People usually focus on the success stories of entrepreneurs and don’t bother about the road that led them there. Honestly, entrepreneurs have the hardest job as they have to prove on a consistent basis the reason why they decided to pursue their venture in the first place. Until you make it, not everyone is rooting for you so you have to be steadfast and decisive as an entrepreneur to really make it in the industry. In order to manage risks as an entrepreneur, you need to be aware and prepared for the risks and challenges you may have to face.
Liquidity Risk
For a business to run, it needs to have a consistent supply of cash flow which acts as its bloodline. There are regular expenses that the business needs on a daily basis for operations to proceed smoothly. Petty cash and expenses keep the business running and not having the cash to meet these obligations can prove to be catastrophic for your business. You can mitigate this risk by forecasting and budgeting cash flows and making sure that income always precedes expenses. This way, you will always have extra cash in hand.
Counterparty Risk
This is the risk you gain from your counterpart in business who may be providing an essential service or good to you.
So are they reliable? What areas of your business are dependent on them? Always ask yourself these questions to determine if your service provider will be able to meet their end of the deal. Failure to deliver essential services on time may prove to be costly for your business. To minimize this risk, check testimonials from other clients and back it up with a thorough background check.
Reputational Risk
This is by far the most crucial risk of them all as it will determine how popular your business will be to the public. A bad reputation means that people have made bad reviews about your product and services which may thwart any potential business deals from happening. Ensure you have a positive social media presence such that when background checks are done, you come out clean. Other people and businesses associated with you are also worried about the counterparty risk you will bring. So make sure you are in good standing.
Operational Risk
When mistakes happen during business operations, it’s important to get in front of them before a bad reputation is developed. An operational risk occurs when there are inefficient policies, rogue employees or a poor IT system in place. No matter the case, ensure you have an outstanding management team to mitigate the mistake.
External Risks
External risks are those that happen beyond your control. They include factors like economic recessions, inadequate raw materials, natural disasters or currency volatility. All of these could end a business idea in an instant. Use financial and insurance institutions to deal with this type of risk.Abandon A Steady Paycheck
This sort of venture requires total commitment which means you may have to quit your job. In the first months of your business, there is usually no guarantee of any personal income from the business venture.
Sacrificing Personal Capital
Some entrepreneurs are unable to secure external funding which necessitates them to dig into their safety net to get the business started as well as keep operations running.
Risk is synonymous is entrepreneurship. It’s a basic business principle that in order to attain rewards, you must be willing to take on risks head-on. How you manage the risks really determines how great the reward will be. It doesn’t necessarily have to result in a profit thus you must be prepared for the risk to backfire terribly. An entrepreneur really needs to be strong-minded and persevere through the tough times if they really want their business venture to succeed. However, for that to happen you will need to put your finances, career and mental health on the line. That is the price you will have to pay to take charge of your destiny. Risk has its upsides and potential drawbacks so ensure you use proper risk management techniques.