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.

Jessie Dement | Co-owner, Venue Manager

I have a love/hate relationship with risk – it’s such an important part of owning a business and growing anything, really, but it makes me so uncomfortable! I’m slowing learning how to handle the stress risk taking brings and have seen it return learning and growth over and over again. Lots of head-clearing walks and taking breaks has helped me trust it more! Read more>>

Sean Morgan | Director & Director of Photography

Taking a risk is the only way to fully jump into entrepreneurship. I spent years one foot in and one foot out with running my own business hoping it would magically take off to where I would be able to quit my job. Eventually the career I had spent 10+ years building as an engineer came to a snag and I took a major risk with the support of my family, I walked away to film full time. I believe it’s easy to be complacent with a guaranteed paycheck working 9-5, but once your business is the only means of income, then you become fully invested. Read more>>

nicole dhanraj | Business Operations Consultant–Helping Your Create Value For You and Your Customers.

I would describe myself as a moderate risk-taker, although my appetite for risk tends to increase notably after experiencing successful outcomes after each risk is taken. Read more>>

Savannah J. Frierson | USA TODAY Best-Selling author, editor, speaker, and Gallup-Certified strengths coach

What I have learned about risk is it’s a feature, not a bug. Anything you do in life or career has an element of risk, even if it is something you may not think of as “risky,” To me, it’s more that you are extremely comfortable with the inherent risk therein, so it’s nothing to think about too deeply. But the more unknowns that are involved with a decision, the higher the risk is. Read more>>