Avoiding Risks? Enjoy the Drama!

Running a business is all about decisions—some big, some small—but there’s one decision that can really trip you up: doing nothing. Yep, not making a decision is a decision. And guess what? It can seriously mess with your business and create a lot of drama!

Think about it. Every time you put off making a choice, you might feel like you're just delaying it. In reality, you’ve already made a decision—to do nothing. And that’s especially risky when it comes to managing the challenges your business is bound to face.

For a lot of small business owners, managing risks seems overwhelming. It’s way easier to stick with the day-to-day stuff. But not deciding to tackle risks head-on doesn’t make them disappear. It just turns them into ticking time bombs, waiting to blow up your business. Fun, right?

The Price of Sitting on Your Hands

Let me tell you about a client I had—super inspiring guy, huge vision, ready to change his industry. He had a killer idea, a unique service, and big dreams of rapid growth. His passion was contagious. But passion alone didn’t cut it.

He made a couple of big mistakes: he never thought about the risks of launching something so new and unfamiliar, and he definitely didn’t factor in the downsides of scaling up too fast. To him, risks were just obstacles that his enthusiasm would bulldoze through.

Spoiler alert: it didn’t. As his company grew, so did the problems. Long sales cycles started choking his cash flow. Hiring a bigger team meant burning through cash faster than expected. And all those “minor issues” he brushed off? Yeah, they added up.

Eventually, his business had to downsize, and he faced the uncomfortable task of explaining to his team and investors why the rapid growth they expected was now a pipe dream. Instead of seeing his bold vision come to life, he spent months cleaning up the mess from decisions he didn’t make. The business survived, but it was a tough and costly lesson.

So, What’s the Fix?

Here’s the takeaway: avoiding risk isn’t a strategy. Challenges are going to happen whether you like it or not. You can either deal with them early on, or let them turn into bigger problems. If you ignore risks, you’re basically handing over control of your business to luck—and luck’s a pretty unreliable business partner.

So, how do you face risks without stressing out? Here are some quick tips:

1. Get your team involved: Don’t try to tackle risks solo. Your team probably sees things you might miss.

2. Use an outside facilitator: Sometimes, your team might hesitate to call you out (hey, it happens). A neutral, experienced facilitator can push those tough conversations forward.

3. Make an action plan: Once you’ve identified the risks, don’t stop there. Make a list of concrete, doable actions to manage them.

There’s more to it, but let’s keep it simple and not turn this into a 10-part lecture. The key is to act—and act early.

Your Call

Look, I get it. You’re busy running a business, and worrying about risks might not feel like a priority. But remember, not making a decision is a decision. And it’s one that can lead to way bigger headaches down the line. When you take risks head-on, you’re not just protecting your business—you’re giving yourself the freedom to focus on growing it without that constant pit in your stomach wondering what might go wrong.

So don’t leave your business’s future up to chance. Take control, and you’ll not only sleep better, but your business will be a lot happier, too.