Risk is the most common topic that comes up in our conversations with entrepreneurs and so each week we ask entrepreneurs to talk to us on the record about how they think about risk.

Jeremy Moore | Owner of 8586 Eightyfiveightysix

There’s a saying, “No Risk, No Reward.” After successfully operating two stores in Downtown Los Angeles, it was time to take another risk. In the summer of 2021 I was presented with an incredible opportunity: Relocate my two stores into a much larger space at the Beverly Center Mall. The only caveat, we were in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Read more>>

Sammy Bennett | Artist and Gallery owner

Risk taking is a necessary part of being an artist. Every day you must make strategic decisions about your studio practice and career. There are no guarantees in any career you go into and when I decided I wanted to be an artist it felt like I was taking a huge chance. I’m still gambling every time I turn down work and instead choose to be in the studio. Read more>>

Shannon Bevers | Founder of Tandem – Leadership Coaching & Business Consulting

I embrace risks as the gateway to growth and transformation. I firmly believe that calculated risks are essential for achieving meaningful goals, expanding my knowledge, and igniting a sense of aliveness. In 2019 I decided to leave behind my career as a HR executive for tech startups to become a leadership coach and People & Culture Consultant (that’s HR, but better) for entrepreneurs and CEOs, especially those who are often shut out of opportunities. Read more>>

Emil Gasparian | Photographer

I don’t think I’m a businessman, in fact I’m not a risk taker at all. And if there was risk involved in Photography I probably would not be doing photography or be where I am today. I did not invest in photography equipment because I was starting a business, I got into photography because I love taking pictures especially people and events. Read more>>

Rita Parsamyan Mahood FNP-C | Family Nurse Practitioner, Entrepreneur

Risk-taking in business can be a transformative and pivotal decision in one’s life and career. In my case, I had the security of a well-paying county job with attractive benefits, which could have kept me content until retirement. However, I made the bold choice to venture into the unknown and open my own business in 2017. Read more>>

Anja Meyer | Model

I think taking risks is important for growth and success. I found myself moving all alone several times across countries, with moves from Berlin to Vancouver, Sydney, Singapore, and then Toronto with no guarantees of work and not knowing anyone starting all over each time. Taking too many risks is generally not my style, though I always make sure it is a manageable risk. Read more>>

Akanksha Shyam | Cinematographer

In my journey as a cinematographer, risk-taking has been an integral part of shaping both my career and my creative outlook. My move from Bangalore, India to LA in 2019 is the biggest risk I have ever taken – stepping away from the familiar territory of corporate filmmaking and dedicating myself to the art of narrative storytelling through cinematography. I was invited among 27 other cinematographers to earn an MFA in cinematography at the American Film Institute. Read more>>

Andrew Lee Ryan | Writer, Director & Producer

As a filmmaker, my entire life has been built on risk. The word “risk” implies that there is a higher probability of encountering a dangerous situation. Yeah, sounds scary. But the riskiest thing you can do with your one life is waste it not putting yourself in those very situations. A life of comfort is a life without growth because growth is painful. Read more>>

Caterine Lopez | Creative Director and Founder of Way Forward

To me, risk is something that is necessary to run a business. It serves as learning moments, areas of growth. Without taking risks, you end up staying stuck in the safe end of things, allowing for the feeling of regret to sink in further down the road. I don’t want to look back one day and think, ‘ Maybe if I had just taken the risk instead, I’d be in a better place.’ Read more>>

Chuchu Wang | Illustrator

I have always believed that risks and opportunities coexist. The brave enjoy the world first. I am an illustrator who switched majors to study illustration. My educational background includes architectural art design at the undergraduate level and a master’s degree in public administration in the direction of urban planning. Learning illustration has always been my dream, and I have worked hard silently. Read more>>

Nancy Glowinski | Business Consultant and Strategist, Writer

Both of my parents were risk takers so I’d say it’s in my DNA. My dad lied about his age to enlist in the Navy and escape a suffocating home life in Hartford, CT. He ended up stationed in Japan in the late 1950s where he met my mom. Marrying her certainly was a risk because interracial marriages were not tolerated back then. Read more>>

Tara Torrence | Restaurant owner/ Baker

Risk taking/ how do you think about risks? What role has risk played in your life/career. I think of risk as a challenge or an opportunity for success and I wholehearted believe that our thoughts and words have extreme power. I never go into a situation that could be perceived as risky thinking about failure. Read more>>

Abigail Baldwin | Writer & Editor

When I was a child my family moved very often, on average about every nine months. We were very religious and giving up security, stability, and comfort was always painted as a sacrifice for the greater good. We sold everything and moved overseas, then we came back, then we left again, and I believed we were doing it all to prove our loyalty to god. Read more>>

