Taking Risk is essential, but how much, when and why? Taking risks effectively is as much of an art as it is a science and we’ve asked some of the brightest folks in the community to tell us about how they think about risk taking.

Jhonatan Jaquez Díaz | Model, actor, athlete

A JOURNEY IN ITS COURSE Jhonatan it’s my name, the name that my parents gave me when they didn’t have an a clue on how that small vulnerable kid would turn out to be. Being Jhonatan it’s not an easy job.. being Jhonatan is like being Willam James Sidi and the daredevil It wasn’t always like that, at the age of 12 I was a lonely kid, shy with not a lot of friends but always remained different from everyone else, with the ability to perform tasks that others couldn’t. Read more>>

Gianni Sibilo | Entrepreneur

There is no success story without risk. I simply see risk as the following: High risk, high reward and Low risk, low reward. Risk is a crucial factor in determining one’s ability to grow and expand. Risk has played a huge role in my career; as I personally had no restaurant experience prior to getting into my most recent venture Chick’nCone. Long story short, a year and a half into it, my partners and I have opened our second South Florida location; with many more soon to come. Read more>>

Shani Brown | Fashion Designer

In a world that is constantly changing, risk-taking enables us to find opportunities for innovative ways to grow our business. Not all risks will produce the fruits needed to grow your business, but calculated risks can fertilize the soil to produce a thriving fruitful business. Taking a risk to achieve a goal requires courage because you are facing uncertainty. I launched my business in the summer of 2019, and 2 months prior to my launch, I resigned from my leadership position within the organization I worked for 12 years. Read more>>

Erika Royal | Chief Executive Officer – The Life Coach School

I think about risk taking as being strategic. A small part of risk-taking is making sure that you’re in front of the right people in the right place at the right time. A more significant part is making sure that you’re managing your mind to be able take advantage of opportunities so that when opportunity knocks, you don’t let fear or self-doubt keep you from stepping up and raising your hand. I’ve been in the right place at the right time and not raised my hand because I wasn’t managing my mind. I was too afraid to put myself out there, and that is how thought work has helped me the most. Read more>>

Miri P. | Artist

Throughout my entire life I have been an impulsive decision maker. I used to think this was the same as taking risks, but instead it’s just lack of preparation. Starting my career as an artist was a risk I have been preparing myself for, for a long time. Prior to starting ‘Miri P.’ I was Miranda, and I worked for a non-profit mental health clinic for at risk youth. Read more>>

Beverly Biser-Austin | Artist at studiobev

I was listening to NPR’s Shankar Vedantam on his program “Hidden Brain” regarding a study about risk and success. If a person has a Plan A and another has a Plan A and a Plan B, the person with just a Plan A will have a higher rate of meeting his goals. Psychologically, the person with only Plan A knows there is nothing else. They have to succeed! I started my art studio 4 years ago with just that in mind. Studiobev has no plan B. It has to succeed! It is a second career for me. Though art has always been a part of my life, I was a Dental Hygienist for 40 years. Read more>>

Nicky Loudd | Fashion designer

I think risk is good. It’s good because it teaches you how to be comfortable being uncomfortable. How risk has played a big role in my life is once you bet on yourself you win in the long run.!! Read more>>

Nicholas Sopena | Content Creator

Lots of people are afraid to hear the word Risk. I was one of those people that were afraid to step out of my comfort zone. Never really wanted to go out and chase my career down. I always thought the right job would come to me and I would be happy ever after. Soon enough I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I watched my father over the years take risks to provide for the family. Seeing him go in and out of the front door to make sure there was always a plate of food on the table. I knew from that point on that I needed to change the way I processed everything along with waiting for my career to magically fall into my lap. I’ve taken risks all my life since starting my business. Read more>>