We believe that success can mean different things to different people – not everyone wants the same thing, what drives happiness and fulfillment for one person doesn’t necessarily predict what will for another. That said – if we simply think of success as being effective at achieving one’s goal – whatever those goals might be – then we can set a sort of common

Michael Wilkins

It takes a lot of grit, grind, and determination to be successful and to make it in business. So many times I have wanted to quit and give up, but i kept pushing and learning and growing. In Napoleon Hill’s Book “Think and Grow Rich”, he tells the story of a man who was digging for gold over many months, but eventually the man decided to give up. The man then sold all of his equipment to a junkman; this junkman sought advice from others prior to digging, and found out that the gold was just 3 feet away from where the previous man had stopped. This story showed me that a lot of times, we are closer to reaching our goals than we think we are; if we push through and get help from experienced professionals in our field, we will find success! Read more>>

Lilly Ankeney-fox

As a performance equine trainer and blacksmith, I have learned that the principles of success apply not only to our work with horses but also to every aspect of our lives. Success is a journey, not a destination. Much like starting a colt & forging a piece of metal, everything is built from the ground up. It requires patience, perseverance, and a deep understanding of both the craft and ourselves. In my experience, success can only begin with a passion. When I first stepped into this world, my love for these animals and the craft fueled my ambition. This passion drives us to learn, to grow, and to overcome any obstacle. To be successful at anything, you must embrace hard work.. There are no shortcuts. Just as a horse does not become a champion overnight, we do not achieve our goals without putting in the effort. I remember countless early mornings spent at my forge & anvil, shaping metal while the world slept. Each strike of the hammer was a testament to my commitment. The same principle applies in training horses. It takes hours of practice, repetition, and dedication to build trust and develop skills. Each small improvement adds up to create something extraordinary! Another fundamental aspect of success is resilience. Read more>>

Jerad Linnell

Starting a business has been one of the most difficult things that I have done in my life. Measuring success is based on what kind of goals you have set for yourself. It is very hard to measure and you have to take risks and sacrifice to achieve them. One of my biggest takes on success is being consistent. You have to constantly put your self out there to learn and grow. The results may not always end up how you intended but you have to keep pressing forward. Taking time each day to make yourself better is one of the best investments you can make. Read more>>

Ashley Mccray

At Honeypot Treats, we believe that three key elements contribute to success: 1) a great team, 2) a unifying mission, and 3) an unwavering commitment to continuous learning. The team at Honey Pot Treats is small but powerful, with deep expertise in cannabis policy, global product launches, legal strategy, and business. Our diverse perspectives lay the foundation for a brand devoted to spreading sweetness in New York and around the world. This shared mission drives everything we do. This common purpose is vital because it keeps us focused and motivated through high points and challenges alike. Challenges are seen as opportunities to learn, and we share a passion for learning. Success is forged from countless lessons learned through setbacks without ever accepting defeat. When plans go awry, we learn, adapt, and improve—emerging stronger each time. A life or business committed to learning is destined for success, equipped with the resilience to adapt and anticipate what comes next. Read more>>

Max Hall

The idea of Success is a nuanced one, but lets define it as doing something that brings you joy while also being both experiential and financially fruitful. It takes grit. It takes not listening to doubters. You need to have faith in yourself through some pretty rough times. It gets even harder when you have other options. options are a distraction. you need to see the vision you have for your life and you need to chase it. You need to feel it. I cant tell you how many times ive almost quit. Ive been stolen from, injured, taken advantage of, had offers form comfier jobs, been in debt, ive been told no, rejected, and ignored far more than given opportunity, but i stick to my guns, and keep moving forward.  I cant think of a particular story that pertains to how my world view has been shaped around the idea of success. I can say that i have had many sleepless nights of self doubt and anxiety and temptation to go back to the safe road. This lead me to making myself a promise to myself and my fiance that i would not give up. No matter what. I will continue to pursue my dreams despite the setbacks. I wont let anyone or any situation break my sprit. Read more>>

