Taking The Plunge: A Non-negotiable For Successful Entrepreneurship

What are the qualities of a successful entrepreneur? Strong leadership, creativity and motivation are all some of the most respected traits you can have today. 

But there’s one trait which unites all successful entrepreneurs: the ability to take the plunge. 

Taking the plunge is what creates great entrepreneurs. It’s the ability to take risks and go all-in towards your goal. We’re talking no shortcuts or half-hearted attempts: going half-way is simply not enough. Apple co-founder and American business icon Steve Jobs once said, "The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do," - and that’s what taking the plunge is all about.

It requires an unwavering belief and commitment to your business - and this is the key to success. 

Successful entrepreneurs understand that taking risks is the cost of achieving great success, and that being brave enough to do this gives them a competitive advantage like no other. 

Take Emily Neville, the 22-year-old founder and CEO of North Carolina-based Reborn Clothing, which has quickly grown from one student’s upcycling side hustle to a 15-employee sustainability business, working with renowned brands of all sizes. Straight from college, and noticing a gap in the market, Neville wasted no time in diving head-first into her business and raising capital from investors, saying “As soon as I started, I realized there was no end date, and this was really a career now.”

Taking the plunge is certainly working for Neville, who has reportedly grown her business to multiple 6-figures within the first year. 

Even when taking a risk doesn’t pay off, as an entrepreneur, this can be the most valuable lessons you ever learn, teaching you resilience and how to strategize for the future. 

And if you’re looking for an example of successful entrepreneurship, look no further than Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos. 

Bezos himself is also an advocate for the importance of going all-in with your business idea, saying, “I knew that when I was 80, I was not going to regret having tried this… I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that. I knew the one thing I might regret is not ever having tried. And I knew that would haunt me every day.”

Bezos and Neville are both proof that with great risk comes great reward; if you want to be a successful entrepreneur you have to dive in and take the plunge.