Framework: Risk Management for Smart Growth
📌 “Be aggressively conservative and conservatively aggressive.” – Nassim Taleb (adapted)
Mini Course: Balance Chaos and Certainty
Business masters win by protecting the downside and placing smart, asymmetric bets. The Barbell Strategy splits your energy, time, and money:
80–90% Safe, Stable Core:
Proven offers
Reliable clients
Predictable channels
Controlled cash flow
10–20% High-Risk, High-Upside Bets:
New markets
Viral campaigns
Pricing experiments
Radical product features
This creates optionality—you survive no matter what, but you’re exposed to outsized upside when a bet lands.
Task: Audit Your Strategy Barbell
List your current time/money allocations.
Label each as “Core” (safe, proven) or “Bet” (uncertain, high-reward).
Adjust to aim for an 80/20 or 90/10 ratio.
Identify one new asymmetric bet to place this week with limited downside and scalable upside.
The smartest entrepreneurs aren’t risk-averse—they’re risk intelligent.