Are you a risk taker? Do you think you have a stronger appetite for risk relative to your friends and family? We asked some folks from the community about their approaches to risk and have shared their thoughts below.

Jamie Trusheim | Film Maker & Creative

I’ve always been a risk taker in all aspects of my life, from extreme sports to business ventures. I believe growth growth happens outside of the comfort zone, that’s where the biggest rewards come from. I consider myself to be an early adapter in pretty much anything, where there’s always a lot of risk of failing or imperfections, but for the projects or ideas that do take off it makes it all worth it. My recent venture is diving head first into the NFT space which is like the wild wild west of the crypto world. Where 99 of 100 projects are probably scams or rug pulls, but navigating through the digital space to find the right projects make the juice worth the squeeze. Read more>>

Tyler Giachinta | Entrepreneur & Creative Director

If you risk nothing, then you risk everything. It’s difficult to know what your full worth is without taking risks, whether they work out or not. If you’re not making mistakes and learning from your losses, you’re not reaching far enough. For me, I’ve risked a lot especially in the last few years, with my business ventures and personal life decisions. I moved to Miami spontaneously not knowing anyone down here after quitting my job in NYC and also further establishing my video production business, G7 Productions, in New York. Read more>>

JOSHUA BANNER | Nomadic Capitalist

Taking calculated risks (considering risk vs. reward) is the hallmark of entrepreneurship. Before I started my first business, big risks scared me. I was raised to respect the value of a dollar and a hard day’s work. When I decided in college to pursue medicine because I loved biology, I also did it because it was a safe choice. It was a long path, and originally I wanted to be a biological engineer, but medicine seemed more like a guaranteed route to financial security and a better future. Read more>>

Jennifer Longhi | Custom Shoe Artist & Shop Owner

I believe taking risks has played 100% role in my life. I grew up in Southern Maryland, where the high school I went to had special programs that you had to apply to. By the time we were in 8th grade we had to pick which programs we wanted to apply to. I applied to our cosmetology program, the program where I had family members, my friend’s parents, and people in my life telling me it would take me nowhere, that it didn’t have a “real career field”. Read more>>

Asia Garrison | Author| Entrepreneur | Founder of Girls Room Ministry

When I think about taking a risk, I think about stepping out on faith! I believe that in order to truly grow in any area of your life you have to be willing to step out on faith and trust that even if you miss you’re still going to be alright. Change your view of failure! Sometimes you have to fail so others who are around you won’t. Read more>>

D’Voya Wilks | Marketing Director (Personal Clients) + Account Supervisor (Agency)

Whew…risks. I think taking risks is an essential part of accomplishing anything worthwhile in this life. If something comes to you easily, it leaves just as easily whether that’s a professional position, a lover, or any opportunity. The very definition of “risk” centers around exposing yourself to a potential loss of some sort. That said, I’ve always been drawn to a little danger because fear has an interesting way of revealing what’s at a person’s core….what they’re really made of character-wise and quality-wise. So, I don’t mind taking risks knowing that even if it means sacrificing something temporarily, what I ultimately want lies just on the other side of my comfort zone. Comfort zones are where dreams go to die. Read more>>

Tavares Kidd | Music Producer & Music Manager

I think no one should ever be afraid of taking calculated risks. The person who doesn’t take risk only gets the leftovers of those that do. I countlessly evolve and progress within my life/career because I am comfortable with taking risk. You’d be surprised by the amount of doors that form off of your will. Read more>>

Desi Alvarez Herazo | Business Owner & Content Creator

Taking risks is a factor regardless of the industry you are in. Over the past years I’ve learned the importance of taking risks. Something that I have learned is that it is necessary to be comfortable with the uncomfortable get out of your comfort zone this is a must in order to get ahead. When I first started Desired Clothing; I knew it was now or never. I had to go for it. I couldn’t overthink it. I realized that overthinking creates fears and worries. Fear is an unpleasant emotion that prevents you from pushing forward. Read more>>

Shanni Crayton | Luxury Picnic & Event Planner

I believe that legitimate risk taking is as essential to opening a small business as deciding your business name/logo. It’s about having a confident mindset and being cognizant of the true definition of a risk. The chips may not always fall in your favor but in hindsight, you will only be as successful as the amount of risks you’re willing to take to grow your business. Risk taking has played a significant role in my career as a small business owner and as an employee. Read more>>

Ern Bethea | Entrepreneur & Administrative Professional

I love to take risk. I feel like my whole adult life after grad school was about taking risk. Up and moving to a new city where I didn’t know anyone throwing a ridiculous amount of money into a business unsure but hopeful that I was going to make my money back plus more. Up and leaving the new city I moved to after 5 years to come back home and expand was all me taking risk I had absolutely no clue how it would go and I still really don’t know how it’s going, but I’m doing it, I don’t miss opportunity and my goal is to make things happen for myself so no opportunity is missed win lose or draw Read more>>

EV | Singer / Songwriter / Creative

My dad says as I child, I was not afraid of anything. Fearless. Perhaps that’s true in many ways. I was adventurous and still am. I love the challenge of doing things most girls could not or would not do. However, the fear of failure turned out to be a challenge as an adult. If someone had asked me if I was afraid to take risks, I would have said no; however, it would have been untrue. Unknowingly I would be lying because indirectly I struggled with taking risks due to my fear of failing. Read more>>

Breea Janay | Film Director

Risk taking has been the existence of my entire career. As a film director, taking risk should be on the top of everyone’s list. When I first started as a writer, I got invited to Nickelodeon Studios in Burbank, California. I was 18 at the time and I had never flew by myself anywhere, let alone as far as California. My mother is a concerned mother, so of course I had conflicting thoughts in my head. However, I decided to book my flight and go. If I did not fly to meet with the writer’s team, I would not have had the opportunity to work at Nickelodeon. Read more>>

Deborah Nardo | Entrepreneur / Founder of Behspoke

Being willing to take risks is one of the most important things to do as an entrepreneur. I do believe that all the greatest successes stories have an important part of risks involved. It is part of the game, if we want to be able to change, to improve and to revolutionize the world we must accept and embrace them. At the end of the day, it really depends on how we see risks and the importance we are giving to them. If we shift our mind from the fear of risking to the excitement of overcoming them, we will definitely start loving taking risks and considering them as wonderful challenges. Read more>>