We asked some very talented folks to talk to us about success and what it takes to be successful. We’ve shared their responses below.

Alicia Hernandez

To find a way to be successful is a balancing act of doing what you love, and getting paid to do that. With the right amount of time and passion, the outcome will show. There will always be like-minded individuals that are willing to pay for your presentation of your passion. I took the chance and started working part-time to put my energy into photography. Over time more and more people from all over noticed my work. That drove me to push harder, push myself out of my comfort zone, and make my dreams a reality. The success, so to speak, is reading or hearing how much the clients enjoy and love what I produce. Read more>>

Sierra Vital

Successful means accomplishing an aim or purpose . I think what it takes in order to be successful is to first have a heart . To have a passion for what your pursuing . Because when you have a heart, you have a drive for it . When you have a heart you won’t stop thinking about it , which helps you to take the next steps to accomplish the aim or purpose. When you have a heart you’re excited to share the news and get people excited about it . Secondly I think you need to have the right character to be successful and to name a few that are important to me personally that has helped me be successful would be humility and influence. Humility because as a human and being a faith based company. Read more>>

Jesica Carden-Oree

Success for some is a full calendar and making a substantial profit. However, for me success is making the event a memorable and cherished occasion for the couple and their guests. My goal for every event is to provide a service that exceeds expectations and fits well within their budget. I consider it a privilege to be a part of such a wonderful event and lifelong memory. Couples get married because they are a great match and I consider it also a success when I am a great match for them and their most special occasion. Read more>>

Tia Freeman

I’ve found the biggest successes in my life have resulted in me taking some leap of faith. Investing time, energy and money into your passions is scary. Believing in yourself SO much and ignoring the negative “what ifs?” can be scary. But nothing good comes easy, and you may have to go through things that are out of your comfort zone in order to reach your fullest potential. That’s what I think it takes to be successful. You need grit, ambition, self-confidence, the willingness to learn, the awareness to identify your strengthens and weaknesses, all while having unshakeable faith. Read more>>

Matt Abeler

I’m still figuring this out. The answer depends on what my goal is. Am I making music to have fun and fuel my soul? If so, yes I’ve succeeded a million times over. Do I have a million monthly listeners on Spotify? Nope. Haven’t succeeded. Read more>>

Alissa Sammarco

My grandfather always told me to show up every day, work hard and make yourself indispensable. He said that in the depression, there was no work. But he showed up every day at the work site – I think they were building a bridge or a road – and asked if there was work for him. Every day he was told there was no work. Every day he would return. And one day, the foreman gave him a shovel and put him on the job. There is no secret to success. It is persistence, honesty, character and hard work. Every day. Read more>>

Alisa Brock

My definition of success is filtered through the lens of Maya Angelou who said “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it”. We ourselves are the only ones who can define what success is for us. It cannot be held beside society’s standard or definition of what success is or be based on someone’s biased viewpoint. For me success is based on how happy I am and how I deal and manage through difficult times, because they will come. What success looks like varies at different stages in my life. Once upon a time success looked like making it out of bed in the morning or staying in bed because I know my body needs the extra rest. Read more>>

Davin Adams

It’s hard work and dedication with a passion for what you do that makes you successful. My mother dropped out of high school and had me. Years later she went back and got her GED with three kids and a full time job. She worked hard and never stopped until she got it done. I’ve always admired her for that. Read more>>

Jason Palmer

You need several qualities to be successful. One thing you need is smarts. You need to be able to identify an area where you can add value, and you need to be able to identify how you can fill that void in a unique way. You don’t necessarily need overwhelming smarts to do this, but you will need some (and maybe some creativity). Read more>>

Chris Clark

Becoming a successful entrepreneur can be challenging. Most businesses and startups will fail and to be honest you will make more money in a 9-5. I always say, if you can’t dedicate three years at a minimum with minimal success, I wouldn’t even start. It requires a combination of dedication, resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to take risks. Learning from failures and staying persistent are key factors in the entrepreneurial journey. Toss and Spin came at a time where it was a perfect fit for the marketplace. Read more>>

Kristen Charlery

When I think of success I think about finding a passion that you love that loves you back, and I also think you have to be okay with failing. As a creative, I am often challenged by my inability to accept work that is not perfect, or as I have imagined. I’m not sure why I am so strict about how my project looks and feels but they almost don’t seem complete unless they completely match what I originally wanted. This year I decided that I was okay with making bad art, and I was okay with imperfect as long as it got done. Read more>>

 Kela Trishaan

Being successful is relative to the individual. You first have to define what success means to you in order to create a plan to attain it. For a long time, my definition of success was the typical climbing corporate ladders and expanding on my title. I did that a lot in my 20s and was never really happy. I worked a lot of hours and never really had time for myself. As I got older I realized I wanted more stable employment, and I wanted to be able to enjoy my life outside of work, but still be successful enough to be financially independent. As I started being more intentional about what success looks like for me, I started to create a life that looked like what I’d envisioned, thus living out my idea of success. Read more>>

