“Only those will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” T.S Elliot

I was at a conference organized by an entrepreneur network a short while ago where they had invited several successful entrepreneurs to come and share their stories. I love hearing or reading about these mega success stories. It inspires me to believe that everyone can achieve remarkable feats if there is desire and ambition. In the coming weeks, I will cover the common themes which were discussed by the speakers . The one topic which stood out for me was regarding ‘risk’. 

There was a general consensus amongst the speakers that the only risks they had ever taken were, calculated ones. It made me think I was missing out on something because I believe that there are times in business when the only calculation regarding risk is based on your intuition or gut feeling . Ronald Cohen says it really well in his book ‘The Second Bounce of the Ball’. He says, “risk is an emotive word that masks the value of uncertainty.” Maybe I have an opportunistic outlook on uncertainty, wherever I face uncertain times, my mind sees opportunities which can be created from the situation.

Am I saying that we should put all our life savings on the line, quitting that job or taking that second mortgage to start the business you have always dreamed of? In a way I am. Given; you possess an inherent drive to achieve greatness, you have the ability to inspire people to reach their goals, you are passionate about the field you want to operate in and most importantly, deep down inside, you believe that it is only a matter of time before you reach the goals you have set out for yourselves. If you can identify with that list, and a lot of people cannot, then as I have mentioned in a previous post there is no such thing as failure, only feedback. True entrepreneurs are not overly worried about failing, the force that drives them is winning and they know failing is part of the journey.

During the course of the week I will cover a couple of aspects which should help mitigate the level of risk wherever possible and help provide a cushion for the times you will fall.

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