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

Jessica Chapman

Success in our society is typically measured in one way: dollars. It’s time to redefine what success means, and embrace a more holistic approach that values happiness and fulfillment over mere economic gain. We’ve found that by becoming soap makers and starting a homestead, we’ve achieved a level of personal fulfillment that cannot be measured in dollars. Read more>>

Angela Liguori

To be successful, you need a lot of things but first and foremost you need a genuine passion, drive, and mission behind your company. I am a strong believer that if you don’t love what you’re doing, what you’re creating, etc., it will never be as successful as if you were doing something you truly had a passion for. Read more>>

Ayana Gordon

Becoming a successful photographer and visual artist requires mastering several key elements. Technical skills, such as a thorough knowledge of camera settings, lighting techniques, composition, and post-processing, are vital. Equally important is developing a unique artistic vision that sets you apart from others. For me, this means poignantly capturing identity and culture through the power of storytelling. Read more>>

SAJI GEORGE

Success is relative. For me, bringing my dream to fruition is my definition of success. The happiness of my team/work family and all of my guests who provide positive feedback – is success. To achieve success, it takes hard work, time, dedication, calculated risk taking, and a willingness to fail constantly and learn from your mistakes. Read more>>

Shanita Richards

I believe to be successful, you must be willing to push yourself and keep moving toward your goals no matter what. You have to keep a positive attitude, think outside the box and know when to cut your losses. After covid, business for the food industry is very different. People aren’t spending as freely and everyone is looking for value more than ever. Read more>>

Brianna Blackwell

As cliche as it may sound, if you want success, you have to work hard and actually tackle the goals that you have set for yourself. It took me years to finally devote my time to becoming an author. But once I realized that my book was not going to write itself, I buckled down and made it happen and I’m so glad I did. I was worried about what people would think about my work but they love it. The motivation from my readers have encouraged me to continue this authoring journey. Read more>>

Vicki Kotris

Success is such a funny word because it’s so subjective to the person who achieves their own level of it and the tools they use to measure it. There are some keystones of success that we all tend to identify with like money, fame / recognition, the ‘things’ (houses, cars, toys etc.). Over the past 5 years, my definition of success has changed drastically from what I thought ‘success’ was to what I know now that it is. Read more>>

Jesseca Zollars-Smith

Success to me are a few words and their definitions: Consistency: The very definition states that to be consistent, there must be a state of harmony of conduct or practice with profession; followed their own advice with consistency Dedication: Meaning self-sacrificing devotion and loyalty for their dedication to the cause required hard work and dedication for the desired outcome Read more>>

Deborah McIncrow

I believe it takes an enormous amount of grit and dedication to create a successful product and business. It takes day after day diligence, no quitting, no taking days off until the work gets done. Let’s face it, nobody will work as hard as you do on your own business. Read more>>

Ciji Castro

Success requires a relentless determination to overcome obstacles and push through self-doubt. When people say “you can’t” or “you’re not good enough,” you must believe that you can, and you are. When you face uncertainty, you must be willing to learn and grow. You must show up for yourself and others, even when it’s scary, and keep showing up even when you feel inadequate. Read more>>

Shachi Mehra

In my experience, there are many ingredients in the secret sauce to success. As entrepreneurs it’s important to be willing to take risks as well as be able to accept failure and bounce back with new ideas. It is crucial to listen to what our customers are saying and be nimble enough to make changes quickly when necessary. Sometimes our customers surprise us; if we’re listening and adjusting, we’re increasing our chances of success. Read more>>

Nyteerah Clay

YOU! It takes you to be successful, you have to put you, your time, your energy, your soul, your sweat, your tears, patience and GOD into what you love to do the most. You can only take you where you want to be nobody or anything else. My GOD had to sit me down for me to realize it was me getting in the way of my success. I was doing everything wrong when it came to my business, i wasn’t taking the time to push my craft, or to learn about what it take to run a successful business, i was scared to promote myself and to network with others. Read more>>

