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.

Jay and Steph Rose | Founders of Phase SiX

Risk is at the heart of Phase SiX; the success of Phase SiX today is largely attributed to one risky business decision Steph and I made when building this movement. Phase SiX is constantly striving to push the boundaries, and risk is inherently part of this. We saw Phase SiX as the Punk Rock of the industry, which would be a non-conformist multimedia brand set out to begin a REVOLUTION by uniting people around a shared purpose: promote longevity, maximize potential, and bring value to the world. Read more>>

Scott Ryan Elliott | Personal Trainer

I graduated as an engineer. A few years in the industry, I came to realize that this was not my passion. The daily responsibilities of being an engineer became a struggle due to lack of passion and desire to improve. The struggle bled into the rest of my life and I saw myself becoming very passive aggressive with family, friends and work relationships and girlfriends. I fought the inner voice to change, because of the investment to graduate with this degree and the fear of disappointing my family. Read more>>

Juliet Penkin | Esthetician

Growing up I felt that I actually played it pretty safe and didn’t take many risks at all. I always had a decent job with steady income but I always knew in the back of my head that I wanted more for myself and I was never going to get there as long as I continued to work under someone else. After leaving my second spa job, I was fed up and reached a boiling point where it was either I leave the industry completely or figure it out on my own. Read more>>

Brittany Cubero | Florist, Content Creator, and Entrepreneur

I think this is something about me that has made me a good entrepreneur, but not a great student. I’m good with risk, I can get very comfortable with it compared to a lot of people I know. So even starting my business, a lot of people thought I was insanely brave because I dropped out of college to make it happen when my business started taking off. But to me it wasn’t brave, to me it was the obvious choice. Read more>>

Marissa Aden | Couples, Elopement, & Wedding Photographer

The true me is not a risk-taker at all! I have always been happy in my comfort zone. I’m definitely an introvert and was naturally a bit timid. When I started photographing weddings in 2010, I quickly learned that you can’t be timid and quiet when shooting a wedding. People need direction and guidance — especially when it comes to taking large family photos! This forced me to (quickly) step outside of my comfort zone, because I wanted to do a good job and was eager to succeed in the wedding industry. Read more>>

Angelica Aghora Shivashakti | Artist and Professional Loctician

Taking risks in my life has shown up in various ways. I believe a lot of it started when I decided to try out for dance and cheer. Getting in front of judges and having 2 minutes to prove myself and make the team or not can be super scary and nerve wrecking. Those moments of self doubt can creep in easily and stop you from doing something you love, thankfully I always made the team. Read more>>

Charley Breaka | Dancer & Entrepreneur

Risk is a major factor in life, the more you live the more you expose yourself to risks. Being a risk taker is like betting on something you love and believe in, knowing that it has a big chance not to succeed, but no matter what the outcome is, you know that you won’t regret it because it’s a risk of your choice. Taking risks in my life has taught me everything I know about business, its a major element in shaping my entrepreneurial skills. Read more>>

Izzy Barden | Real Estate Team Leader

Leaving the corporate world to start my own real estate business was a risk. Leaving the team I started with was a risk. Starting my own team was a risk. Reinvesting my capitol into my business was a risk. No risk is no reward. Read more>>