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.
Hannah Baylog | Makeup Artist
A lot has changed since I took the original risk going out on my own and starting my business, I have now started a family! Having a baby has been a big life change to say the least. I knew it would be but as a first-time mom, I wasn’t sure how it would affect my business or if I would even be able to continue. I’ve learned you don’t have to choose between your business and having a family, but the way you do your business may change. Read more>>
Tracey Rodriguez | Gym owner
I have known since right out of high school that I wanted to be my own boss. I just loved the idea of the freedom and different choices in life it would bring me. The scariest thing to me was the risk it would take to do it. I started small, my first was a home lingerie business. I loved being able to create my own schedule however this soon was taking time from my family the busier I got. I started playing a game called Cash Flow with a group of friends. This is a financial education game by Robert Kiyosaki. Read more>>
Jonny Tarr | Multi -instrumental singer songwriter and producer
The biggest risk I ever took was moving to California with hardly any money to try to build a new life for myself. I had been living in London trying to find a foothold with my original music and it was terribly difficult. When the big recession hit us in around 2011, I lost all my paying music gigs and was living hand to mouth with the odd shift as a stage hand at the Royal Opera House. London is a very unforgiving place if you have no money, so I decided to just come out to America and give it a shot. Read more>>
Tony Martin | President / Owner Hardwood Flooring Company
“Is taking risks in life worth it?” As a child, I was always willing to take risks without thinking twice. When I was 9 years old and living in a small town called Pegueros Jalisco Mexico, I wanted to help my parents since we were always barely making ends meet. Without telling my parents, I went looking for a job at my uncle’s furniture factory where I worked on and off until I was 18 years old. Not only was I working, but I was also going to school. In 1994 I lost my father and I had to find a way to help my mother and my 4 siblings, so I decided to give the American Dream a shot. Read more>>
Krista Miller | Artist
I’ll never forget the day of my first art show. Rolling in that morning after a weeks worth of preparation praying to all that is holy that I hadn’t forgotten anything. It was chilly, but my nerves were sure to warm me up. Once my partner and I located my spot we began unloading and talking through a plan. I was glad we had gotten in early because I wanted enough time to play around with staging all the artwork. After the tent was popped and the walls were up I remember taking a breath and thinking to myself, “wow, this is really happening.” Looking around people were starting to pick up the pace. More white tents as far as I could see lined up side by side down the long stretch of road. Read more>>
Terri Tomlinson | Makeup Artist Creative & Influencer
After 20 years working in the retail and production industries as a freelance makeup artist, the economy and my own feeling of burnout told me it was time for something different. Work was scarce and my passion for working on set and the constant hustle was lacking. After taking some time away and looking around I realized that education was the next step for me. In a market where (at the time) there we no professional makeup focused schools, I knew that I could create and provide something that would be essential. Read more>>
Chloe Bee | Herbalist, Dance Curator, and Wellness Practitioner
There’s a CVS on many street corners… open all the time, and I wanted to have an herbal apothecary in the highest rent district in the city of Tempe. Yep.. Familiarity with the word, “apothecary” evolved to be one of the biggest public / perception challenges for the first few years… Since I was obsessed with plants and botanical medicine already, I thought that perhaps more people knew about the basics of herbal self-care, looking to Earth for medication, and empowering themselves with health knowledge. That just wasn’t the case at all for the first five years I was in business. Read more>>
Clint Kirby | Musician.Producer.Artist.
