There is a wealth of academic research that suggests that differences in risk appetite are at the heart of differences in career and business trajectories. We wanted to go beyond the theory and ask real people from the community about their perspectives and experiences with risk and risk taking.

Carmel Mercado | Artist+Illustrator & Eye Surgeon

“Fortune favors the bold.” This piece of advice has stuck with me since I first heard it as a child. As a small town brown girl growing up on the edge of the Everglades, I long struggled with this sense of feeling small, out of place, and wondering what was out there in the world. Growing up, I relished reading about the hero’s journey through works like the Odyssey and watching movies with variations of this story. Read more>>

Speth Szabo | Tattooer & Illustrator

Getting into art and tattooing was a huge risk for me. I never thought it would be possible. It was something that I had wanted since I was a teenager. You never know how people will perceive your artwork and if you can gain clientele or not. It’s never guaranteed. You have to work hard and keep going for the love of it, and hope to build your business. I definitely struggled a lot at first. Living in the Bay Area is expensive! Read more>>

Sushmalekha Birur | Embedded Systems Engineer | Green Energy Enthusiast

Well first thing that comes to my mind is a saying “No Risk No Reward”. Clearly there are pros and cons to taking risk. I believe in weighing and assessing before taking any risk , which effectively means taking calculated Risks. I strongly believe there are growth/learning opportunities in every venture provided we maneuver around the risks that comes along the way. I have navigated a lot of varying degree of risks in my life to reach the point where I am today . I would like to narrate one such example below. Read more>>

Stephen DeGrazia | Founder of SangCash

My appetite for risk has changed over time. I believe its easy to take less risk and go with the flow when you’re in the mix during high school, college and post-grad but then life starts hitting you and realized that you are in control of what you want and that the bigger rewards require more risk. It doesn’t have to be reckless and it can be calculated/some hedging involved but with SangCash, it was definitely a risk to bootstrap my own money and jump into a highly regulated, antiquated industry and try to fix it. Read more>>

Cazper J | Music Artist/Producer

I think that risk taking has played a big role in my life and career as a creative. Always daring to be different opened a lot of doors for me that might not have been opened if I wasn’t willing to take risks. I always try to remember when taking big risks that although there’s a chance I can fail and be set back, there’s also a chance I can succeed and be rewarded in ways I wasn’t even anticipating. Read more>>