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.
Ricardo Delgado
One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was becoming a full time freelance artist. I’m originally from Boston, MA. I was a self taught makeup artist until I landed a job with MAC Cosmetics in April 2003. Back in the day MAC trainings were top tier! So, extensive! I soaked it all up like a sponge and just kept getting better. I stayed with them for 10.5 yrs and will always be forever grateful. Read more>>
Debra Joy Groesser
There have been many opportunities that have come along throughout my art career, many of which I was very hesitant to pursue. Now, in hindsight and with apologies to Nike, my mantra has become “just do it.” Pursuing some of those opportunities has led to a chain reaction of more opportunities, and so many unexpected blessings. Read more>>
Santoria Lee
In entrepreneurship, I’ve learned that you will make some sacrifices to get to where you want to be in life and you will have to take some risks. In 2020 during the pandemic, I stepped out and decided to move forward with starting a new business. I had no idea how this would work out considering the world was suffering at this time including myself. I was laid off from my 9-5 job. I transitioned into working from home which was extremely stressful due to it being inconsistent. The companies I worked for was losing contracts which led me back to square one of being laid off. I was so frustrated during this time. I started losing faith. I craved something new, a fresh start, and simply freedom so I decided to make a change with my hair. At the time, it felt like it was the only thing I had control over changing. I spent that entire day installing Microlocs in my hair. I uploaded the photos on social media, a few people engaged and were interested in me installing their Microlocs. Fast forward a few months later, I decided I’m going to search for a salon space and start doing Microlocs. I had no idea how I would pay for my salon space at the time, I had no idea where my clientele would come from, and I had no idea how it would work out considering lots of people were dealing with job loss and Covid-19 during the pandemic. As of today, my business (The Home of Microlocs) is a 6 figure business, servicing world-wide clients, and I’m blessed to say I’ve been booked and busy. My advice to anyone that’s thinking about taking that risk is to GO FOR IT, be confident in your decision, believe in yourself, and put no limits on your success. That one risk may just be the risk that can be life changing for you. Read more>>
Ashley Spadaro
This small business has absolutely meant the world to me. I plan on allowing this to continue on in my family for generations to come! Candle making is a very enjoyable art to learn, but it absolutely costs money! And a lot of it if you want products top knoch! With that being said, I’d have to say that the financial upkeep from taking this from a hobby to an in-demand small business within my city has been my biggest risk I’ve had to continuously take! With what I do, there isn’t much wiggle room to make money as you go, especially when you first start out. It comes from what you’re willing to put into this first, allow your products to cure, then allow yourself patience as you network yourself into sales! I personally have expanded myself to lessen the risk of poor turnover rates into not only smaller local sales and events, to networking myself into some pretty popular locations and even larger events with quite the crowd! Expansion is key for something like this, while investing into your business. Which is ultimately yourself and future. Read more>>
Nabi Bilal
It’s not easy being running a business, especially a creative business, but you find that risk is something inherent that we all deal with on different levels. Read more>>
Paulina Ho
The biggest risk I’ve taken, hands down, was moving from New York City (after living there 13 years) to a small, remote, less known town in New Mexico with no connections. I was confused and scared to when this opportunity sprang up, but I couldn’t ignore my instincts to go through with this sudden and unexpected move. On the day of receiving my future lease, a local NY gig mentioned that I might lose their $20k project if I relocated. As corny as it sounds, I “followed my heart” and moved anyway. The first winter was extremely rough grieving alone, “starting over”, and being in an unknown work space exploring personal art. Although NOT EASY, it’s been also been the most rewarding gamble I’ve taken. Read more>>
Sylvanus Leone
The biggest risk I have ever taken was embarking on the journey of starting my own business. Believing in myself and having the confidence to share my talents with the world has never come naturally to me. In fact, it has been an arduous process to overcome my self-doubt and take the leap into entrepreneurship. Read more>>
John DeMena
