Legend holds that Cornelius Vanderbilt had built a massive fortune in the steamboat shipping industry, but then realized the railroads were the way of the future and invested almost his entire net worth into railroads. The gamble paid off and made Vanderbilt one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs ever. But risks are inherently…risky. How do you think about risk and how has it affected your life and career? Some of our community favorites share their perspective below.

Amanda Saez | Swimsuit Model & Influencer

Risk is something that people tend to fear because they are afraid of failure. Whenever I’ve been afraid of failing, I’ve always told myself “you’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” and it motivates me to take the risk, every single time. I love a challenge and I’m always looking to find something new and exciting to try. I love to learn new things and accomplishing something new makes me feel whole. But starting my own business was a huge, HUGE risk for me to take. Especially during the COVID quarantine no less. When people were jobless, making no income, and there was an overall worldwide crisis happening. But I utilized my extra time to myself to build a brand. And as crazy as it sounds, I wasn’t even trying to build a brand. Read more>>

Te’Vaun Stanford | Personal Trainer & Barber

Risk taking was very vital to us. Understanding our pros and cons helped us with making clear decisions. Honestly nothing was planned. We knew everything wasn’t going to be perfect but with hard work, diligence and sacrifice we would be where we wanted to be. There were times where we were forced to move with the flow. Perseverance was huge especially when it came to many adversities we faced build resilience. A lot of late nights early mornings trying to make a rose out of gray pavement and still going has been tough but I love every single moment. Read more>>

Zay Poole | Founder of MoonLite Studios LLC

I see risks as opportunities for growth. One thing about the industry I’m in is that risk taking is one of the key factors in my opinion, risk taking is one of the main reasons why you see some successful people today. Whether that’s quitting your job and going for your passion full time, or making a decision to either do things by the industry standards or your standards. Now concerning how risks played a part in my life and career I would say it definitely isn’t something that’s easy to do or decide on all the time because sometimes risks may cost you. Read more>>