Hannah Barnett

Success isn’t about being rich or wealthy or about being necessarily famous. I believe that success can be defined as being highly motivated and wholly involved in doing what it is you want to do and giving it your all. This doesn’t necessarily limit itself to just a career or side hustle, but I believe this term of success can also apply into normal everyday life, and doing what God wants for your life. I’m by no means wealthy, not even a little bit. However I truly love doing what I’m doing and the business model I have developed. Is it perfect? — definitely not! But, I feel so fulfilled in the business I have created and will continue to improve it daily. Read more>>

Tayanna Ahumada

Even on those days when you don’t want to get up you do anyway. Success is the culmination of daily, disciplined consistency—a mosaic of small, purposeful actions that collectively shape one’s journey toward meaningful achievements. Truly being successful often requires a combination of clear goals, resilience in the face of challenges, continuous learning, adaptability, and a consistent effort to turn aspirations into tangible actions. Read more>>

Darah Hubbard

I think in ordering to be successful you have to have you own view on what you see as a success. Does it matter how many likes you get on social media? Is that how you can gauge success? Maybe you feel successful if you reach a monetary goal. I’ve often considered factors like these but I feel the most successful when I create something I’m proud of. It’s icing on the cake when I have repeat clients and referrals because to me that shows people are connecting with what I do and finding value in in it. Read more>>

Tia Nicole Lui

I think success can be defined in many different ways, and in the film industry it can mean a multitude of different things. To me, to be successful takes hard work and creativity. As a costume designer, supervisor, and technician, the one through line no matter what is hard work. For me success is important in all aspects of my life – both personal and in work as well. Learning how to balance those different aspects has been something I’ve continuously been working on. For example, I used to ice skate as a child – I wasn’t able to stick with it due to moving around, but in college I picked it back up and here in LA I’ve been skating regularly for just over a year. Read more>>

LeeAnn Stromyer

Success is such a subjective thing. In our modern society most business owners (myself included) start out with an idea that a certain number of followers on instagram or a certain level of revenue will make you successful. Most people quickly realize that those outside measures don’t actually make you feel successful. What I’ve found is that true success doesn’t have a standard look and feel for any one person. Five years into my business success looks and feels like tenacity, self-worth, and resilience. It’s not defined by vanity metrics and sales because that rises and falls. Read more>>

Bobby Blasey

In my business, what it takes to be successful is simply caring about people. Understanding that they look to you for help during one of the most stressful transactions of their lives. They need to know that you have their best interests at heart every step of the way. I was told a long time ago that if you make caring for your clients your primary focus, success will naturally ensue. Read more>>

Brayson Aldrich

Being successful in anything takes a lot. Becoming successful takes a lot of time, research, dedication, and losses. I think an important part of success is your perception of it. I remember all the setbacks and challenges I faced to get where I am today. I remember staying up all night editing photos or learning about my camera. I like to think back to those days I first started, and when you compare where I was to now, I would say I’m pretty successful so far. There’s always more to do though and more success to achieve. Read more>>

Doria Karina Greenland

In order to be “successful” it makes a lot of sense to define what success actually is. Success is not a one-size-fits-all definition. In personal experience, defining this vision provides a compass for the journey that is unique and fulfilling for each of us. When I first started my reiki practice success meant the ability to honor creative expression by being my own boss, setting my own hours, empowering as many people as possible through energy work, and having fun while doing so. Being an entrepreneur, I have found it necessary that in order to achieve this I have had to take risks, have faith, and set clear intentions. Read more>>

Ana Rios

What do you define as success? This is the question that opened up my eyes to a different perspective as to what success is supposed to look like for me even if others don’t see it as success. Success can look different for many depending on how they view life or perhaps “The American Dream”. I come from what society calls “the lower class” an undocumented little girl with her also undocumented teenage mother alone crossing the border in hopes of a better life away from the generational trauma and cycles my ancestors have been forced to face for generations. Read more>>

Laura Cerri

I think my idea of success has changed some over the last 6 years, since I started the brand. Before this I worked for one of the largest fast fashion companies in trend forecasting and also merchandising. I was paid pretty well, with health insurance and paid time off, but I wasn’t happy most of the time and had little control over stressors. Now I work for myself, create what I want and focus on what I think is important. It’s a slower lifestyle but I’m able to pay my bills, although sometimes it’s very tight, collaborate with my friends and do what I love. For that I feel successful! Read more>>

Jessie G

The question “What do you think it takes to be successful” is an interesting one to me when it comes to defining what success is exactly. It took me a really long time to find out that feeling successful was much more about finding a healthy balance in my life between all the things I love and goals I strive for. It is so easy to get caught up in defining success as something monetary or tangible. What I have found is that even when you attain some of those types of goals, if the other parts of your life are being neglected you can feel unfulfilled and unsuccessful. Personally I strive to find balance along with success to feel the most fulfilled. Read more>>

Whitney Renee

I wish I had known the things I knew now! It took quite a bit of trial and error for me to figure out what it takes to make a successful business and I can say I am still learning! It’s probably something I’ll always be working on improving. I will say that my business didn’t become a full time career for me until I started treating it as one. My biggest mistake for years was placing my focus in too many different areas. I had other jobs, I was trying to sell paintings and I had my eye on every area of photography at once. You know the saying “If you chase two rabbits you catch none?” Read more>>