Katie Centers & Emily Guthrie

Being successful takes flexibility, trust and support. Running our site has taught us a lot about ourselves, our interests and how we can focus on our careers and our passion at the same time. On top of working full time, we both have small children – we both have 2.5 year old rambunctious boys. Emily had baby Rea last October and Katie is due any day now with number 2. Life has thrown a lot our way and instead of letting it get us down and having us put our site on the back burner, we’ve learned how to be flexible. Read more>>

Betsy Angus-Smith

To be truly successful in any career that you choose is to make sure that you found happiness. I found my happiness as a business owner years ago, inviting people to join me in the culture that I’ve created. Being artistic and having skills is one thing, but how you treat your community and how you make individuals feel is everything in this career. Read more>>

Denise Lewis

To be successful, you have to have Drive patience and determination in order to be successful in life. You have to take a lot of risks Sometimes you even have to spend your last in order to get more You have to be able to interact with people you have to set goals and you always gotta be nice and make sure your customers are taken care of Read more>>

Chloe Moody

True happiness in what you do. Wether it be professional or personal, I believe for something to have a chance at working out you really need to get great enjoyment from it. There are times when I get extremely stressed running a business solo, and I question everything I’m doing and really doubt myself. But I truly love what I do, and I have such a passion for it that it pushes me through the hard times. Read more>>

Christina Roberts

Success is something that is available to everyone. I truly believe that anyone can be successful at anything if they have a real passion and put in the work. You must wake up everyday and nurture your skill or dream until it becomes a reality. I read once that “Talent is only a nurtured skill”. It resonated with me and to this day those words help me reinvent myself constantly by following my passion and nurturing new skills. Read more>>

Sharelle Franklin

In my opinion, what it takes to truly be successful is perseverance and discipline. Determination and hope only goes so far because “faith without works is dead” and I truly believe that. You can’t wake up every morning believing that something is gonna change because you’ve been patient or you think you earned it. Sometimes God already gives us the tools to make our dreams happen, we just have to use them. Read more>>

Candace Randall-Bell

I think in order to be successful you must first be committed to your passion. Have fun and make sure you enjoy what you do. I think it is important to learn from your mistakes. It’s important to also be authentic and stay true to yourself and your mission. Last but not least, make time for yourself. do not get discouraged or burnout. Read more>>

Stephanie Johnson-Williams

The definition of success varies depending on a person’s goals, needs, or current situation. And consequently, the perspective of what it takes to be successful can also widely vary. For me, success is attaining a specific goal then reaching beyond that. Read more>>

Marna Niese

Obviously a lot of hard work goes into creating and running a successful business! Being organized and having a detailed plan every week of what I have to do and the orders I have to complete by the weekend is essential in operating a successful business. It took me a long time to realize this but saying “no” is apart of having a successful business! I realized that I couldn’t do every order, I had to set a limit of what I could physically take on each week. It was so much better for my mental health as well as my family life! Read more>>

Leslie Christiansen

After being laid off from my corporate job of 15 years, I found myself unexpectedly unemployed. However, I saw this as an opportunity for a fresh start and decided to create my own company, eCommerce Specialty Group. Within just two weeks of leaving that corporate door behind, I attended a tradeshow armed with my newly printed business cards. Read more>>

Gabby Scheuler

I believe it takes a team to be successful! (Which might sound crazy because it’s really just me treating kids right now). BUT I mean a team of mentors, supporters, and friends. I truly believe in networking and connecting with others that share in a similar vision. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my family, friends, college mentors, and clients. Read more>>

Brendan Libby

What does it take to be successful? And what is the true meaning of success? How much money one has? How many cars and homes someone owns? I think it’s different for everyone but what it takes to get there? I can answer that in so many ways. I can say hard work, motivation, determination, etc…. For some that’s probably true but for me it is a much more complex answer. Read more>>

