Are you a risk taker? Do you think you have a stronger appetite for risk relative to your friends and family? We asked some folks from the community about their approaches to risk and have shared their thoughts below.

Alvaro Marin | Chef & Entrepreneur

I think risk-taking is a big part of everyone’s life. We take risks without even thinking about them. But the biggest risk we take is when we decide to open our own business. Taking a risk on something so big and uncertain takes a lot of courage and. Risk can help us grow as a person and as a business as well. I think that no matter what the ultimate outcome is, we can only grow. Even if you do fail, you can walk away with more experience and knowledge which can lead to further success in the future. Risk-taking has played a big part in my life in the last several years. I decided to officially launch a catering business in the middle of a pandemic. But I felt that if “I don’t make the first move now, I will never do it”. I think the worst thing that can happen for me is letting more time pass by and having to look back and think “what if?” I would rather try and fail than to have never tried and be left wondering. I definitely think I can take more risks in my personal life. Read more>>

Stefan Kluver | Tattoo Artist

I think risk is one of the biggest motivators for my life. I always think of at least 10 best and worst possible cases that could come from it, but still follow through. I rather be prepared to all scenarios before executing. I think it puts your body in a fight or flight scenario and that’s when you can push through your comfort zone and achieve what you can dream of. Taking risks is literally how I have been able to achieve a life in which I’m proud of. Read more>>

Kolton Lee | Producer/Engineer, Mixer and Podcaster

I feel like by nature of the business I am in I think about risk differently than others. What some may see as risky I may see as simply necessary. In 2013 I was running a studio in Cave Creek, starting to make decent money and making a name for myself as an engineer. However, I felt stale and stagnant. I knew that the situation I was in had very limited upward mobility and that the path to success was going to be much harder here. So in January of 2014 I packed up all my stuff and moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Everyone thought it was risky. I’ll never forget running into my high school principal just before the move and the look on his face when I told him what I was doing. That look of “woof, good luck” still fuels me to this day. That “risky” move got me to Nashville which then got me face to face with Grammy award winning producer Jacquire King. Before I knew it I was interning for Jacquire at one of the greatest studios in the world, Blackbird Studios. Read more>>

EstiloDes aka DeathRaE | Stylist & Creator

I feel that risk taking has played the biggest role in my life. Every goal I have accomplished was because I decided to put trust into myself and take the risk of “what if?”. Read more>>

Aaron Daniels | Videographer and Business Strategist

Every time I felt scared to make a change in my business and life, I decided to hop in head first. People don’t realize how easy it is to get trapped into paralysis by over analyzing situations. To counter that I’ve tried to create a habit of jumping in full speed when it make sense, regardless of the anxiety the decision. Taking big risks has forced me to perform at new and higher levels. Read more>>

Dr. Courtnie Gilmour | Event Planner and Professor

I have never been one to hide, I have always been the one to try anything and everything at least once because I do not believe in failure. While getting my PhD a wise professor once told us; “Failure is just an event. It is not a characteristic. People can not be failures. Take failure as a faithful attempt in learning.”- Judge Victoria Pratt. That phrase as stuck with me my whole life. My risk taking when I was younger was more of the wild side of trying new things and growing as a person but those passions and desire to do and create new things has always been in my blood. I have been at the top of my life and career and I have also experienced the rock bottom of my life and career. My life experiences have all brought me to where i am today and I would not have a successful event planning company in three different states if I did not take those risk everyday to get there and to continue to excel. Read more>>

Mariah Campoy-Calvin | PA-C & Nutritionist

I believe risk leads to success. There are two people in this world, the ones who take risks and the ones who don’t. The ones who don’t, tend to regret it later on. And because they didn’t take that risk they feel it is too late, and may remain stuck in their current position for too long… or forever. As a teenager, I was able to experience my parents’ risks first hand, and I believe that is what gave me the drive to take my own risks. For example, my father became an electrician and started his own business. And my mother, a successful cosmetologist, worked for herself. They aren’t rich but they made more money than they would’ve otherwise and did not need to ask anyone for anything. My parents were pure examples of risk takers. One thing my parents did preach, was for me to “go to college”. In the community that I grew up in, going to college was and still is a risk, there’s literally a stigma that comes with it. Read more>>