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.

Bernadette Girvin

I think it takes equal parts passion for what you do and extreme discipline in your daily habits and rituals. Being at the top of your field, whether in business, sports, the arts, or caregiver for your kids, requires incredible sacrifice to show up day in and day out as the best version of yourself. You do this through disciplined habits and rituals that put you in the right state of mind and keep you healthy and energetic. But you have to be passionate about what you’re doing to act with an intense level of discipline. You have to be fiercely connected to that mission. Read more>>

Christopher Allen

I think it takes showing up for your business everyday to be successful. There’s no handbook that says we have to know it all it be successful. In fact, there will be a lot of learning that takes place while you are on your journey for success. For example, this year I launched an after school photography program. What makes for a successful business or brand is that you have to be willing to listen to trusted mentors, advisors, and consultants. Read more>>

Sarah Allison

Success looks and sounds differently for everyone. In order to be truly successful at something I believe you have to be passionate about it. You must have a drive to continue to grow and improve, and care about the quality and impact of what you are doing. Read more>>

Samantha Hearn

Real success requires a positive attitude. It requires shifting the ingrained perception of “hard” work into Smart Work, into Happy Work, into Easy Work. Doing work that you LOVE. For me, when I was in a mindset of hustling, grinding and stretching myself thin to chase success, I was the least successful I’ve ever been. When I finally realized that the standard method of achieving success wasn’t working for me, I chose to instead adopt the mindset that when I do what lights me up, I’m doing the world a service. Read more>>

Randy Mcknight

I think in order to be successful, you have to take risk. Risk maybe scary but I’ve learned that when you don’t risk, you may never know the outcome. Putting yourself out there, putting your best foot forward in any situation or opportunity that comes your way is the key to being successful. Read more>>

Keelan Walker

Success is defined by YOU. Success looks different for so many people. Uncomfortably leads to growth and success often comes from the growth and changes that you learn from the journey. Success goes to those who hustle. All the time, every time. For me success is happiness! Success is being able to take time off to recharge and refresh from the busy work schedule, Success is being able to spend time with family and friends. Read more>>

Jill Kelly

As a young entrepreneur, I’ve experienced many thought patterns that tell me to wait to go for something – that my journey is premature. While at the time this can be intuition speaking, I’ve found success birth in moments where I look at who I want to be, and act from there. It takes a healthy dose of intention to be successful. Knowing what I want for my life, and my business consequently, gives me a clearer vision of what actions to take. This is why I love helping other entrepreneurs see their vision for their business so we can develop clear action steps to make the vision manifest. Read more>>

Stephani Shepherd

To be successful, it takes 3 things: Mindset, Authenticity, and Purpose (aka MAP). Every individual on the road to success must have their own individual MAP. Your mindset should be set growth and determination. Successful individuals don’t focus on always being perfect but on growing in every necessary area. Successful individuals are also determined to overcome every challenge that comes their way. Read more>>

Brian Gill

Honesty, politeness, knowledge and a friendly face. We work with everyone from young kids to adults in permanent care facilities. When we’re in with a younger group, especially, you need to be on their level both physically and mentally. Crawl on the ground with them, sit down with them while you chat with them, keep a smile on your face and if you don’t know an answer be honest about it. Read more>>

D’Shawn Russell

Choose your partners carefully and trust your gut. I made very bad decisions by going against what I thought I should do and listening to “experts”. I lost a ton of money by hiring a fancy firm to run my Facebook Ads. Their results were on par with my own except I didn’t lose thousands of dollars per month paying them. Read more>>

Mariana Morales

Go ahead, set yourself some challenges; start with realistic challenges that you can achieve before moving to the bigger ones. Having predetermined goals helps you with direction. Consistency is a great characteristic to build and implement in your business to be successful. Over time, as you become more consistent, keep yourself motivated and accountable. This may require some change in thinking so that you stay optimistic and productive throughout the process. Read more>>

Casey Hodges

What I think it takes to be successful is simply hard work and determination. I believe that anything you set your mind to, you can achieve. It may not always be easy, and things may not always go as planned, but as long as you’re determined to make something work along with putting in the work, I believe you’re bound to succeed. Read more>>

