You’re working hard, things are going well, piece by piece you’ve built a life you are proud of, you’ve overcome obstacles and challenges, beat the odds and then you find yourself at the center of an unexpected dilemma – do you risk it all to keep growing? What if growing means leaving the job you worked so hard to get or the industry you worked so hard to break into? How we approach risk often has a huge bearing on our journey and so we’ve asked some of the brightest folks we know to share stories of risks they’ve taken.

Enya W

Every time I do a pop-up shop I take a risk. Recently about a month ago I did a pop-up shop that was out of element, the people were different and my sweets didn’t really cater to what they were used to. It was a different and I didn’t really sell much but it was a learning experience and it taught me to keep going no matter what. It also taught me to adjust to my surroundings. If I’m going to do a pop-up shop in a certain area or with certain demographics I should definitely do my research so that I could accommodate those patrons that are likely to visit. Read more>>

Karolina Rzadkowolska

Picture this: It’s Monday morning. My head hurts. I’m nursing a hangover after drinking over the weekend. I drink every weekend because I’m bored. It seems like the most fun thing to do but it’s really not. My coworkers strike up a conversation about travel—about all the amazing places I don’t have the vacation time or money to see. Read more>>

Ofelia Zambrano

The journey to my business in the health and wellness industry started ironically with the lack of health. I felt I didn’t have control of my body, everything that I ate made me feel sick. After trying multiple different diets, doctors, medicine without success I decided to stop trying quick fixes and go for the long term habit change. Read more>>

Kisha Coach K” Simmons”

In 2014, I was at the top of my game. As a senior manager traveling back and forth from New York to San Francisco, winning free trips to Hawaii for performance, and being recognized throughout the company globally, people would think there was nothing more I could ask for. This was also the time I decided to take the leap of faith at 33 yrs old, to leave my six-figure salary, move back to Texas after being in New York for almost three years, and kick off the entrepreneurial life I had dreamed of. Read more>>

Jazmine Robinson

When it comes to taking a risk, I always think back to my car crash in 2018. I thought as I went to my physical therapy “If I spend my life contemplating on decisions, I’m going to waste my life on ‘possibilities’ and what if’s” I started applying all my creativity to my livelihood and it took me on a series of decisions that eventually landed me in LA, made it possible to change my name (QT JAZZ to Jazmine) and also make money full time from music and acting. It was a “God Push” that felt like supernatural momentum and the more I pushed the more it felt like God and his crew was backing me up. Read more>>

Cathy Yi

Since I graduated in 2001, I fell into the rote belief of needing a full-time job that provided patients and benefits in order to ‘make it’ and maintain security. I never entertained deviating from this even at years 7… then 10… then 12 because I couldn’t fathom losing the concept of a patient flow and having medical insurance in spite of observing: Read more>>

Eilyn Jimenez

Throughout my career, a lot of times the “big risks” didn’t seem so big until I actually took them. Early on in my career, I submitted a proposal for a 200 unit multi-family residential project. I was up against two other designers and had never completed a project of this size. Read more>>

Jeanmarie Loria

“Talk about a dream Try to make it real You wake up in the night With a fear so real You spend your life waiting For a moment that just don’t come Well, don’t waste your time waiting” Read more>>

Luis Gramajo

Luis and I moved to Austin in 2019 from Guatemala, our home country, and we bootstrapped our cookie brand, Wunderkeks, from a Farmer’s Market stand in 2019 to $5.13M in revenue in 2021 by moving to DTC (Direct to Consumer). We’re currently raising capital to keep growing: we are raising a 1M$ trough our equity crowdfunding to evolve from purely direct to consumer, as we exist now, to mass retail and be on every shelf at America’s most recognized supermarkets. Read more>>

Jerod Morton

I remember 8 years ago I was notified I was going to be a dad. I began to ask myself was I ready and what I ultimately wanted to do with my life. I shut myself off from the world a few days and came to the realization that I was an artist. I wanted to do music and live from my art. I began analyzing the path I wanted to take and how I could make it happen. Read more>>

Laura Wilson

The floral world is full of risks: Can I be as creative as I want and have it resonate with people that will hire me? Will I gain business from this styled shoot? Is this expensive flower going to last through the wedding I need it to? Is this install going to hold up? And on and on. Read more>>