Conrad Cloy

The definition of “successful” is subjective because some people view success differently. I personally feel like if someone sets and achieves certain goals for themself then that can be viewed as successful, but some people compare themselves to others (or what society deems as a successful person) and won’t be content with their path until that image is obtained. I believe you have to be highly motivated to accomplish the goals you create for yourself in order to feel successful, and you’ll receive self gratification once those goals are obtained. Read more>>

Mary Wallace

There are many very important pillars of success, like discipline, hard work, and never giving up. Those are all very important and necessary for success, but I think the first thing it takes to be successful is that you have to define success for yourself. I used to think I wouldn’t be successful until I hit the top of the New York Times Bestseller list. I had dreams of my work winning all of these awards and being revered as the most talented writer of my generation. Don’t get me wrong, I still dream of that sometimes! But I no longer base my life around it. Read more>>

Jon Ruhff

As a rule, I’ve always been pretty conservative when it comes to money (ok ok, cheap). But I will tell you looking back it was the moments that I went big and took a bet on myself, that paid off the most. I’ve learned through it all that if you spend your life looking for stability, very rarely does that include the heights you could achieve if you took a risk on yourself and stepped out into the unknown. It’s a scary place to be at first, but eventually you’ll find that betting on yourself brings with it a sense of satisfaction that most people will never truly experience. Read more>>

The Power of Engagement

The Seesaw Effect is an inspiring book that explores the parallels between life’s ups and downs and leadership’s challenges. Drawing on personal experiences and in-depth interviews with successful leaders, the authors share valuable insights and practical advice for navigating the unpredictable nature of life and leadership, from dealing with setbacks and failures to seizing opportunities and cultivating resilience. Read more>>

Alison Friedman

Let’s start with the idea that not everyone defines success the same way. My Baby Boomer parents define success by wealth, career, and a pension. For a long time, that was my definition as well. I was hyper focused on growing my corporate career as a chef and climbing the ladder faster than anyone else around me. Part of my ambition was fueled by my husbands seemingly relaxed approach to the corporate grind. He was quite quitting before it was even a meme. Read more>>

April Graber

I think success is defined differently by each person. Some people want to be millionaires and that is how they define their success. Others, it is having the time when they want it to be with their family or do things they love. I think each person is different. In my own terms of success, I am still working on it. I want to get to a point where my full focus can be on my clients and I can have the time off when I want to take it to spend time with my husband and hopefully our future family. Read more>>

Joe Brandmeier

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT TAKES TO BE SUCCESSFUL? Ahhhhhhh. . . that multi-million dollar question. I guess, first, YOU have to decide what success means to you. Is it internal success that gives you peace in your heart and soul? Is it external, trying to line up with what our culture says is success? And what are you willing to give (or give up) to get your definition of success? That’s obviously different for all of us. So here’s what I believe and what’s worked for me. Read more>>

Courtney Barnes

I’ve always held the belief that success is a deeply personal and individual concept. What may define success for one person may differ for another. Throughout my life, I have experienced success in various areas that hold immense value to me. I have poured love and effort into cultivating a strong and fulfilling marriage. I have nurtured precious friendships that I cherish and hope to maintain throughout my entire life, and have built deep bonds with my family. Read more>>

Treana White

To become successful I believe it takes determination and resilience. With those two traits you will be able to take the losses that come in business and life in general, assess them and keep striving. The journey is a hard one that I am still on. However, I have been on it long enough to know you have to want it with everything in you. When you want it that bad, every loss is a lesson and every lesson is a stepping stone ! Read more>>

Pekeetia Levering

To me success means you never stop learning, you keep an open mind and be optimistic in all aspects. You take what you learn and apply it, put that knowledge to work. Success is about prospering in all areas of life, mentally, spiritually, physically and financially. Yes, I’m currently learning about marketing and how to advertise my products. I’ve had many successful marketing professionals explain to me how advertising works and how it can boost my business and draw in my audience and grow my business. My social media views have tripled in the last few months. We are so excited!!! Sucess is growth! Read more>>

