We’ve been fortunate to connect with so many brilliant artists, business owners and leaders over the years and so we reached out to some of these talented folks to discuss what it takes to be successful.

Danny Spears

In order to be successful, you can’t be afraid of failure. Usually your first instinct is the one that is correct. My viewpoint on what it means to be successful was developed by watching other people fail. I worked for others for many, many years before I worked for myself. I noticed that what they cared about was the bottom line, rather than about integrity of the product or satisfaction of the client. Read more>>

Eboni Stiff

It takes faith, consistency and a great support system to be successful. I live with the understanding that I will be blessed with what I am supposed to have, no matter what. Success does not come over night and that is one of the most important things to understand. Constantly working towards the vision and having a great support system that believes in you equals success. Read more>>

Miranda Jiggins

I absolutely love this question – I feel as if the responses to this could be very opinionated, so, I am speaking from my personal experience. In order to be successful, I think it takes a ton of consistency, doing things most people wouldn’t do, being “a bit crazy”, and having a nonstop fire in your soul, to show up and show out as your best self every day, even when the world is crumbling around you. Read more>>

L. M. Montes

I believe there are three important factors involved when it comes to being successful: patience, perseverance, and learning. I have experienced all three of these in the journey of my writing career. I started writing my first novel in 1999. I finished it in 2019. During that twenty year period, I put my manuscript down many times, as I was also juggling a full-time teaching career, being in the military, school, and family. Read more>>

Angela Keller

Don’t be afraid to take risks and step out of your comfort zone. After spending over a decade as a public relations executive and coaching clients how to speak on camera and to the media, I had an opportunity to take my career in a new direction which included being an on-camera spokesperson and style expert. While it was initially intimidating to transition to being in front of the camera, I discovered a new talent and absolutely love this part of my business! Read more>>

Kensy Suazo

Success to me is waking up and being able to do the things I love every day. Success is being able to do those things when I choose to, not when I have time to. Being successful is synonymous with being persistent and resilient.
Being successful is loving what you do, and I love what I do. Read more>>

Ralph Gallo

To be successful isn’t about the numbers you do. It’s about the growth and experience you make along the way that makes it successful. If you aren’t comfortable when you are doing something then you aren’t growing to be the person/business you achieve to be. Read more>>

Robert Reza Greer Sr.

Success is often times measured in tangible wealth or an individuals popularity metrics on Social Media now-a-days. Although this has merit, what If I argued that success for most business owners and entrepreneurs who start out is truthfully more simplistic. Read more>>

Liz McClure

Perseverance. Macarons are finicky little cookies full of pit falls and challenges. Businesses are finicky big things full of pit falls and challenges. The biggest lesson that I have learned is to just keep going. When a macaron batch fails, make another. When a strategy falls flat, try another. Persevering not just in the daily grind but also in the continual process of improvement, learning, and most importantly creativity has helped me build a business. Read more>>

Kelsey Hayes

The moment you give your all to your craft and your business is when you start to reap the true benefits of success. Can you have a business and do what you love part time and still be successful? Yes and no, in my opinion. You can be successful to the point that you are doing what you love and you are at least allowing yourself time to enjoy that part of your passions. Read more>>

Mitchell Bienvenue

The concept of success can vary from person to person, as it is subjective and influenced by individual goals, values, and aspirations. However, there are several common factors that often contribute to achieving success in various areas of life. We all know you have to work hard and be dedicated, you have to be passionate and motivated, you have to have a resilient mindset. Read more>>

Sonya Highfield

Defining what success looks like and FEELS like for you personally is one of the topics every business owner should reflect on, repeatedly, for themselves. I find that people who don’t do the internal check-in with themselves around what success is, more often than not find themselves running a business they don’t enjoy or feel purposeful in. And it’s something we all can look at in our personal lives as well! Read more>>

Marissa Madonna

I think that a great way to be successful is to love what you do, and to always strive to continue growing. I am so passionate about the work I create, and I truly feel that I learn something new from every project. One of my greatest mentors from Hartford Art School, illustrator Dennis Nolan, once shared with me that whenever he would receive any kind of award or accolade for his work, he would say, “That’s great! Now I am going to go draw.” Read more>>

David Rosen

Being successful is very personal and a mindset. Success is different for everyone and how each of us defines success. For me being successful is a balance of both personal and career. Most people feel being successful is all about the income you make. Success plain and simple is about balance. For me family is the most important aspect of my life. Read more>>