Laura Petit

Society often imposes on us an idea of success conditioned by gender. For women, this often translates to being attractive, marrying a ‘successful man’—defined by traditional standards as handsome and a good provider—having a couple of children, and balancing a career. But the truth is, not everyone wants that. I believe that success should be something each person defines for themselves, aligned with their own values. To do this, it’s essential to know yourself first—understand what’s important to you, what makes you happy, what inspires you, what bores you, and what feels intolerable. Without clear personal standards and values, it’s easy to get swept along by societal expectations and end up doing things that betray your true self just to fit in. For me, success is, as Cindy Lauper says, about expressing my ‘true colors.’ I follow my own standards in both my personal and professional life: I aim to infuse joy into everything I do and to create beauty in the world around me. I pride myself on always following my heart, and to me, that’s true success. Read more>>

Bethany Nanan

For me, success begins with a true passion for what you do and a commitment to working hard every day. My journey in the event industry started with Epting Events, where I gained hands-on experience in everything from planning to execution. The work is challenging, but when you love what you do, the rewards far outweigh the effort. Event planning isn’t for everyone, but I fell in love and could not imagine doing anything different! When I started PlainJane Designs, it was driven by my love for small businesses and my lifelong dream of creating something that helps people. I’ve always found joy in helping others find the perfect gift, creating a custom invitation that fits a client’s vision perfectly, or curating an experience that brings someone’s dream event to life. It’s those little moments of making people happy that fuel my passion. In fact, it’s always been a dream of mine to open a gift shop, where people can find unique and thoughtful items. That’s where PlainJane Designs comes in—it’s a place where creativity, personal touch, comfort, and a love for making people feel special all come together! Read more>>

Jarret Mcbride Sr

In my humble opinion, you have to be driven to successully. You have to the ability to overcome adversity and stay focused on your goals. being a retired military person. I have learn to overcome adversity and keep moving forward with my goals/plans. For example.: I had a contractor take a large sum of money from me which was a major set back. I reached to a fraternity brother that had a construction company to complete the project. This allow me to solve my dilema and stay focus on my goal to open my italian ice store. Things will alway happen unexpectedly and you havt to have the ability to fight through those obstacles. Success is the ability to see it, plan it, execute it the plan. Read more>>

Jackie Nunez

Success comes in so many shapes and forms. For some, success may mean to be your own boss and others is making a change in the world. For me success means being authentic and building my own business that helps others. I started Flowworksmedia because as a creative myself, I was surrounded by so many talented creatives from Djs, musicians, poets, painters, flow dancers ect. I saw how deep their passion was for their art and I wanted them to share their message with a larger audience and help others. I wanted them to have a spotlight by interviewing them and asking them questions on their journey and share any advice to new up and coming artist. I think them sharing their success helps others reach that success. Read more>>

Rebecca Warren

Success comes down to two key ingredients: resilience and a sometime irrational belief in yourself. First up: resilience. Let’s be real—nobody nails it on their first try. And if they say they did, they’re lying. I read a study successful podcasts that explains this concept very well. 90% of podcasts quit after just three episodes. Of those that stick it out, another 90% quit before episode 20. Translation? The top 1% of podcasts aren’t talented people—they just didn’t quit. Resilience is deceptively simple: you show up, you learn, you try again, and you keep asking good questions to the right people. Is it easy? Absolutely not. But it’s the fuel that gets you through the grind when the odds (and your own doubts) are screaming otherwise. Read more>>

Sarah Jacknife

To me, success comes from a combination of taking risks, staying consistent in working toward goals, a bit of luck, and learning to adapt quickly when things don’t go as planned. When I decided to work for myself, I started my company as a side hustle. For over a year, I steadily built my brand and took on small contracts while working full-time. It was challenging, as it meant working evenings and weekends, but this approach allowed me to build up the stamina for long hours and create a safety net with some initial clients. Read more>>

