Risky Business

Taking risks.
Why doesn't have to be so scary?
Or at least to me it is.
You see, even though I have a pretty free mind and all, I still have an area that is set on safety, security.
By that I mean certainty.
Sometimes I don't like to do something that I don't the outcome of.
I don't always like the unknown or uncertainty, it scares me. I won't lie.
It gets even worse when there are several other factors involved.
When there is a chance of it being a fairly large failure as an outcome, and then you're stuck.
I don't like that.
And little miss pessimistic me, I let that part of it fester in my brain.
But then I think, aren't you supposed to take risks?

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Let me tell you what's even prompting this post.
To make a long story short, my brother is kind of newly unemployed at the moment.
And he is seriously considering taking a big risk that he's been thinking about for years now.
Starting/opening up a business.
So where do I come into this mix?
He has been asking me to go into business with him.
This is where my internal conflict lies....
One part of me says, "let's do this!" It's a good idea. He has most of a business plan thought out. I believe it needs more in depth work & some fine tuning to fully try to have certain things in order. It'd be a family business. And I kind of think, for the location that he's looking at, it might actually be successful. I think we have a good demographic to target around my little town. He's already checked on rent for a couple of store areas. He's already checked into permits to sell certain things. He's already got about 3 employees in mind (me being one of them), 4 counting him. I don't know...
The other part of me, the loud part, says, "not so fast!" As I said, the whole plan needs serious fine tuning. It's obviously in early stages of planning. The numbers need a good hard look taken at them. He's got a lot figured out, but I don't think he's thinking far enough ahead to make sure things can go smoothly for at least a set time (say at least 6 mo. to a year or what not). The biggest thing that's making me say no? The fact that Doug & I do not have our own home -living in the basement of my parents-. We're wanting to have a kid. We're a one income couple (granted opening the business would guarantee me a job, so long as it stays open and is successful.) Not even going to mention the other responsibilities my brother has to worry about. And that's a large loan to take out to not know whether or not it's going to work out. That's where my fear of uncertainty comes into play. I don't want to end up with a debt and then it not work out and then it be a situation where Doug & I are really struggling. And to be honest, I don't want to see my brother struggle either, should it not work out.
It's not that I don't have any faith in my brothers idea. He has an entrepreneur degree that he has never put to use, and I could always do some online business courses. My family has thrown around various business ideas for years. I think most of them have been good ideas. But no one is a place to do it. And now my brother kind of is. KIND OF. And I don't know if he'd try taking out a larger loan to do it on his own or not. I just don't know.
It would most definitely be a huge risk.
It's scary as fuck!
Even just thinking about it makes me a mixture of excited and sick.
But the thing is, you never know if it will work unless you just do it.

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So, do you see where my conflict lies?
I just don't think I can do it but, I'm scared that if I don't I'll always wonder "what if?"

So, what to all of y'all say, are you a risk taker, or a play-it-safe-er?
Anyone who has ever taken a large risk such as opening a business feel free to let me know about your experience.

Happy Monday!
Hope everyone has a great weekend. I sure did, not only was the weather amazing, I got to see my niece on Saturday & then Sunday I got to see my man start off this season of NASCAR the right way. Dale Jr. won the Daytona 500 and I had to fight tears, I was so happy that I cried. :-)

Lovins!!
♥♥♥
Brandy