I was born and raised in Spain, and grew up in the bosom of a blue collar family. I was raised by a single mom and lived a somewhat normal childhood by middle class standard. Nothing too fancy, but there’s always food on the table, populous family and friends circle, and the perks of growing up in a small town. Then I decided to leave that somewhat ‘comfortable’ life behind and move to the U.S. to pursue my musical dream, which led me to trading that certain life for uncertainty, warmth of friends for the coldness of loneliness, and the sympathy of a small town for the austerity of a big city. Read more>>
Bernardita Thenoux
The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was leaving my hometown in Chile, where I had an amazing life, a big group of friends, a supporting family, and a thriving career as a senior apparel designer. I sold all my things and moved to California with nothing but dreams and an eager soul that was craving for adventure and an experience beyond the life that I already had, beautiful! but also very predictable, and a life that felt like it was already written before I even lived it. I wanted to live each day as it came, I was hoping for something bigger and magical to happen. I didn’t fully understand what that meant at the time, but in insight, I am grateful that I took the leap of faith into the unknown. I think about it as the stupidest and smartest thing I’ve ever done. A new beginning into an amazing, crazy and definitely unpredictable life. A journey that has brought so much growth, love, blessings and adventure. When I arrived to California, it was lonely at times, very challenging, and it seemed like I couldn’t catch a break as much as I stayed positive and looked for the upside on things, I felt like swimming against the current and it was exhausting. It was hard to build a community and a support system like I had before, finding a good job or a place to live. It was, for sure, a humble new beginning in every possible way. I got my not so safe and predictable life, a clean slate to live each day as a new adventure, with the good and the bad. Read more>>
Jeniffer Flores
Life is about taking risks, right? And looking back at every choice I’ve made (leaving my country and move to Lo Angeles, Studying Acting, working as an actress in different industries) freaked me out. But not every choice has to be a big one to count as a rick, even the little ones influence in our daily lives, and we need to be smart enough to learn everything. Some people think studying acting, or something related to the arts it a bigger risk, but honestly, I think every profession is a risk, the only thing we are certain off is death, we’re not promised to be a successful artist at 25, or have your first movie before turning 3o, or traveling around the world for work, owning a house, Everything takes time, and discipline to make it make it happen, so we might as well like it because the journey might be bumpy. We’re not so different, at the end of the day, i think we all want to live a peaceful and happy life (whatever that means for you). So, let’s take risks, that’s how we learn about ourselves and improve. Read more>>
Jazmon Stewart
Picture this, the year is 2o19, I just failed my first Intro to Entrepreneurship semester and the world is actively shutting down due to COVID-19. Oh, and I’m crying at the bar over a bowl of fries because I just failed the semester. I close my eyes and hear, “you’re on the right path, you’re just going about things the wrong way.” It’s almost as if God found me in that bar and spoke directly to me, or at least that’s what it felt like. I interpreted this whisper as; I no longer needed to pursue formal College, and instead, seek other methods of learning. I wasn’t sure of my next move, but what I did know was that I wasn’t going to give up on myself. I decided at that bar to bet on myself again and again. As many times as I need to in fact. Shortly after this I stumbled across a free Home Gardening certification course on Eventbrite. I already had some experience and a growing interest with Gardening, so I figured, why not? Little did I know, this would be the beginning of my new career journey. Read more>>
Shameka Williams
The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was leaving my 9-5 to become an entrepreneur. I have been working since the age of 15 and was used to having multiple jobs if needed to have a stable income. No one in my family was an entrepreneur, so I knew nothing about what it took for me to be one. When COVID hit, I worked at top employers in Maryland and was already in the middle of a health crisis. As a woman, my body had betrayed me, and I had developed large fibroids causing me to bleed so heavily that I had to get nutrient and iron infusions weekly. My memory was gone, I could barely walk by myself, and I was in the hospital more days than not and had no energy. During this time, I had only been working for this company for about a year or so, and I had to apply for FMLA. FMLA is a great resource, but when the powers that be feel you need to return, they will do what they can to ensure you do. My health crisis caused me to have three different surgeries, not to mention one attempt at surgery had to be stopped because I could feel everything. My body took a major hit during this time, but so did my mental health. According to Human Resources, I should have been ready to return, but I was in no mental shape to return. I was stuck between having a job and choosing my mental health for the first time. I chose myself! Read more>>
