By far, the topic that comes up most in our conversations with entrepreneurs and creatives is risk. We’ve had conversations about risks that worked out and risks that did not. We’ve seen eyes light eye sharing about career-trajectory changing risks as well as folks sigh about the risks they wish they had taken. Below, we’ve selected and shared some of those thoughtful conversations.

Jessica

Risk taking can be uncomfortable, but I believe it is an essential part of growth. Opening my salon was me taking a huge risk on myself. It was in the middle of 2020, when the pandemic was in full swing. We really didn’t know where the state of the world would be in the coming months. I was still growing my clientele. I was very nervous, but I had a great support system. Taking the risk to open my salon has been one of the greatest rewards. I’ve learned that progress doesn’t come from staying in your comfort zone and playing it safe. It comes from trusting your own abilities and taking a chance on yourself, even when you’re not sure what the outcome is going to be Read More>>

Veronica Inness

I think of risk as a necessary part of growth. It’s not about jumping without a plan—it’s about believing in yourself enough to move forward, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed. Risk has played a huge role in shaping my career. One of the biggest ones I took was leaving commission salons and going out on my own just three years into my career. I was still a baby stylist, and I remember being scared I’d fail. But I also knew I wanted the freedom and opportunity that came with being my own boss. Read More>>

Tiffany

I believe that taking risks is essential in life. If we let fear of failure hold us back, we’ll never truly move forward or achieve our goals. I’d rather
chase my dreams, no matter the risks involved, and fully embrace the experiences that come with the journey. Read More>>

Emily McPherson

Training as an actor, in movement class our professor always told us “leap and the net will appear.” I’ve always been a dare devil and someone who enjoyed doing things others might not want to. Moving to Miami to pursue performing arts was the biggest risk of my youth & I gave up a full ride scholarship for Musical Theater at home on Long Island in order to do so.  Read More>>

Julieta Ramos

I view risk as an integral part of my growth journey, especially in the creative and entrepreneurial spaces I’ve worked in. Every major step I’ve taken in my life has involved a level of uncertainty, but it’s precisely in that uncertainty that I’ve found opportunities for personal and professional expansion. One of the biggest risks I took was starting my own business, Rock Your Nails, in Buenos Aires in 2017. It wasn’t just about launching a nail art business— Read More>>

Felipe Echeverri

Without risk there is no opportunity to create.
Being an entrepeneur is being at risk everytime you try to grow, create or develop a new project.
Risk is the key to come with new ideas and is the game chamging if it works out, wich it always does if you are perseverant and persistant. Read More>>

Sabrina Pantano

Risk is the bridge between who you are now and who you’re meant to be.

During the pandemic, I found myself at a turning point. I was on track to applying to Doctor of Physical therapy programs. I had a clear path in front of me and was committed to pursuing it. But then I was approached with an unexpected opportunity—the boutique fitness studio in Delray Beach where I had been training clients was for sale. The boutique fitness studio in Delray Beach where I was training clients was up for sale, and I had this vision of transforming it into something radically different. Read More>>

Cristina

Doing what I wanted was always a risk. Choosing music at such a young age, stepping into spaces where I didn’t always see someone like me, and staying true to my sound and identity — it’s all been risky. But I never really looked at the barriers in front of me as stop signs. I saw them, but I didn’t give them the power to hold me back. Read More>>

Fabiana Vilchez

Taking risks is part of evolving professionally and in life. We all must do it. The worst thing that can happen is being told no. But if you don’t take risks, you’ll never know what you’re capable of. Always believe in yourself and your abilities. Read More>>

Aere;y Chacon

‘No risk, no reward’ isn’t just something I say, it’s how I’ve unapologetically lived. We’re naturally wired to always want more – the next win, the next version of ourselves. But in entrepreneurship, that kind of growth only comes when you’re willing to take risks over and over again. I’ve never stuck to the norm and honestly, that’s been my greatest advantage. While my high school classmates were submitting college applications, I was focused on graduating early and building something bigger.  Read More>>