Hey there, Tiders! I am so excited to be talking about September’s TuesdaysTogether topic, Creative Risk-Taking! I know what you’re thinking, risks are risks for a reason…They seem scary, messy, reckless even. I want to break the mold today. I want to talk about why taking risks will help your business to succeed. Help you achieve your biggest goals and dreams. Loosen your grip on your business and how you’ve always felt about risks for just a few minutes as I explain myself.
Before we go any further, I have a question for you: Are you taking risks in your business? And I don’t mean little, unnoticeable risks…I mean big, scary risks. I’m sure my story is different from yours, but I do believe you’ve had the opportunity (or multiple) to take a risk in your business.
Even if you’re not much of a risk-taker, hear me out. There is good reason to take risks in your business, but you can take responsible risks and plan for them. Yes, it can be organized chaos, which is my favorite kind.
Why risk it?
The risks you take define who you are. You may even realize what is important to you from the risks you take. Remember that you didn’t start this business to work 24/7. Why did you start this business? Was it for the freedom of an open schedule that let you spend time with your family? Was it for the joy of creating something new every day? Was it for the difference you could make in other’s lives with your platform? Go back to day one and start making risks like you did when you started this thing.
Audrey Hepburn once said “Opportunities don’t often come along. So, when they do, you have to grab them.” I couldn’t agree with her more. I believe in saying no to the things that don’t bring you joy, but I definitely don’t think you should say no to something you want, or you’re even curious about, just because you’re afraid to fail.
Creative Risk-Taking Preparation
I feel like a goodie two shoes telling you to prepare for creative risk-taking in your business, but I can’t help it! I’m the perfect mix of curiosity and a well-executed plan. I think we do so many things to harness our creativity instead of giving it the room it needs to breathe and keep us inspired. But, we also like to know our world won’t come crashing down in the near future. Since you are a business owner, you should prepare for the risk-taking you do in your business.
Do your research
Thinking about launching a new product, service, or course? Make sure your audience NEEDS it. Don’t waste your time or resources on things they won’t be purchasing from you.
Plan ahead
If you know next year (or quarter) is potentially going to be tight because you’re not going to be taking on as many clients, raise your prices and save up the money you are making right now.
Keep Risks Manageable
If you’re pitching 10 podcasts this month and you’re hoping to be a guest on each of them, you better have some time in your schedule! Don’t seek to be interviewed for over an hour for multiple podcasts if it’s your busiest month of the year! Try pitching 2-3 per month, doing the interview, and then pitch the next batch.
Embrace the chaos!
Try something new, and if it flops, find out what went wrong, what you can do better next time, and try again! Creative risk-taking should be thrilling (especially when you’re preparing for it, which may feel like cheating).