Donna Schilling

Ultimately, I believe customer service is the key to success. Customers appreciate prompt responses to inquiries. They also want to feel like they are receiving more than a generic answer. They want to feel that you understand and appreciate their issue and that you will do everything in your power to assist them. Read more>>

Charnelle Towler

The key to success is persistence, network,and passion. An individual passion is determine how far they’re going to go. Without passion , what is the reason for pursuing ? Persistence and balance going to help you keep you align and grounded. There are going to be days where you do not want to shoot, not inspired, and feel hopeless. You have to know why you are doing this. Read more>>

Belinda Brown

I believe to be successful the first thing you have to do is make the decision that you will never give up..Whether business is slow in general or whether your business is threatened by a once in a lifetime event such as a global pandemic, you must stand firm on that decision and keep going. When the pandemic hit in 2020 the whole world seemed to stop. Some businesses shut down and others had no idea how to move forward. Read more>>

Kevin Moreno

I’m a Filmmaker/Digital Content Creator originally from Miami and now based out of Orlando, FL. Learn, Travel, and Inspire, is the foundation for what I do. I enjoy the happiness of Inspiring people through my films, traveling to new places, and sharing what I’ve learned with other filmmakers. Read more>>

Rich Girl Media

To become successful in this industry, you have to be okay with change. You have to be flexible with the clients and the customization of their brand. Helping a client figure out their brand and the visuals come to life is truly an amazing feeling. Read more>>

Heaven Simpson

I believe to be successful you have to be able to adapt . In this day in age the trends are always changing and this happens faster than usual now that we have technology. With my hair business I had hit a brick wall and I couldn’t figure out why. Later down the line I figured out that it was because my business was still the same from when I first started . You have to get into the editing , the content and promotions these days because that is where the real money lies . Read more>>

Aaron Fraher

I think one of the biggest things it takes to be successful is to take care of people and provide a genuine experience in whatever it is that you do. In my experience, both in past roles and my current business, these two things do more for your reputation and growth than any other things I have seen. People tend to get so wrapped up in being the best or being the most unique that they tend to forget the most rudimentary process of taking care of their client. Read more>>

Savvy Leigh

Especially in small businesses or creative industries, I think people start with a lot of passion and love for what they do, but don’t realize that so much of the job of being a business owner is the boring parts of running the business. They may perfect their craft, but neglect the business side of things, and that can cause a lot of problems early on. Read more>>

Devon Bradley Roof

I believe that success can be achieved by having a clear vision, setting achievable goals, working hard and being resilient. I also think the most successful people are the ones that are willing to take risks and make bold decisions, even in the face of uncertainty or adversity. Read more>>

Ashley Mitchner

What I feel would take to be successful, would be having the hunger, drive, determination, and the consistency to show up and put in my all regarding my business and the goals of what I am pushing forward towards my business . I know and understand that success doesn’t happen over night and in order to get to that success I know that it’s gonna take me to put in the hardwork to push myself regardless of how hard it may get. Read more>>

Michael Lantgios

I can’t speak for everyone, but I know my key to success is just being myself, having integrity on and off the jobsite, and never missing a deadline. The vast majority of contractors these days will often makes promises they cannot keep, just to get into a job. This complicates everything from; the home-owners having to push back other trades or projects, to costing the home-owners and other trades financially. It’s very common, and I refuse to take part in making promises that cannot be kept. Read more>>

Raushanah Sheffield

Oh man what I think success is… I feel like being successful is being happy with what you have and being eager to get more. Success can come from anything such as having kids, reaching goals, and staying focus. In my mind I’m on my way to success. Read more>>

Michel’le Daniels

What I think it takes to be successful is just being comfortable with whatever it is you want to do in your life. Being successful is not always about the money. It’s about what makes you happy, waking up knowing you’re happy and stress free living the life you want to live is being successful to me. Read more>>