Nick Azzaro | Cinematographer & Director

I see risks as opportunities for creativity and personal development. When making films, I’ve learned that embracing risk results in more original outcomes. Daring to do something you haven’t done before can lead to surprising results because it allows you to think outside the box and push your artistic boundaries. And the quality of your work can only benefit from it. Read more>>

Lauren Silberman | Artist and Photographer

Risk is integral to everything I’ve ever done in my career, from the bottom up. And things that used to feel risky, no longer do. For instance, as a photographer, it used to feel incredible risky to approach people and ask to photograph them or to ask for access to photograph something. I was afraid and vulnerable approaching them – what if they say no? Read more>>

Mina Grace Solis Ward | The Graves’ Disease Chef, Author & Lifestyle Coach

I am pretty certain that if there’s such a thing as a “risk taker” gene, I was born with it. I’ve never been one to shy away from pushing the envelope, testing conventional “wisdom” and having the philosophy that it’s OK to move against the grain, as long as you’re not hurting anyone. I was the student in college, to question ‘authority’. Read more>>

Sophie Pearson | fine artist

Risk taking plays a very large role within my work. Most all of the work I make, I make with the idea in mind that I have no clue how folks will react. In some of my earlier works where I focused primarily on body image, I had to come to peace with the fact that the chance of negative perception would be high, especially on social media. Read more>>

Teri Shagoury | Artist and Teacher

Growing up in my family I think the guiding rule was “play it safe.” It seems we always lived in between two lines: this is how it’s been done and this is what we will do again. We never went too far out of those expectations–We drove on the same highways, we visited the same people, we did not venture in a new directions to explore, just to see what’s there. Read more>>

Melody Parra | Actress, Writer, Director, & Producer/Investor

I’m a big believer in the larger the risk, the larger the reward. Throw that saying in with another of my favorites- “Fortune favors the bold”- and I would definitely label myself a risk-taker. This belief is something I’ve applied to both my acting career and all areas of my life in general. I think the ability to see opportunity where others see fear or worry is powerful. Read more>>

Eman Nafisa | Talent Agent & Model

There is no reward without risk. I always remind myself: what’s the worse that can happen? I’ll either land on my feet or I will fall and get back up. Either way, I will still end up on the right path. There are various routes to get to your final destination. Read more>>

Patricia Vila | President of Patty Vila Media

When I think about my career I think about certain risk I have taken and how that has impacted my life. Some risks I took were scary and even though some risks did not go as planned it felt exhilarating and I always learned something from the experience that I was able to take to the next job. When one takes risk you learn more about yourself. I always knew I was a old soul with an adventurous side. Read more>>

Troy Doherty | Artist & Entertainer

Risks are necessary; they are what push me beyond my comfort zone and into a realm of the unknown. Every wonderful moment in my life has been granted by taking a risk, whether that involves choosing the arts over sports, relocating to a new city to pursue my career, or even expressing my feelings to someone I deeply care for. Read more>>

Amanda Renee Knox | Film Director

Making films and being in a part of any creative endeavor is all about taking risks. The more risk that is involved, in my opinion, the better the outcome. No one goes to the movies to see a nice safe film where no one makes any choices and there is no conflict. In fact, that film might never be made! Read more>>

brandon swanson | Actor & Filmmaker

This might sound very forward and bold but risk only means reward for me. I thrive on taking risk and rolling the dice. It might be the adrenaline high one get, but I’ve always been the BRAVE one of my friend groups. First time jumping off a cliff? Brandon you first. Asking friends parents can I spend the night? Brandon ask for us. Read more>>

Marco R. Godoy | CEO/Self-taught Photographer @Shadow_Imaging_Photagraphy

I’ve always walked to the beat of my own drum, I’m a firm believer in jumping with or without a safety net, risk are crucial in ones life because without them we will never learn and grow. I take a risk being out there night after night with my gear to document the breathing organizim that is my city. To sit there and take risk has given me great reward but may come with great lost but it’s a gamble that I’m willing to take to share my perspective. Read more>>

Hema Bose | Founder of Maison Bose

As a global communication consultancy, there’s many aspects of my job that require risk taking and honestly, the way we approach it as a team is straight on. We know that without risk taking, there’s simply no result. We plan, we strategise, we curate, we orchestrate opportunities, workout logistics, in the hopes for a successful result. Read more>>

Michael Tari | Headshot & Lifestyle Photographer

I’ve always been a risk taker my entire life in anything I do because you don’t know until you try. When I started my photography business I new it would be tough and a struggle in the beginning. I had to learn a new skill and start from scratch. It was a huge risk for me to just dive into something I’ve never done before but that was the beauty of it. Read more>>

Jordan Proietti | President and CEO of Mantis Media

I personally think choosing to take risks is the hardest and most important thing you can do in life. The way you view risks shows how much potential you have to be a success. I think risks and decision making go hand. I’m not saying a was a dare-devil or risky guy growing up. I was and am mostly the guy playing it safe. Read more>>