Lia Croke
Choosing my path in life wasn’t something that came easily. As a young person I definitely struggled with self esteem and confidence issues and I was never fully sure of who I was or who I wanted to be. After deciding that a traditional college wasn’t for me I took a risk and quit my job, broke my lease and ran off to a makeup artistry school in south Florida. I had zero money but this school offered student loans and was certified by the board of education. In highschool I would skip classes often to go hang out in the art room. In addition to that I had always loved makeup and how it made me feel. Based on these interests I really thought this school might be a “smart” risk…or at least smarter than the other paths I had taken or considered taking. Turns out ithis risk would change my life forever and in the best way! Read more>>
Ryan DiMaria
One of the biggest risks has been starting a business. I have always wanted to work for myself. I was playing around with the idea of making Jamaican patties at home since we were not able to find any of quality since we moved to Vegas. After two years of r&d and perfecting recipes, I came across a product that my wife concluded reminded her of the patties we would eat in Jamaica. I had baked some and handed them out to friends and colleagues to get their opinions and do a bit of market research. Read more>>
Brandi Bynum
Back in the very beginning of 2022 I was sexually assaulted a very short distance from my Hell’s Kitchen apartment in NYC, after which I was sexually assaulted. From there I spent a stint in the local hospital while I awaited for an opening a rehab facility. My stay at the rehab facility was needed due to the fact that the stroke left me child like. Not knowing who I was, how to read, speak, swallow, read, write, swallow, you name it. It was if I was set back to infancy. Everything that a normal healthy adult was able to do, I was unable to do. Read more>>
Yinghui Li
My entire filmmaking journey started from taking a risk. It was the most formidable risk I was facing back then, but it was also the most worthy risk I have ever taken. I was born and raised in China and I grew up in a very academic environment. Neither I nor my family knew anybody who was in the film industry. My parents always wanted me to take a “safe” career path and have a “stable” job. I got my bachelor degree in Economics but I didn’t enjoy it. There was a huge part of me that always felt unfulfilled. Read more>>
Andrea Bridges-Smith
I worked in corporate America making six figures and had INCREDIBLE health insurance. Sounds pretty stable, right?
Except it wasn’t.
I had 5 different managers in a year. I was told I was moving into a new position that would essentially be my dream job, but it kept not happening. My health was a mess. The stress of the firing squad-adjacent atmosphere at the company meant that the entire contents of my desk were coping mechanisms – herbal teas, chocolates, calming elixirs, anything to take the edge off. Read more>>
Natalie Lanese
In 2018, I had been working full-time as a professor of art at a university for nearly 6 years. It was a job I worked hard to get, and I had relocated to Toledo from New York to fulfill my goal to teach at the college level after years of applying. As I taught and ran the university gallery, my own artistic practice began to gain momentum, and by the 5th year, I felt as though I was doing three jobs “just okay” instead of doing one of them really well. So, I weighed my options and entertained one that I assumed would take a lifetime to achieve–being a self-employed artist. With the safety net of a couple of big jobs lined up for the coming year, I decided to take the leap. I knew I had enough work lined up for the next year at least, and I knew that would give me time to arrange future projects and opportunities. In May of 2018, I said farewell to my students and colleagues at school, established an LLC, and opened a business account. Read more>>
Lindsay O’Reilly
Functional nutrition is becoming more widely used but it’s definitely outside of what we were taught in school and in clinical training. Going through my own health struggles convinced me that practicing in this area was the way I was going to best help women struggling with the same type of issues. That’s how I decided to open up my own nutrition practice and focus on women’s health through functional nutrition. Never in a million years would I have told you I’d be doing that sometime in my career! Read more>>
Tia Coffey
I took the risk of diving into my photography business full time, not knowing if it would become successful or not. I had been in the oil and gas industry since graduating college and I was never truly happy in corporate America. I had picked up photography as a part time passion and income supplement. But the second I picked up the camera, I felt true happiness and my creative side was finally being fulfilled. Read more>>