Valerie Corvin

Lots of hours in the studio is the key to success. The old adage that one needs to put 10,000 hours of practice in to be successful. I think it is much longer than that. The journey to discover one’s path in the creative world can be much longer and full of more detours than a typical career. Visual artist are on a journey of self-discovery. Learning to listen to your inner voice is hard to do. Cool things other artists do can distract and put one on a path of experimentation that can sometimes be a long detour. Getting back to listening to your inner voice took me awhile. I found my way back with the help of mediation and grounding exercises. Visualizing my feet grounded to the earth is one visualization that helped me. tremendously. Secondly, I took a class with a master teacher who required weekly goals and required the class to read the goals out loud to the whole class. That really helped drum into me – listen to my intuition and to check in with myself on what my gut is telling me is the next move on a painting. I love listening to those type of voices in my head. Read more>>

Rubaa Jamil

To achieve success, it is essential to maintain an open mind, embrace learning, and explore new opportunities. Being receptive to meeting new people and seeking diverse experiences helps broaden perspectives. Stepping out of your comfort zone, challenging yourself, practicing patience, and consistently pushing your boundaries are key elements in the journey toward growth and success. Read more>>

Ben Krol

Success always depends on one’s interpretation and can be measured differently based on personal and professional experiences. For me, success is about finding a space where we can strive to explore the best parts of ourselves, no matter the field we’re in. The most complex part, I’d say, is figuring out how to get to that “sacred place.” While I don’t have a specific recipe, I do believe there are some key ingredients: dedication, motivation, and the resilience to keep moving forward, even during tough times—like when clients are scarce, self-doubt creeps in, or personal issues arise. Read more>>

Katrina D’onofrio

I believe that being professional at all times sets you a part from other artists in the work place. Talent can only take you so far. Having a strong work ethic, being reliable and on time will leave a big impression with your clients in a competitive industry. Read more>>

Sarah Nimalan

Success is not just a destination, it’s a journey. A journey that requires hard work, faith, and perseverance. For me, success is not just about reaching a certain goal, it’s about everything that comes along with it. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it. There are many trials and tribulations that arise along the way, however it is important to remember that this builds character and helps you to gain resilience to challenges. Before creating Truly Debonaire, I earned my bachelor’s degree in commerce. However I still had that passion to do something creative, so I took a leap of faith and enrolled in Parsons School of Design. Becoming a fashion designer was attainable however it required a level of commitment and dedication to keep going. After years of planning and researching to create a collection that people would love, Truly Debonaire debuted its first collection at New York Fashion Week. The countless hours of brainstorming, the sleepless nights of designing, and the endless revisions all led to creating something tangible that people can relate to. Remember, behind every success story, there’s a story of hard work and perseverance! Read more>>

Laura Loop

I believe in order to become successful you need to be willing to do the hard things, and sometimes the hard things are; being vulnerable, fail in order to learn, sit with difficult conversations, set boundaries. Being all in when building your dream life, whether that includes a business or not, means you stay with it’s hard. I call that staying power. The ability to stay when your instincts are triggered to fight/flight/freeze/fawn.  When life is lifeing, which it does an awful lot, you need to be committed to staying. When it looks like it hasn’t worked, it might still be workING, the results are not there yet. It’s most likely your impatience ruling you out before the race has ended.  Read more>>

Alexandria Hurley

Success, to me, is rooted in resilience, adaptability, and the ability to cultivate meaningful relationships. My journey, from being a first-generation graduate degree (masters) student raised by a single father in Huntington, West Virginia, to becoming a PR Director managing high-profile hospitality and destination accounts, is a testament to these values. Growing up in a small town, I learned the importance of resourcefulness and grit. My dad, Richard Hurley, instilled in me a strong work ethic and the belief that hard work opens doors. This mindset carried me through my time at the University of Kentucky, where I specialized in Integrated Public Relations, and later, during the monumental opening of Circa Las Vegas—a career-defining moment. Read more>>