Taking Risk is essential, but how much, when and why? Taking risks effectively is as much of an art as it is a science and we’ve asked some of the brightest folks in the community to tell us about how they think about risk taking.

Shamini Jain | Founder & CEO

To me “Risk” in terms of a career, is about whether you’re willing to follow your heart, and roll up your sleeves and get to work for what you believe in and what you want to bring to the world. For me, there was no other choice but to follow my heart with my work, as nothing else made sense to do. It has not always been the most chilled-out path, but I still love every minute of it. No career is without risk. If there is one thing that the changing climate, health and socio-political landscape has taught us, it’s that many so-called “conventional” careers are just as risky as non-conventional ones. Life is never predictable, so the more we honor that impermanence the better off we will all be. The successful career in this day and age will be marked by creativity, collaboration, and perseverance. Read more>>

Colby “Lord” Chandler

I believe that risk and passion are closely related. When I have followed my passion, at the peril of it being detrimental to my quality of life, the risk is manageable. It is easier to accept the consequences when your actions are driven by your passion. Should you be taking a risk if you are not passionate about what it may create, good or bad? I have always made sure I was passionate about where I choose to work and spend my time. I needed to really like the place and product, before being able to give 100%, which helps mitigate the risk a bit. I gained so much experience with people and hospitality in the restaurant business, working for a high-end steak restaurant chain but I was always passionate about beer. So, I took a 70% pay cut and quit the restaurant business as a corporate trainer/server and started work at Home Brew Mart / Ballast Point Brewing 23 years ago. Read more>>

Stephania Ochs | Online Fitness Coach & Puppy Nanny

There are no rewards without the presence of risk. I truly believe that in order to be something extraordinary, we need to prove to the universe we want it enough to take a leap of faith Risk has shown up in my life time and time again, specifically career-wise. When I was 23 I moved out to California for a banking job. Turns out, I absolutely hated it. I had taught fitness throughout college while getting my business degree. My first big risk was quitting that salary job, to break into the already, over-saturated & low paying fitness scene in San Diego. Although this seemed like such a risky move in the moment, it took me just three months to get enough gigs under my belt & make the same amount of money I was making from the banking job. I knew it would only go up from there… Looking back to 3 years ago and taking that transition, I am beyond thankful that I took that leap for an uncomfortable 3 months to get my legs running in San Diego as a trainer. It worked! Read more>>

Andrew DePalma | Owner

My answer to this question may seem odd based on the fact that I am a small business owner but I am naturally risk averse. I am a planner and a saver and have a natural bent to mitigate risk as much as possible. This has been both a positive and a negative in my life and tends to be the same in my business. On the positive side, I believe that my conservative nature has kept me from making rash decisions that could be detrimental. Conversely, I sometimes feel that I have missed out on opportunities or grown slower than I would have wanted to when I dreamed up starting my company. It took me quite a bit of time to make the decision to quit my very corporate insurance career and start a new one building furniture. The time I took to make that decision allowed for planning and to really define why I was going to start a business, which has been valuable during the very challenging periods you inevitably go through as a business owner. Read more>>