Brachelle Zimmer
I was a young single mom right out of high school. All of my friends were going to college and I had to make the choice of what my next step was going to be. This was a hard choice but I thought it over a few months. I decided college wasn’t the right step for me and I decided to go the trade school route. I always loved the beauty industry and thankfully my sister in law was already in the industry as an esthetician so she helped me with deciding on this path. I went to esthetician school and absolutely loved everything about it. When I graduated I had to make a choice of working for someone or taking a risk and having my own business. I decided I wanted to be a leader and have control over my own schedule so I decided to go out on my own. This was a huge risk for me, I had no business background and I had to learn everything as I went. I started off in a small laundry room in the back of a salon. I built my clientele as I went and I also bought products and supplies as I went because I didn’t want to be in debt and thought that was the smartest choice starting out. I then grew and grew and expanded into larger buildings and now have a wonderful team of employees. If I wouldn’t have taken the risk, I would never be where I am today and I am so thankful for all of it. Read more>>
Jimena Fosado
I’m from Mexico City. I moved to Los Angeles to pursue my career in music, starting by attending Musicians Institute. After graduating, I started some small gigs and tours in town, and around the U.S. There were, of course, ups and downs throughout the years. I’m proud to say now I’m an international touring guitarist who has played in arenas, coliseums, stadiums and theaters. Read more>>
Viktoria Kayrevich
Taking risks is what makes life more interesting, it can help us grow as humans, teach us lessons, and help build confidence, and I’m all about it. I never envisioned myself as a personal trainer, I always thought I had to look a certain way to do the job. But, I decided to leap anyways and I’m so happy I did. Before I started this path I was working a comfortable 9-5, then I decided to finally chase my dreams and applied to work at a gym called F45. I was persistent so they hired me. Read more>>
Adebessi Charles Wong
I remember growing up as a young girl hearing the statement “No Risk No Reward” and not fully knowing what it meant in business until I became an entrepreneur. I have grown to embrace this statement through my life’s experiences as a breast cancer survivor, an entrepreneur, wife, mom and a professional. Read more>>
Aly Whitmore
As a young child I always knew I wanted to be an educator. From playing teacher with my friends in the neighborhood to having an obsession with school supplies, the classroom is where I wanted to be! I took every course imaginable in high school and then majored in Early Childhood Education. I graduated from The University of North Texas in 2016 and was ready to finally have a classroom of my own. Fast forward 5 years of teaching 3rd grade math, science, and writing-the realization of the effects of a pandemic on the education system as well as the major push for standardized testing had finally taken a big enough toll on me to decide to leave. The spring of 2021 I was newly married and then found out I was pregnant with my first child. I knew I was no longer passionate about the career I was in and I also wanted to give my child an incredible childhood spent making memories and not having a mother who stayed in a job she was unhappy with. So what did I do? I resigned at the end of that year and decided to launch an online boutique with my sister. Leaving a stable income, being pregnant, and trying something completely out of my comfort zone was a lot, but I was excited to be pursuing something new! The boutique only lasted about 6 months, but in that time I had found what I am truly passionate about and that is content creation. I had the responsibility of managing our social media as well as creating all the content for our website and online community. Soon after I had my son and we had decided to stop the boutique, I already had 2 referrals lined up for social media management, which had me eager to work and put my creativity to work for small businesses. I am now going into my 3rd year of content creation and social media marketing for multiple clients of differing size and I am so proud of how far I have come. From finding the courage to step out of a career I had always dreamt of having, to leaving and helping business owners market their brands through social media, I’ve found that becoming an entrepreneur and a mother has taught me many things about myself. Firstly, I still have a love for educating others and now I can do so through content strategy and online marketing. Secondly, that the most valuable aspect of my job is the freedom of my time spent with my son. So this is your reminder that it’s never too late to start something new, and to also do what makes you the happiest and it will pay off! Read more>>