I’ve had the privilege over the years of playing music to be a part of several beautiful records, special “one-nigh-only” shows, and incredible tours, each of which come with their own set of challenges and potential for failure. Every time you step on stage or put your thumbprint on a record, you’re placing the bets on yourself. At the risk of sounding dramatic – each note can a risk. Last year I decided to take on a new venture for me – performing my own music live as well as releasing a new record. Read more>>
Mady Fischelli | Photographer
Growing up, I always thought you absolutely had to go to college and get a degree. At the time, I think that’s really what society made it seem like too. There wasn’t as much of a “go getter, invest in your business, entrepreneurial” mindset. Once I got to college though, my photography business started to grow rapidly. I would say my social media presence helped that grow tremendously as well. The more my brand grew, the less I had time for school/studying. I started to feel a tension of, if I wanted to succeed in something, I had to pick one or the other. Read more>>
Kyle Herrig | Athletic Trainer/Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
There have been many risks along the way, but the most recent was January of 2022 when we ventured out to open our second Triplex Training location in the valley. Triplex Training LLC was set up in 2008 and ran out of a physical therapy clinic in Tempe. In 2014 we opened our own facility in Chandler and have been established there for the past 7 years. Each step was a risk and while it took some time to get on our feet we were doing well early into 2020 when the pandemic hit and gyms were shut-down and deemed unsafe and a potential hazard to people’s health. Read more>>
Deborah M. Lavinsky | Certified Pilates teacher & Rossiter Stretch Coach
March 16, 2020 was the last day I taught Pilates in my studio before the world shut down. It was just a few months after recovering from spinal fusion surgery and my business was rebounding. What was originally “two weeks to slow the curve” became eight months of closure. Fortunately, being resilient and resourceful after experiencing other challenges throughout my life, I focused my energy into building an online health and wellness coaching business. I had over 24 years as a financial advisor and business owner so I had the confidence to take on this new risk. Read more>>
Thomas and Rosma Newell | Mediator|Life Coach| Arts Entertainment Entrepreneur
It is never easy starting a business that will impact the community a person resides in and most importantly, acting on the assignment that was given. There was a time when we were wondering where could we go to have clean entertainment that would not compromise our faith. We could not find that place outside of the four walls of the church. This is when our business, “SayThat” was birth. We took the risk financially and spiritually to begin this journey. Not only did we compete with late-night clubs with alcohol and language content, but we had our identity question. Read more>>
Dr. Cortney Baker | CEO & Artist
It was 2002 and I’d just gotten married in June, one year after graduating college. My husband was working the night shift in a warehouse after being laid off as a result of a horrible 9/11 economy. We got pregnant in November, shortly after I’d started working a new job as a speech pathologist in pediatric home healthcare. I loved my job but I didn’t love who I was working for. I decided that even though the odds were stacked completely against me, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life being an undervalued employee. Read more>>
Jamal Harbison | Bartender & Event Staffing Agent
One of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was in the early stages of my business. It was one of the first couple years, so I did not have a lot of resources. My dream was fueled by faith and self-determination only. At the time I was still working part time at a restaurant as a traditional server and to be honest I wasn’t very good. I worked almost solely off of tips and tips were not good simply because I did not have the skills to earn them. The last amount of significant money that I had was recently spent on finishing bartending school. I had no transportation, but I’d made up my mind to provide mobile bartending services. Read more>>
BELINDA WEST | Designer & creator
At a certain point, I realized that I could not continue my regular job and grow my business at the same time. I made the decision to quit/retire from my regular job and go with working the craft business fulltime. This would give me more time to create more products, sell at more craft shows and see what I could do. I have never minded working hard, and this would be something that I started from scratch. It was scary, but I knew I could do it if I just gave it a shot. The day that I retired from my regular job was March 1, 2020. I finished loading in at a show on Friday, March 13, 2020 and left to go gather up everything else that I would need for the show and get ready for the next day. Read more>>
Lyn Skibell | Owner Skibell Fine Jewelry
I am taking a risk right now by positioning Skibell Fine Jewelry for the future. And it feels great! My husband, Charles Skibell, was a fourth-generation jeweler. He founded Skibell Fine Jewelry more than 35 years ago, and our store has become a Dallas staple with a reputation for excellence, gorgeous jewelry and customer-centric service. Charles passed away nearly three years ago, leaving me to continue our store’s tradition. Last year, when our lease ended, I had to decide whether to keep the business running or shutter its doors. That’s where the risk comes into play. Read more>>
Guy Powell | Strategic Marketing Consultant
The biggest risk I’ve taken other than starting a business was to write a book. The year before I began writing the book, I was in marketing and as a marketer we always wanted larger budgets. As we were in the budget negotiation process, the CEO challenged me with the statement, “Why would I spend more on marketing when I can get better results by hiring more salespeople.” This statement hit me in the gut. How could I best respond to this statement? It was clear that the CEO thought that marketing was simply an expense and that sales was the driver of growth in the company. Read more>>