Paola Michelle

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken is not only choosing to start my own business but to also putting myself out there on social media—it’s pretty vulnerable. I started my business slowly, not like most people and I am still not ideally where I would like to be. However, a lot of wonderful things have happened that have allowed me to grow immensely. Read more>>

Britton Frankel

Much as in Climbing, risk is ever present and all around. The inevitable pull of gravity, the fear of the unknown, and the lingering thought in the back of your mind asking yourself if you can even do this. Can you complete your goal, can you get to the top? Read more>>

Jennifer DeFilippis

I think starting a business in general can be risky. There’s really no way to know how it’s going to go until you just go ahead and do it. Starting my business was the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. At first, I think many people thought I was crazy, especially in the field/industry I’m in. Read more>>

Deena King

As a child I was not a risk taker, the safer the path, the better. As I matured into a young adult, I found myself in some life changings moments and took a risk to attend college later in life as a single mother. I had a professor encourage me to major in graphic design and an amazing painting professor who encouraged individual expressive painting. Read more>>

Lauren Denysek

I took a risk right after graduation to pursue a career in the arts. Although my family and friends were extremely supportive of the decision, it was quite scary. So many questions ran through my mind. And not just once, but sometimes daily. Read more>>

Danielle LeDuc

Going into business for myself!! Opening my very own Salon Suite and launching my traveling Bridal Beauty team has been the most risky thing I’ve done in my career lately! It’s hard to say just one thing that has been life changing in the business I’m in, because there are so many things that have touched my heart and shaped me. Read more>>

Chris Protein

The biggest risk I have taken is certainly buying the personal training studio I worked at for several years and now own. I had been an independent contractor for several years at Evolve Personal Fitness, and even started subcontracting some trainers to work with me. Read more>>

Kinshannta Hall

“Kinshannta” but known by Kinshani, A Business Mogul relating “Beauty Cosmetics, Music, & Real Estate. I’m a native originally from Mississippi. I’m a college graduate from The University of Southern Mississippi. I have been featured in Essence Hot Hair & Sheen Magazine and recently appeared on “VH1 “She’s Got Game” as a Contestant. I’ve been featured in fashion shows based out of Miami and Mississippi. Read more>>

Detrich Swain

Well my most obvious risk I took was walking off my job to pursue music and entrepreneurship. The reason this was such a big risk is because I have a wife and 4 kids but God was pushing me. I have went to school and earned my bachelor’s and MBA to try and elevate through corporate America. But it only brought me more heartache and never higher positions to match my education, experience and qualifications. Read more>>

Kevion Xespansione

Taking a risk is apart of growing in life. For me it was trusting God with the promises he gave to us and me believing in those promises. With taking hold of that, I realized at an early age (18) my passion for fashion and designing. I’ve always designed and created art, and I believe fashion was a huge way to express that creativity! Read more>>

Aivia jones

I’ve always been the one to take risk but the biggest risk I’ve ever taken was being let go from a company and starting up my very own day spa from the ground up as scared as I was I knew I could do it and i knew that it would mean sacrificing and learning to adapt to any obstacle i may face while building from the ground up. Never be scared to take the risk be scared of not taking the risk and missing out on possibly the best decision of your life. Read more>>

Diana Scafoglio-Ducharme

Before I launched my company, I worked for a brokerage firm for over 11 years. I had a secure job with great benefits, health insurance, and a guaranteed paycheck. But I wasn’t happy, wasn’t fulfilled. I had always been a creative but fell into the routine of making money fast and didn’t follow those dreams. Read more>>

Garrett Molsbee

At 29 years old, I was in a position in my life where I could either do something big for myself and the people in my life or just settle on working for other people my entire life and and answering to others. I decided to take the risk and it has been paying off since! Read more>>

Claudio Marcotulli

After several years working diligently as an experimental filmmaker and video artist, I began feeling the need to paint. This was right before the onset of the pandemic. I was in my mid forties and I had not pained in over twenty years. Back in my late teens, painting was my thing but I left to the side when I went to film school so the sudden urge was not entirely foreign but certainly a bit surprising. Read more>>

Kimberli Davino-Wilson

I never in a million years thought I would be sitting here today, running my own business. The younger me, always wanted to be a teacher, Kindergarten teacher to be exact. That was what I went to school for and that was what I was determined to do. But for some reason, God had other plans for me which led me to become an Applied Behavior Analysis/Behavior Therapist. And I loved it. Read more>>