Hanna McCarthy
I studied Biology and Pre-Med during my undergrad and had step by step plan to go to medical school. I think my mentor, Nikki, saw that while I’m definitely goal oriented, I was bored. I saw my life play out and felt it was predictable. For some people, that is a great thing, for me, I felt trapped. What if I didn’t like being a doctor? What if, what if, what if? The plan laid out for me gave me more questions than I felt comfortable with. Read more>>
CJ Pitts
I would say the biggest risk for me has been moving away from my family and friends across the country to pursue my dream. I was 19 years old when I first found my spark in music after being asked to help out in a studio session. I fell in love with that whole world and decided to go to a music college in St Paul, Minnesota. I grew up however in Delaware so all I knew was the east coast and til this day that’s where all of my family and childhood friends live. Once I was in college I really put my head down and ran full speed ahead with music and learning all I could about being an artist and performer. I managed to land a spot in some cover bands and was able to gig around the city for years learning stage presence and all about being a performer. In the meantime I was also practicing my own songwriting to make that transition to being my own artist and one day perform my own records. Read more>>
Brandon Jay
One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was a few years ago when I was offered a massive sum of money in exchange for 51% of my company. A decision where I made a concrete maneuver to kindly decline on the deal because I weighed the pros & cons to help me better make my decision. I can honestly say it was a wise decision because had I chosen to take the deal I would not have IMA to date. We just passed our 10 year anniversary date and our team is only looking to generate more productivity each and everyday. Read more>>
Israa Al-Kamali
I believe that pursuing a career in arts is a risk we have to take every day, despite the challenges both in the world in our personal lives. The risk is even higher as a woman of color in an industry where we still feel like the minority. I always had a passion for storytelling, I pursued a Bsc. in Foreign Service at Georgetown University where I majored in Culture and Politics, something I was as equally passionate about. Getting a degree like that helped me understand and analyze the world better which informed my socially-anchored stories. After graduating from my bachelor, I got caught up in the easiness of the corporate world. I worked the typical 9-5 (lots of times more than that), my schedule was set, and my pay was good but I was not happy and something definitely felt missing. In the middle of Covid in June of 2020, I decided to make one of the biggest risk in my life: I quit my job to pursue my MFA in Filmmaking at New York Film Academy (LA Campus) and in a matter of a few months, I hopped on a 16-hour flight from Qatar to Los Angeles. What made the decision even riskier is the fact that there are rarely any filmmakers of Iraqi origin working in the film industry in Hollywood, but that is part of what pushed me to take that leap. Read more>>
Nancy Ann
I feel like I’ve taken a lot of risks in my life so far. I’m the kind of person who does not tread lightly once I make up my mind. No matter what fear stands in my way, if my mind is made up, I’ll pursue it fully. That being said, a fear that hindered me until age 22 was letting others hear my original songs. I’m the type of writer that doesn’t hold much back, and singing my songs to friends and strangers would be like cracking open my personal diary and asking, “want to read a chapter?”. Read more>>
Tiffany Ackerman
The pandemic provided an opportunity for many of us to reevaluate our lives, our journeys, and contemplate where we want to go next. It was during this time, in July 2020, that I turned 40, a momentous milestone that ushered me into the next phase of my life in a rather unconventional year. Read more>>
Joseph Summer
Graduating from Oberlin College at the age of 20, in 1976, with a degree in composition, I was unexpectedly solicited by Robert Page, the dean of music at Carnegie Mellon University, to accept a position at the school. The university’s director of music theory had gone AWOL just weeks before the fall semester, and CMU was in desperate need of a music theory professor to design the Music Theory 101 curriculum and teach classes. Not a teaching assistant gig, but an actual position at CMU, I had suddenly been propelled into the position that graduates of music conservatories strive to attain through years of arduous struggle. (The reason CMU had called me isn’t obscure. I’d matriculated at Oberlin at the age of 16, was a music theory prodigy, and had been assisting the music theory and acoustics professors at Oberlin since my Sophomore year. A former music instructor of mine who was at CMU in another discipline had