Business planning

Five things to remember when taking entrepreneurial risks

For startup founders, taking entrepreneurial risksis often a necessity. Here, content head at digital marketing agency BlueGlass, Irmahunkeler, lists five risk-taking considerations to bare in mind.

Taking entrepreneurial risks is a much-debated subject within the world of business. Some people believe that an entrepreneur is not inherently a risk taker they’re not necessarily the daredevils? of the business world, but are ratherable to understand and calculate when to take risks and when to step back.

With that in mind, let’s look at five things to keep in mind when taking entrepreneurial risks, considering the psychological aspect of risk taking, as well as the physical action.

(1) Risk taking is a crucial part of being an entrepreneur

Taking risks comes easier to some than others, but all entrepreneurs quickly learn that risk taking is an essential and unavoidable part of starting up a business.

Risk taking is also one of the things that truly differentiate extraordinary businesspeople from the ordinary. This is obviously a learning process, particularly when you consider that research has shown we tend to overestimate the probability of something going wrong, and catastrophise? unnecessarily.

(2) it’s about calculating which risks to take

There are different kinds of risk taking. Some are less risky, as they are decisions for which you can prepare far more thoroughly, assessing the pros and cons, and calculating possible losses.

Leonard C. Green, creator of the Green Group and Professor at Babson College, believes that the best entrepreneurs arent simply risk takers, but calculated risk takers. It is the difference between failure and success, he said.

The cliched notion of the entrepreneur as someone who gambles everything on a hunch does not make a great role model for someone who wants their business to succeed.

(3) Risk taking involves a certain loss of control

Even if you undertake a lot of research and plan for various outcomes, risk taking still involves a certain degree of letting go, which can be difficult for those who have to be in control at all times.

As an entrepreneur, youll need to be comfortable with delegating some responsibility to employees, as well as working with vendors, investors, mentors and partners.

This is another form of risk taking having faith and trust in others, accepting the possibility of something going wrong, and yet not allowing this to hold you back.

(4) We all learn from taking risks