Game of Risk
If you see the words "caution" or "careful" in your entrepreneurial rulebook, you're reading it wrong.
Look both ways before you cross the street.
That's the first rule, and the others we also know all too
well. Don't take candy from strangers. Don't swim for an
hour after eating. Careful what you touch in the woods. Wear a
bicycle helmet. If you're lost, find a policeman. Fasten your
seatbelt. Don't play with matches.
Don't take risks.
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All good rules, of course, but most parents know to tell their
little startups that rules are sometimes meant to be broken, or at
least bent. Yes, that smiling child with the missing tooth at the
playground is a stranger, but he's harmless. Making a snow
angel could result in the sniffles, but let's do it anyway.
Sure, after your bike's training wheels are removed, you might
fall; but then again, you might not.
Not taking a risk is taking a risk.
Starting a business is a risk in itself, but in a way, getting a
new company off the ground is the easy part. If you started with
little, you had little to lose. But once you have employees-whether
it's five or 500-what you do or don't do may affect the
lives of them and their loved ones. You have customers. Suppliers.
A reputation. A bottom line that, if not cared for, could lead you
back to the bottom. Take a risk now, and everybody may suffer the
consequences.
Or reap the rewards.
We talked to three entrepreneurs who embrace risk even more than
your average business owner does-taking leaps when the economy is
sour, betting on unproven businesses and trusting their guts for
all their major decisions. Take a look-if you can stomach it.
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