Blake Vaz

I have taken quite a few risks in the pursuit of my creative passions. I moved to LA almost 20 years ago chasing a music dream. I left everything behind to try to make it with my rock band in Los Angeles. We knew no one in LA, we had no connections, nothing. I knew there was nothing for me back in my home town. Read more>>

Stevi Allen

The biggest risk I have ever taken was leaving corporate. I graduated college, had the cushy salary, and enjoyed the benefits….but I was not happy. When I got laid off during COVID, I started my company without having any prior experience in the beauty industry. Read more>>

Sean Brinkley Jr

My years following graduation from Kennesaw State University in 2018 with a BA degree in Music and Minor In Dance have been challenging yet rewarding. I took my diverse skill set and entered the field of higher education despite my studies in my undergraduate years. Read more>>

Jackie Camps Children & Family Photographer

Sure! The biggest risk I’ve taken is, by far, the decision to start my own photography business. I didn’t have any prior business experience, nor did I really have the full understanding of photography. I knew I loved taking photos, and bringing joy to others with it. Read more>>

Kevin Craft

The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was starting my own business. Back in 2018, I wasn’t being challenged enough creatively at my current place and was looking for a fresh start. After many interviews, I realized finding a new place wasn’t going to change much and it was time to take the plunge. Read more>>

Mitch Hackleman

The risk is ongoing. I have built up a fairly successful media production company, but have started turning away opportunities to focus on my consultant firm, EVS. When you’re going from anything that is known, into the unknown, there are inherent risks. Read more>>

Pamela M. Kay

ministry/business, after this prophetic word was prophesied to me in 2011, I had no choice, but to walk it out by faith, and trust God during an unsteady process! As a single parent of one child, not knowing, that my daughter’s father would pass three years later, from natural causes in 2014, but, God eventually, reveals this to me in a dream that same year 2014. Read more>>

Tino Gabaldon

I’d say the biggest risk I’ve taken as it pertains to my business is branching off and opening my own little salon studio after only being graduated from cosmetology school and assisting at a salon for less then a year. I had a friend that had opened up one and after visiting theirs I was intrigued by the concept of the suite life. I definitely didn’t have a steady clientele built up yet being so new to the industry, but I was determined to make it work. Thanks god it did haha! Read more>>

Paulina De La Parra

I was born in Mexico City, everyone in my family was in business but somehow since very young (around 4 or 5 years old) I always found myself completely mesmerized by art wether was painting dancing or singing. I grew up with multiple art classes and like every kid had dreams of becoming an artist. Read more>>

Marie-Claire Quartemont

A huge risk I took in my Independent Artist career recently was launching a virtual fundraiser concert called ‘A Moment With MARICLR’. The goal was to pay off the rest of my school debt, so that I can start to pour into my music career and put out more music instead of worrying about paying off my debt. It was a really well done, 6-song, live recording that aired internationally on a virtual venue called ‘Momenthouse’. Read more>>

Erony Minix

The biggest, most successful risk I have taken to date is starting Red Rouge Romantic Wear. I do not come from a business background so launching my business was a huge risk yet I have absolutely NO REGRETS! I remember I was in graduate school studying for my Masters in Social work. Read more>>

Keith Hopkins

I’m taking a risk with every post that I make, every truth that I tell, and speaking out against a certain group. I took this risk because I believe in freedom and justice! I believe that the sleep deserve to be woke, but at the same time I can’t help everyone. Read more>>

Mike Simuns

I had been planning to start a Food Truck for many years, just working on saving the startup funds. Finally got to the place where I had the funds and a great starter truck became available. I jumped on the chance.. Unknown to us, there was a panademic coming! We had planned to start in March of 2020, but due to the all the uncertainy of Covid it continued to get delayed until June 2020. Read more>>

Christopher Jenkins

When being a creative, you definitely have to be unafraid to take risks and bet on yourself at times. It can be a little frightening or unsettling, but the freedom and relief of making those game changing decisions can change your life. I remember I quit my 9 to 5 last year and at first I was nervous! I had to reassure myself over and over that I was in fact doing the right thing and that things would work out! And it did! I’ve been really well for myself every since then and I have not looked back not once! Read more>>