Chad Smith | Restaurant, Proprietor
Year is 2020 Covid was going strong we changed our mindset at restaurant and started adapting to new rules and regulations due to no service inside restaurant. We moved all tables outside cause there were no regulations on outside dining other than no more than 6 unrelated people at a table together. We we’re staying busy keeping all of our specials that we always have had but changed them to Togo only, The city of Newnan changed alcohol laws so you could purchase drinks Togo so we started selling margaritas by the gallon to take home with your tacos, nachos, burritos or quesadillas. We noticed people weren’t getting out as often as they normally do, so we decided to purchase a food truck snd go to them. Read more>>
Megan Southern | Owner @ Hoosier Girl Cakery
One year at the original downtown location that we had our business I realized “This year will be the last Christmas that we spend at this location”. The reason I say this is because my employees, family, and I were working there for the busiest time of year with absolutely no room to work. My father had a 6″x6″ spot to use on the table. Which wasn’t much at all when you are trying to flip a truckload of cakes for the holiday. We had so many orders we had no where to store the orders. We were putting boxes on top of boxes. We kept elbowing each other. At that moment of pure frustration I had decided that “Nope, we are going to find something bigger”. Read more>>
Crista Reid | Burlesque Producer
The arts have called to me since I was a child. I always knew I wanted to be an artist, and followed my passion for jewelry to obtain a BFA in Metals and Jewelry from California College of the Arts. Shifting into the world of Boulder Burlesque, a performance art dance troupe based in Boulder, Colorado, feels like an extension of my fine arts background. And, I can certainly say, the child inside me who loves glitter, sequins, and bright colors is very pleased by the costumes and props I get to play with! In January of 2020, I made the call to leave my day job as a jeweler to pursue a creative and self-directed career in the arts. Producing Boulder Burlesque’s Valentine’s show in February of 2020 brought me a sense of having truly arrived in my passion, my purpose, and a path where I could empower others to step into greater self-confidence and creativity. Read more>>
Sonya Sparks | Gallery Owner
Starting an art gallery from the ground up was certainly a risk… finding clients, the right team, and experience just came with time, after the initial leap I took to open up my gallery. There are a lot of criticisms of art, artists, and gallerists in the community that I am not sure that are shared with other industries, and it takes thick skin to move past the critiques and forward doing what you love because you want to, and not because you are following someone else’s path. The risk was opening up to the public viewing of all that is being shared, which can be a direct reflection of yourself as a business owner, and hoping that you are well-received. Read more>>
Xavier McGilberry | Home Health Care
Growing up in a small town in Mississippi I seen hard times and limited resources up close. Surrounded by strong family, education and hard work was in our DNA. I can remember coming home from school and not being able to turn TV on or go outside until homework was completed and checked. I also remember having the worse handing writing ever and my family saying “you are smart but can not write. You are going to be a doctor.” That did not happen. I went to college and focused on business and branding. After college I took a position with Sprint Corp. and excelled quickly in the rankings of the company. Read more>>
chris whalen | Artist
The major risk I took was with my first feature film. In the past, I’ve only done short films. When writing the script, I went back and forth with what needs to be said. The film, Glitter Tang, is loosely based on my past relationship. Glitter tang is about a young woman who becomes a physical monster and tries to recruit her old friend in the murders. I calculated the amount to do the film which it wasn’t Marvel size but it still was a chunk of change but I did it since I had a dream of doing it since I was a kid. Plus a learning experience as well. Read more>>
Sarah Delanie Langer | Owner & Documentarian
My father taught me at a young age the importance of taking “calculated risks” in life, and it’s a principle I’ve learned to integrate into my decision-making skills over time. But, the first and most likely forever the most significant risk I’ve ever taken was deciding to put my business on pause indefinitely, sell all of the belongings and walk 500 miles from the border of France to the Coast of Spain on a pilgrimage that dates back to the 8th century called The Santiago de Camino. Having started my business at the age of 12, building its brand through high school, and scaling it in college, I found myself at a roadblock. Read more>>
Sudie Abernathy | Artist
Ever since I can remember, I always dreamed of living in Mexico City and making music there. Having lived overseas in high school, it made me understand that this dream can definitely be a reality. Once the pandemic hit, everything stopped. I had booked DJ gigs for months into 2020 at the beginning of the year and things were really taking off, I had no days off from work and I was loving it because it was all work I enjoyed to do. But then as we all know, everything, everyone, the whole world stopped. It made me realize if I didn’t plan to do other things in my life I wanted to do, specifically traveling, then it might get too late or feel like missed opportunities. Read more>>
Randall D Fox | Event Producer
