“Who has ever thought about founding their own business?” Erdem Keles asks. A large proportion of the audience raises their hands. The proportion of people who have pursued is a lot lower. The main reason for that is a risk. People are afraid of taking risks. But in a world of safety in corporate employment, the risk of entrepreneurship is often too considerable for commitment. Erdem did it anyways. But he minimized his risk in doing so. Not going all-in, but step by step, building his brand and giving his entrepreneurial spirit a place to flourish. In his talk, Erdem speaks about his journey and offers best practice advice on how to minimize risk when founding a business. Erdem Keles is the co-founder and CEO of the brand creation agency, Fidu Brands GmbH. During his bachelor's at TU Darmstadt in industrial economics, he started his own business in the textile industry co-founding the MerchWear brand Lobster & Lemonade Apparel. He continuously grew the business while working full-time for Accenture and simultaneously finishing his MBA at Goethe University Frankfurt. In 2016, after leaving Accenture to fully commit and focus on his own business, he co-founded the brand creation agency, Fidu Brands GmbH, which combines numerous brands, such as Lobster & Lemonade and 101 Supply under one parent company. Throughout his whole founding period, Erdem always practiced his principles of controlled risk, finding a healthy balance between self-employment and financial freedom. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx