Tina Seelig argues that entrepreneurs aren't reckless risk-takers but strategic risk-reducers who assemble the best teams and funding to minimize failure. Classrooms offer low-stakes spaces to build confidence through small challenges, preparing you for bigger ones. Shift your self-image from risk taker to big thinker.
Chapters
So one of the things that's so fabulous about being a student is that this is a pretty risk free environment. It's an environment where you can do things in a pretty safe place and without really dire consequences. This is what we do in a lot of our classes. We give opportunities for students to try things they haven't tried before and to gain that confidence tackling things they might have been a little bit uncomfortable if they weren't in that classroom setting. So the thing that I also think is very important is to take small risks and get comfortable with those and then bigger and bigger and bigger. Now listen, one of the things that's really important, and I'm curious whether my colleagues who are in the room agree with this, people think that entrepreneurs are risk takers, but they're actually not. They're trying to squeeze the risk out of the things. They're trying to get the best team, they're trying to get the best group to fund them. They're trying to get the best product. They're not trying to take a risk. They don't want to fail. They want to essentially do something that's really bold. So instead of thinking of yourself as a risky taker, think of yourself as a big thinker who's got some big ideas. And then you actually have to gather all the resources to make that happen.