been asked to fill in for music theory but had demurred, and recommended that Dean Page give me a call.) Even though I was quite the phenomenal young music theory student, finding my way into academia as a teacher at the age of 20 was a signal accomplishment and appeared to herald the beginning of a successful career in academia. After a year of teaching undergraduate music students who were my age and older, with ease; and the approval and admiration of my colleagues, friends, and family; I realized that though I’d developed the requisite skills to be a music theory professor and had entered the field through the felicitous circumstance of a music theory professor on the lam, I didn’t want to be a full time music theory teacher and a part time composer. The prodigious skills I’d developed in music theory I’d intended to serve me as a composer, not as a teacher. Less than two years after beginning what promised to be a comfortable life teaching music theory and pursuing composition in the fashion of my own prior composition teachers at Oberlin, I resigned from academia, over the pleas and objections of my fellow professors, friends, and family. I didn’t take this step unaware of the risk. I can’t say I embraced the risk with joy. I was terrified of my own decision since it meant choosing a path wherein success was questionable regardless of my confidence in my skills as a composer. I took a leap of faith not out of belief in the inevitability of triumph, but out of the apprehension that having a comfortable career was not my real objective. Failure was probable, but the alternative – a congenial life as a professor – was not worth not taking the risk. Read more>>
Kelvin R. Tobias & Lynice Barnes
Kelvin and Lynice here and together we are Love at First Site. We met online last year, April 2022, and decided to create this platform in October 2022. Together, we have been able to virtually meet real couples that want to share and highlight their online love stories while also making some memories of our own. We’ve also used our platform to connect singles and keep them optimistic about the dating world. Read more>>
LINDSAY ANASTASIO
Walking away from the corporate world and having steady income was the biggest risk I have ever taken. It started in 2012/2013 when I was working for a boutique Wall St. capital markets consulting co. and was miserable. I have worked so hard my whole life for success and prosperity and always fell short and disappointed with life. I joined the US Army shortly after high school which led me to build the confidence to finish my accounting degree and and follow what I deemed as a successful life path. There was one day in particular at Starbucks in the NYC financial district and started taking my passion for philosophy to the next level by asking the universe big questions and starting to develop my own philosophies about life. It was that day I realized I am not asking the right questions instead I was just reading about other people’s thoughts and perspectives on life as a framework for my own. I became so curious about life that day and life seemed so different. It was like the universe was waiting for this day for awhile for me to wake up to my own existence and path. As a lover of quantum mechanics, I asked the universe “what separates us from Einstein?” and shortly after I pondered this question I started learning about meditation and how to harness my own inner genius by sing both parts of my brain’s hemispheres. That was the day I started exploring meditation which led my life in a very different trajectory and to start on my hero’s journey at a new level. This led to me to start my own accounting consulting co to support the grassroots movements of Brooklyn & Manhattan small businesses and started to live in the “uncomfortableness” of life. Read more>>
Lailaa Camara
Ever since I was a little girl, I always knew that I was talented, and gifted in many ways. As a little black girl, who lived in a society where people would laugh at you and judge you, so you won’t feel confident in your own skin. It affected me a lot during my childhood because I didn’t feel like I was beautiful or smart enough to do the things that I was born to do. But my mom who is my number one supporter always reminded me that the more you listen to what people say about you the more you lose yourself. As I grew up, I started to gain confidence in myself, started to realize my beauty and talents. I always knew that I had a passion for content creating and entrepreneurship . I always wanted to be my own boss and I knew I never wanted to work for somebody . at the age of 16 I started my own business I put down almost $1000 on my own . I did all the research by myself I built my website by myself. I promoted my business by myself and made over $1000 that was the biggest accomplishment I’ve ever made in my life and I will always cherish that but I moved to college and life started to get hard . I went through a very hard heartbreak, and I started to lose myself and my passion for my business. so after a year, running my first business, I