Calvin Byrd

I think first you have to decide was success looks like to you. Once you can visualize your version of success then you can say what it means to be successful. For me success is the freedom to choose how to spend your day. Thats a luxury that I want to be able to share with the people I hold near and dear to my heart. Read more>>

Brooke Corradetti

I believe success is measured in a lot more ways than what I believed before I started my business. Before I started my business, I thought success was just if you made a lot of money and if you didn’t well then you have a goal to work towards. Read more>>

Maggie M Gulling

I think a combination of insane hard work and a great mindset. I have failed many times in my business but I just kept trying and trying and when I finally put all my energy into what I wanted and how I treated my clients it all fell into place! Read more>>

Hugo Lopez

Along the way I had many setbacks, many ups and downs but knowing what I wanted cushioned many blows. In my point of view, the secret of success is to be a good person with everything that surrounds us, be it people, animals, trees, etc. Remember that life is a boomerang and what you give, you receive. By being in harmony with the world, you will realize that any negative event will not be able to influence you. And last and most important is to be right with God because he removes or multiplies. Read more>>

Ashe’ Alexander

First, I believe you have to define what success actually means to you and what that looks like. Society describes success as what type of job you have, the amount of money you possess, the type of car you drive, the clothes you wear, etc. However, that may not be what YOU define success as. I’ll admit that at one point, I equated success to the material things I listed above. Read more>>

Malcolm Guess

As it is with any endeavor, I believe commitment is the key to success. Some things will come easy and some things will be challenging. That’s the nature of it. Regardless, it’s one’s commitment to persevere and work through challenges that determines one’s success. The only surefire way to fail is to quit. That doesn’t mean repeatedly doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result but rather being adaptable, Read more>>

Samantha Couick

Success looks different for many people. For me, serving others and making sure your client wins and has an amazing experience means success. On wedding days and during sessions, it’s my goal to serve the clients in any way I can- obviously I’ll be taking photos the whole time too! I want to make sure each person feels comfortable and confident in front of my camera. Read more>>

Mark Krokos

To be successful you first need to decide what success is to you. Is success personal growth, happiness, money, peer recognition, or something else? Success is defined differently by every person. However, no matter how you define it, you need have strong desire and motivation. There will always be people who tell you that you can’t or shouldn’t, but you need to see your idea through for yourself. Read more>>

Alexander Lewis

I think it’s take a lot to be successful. Day in and out night in and out you have to make a way for yourself an make a name for yourself in what ever it is you do or the career you choose. Nothing happens overnight success doesn’t happen overnight, it takes basically everything to be successful, sacrificing time is one of the main things. Read more>>

Greg Miller

It takes a healthy relationship with being uncomfortable, grit, and discipline. I would have argued until I was blue in the face that being successful in business was all about intelligence when I was younger. Being the smartest person in the room would be the recipe for achieving any goal you set forth. This could not be further from the truth. Read more>>

Divine Hannon

Everyone want to be successful and it’s always glamorized. However the journey isn’t what’s posted first, but the trophy at the end of it. I think what it takes to be successful is the failure. In reflecting on my baking business I had many ups and downs but failure has the best lessons. I remember being so excited for my first pop up shop for my church however in doing it twice I had horrible time management. Read more>>

Madisen Stiverson

Gosh – such a tough question considering success looks different for everyone. I think to be “successful” in any aspect of life, it does require setting goals, working hard and being disciplined. In today’s entrepreneurial world – there is SO much pressure. If you aren’t constantly hustling & grinding … it is perceived you’ll never get to the “top”. Read more>>

Courtney Green

To be successful requires: 1. Defining what success means to you. Your personal definition allows you to be clear on what it feels to be successful.
2. Knowing yourself and being 100% responsible for yourself. Taking full responsibility for your thoughts, your words, your behavior. 3. Living and leading with integrity, aligned with what matters most to you. How you live, how you lead speaks volumes of your character and what you value in this world. Read more>>

Amber Strawn

Over the years I’ve learned success does not come easy. Often times people will say “you’ve always been successful at everything you do.” The real question is why is that? I’ve learned that success takes a lot of grit. It takes constant learning, evolving, growing, and the understanding that you fail many times before you succeed. Read more>>