When I started my first company back in 2007, I used to joke that my brother made me do it.
I had a young family and a new baby, and I wasnโt sure I was ready to take the entrepreneurial leap.
So my brother and I made a bet. Iโd put my resume on a job board, and if someone called, Iโd know there was still interest in hiring me. That would make starting a company feel a lot less risky.
Seventeen minutes later, my phone rang.
And I decided to start the company.
That might sound like a pretty big risk, but hereโs something people donโt always realize about me.
Iโm actually pretty risk averse.
People sometimes assume that because Iโve started and run multiple companies, I must be a huge risk-taker. But I donโt think most entrepreneurs are. I think theyโre risk mitigators.
They get good at figuring out which decisions they can reverse and which ones they canโt. I think of those as two-way doors and one-way doors.
A two-way door is a decision you can reverse without too much difficulty or lasting impact. If it doesnโt work out, you can go back. Those are the decisions I try to make quickly.
A one-way door is different. Once you walk through it, going back is difficult or comes at a significant cost. Those decisions deserve more time.
Starting my first company felt like a two-way door. And years later, when I had the opportunity to become an EOS Implementer, I saw it the same way.
I was running multiple companies, but I could begin implementing without giving them up. If it wasnโt the right fit, I still had those businesses to go back to.
Selling those companies was a different story.
I spent roughly 18 months thinking through that decision because once I sold them, I couldnโt simply change my mind and go back to being their owner.
Becoming CEO and Visionary at EOS Worldwide was another one-way door. I took more than a year to decide because it meant transitioning my 30-plus clients to other Implementers and stepping away from the practice Iโd built.
But understanding the risk is only part of making a decision. I also want to know whether the opportunity is worth pursuing in the first place.
Will it move me closer to my purpose? Does it align with my Core Values? Will it help me get what I want out of my business and my life?
For example, I have a goal of helping a million people live a life they love. Becoming Visionary at EOS Worldwide was a big commitment, but I believed it would help me reach that goal faster.
So even though I knew it was a one-way door, I decided it was worth walking through.
And I think thatโs what Iโve learned from making these decisions over the years. Itโs not about avoiding risk. Itโs about understanding what youโre risking, what you stand to gain, and whether that tradeoff moves you closer to the life you want.
So the next time youโre facing a big decision, ask yourself: What am I really risking, and what could be possible if I take the leap?