closed it down so I can figure out what was the next step for me . As a kid, I would always record videos of myself like I was doing YouTube . I would do Vlogs, but I never felt confident enough to post them. One day I told myself if I keep holding Myself back I’m never going to be where I want to be so I finally put my foot down and I stopped over thinking and I took a breath and posted my first content video. The first video I posted was about my self-love journey, and just getting out of a toxic relationship. That was the first video that went viral for me. The video has reached over 15,000 views. Honestly, I didn’t think it was going to blow up but reading the comments and emails people send me always made me want to continue. because I finally stopped listening to what other people told me I didn’t just gain a bunch of followers I gained a community. Me taking content seriously during my depression really helped me . Companies have reached out to me. I’ve got a brand deals everything I’ve never thought I would’ve accomplished. At the beginning of this year, I made a promise to myself that I was going to try everything and put myself out there one of the things that I put at the top of my list was Modeling. Because I pushed myself out there created content . I have got excepted to be in New York fashion week as a model got to work with other Modeling Company ‘s. Honestly this is all because of god . I always knew that I was destined for greatness and I’m not done yet. I still have a lot to go, but the message of my story is if you don’t take a risk and if you don’t push yourself out there you’re never going to know your success because you keep doubting yourself. Read more>>
Adina Salinger
Starting your own business venture is such a big decision and in today’s world, can feel extra risky. I spent a lot of time holding myself back while I was “waiting for the perfect time” or for an opportunity to present itself, when I should have been following my heart all along. Taking that first big risky-feeling leap into the unknown, creating opportunities for myself and making connections along the way was so empowering. If I had continued to put off opening my business until I felt it was the “perfect time”, I would likely still be waiting! Read more>>
Davo Sounds
When it comes to music entertainment every day is a gamble. I’ve been around the block a bit so I know cover songs are a great intro into an artists individual style. Just think of Cledance Clearwater Revival. They wrote and performed a good chunk of your favorite soul songs. “Proud Mary” and “Heard it Through the Grapevine” which we now know as soulful masterpieces. I tried to recreate that same feeling with “Eye of the Tiger” my version is funkie for sure and at first I was concerned it wouldn’t be taken well. There started to be a very good response on Facebook and even others would mention it in person. Read more>>
Rohith Guttamidhi
Growing up in Hyderabad, India, I found myself in a society where conventional careers like IT, engineering, and medicine were highly regarded. Pursuing a path in the arts was often seen as impractical, with the prevailing belief that it couldn’t provide a stable livelihood. However, my heart was captivated by the world of art, especially the transformative power of movies that evoked a deep sense of emotion and humanity within me. Read more>>
Laure BOTTINELLI
As a Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Program Manager working for non-profit organizations and the United-Nations, I oversaw local and expat teams in the field, often in war zones or natural catastrophe settings. My experience focused on conducting the operations of large-scale humanitarian responses to major public health crisis. I, however, had zero experience in how to run a business. Read more>>
Lori Carroll
I’ve never considered the paths I’ve taken as taking a risk until later when retelling the story to someone and hearing their response. For me, fear has never been much of a factor in my life or decisions so I tend to take risks that other deem too scary. Read more>>
Ashley Epps
The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was moving from Chicago to Georgia during Covid and trusting that my career could provide a sustainable and consistent income for me to live the life I desired. When I arrived in Georgia I was working with one stream of income and definitely made sure that I could at least pay my rent and all of my bills which were around $2500 at the time including my phone bill. I was also taking care of an ex partner of mine so I had to make sure I made more than just the bills so we could still buy groceries and do the nice things we desired. Going to Georgia with just my partner and I without knowing anyone or any family would’ve seemed scary but it truly motivated me to go harder. I began promoting my services which were surrounded around graphic design and marketing at the time and I began to build a more consistent clientele just based off of my own consistency and skill set. Due to Covid being a time where everyone started realizing that it’s time to pick up a skill and or start a business due to the increase in lay offs my graphic business started booming and lead me into the direction of making my first 6 figures within a year of being in GA and betting on myself. Read more>>