Mario Wright

I think that success is different for everyone. Success to me is striving to be the best hat I can in every aspect of life and being able to accomplish things that people didn’t think I could accomplish. I believe this makes me successful. Read more>>

Justin Wise

First it takes setting goals. And taking on those goals one by one. Next it takes drive and determination. When things are difficult that’s when it will push you to do more than you knew you could. As you continue to push those boundaries and grow you will reach your goals which is right where success lies. Read more>>

Alex Gimenez

I think success can hold different value based on who you ask. Success can be monetary or materialized. For me, success is creating something that has purpose and meaning. Success is having confidence in my brand and myself. I think naturally we want to believe that hard work and unwavering dedication is the root of success, which is a part of it. Read more>>

Ayzha Jones

The journey to success requires consistency and discipline. Success is a marathon, not a race. It’s important to remain disciplined, especially when consistency becomes difficult. Being disciplined will carry you to places talent will not. Read more>>

Matt Lambert

To be successful, I believe it takes just 4 things. 1. You need to be willing to do the things that others aren’t. It differentiates yourself in the marketplace and there is tremendous value in learning how to find and solve the problems of others. 2. Maintaining a beginner’s mindset. When you approach all situations, no matter your experience, with the mindset of someone trying for the first time, you are able to question everything, identify patterns, and observe inefficiencies that you may have missed when building your base knowledge. Read more>>

Holly Russell

It is so important to stay in your lane, and focus on your own personal business objectives. Comparison can easily throw you off track and confuse your direction. You should be competing only with yourself, and challenge yourself to constantly be growing in your business/craft. For me personally, I was so nervous about starting a photography business because of how saturated the market already was. There are many who also struggle with this, but it doesn’t necessarily hinder your success. Read more>>

Diane Held

I think it takes resilience and the constant want to be better to be successful. Success is never a straight path, oftentimes it leads us to places or moments that test our will and our passion for our craft, and that’s where resilience comes in. Another thing I have learned is to be adaptable and to know what the market needs and wants, depending on where you are and who you serve. Read more>>

Siggi Ragnar

For me personally, success in business is more personal than business. What I mean by that is that relationships are truly the foundation of all of my success. As a professional photographer, I am interacting with people in a very personal way on a daily basis. Whether I am capturing a photo of an individual, a commercial property for a real estate agent, or a wedding in the Texas hill country, I treat people with the same respect and honesty I expect from them. Read more>>

Jenny Bonham

First, it takes vision. Without the vision of what you want to create- there is no creation of it. My mom used to say, “it all begins with a thought. Then she would say, “So think big!” If we can think of how we want our business to look like; or whatever it is we want to accomplish in life. We start by taking the fear out of the equation. Ask yourself, “if I can do anything I want a guarantee of success, what do I want?” Figure that out & begin taking steps toward that vision. Read more>>

Willie Fortune

The most important factor of my success and brands is God, and Community. God is the locksmith to open doors, and your business has to mean and do something for those in it and apart of it. Those two things have been the biggest success tools. Read more>>

Dre Smith

The first step you need to take to be successful is defining what success means to you. Many of us get in trouble because we let outside entities tell us what success is and what success looks like, and then when we don’t meet that standard, we feel like we have not achieved success. Success is truly standing on whatever mountain top you have been trying to climb, knowing that you worked to achieve whatever goal you were trying to achieve. Read more>>

Jamie McDonald

Pure grit and determination. Not giving up when things are slow or running backwards. Building a business is the hardest work you’ll ever do in order for that business to succeed. You have to be behind every step and as a business owner, fill in where others may lack in order to propel ahead. Read more>>

Quaniece Fish

It takes many skills to be a successful full time creative. Success is something that looks different for each individual. But throughout my entrepreneur career there are a 5 skills that helped me the most. The first one is being resourceful, do what you can with what you have. I meet so many people that focus so much on not having the best equipment, software, team, etc. I always say that done is better than perfect and that’s taken me very far. Focusing on the things you don’t have can leave you stagnant for a long time. Read more>>