I was recently asked to do a interview with KELO, a local new station, about entrepreneurship and risk taking. I jumped at the opportunity. Everyday we face risk, but I don’t think we recognize the risks we should be paying the most attention to. Every time time you decide to drive somewhere you are taking a risk of getting in a wreck or having your car break down. Anytime you answer a “caller unknown” call you could end up talking to someone trying to scam you. Anytime you eat a gas station hot dog risk is there! I know some of these seem silly or the chances of something bad happening are slim, but I think it helps us recognize the risk that is around us every day.

As an entrepreneur I get the opportunity to see and experience more risk than your average person, and I think that has taught me some valuable lessons. Now this is just what I have learned so far; I’m still learning and experiencing new stuff every day. But here are a few things I have learned that you might find helpful. 

Should I start a business?

We often see people who have made the initial decision to go for it, and it is super fun to see their energy and excitement for what is ahead. One unfortunate trend I have seen is people waiting too long to pursue their dreams and goals. Risk involved in going out on your own, which, I think, is why most people don’t. My advice would be not to wait. The further you get in your career, the more you take on personally (getting married, buying a house, having kids), all of these elements make it even harder to let go of security and start something new. If you are young, reading this, and have an idea.. go for it! It is not going to get any easier!

Have a plan.

I want you to go for it, but don’t just jump in without a plan. With a good plan you can even avoid some risk by knowing what you're getting into. We’ve seen our share of folks come in without a plan and that usually is a sign that their business dreams won't pan out. There is so much to running a business, way more than people typically realize. But don’t let that stop or scare you.

If I can do it, you can! There are so many resources available today that exist to help you get started, and more and more are free! Check out the SBA (Small Business Administration) they have everything to need to get started. The more knowledge you have about your idea, the structure of your business, and even your competition will help you navigate future risk much more easily.

Make Decisions - Be Decisive.

I'm typically not on the most decisive person. When given the chance I’ll drag out a decision as long as possible. One of the best things I’ve done is address my procrastination when it comes to big important decisions. 9 times out of 10, after I make a big decision, none of the bad stuff I thought would happen actually happens. If fact, very much the opposite. Amazing things happen! In some cases even things I didn't think were possible. The longer you put off big decisions the longer you might be delaying your success.

Quit fearing the unknown.

I tend to blow things way out of proportion, like a lot, and I know when I am doing it. Recently I have been able to start curbing this habit. I think it is fair to say risk and fear go hand in hand. When a decision comes up and risk is involved, fear often tries to take the driver's seat. But I heard a statistic that something like 97% of our fears never come true! 

When I’m able to setup back and look at the whole situation, those fears are often trampled by the vision and opportunity that may come. Now this is easy to say and hard to do, but what if we looked at and dwelled on the opportunity that could happen instead of the bad things that might happen? I think if we could all do this everyday some big things would happen.

So what are my big takeaways? Quit wasting time. Be decisive. Don’t let fear take control. That's it! Well not really all of it, but I hope these things are helpful to you on your journey. Starting a business is not easy. Having that business succeed is not easy. Taking risks is not easy. But if you never take that first step, you’ll never know what your capable of.