Taking a Risk? Not So Much
The risk was real but the reward? It wasn’t
The last part of the beliefs that got me nowhere. Enjoy 💁♀️
You know, those stories of success. Those once-upon-a-time tales where an entrepreneur puts everything on the line. He risked it all. Sweat, tears, and blood burst out of his soul.
He stands at the edge of the abyss, looking down. The wind pulls at him hard. It’s inevitable. He fails. He is falling, struggling to save himself.
Fingernails scratch against muddy walls, searching for something—anything to hold on. He clings to tiny cracks, holding tight to the hope of better days. The mental strength it takes to pull himself out is gigantic.
And yet, he makes it. Against all odds. Dirty, wounded, and worn by the pain, he rises. He managed to save the company. The myth is now complete.
But here’s the twist: Those tales are designed to inspire. But they only tell part of the story. From one angle, they suggest the only way to success is to risk it all.
But is that necessary or true?
“people often have an idealized view of entrepreneurship, and in particular, of entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley. Founders are often imagined as daring young mavericks who risk it all to pound their dent into the world. They chase a dream with reckless abandon, with no regard for danger or their detractors. They go all in, hand after hand, until they win or die trying.
But the reality is much more mundane. Most startups, I suspect, are the children of opportunity and context—they’re founded by experienced employees who have careers, some savings, and an interest in trying something new. They aren’t going all in, or going for broke; on the contrary, they’re doing it because they can afford the risk.” benn.substack - American Dynamism
I was convinced that I needed to go all in. Take the risk. Take the plunge. The higher the risk, the higher the reward. How else was I ever going to build my robust business if I did not?
We went for two years into a downward spiral. Ended up losing money. But I needed to sacrifice myself to the god of success. Oh, poor little me. You sacrifice it all for the better days.
Remember, you must put it all in. This tale had to enter the myth. A tale worth telling. The one that gives you the chills. But what the fuck was I thinking? The risk nearly broke us. I’m fine and alive. Still, it hurt to the soul…Not because we failed. But because we believed that success had to come at that cost.
Looking forward to today, it was quite the lesson. My head is above water again, and I can now see how risking it all gives no guarantees. With my husband, we went all in, not only as our full-time job. Living on our savings. But also with our lives. We stopped having a social life, or just a life. 7 days a week, it was all work, locked in our cave. Because you know the biggest myth in entrepreneurship? That risking it all guarantees the reward. I thought we needed to have the balls and not play it safe.
The go all in or nothing mentality is dangerous. The loss can be big. Those tales of big risks? They are calculated risks. They’re the ones you can afford to lose.
We gave all our time, money and energy, but our business did not take off. And the reason for it is completely unrelated. The success or not is completely unrelated to the amount of risk taken.
It all depends on what you want to do. But if you would like to build a business (this may be more tech-based), you can A) go grab the VC money or the angel (investor) money, or B) bootstrap on your own. If you go for B, don’t quit your job if you can’t afford to get back on track if all goes to hell. Make sure you can afford to fail. If not, start it as a project on the side. If you're bootstrapping, start small. Don't compare your path to the VC-injected startups; really, there is nothing to compare.
The bottom line is you just have to accept that life comes with no guarantees. Do as you please, but if you can't afford that risk, rethink how to go in.