After having been in the same career as an RN/Trauma/ Medic for 25 years, a transition and family move brought us to Atlanta, with that came the decision to either continue in my current career path (which honestly I loved what I did) but it was time for a change. With that came making some hard choices of what that career path would be. Having moved from Washington DC one of the things that missed most was Eastern Market, which (a little known fact) is one of the oldest farmers’ markets in the country., coupled that finding something that you enjoy and with a little bit of research brought us to where I am at today. It was a risk, but with risk comes great reward and joy. I love what I do, Read more>>
Arnold Guerrero | Creative Multidisciplinary
I’ve recently, along with 3 others, purchased the rights and trademark to Gold Key Comics. This iconic brand has been lying dormant since 1986. We’re meeting regularly to get plans in place to publish our first book. We will be launching an NFT series soon as well as a Kickstarter campaign to raise funding. There is obvious risk involved to this investment however, as comic book lovers, we’re enjoying the ride. Read more>>
Tom Haney | Automata Artist
I try to take small risks with each new artwork. I try to push myself to do something I’ve never done before. Most of these risks are mechanically related – part of my kinetic, figurative sculptures – AKA automata. Back in 1994, when I started making kinetic pieces, I would make very simple, straightforward mechanisms – basically marionettes operated by levers, with keys for the “operator” to press to move the figure(s). Over the years I’ve progressed into more complicated mechanisms – as my knowledge of mechanical apparatuses expanded. I’ve used gears, cams, lever, various clockwork techniques, and even wind-up motors from old 8mm cameras and antique Victrolas. Read more>>
Carol Yeh-Garner | Wellness Concierge
I grew up thinking that the ultimate career would be a job where I worked for myself, so I worked hard to get my Master’s Degree in Social Work and got further training to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the goal to eventually own my own private therapy practice. When it came time to open my practice, I had two children below the age of 3 and knew I wouldn’t be an effective therapist because I was so tired as a new mom. I decided to switch directions and got trained in HypnoBirthing, a natural childbirth method I used successfully with my two birth experiences. I was still working for myself and realized that I would have to work until I died since there wasn’t any retirement plan I was contributing to and that when one of my children was sick or we wanted to take a vacation, I wasn’t getting paid. Read more>>
Dr. Lola Scarborough | Social entrepreneur for holistic health and wellness. A 500-hour certified yoga teacher, co-owner of The Health Hut (previously Yoga Lola Studios), Crystals and More a Metaphysical Store, and Art, Movement, and Life Skills Academy for Teens and Adults. Published author.
In 2008, I had a dream for my retirement that I was already putting into motion. It was a perfectly “risk-free” plan! I had recently purchased a run-down but solid building that I was going to turn into my retirement dream … a yoga studio and wellness center. I was in no hurry, I thought. I had the land and the building, and another roughly 25 years to work on creating the center of my dreams and had plenty of time to build clientele. I’d continue my career as a project manager for a software company until I was 65, then put it all into motion. As the saying goes, “the best laid plans” … Read more>>
Shell Roth (they, them) | Gender Inclusive Language and Gender NonBinary Speaker & Trainer
About 4 years ago I decided to shift gears and “come out” as a transgender person and author my 4th book titled “Dont Call Me Ma’am” This was a huge risk as I decided it was time to shift from working with companies on how to use social media to sharing my lived experience and changing the world one pronoun at a time. The risk was twofold in leaving a business that had served me well for 15 years, and also the risk of sharing my gender identity with the world. How would I now be preceived? Would my clients abandon me? Would people be interested in learning about what it means to be a trans person and why pronouns are so important to self identity? Read more>>
Daga Kawalec | Furniture Designer
Think Big or go home. While arriving in the United States in 2002 I knew I want to explore this beautiful country. I wasn’t sure if I would stay but I asked myself a question; if this is going to be my American Dream then I must do it right! I didn’t know how…yet, but I knew I will give my 100% to it. The scariest option in life is sometimes the best for us, for our growth, maturity, learning more about ourselves. I was ready to take the risk of staying by myself in a country I knew so little about leaving my family and friends behind in Europe. I remember joining the Chamber of commerce in Scottsdale while being the youngest member at the meetings and learning new vocabulary, new business ways from the best. Read more>>
Genesis Gonzalez | Creative Director & Visual Artist
Ok, here we go! I moved to the U.S.A 8 years ago. The main reason why I left my country was the political situation. At that time, I was obsessed with Pixar and Computer Animation. I started studying it but after 6 months, I realized it was not my passion. One day, talking to one of my professors he proposed the idea of applying to the Master of Fine Arts in my school (btw, this professor was just filling in for another one, the official one had a last-minute job offer in LA and he left, so this was not even his regular classes) Anyways, I put together a portfolio, they approved, and I started the master. Read more>>
Kendra Swalls | Photographer & Business Coach
In 2017 I had, by all standards, a great job. I had been working in education for 13 years and after finishing my Master’s program was hired as a math specialist and curriculum coordinator for an amazing school district. I loved my job and the people I worked with, but something inside me was craving more. A few years earlier I had started a photography business as a creative outlet and way to make a little extra money. It was slowly growing into something that required more of my time and energy, and I knew I needed to make a decision. While I loved my job, I had two little girls that I was missing spending time with. Read more>>