Risk Elimination Strategy
Win trust by removing reasons to reject your career or business bet.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 90%
Risk Elimination Strategy reframes career and business growth as a sequence of trust decisions. Start by asking what could make the other party hesitate to hire, partner with, fund, or buy from you. Then supply concrete signals that neutralize those concerns: recognizable brand associations, existing customers, revenue, partnerships, or a relevant track record. Dan learned the power of this mechanism when an interviewer focused on Reebok on his resume despite stronger experiences elsewhere. The familiar name lowered perceived risk. The same logic applies to a young company: customers and revenue make an investment feel safer. The objective is not merely to promise upside, but to remove enough downside that saying yes becomes reasonable.
Origin
An EMC interviewer focused on the Reebok name on Dan's resume even though the internship taught him little. Dan concluded that familiar brands transfer credibility and reduce perceived risk.
Core principles
- 01Every opportunity decision includes perceived downside
- 02Recognized associations transfer credibility
- 03Revenue, customers, and partnerships reduce business risk
- 04Concrete proof makes it easier for others to take a chance
How to run it
- 1
Name the hesitation
View the choice from the decision-maker's position and list the specific risks they may perceive.
Pro tip Ask what evidence would make choosing you feel safe, not merely exciting.
- 2
Gather matching proof
Collect credible evidence for each concern, such as results, customers, revenue, partnerships, or recognized affiliations.
Watch out Do not imply an association or result you have not legitimately earned.
- 3
Put proof first
Present the strongest risk-reducing evidence early in the resume, pitch, or proposal.
Pro tip Choose proof the audience already understands without lengthy explanation.
- 4
Remove the next risk
After each milestone, identify the remaining reason to hesitate and build the next proof point.
In the wild
During an EMC interview, the interviewer's attention stopped at Reebok and discounted stronger but less recognizable experiences. The brand acted as a shortcut for credibility even though Dan's actual internship experience was limited.
→ Dan made trusted brand alignment a deliberate part of his career strategy.
A founder seeking investment first wins customers, generates revenue, and secures a partnership with a familiar brand. Each proof point answers a different concern about demand and execution.
→ The company becomes easier for an investor or partner to back.
Common mistakes
Selling only the upside
An ambitious promise does not answer the decision-maker's concern about what could go wrong.
Using irrelevant prestige
A famous association helps only when it signals capability or trust that matters to the target decision.
Is it for you?
Best for
Job seekers, founders, and independent professionals who need to earn trust quickly.
Not ideal for
Situations where experimentation and deliberately high-risk bets are the primary selection criteria.
From the transcript
“a career or a business is built on the elimination of risk”
“your goal is how do I eliminate as much risk from people working with me throughout my career as possible”
From the episode
Dan Schawbel Teaches the Art of Talent Stacking