Marissa Marinelli
I began dancing at 2-1/2 years old. I always had a passion for dance, and I knew that one day my goal was to own my own dance studio. I was the kid that came home from dance class to practice again because I always wanted to be the absolute best dancer I could be. I am very thankful for all the teachers and mentors I had along the way that helped to get me to where I am today. Unfortunately, when I was 16 (sophomore year of high school) everything changed. I needed reconstructive knee surgery to repair multiple ligaments in my left knee. There was a small 3% chance of recurrence after my surgery and that happened less than a year later. Due to this I was unable to pursue dance in college and this absolutely devastated me. I thought that everything I had been working for and dreamed of was ending. I decided to take my first risk that was the beginning of the choreographer and instructor I am today. I applied online for a dance convention called Activate Your Artistry. I saw them on social media and decided to apply. I had no intentions on being selected because I was 18 years old. I knew there would be a line of people looked at before me and I never thought someone would give me a chance, but Miss Donielle did. She saw my passion and heart. She never treated me like lesser than anyone else. If anything she has been one of the kindest and most supportive mentors for me in the dance community. I may be biased, but I truly believe she is running one of the BEST dance conventions around. She cares about the dancers and staff like no other and deserves endless love and success. Shortly after being selected as Faculty for my first dance convention I was approached by a family friend. They wanted to help me start my own dance studio straight out of high school. Everyone including myself thought they were crazy, but they saw something in me. Just as I started to think that things were really taking a positive turn for me the Covid-19 pandemic began. After being told by numerous people that I was too young and wouldn’t be able to do it, I took the risk. I opened Freedom Of Movement Dance Company in Naperville IL in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. I had my fair share of haters and doubters and still do, but I also had those 26 dancers Season 1 that took a chance on me. My team was small, but we were mighty. We overcame some of the hardest obstacles together. Season 2 of FOM we almost doubled in size. Since day one my goal has been to create an environment that my dancers can call their second home. At Freedom Of Movement Dance Company we train amazing dancers, but create even better people. FOM has just concluded our 3rd season and we are officially 4X National Champions. I am 21 years old now and would not have traded this crazy experience for the world. I am grateful for those who doubted me and blessed to have those who have been there since day 1. All of this has made me into the strong, positive, and passionate person I am today. None of this has been easy, but it sure has been worth it. Read more>>
Kristen Joy
The word risk implies danger. Most of the “risks” we take- or avoid- in this lifetime aren’t actually dangerous although our monkey minds may make us feel otherwise. The ego is real. Modern society has tricked us into believing that feeling uncomfortable or living “outside the norm” is risky. For me, staying stuck or taking actions that aren’t aligned with my morals and values is more risky than being uncomfortable. Read more>>
Christopher Rico
It took me a long time to accept that art was something I had to do. I had no road map for a career as an artist; I grew up in places where that simply wasn’t an option, and to some degree frowned upon. I thought I had to get an MFA to be taken seriously, so I applied and applied with no success. Part of it was timing, because painting itself was out of fashion in that moment. Read more>>
Jamar Taylor
I believe as a creative, it’s important to be well rounded, it will take you places you never imagined. Despite that belief, the opportunity to produce and headline 2 sold out shows, open up for AFRAM, perform and produce for Baltimore Comedy Festival in addition to hosting an open mic on the other side of the world were the last things I expected to be apart of my journey. I guess life can be funny like that sometimes (upon rereading this, that pun was NOT intentional). There I was, October 4th, 2021, waiting in the wings of Magooby’s (one of Maryland’s more prevalent comedy clubs) with palms so sweaty that Eminem would be proud. Overzealous, I’d invited over 20 people I knew for my comedy debut. I knew that whether I failed or succeeded, I would never forgive myself for never taking my shot at stand up and with a deployment in the cards less than a year later, I may never get the chance again. Read more>>