You’d love to start a business, but you’re scared about the risks. You’ve probably heard that you have to put everything you own on the line – including your home. Even then, you can’t be certain of success.

After all, isn’t this what people like Donald Trump and Richard Branson did? They risked everything that mattered – personal and professional – in their bid to run a business.

Perhaps you think: “I couldn’t do that. What about my family? What about everything I’ve spent my life working for?”

You’re right to think that way. For most people, putting everything at stake isn’t a good idea.

Yes, running a business is always a risk. You’ll have to put a ton of time, energy and money into your business with no guarantee that it will pay off.

But it’s only by taking the risk that you can reap the potential rewards.

Now that your heart’s pounding, let me give you the good news. The idea of an entrepreneur as someone who gambles everything to build Virgin, Facebook or Google is outdated.

You can build a business in a responsible, measured way. And you can follow certain strategies (such as my Launch! strategy) to stack the odds in your favor.

Truthfully, you’ll probably never be a billionaire. But you can use the alchemy of business to transform what you care about, and what you’re good at, into a business that earns you a good living.

You will have to step outside your comfort zone. You will need courage. And you will need inspiration.

But the one thing you don’t have to do is risk everything.

Knowing that, are you ready to get started?