundays. He was also a touring artist and asked me to do a 2-week tour with them. I was unable to get off of work to take the opportunity. Read more>>

Jen Kiernan

I’ve been in the medical field since 1998. I’m the wife of a retired US Marine and mother of two amazing adult children. I have had the opportunity to work in a lot of different fields from emergency, surgery, dermatology and orthopedics in my 23 year career. And while I enjoyed all of those particular fields, my favorite has always been dermatology and aesthetics. I was trained as an aesthetic injector back in 2004 with a dermatologist that I was working with. And I knew almost immediately that it was the field I wanted to be in. It’s a good feeling when a patient comes in and actually wants to be there in your office. Read more>>

Sasha Vargas Gregory

Dolphin Multimedia started when I decided to direct and produce a Spanish music video for a Reggaeton artist in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This video was my first ever paying job; I was the only female directing and producing on the island then and was only 16 years old. Read more>>

Be’Ve

As a little girl I knew I wanted to be a singer at the young age of 8 I started singing in my home church and performing at local talent shows…etc it wasn’t until after my kids grew up I decided to take the time to pursue my dream of being in the music industry as raising my kids was my first priority, as time passed I always wrote songs from the heart, working with my son Music Producer Raquanbeats as we began cultivating our sound a sound thats not defined by one genre or tradition, Read more>>

Lynn Cowles

Short story: I pulled my diva card; it turned out I wasn’t diva enough, but I did advocate for a talented colleague who got a better job down the road. Long story: When I finished school, I worked briefly for an organization as a grant-writer. Our team was small, and we got to know each other quickly. I found workplace and job fulfillment in organized research and team-based writing with a group of people who well knew each other’s strengths and coordinated together to research, write, and manage grant projects. Read more>>

Alejandro Contreras

I would say the biggest risk I’ve taking in the last couple of years its been jumping off the plane and having enough confidence to know I had enough experience and and I was ready to do it. The metaphor here is that I was working full time at a restaurant but I was having enough business with Tepuy. But It wasn’t an easy decision to leave a job that pays the bills and survive all by myself with my own business. Read more>>

Shawn Roundtree Jr.

It’s the Spring of 2019, I had just finished my final year of college basketball at Central Michigan University. I completed my career with over 1,000 points, All-Conference honors in the Mid-American Conference, multiple Player of the Week Awards, and more. Now, I finally have the opportunity to “Go Pro”. I signed with an agent, I graduated, and now it was time to see what was next for me. However, I was conflicted: “Did I want to keep playing?”, “What do I truly want?”. Read more>>

Jalan Ward

My entire story up to this point has been one huge risk, but I like to call it a major sacrifice. From the day I graduated with my master’s degree in Biology, I was only focusing on the aspirations of becoming a Dentist. However, I felt there was way more to life for me. Most students graduate with excitement, and confidence for the next phase in life. For myself, knowing how multi-talented, and creative I was in many fields, I truly felt I was limiting myself to what the world tells us to do upon graduation. Read more>>

Mista Pimpin

Everything with music involves risks. Its a big investment like any other business from all angles, including financial, mental, physical. A lot of people don’t see the huge amount risks we as artists take. For example, when the pandemic initially started fading out, people were still scared to come out but I had to take every opportunity to get out there. I remember Dj Kane was doing a meet and greet and a lot of people didn’t want to get out of the house yet, but me as an artist, I took that risk therefore, creating one of my biggest songs. Read more>>

Tracey Abrams

As the Director of an animal rescue and 501c3 non-profit, I can say it feels as if every animal we take in is a risky proposition. Each animal control facility posts dogs or cats with a fact sheet, for lack of a better term. It includes things like sex, age, breed and other relevant information. Sometimes important conditions are omitted for an unknown reason even though the details are plainly obvious when the animal is seen in person. Read more>>

Karla Raines

A decade ago, I realized that if I wasn’t happy with my circumstances, I had to be willing to risk it all–my marriage, home, and company–to achieve my life’s dreams. So I discovered a path combining professional mastery with creative risk-taking to propel myself forward. The result? A more satisfying life rooted in three essential lessons. My parents enjoyed a loving sixty-year marriage akin to Nancy and Ronald Reagan. You know the type. Their days were filled with cherished looks and loving embraces. So when I brought my soon-to-be husband home to meet my mom, she shared this piece of wisdom. Read more>>

Monique Rivarde

There are so many risks that we take each day; we take risks when walking out our front doors and traveling to our planned destinations, jumping out of airplanes, or giving our entire hearts to a potential soul mate. Anything can happen that would make the risks we take each day unsuccessful or painful; however, there are risks that we can take each day that will help us turn into the best person that we can be, and also to be a Servant to others. It is healthy to take risks that will better our lives and reward our endeavors. Read more>>