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

Jeet Bahra

Success for everyone is different, but success to me means that my clients are satisfied, my books are full, my time is balanced with motherhood and I still love going to work every day! I think it’s really important to invest time, energy and resources into your job to continue to be the best professional you can be in your craft. Secondary to this- it is very important to work on your interpersonal skills especially if you work in a customer service role as I do. Read more>>

Caitlyn Cloud

Success in our society is usually defined by how much money you make. And while I do believe earning money contributes to success, I’ve come to realize that I don’t define success in the same way. So what does it take to be successful? Knowing what you want out of life, and then setting the boundaries and expectations for yourself so you achieve your version of success. For me, that means setting a hard limit on how many weddings I take each month so I know I won’t overwork myself. This gives me the freedom that I wanted from owning my own business. Read more>>

Niki Wright

What does it take to be successful? Let’s look at the definition of successful: “Accomplishing an aim or purpose. Having achieved popularity, profit, or distinction.” When looking at the definition of success, we can all achieve it in our daily lives. It takes a mix of determination, letting your work have value, having humility and a positive outlook, and allowing yourself to fail and learn. Read more>>

Paloma Herrera

Putting your drive and commitment towards what you are passionate about, is what I believe it takes to be successful. All your time and energy that you spend into starting something that is going to be the next big thing for yourself, that is being successful on its own. Read more>>

Courtney Turner

Being successful is to be determined by what success looks like to the individual. For me success looks like understanding your value, walking in true confidence, being vulnerable enough to admit when you need help and knowing your opportunities. When you are self aware enough to know anything. You want you can have and work for it. Read more>>

dane hoppe

Something I didn’t learn until recently was that you have to have a healthy relationship with failure. If you’re not ok with failing, growth is going to be challenging. Of course, there are the more obvious attributes to being successful like courage, drive, passion, practicality, etc. but if you can’t manage roadblocks, you’ll become stagnant- both as a business owner as well as an individual. Read more>>

Vanessa Robertson

Success is a mindset, and you can’t have success without several failures along the way — if you aren’t failing, then you probably aren’t succeeding either. Basically, success means “progress” and being able to do better now than you were able to do previously. The only way to accomplish anything or move forward is by practicing a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset places limits on a person’s ability to accomplish great things — you can’t have success because of your age, your abilities, your genetics, or something else. Read more>>

Kalijah Stokes

Grit. Discipline. Temperance. Passion As a business owner who also is pursuing an extremely rewarding, yet demanding corporate career, these 4 things are my personal keys to being successful in both my 9-5 and entrepreneur lives. I’ve been titled the “CorpreneuHER” as I continue to figure out how to balance and navigate both worlds. Grit and discipline work hand in hand as things aren’t always perfect, days are long and conflicts arise. Having grit and discipline is what allows me to keep pushing, put in the time, and overcome moments I may feel overwhelmed. Read more>>

Taylor Bodis

I truly think that when you go into a career with pure intentions, that is when you experience success. Truly and honestly loving what you do, and what it does for people. Read more>>

Heather Boschke

Being successful first means defining success on your terms. Not what society says. Not what your parents want. Not what you think you should be or do. Success means living your life exactly as you want to based on your rules of what a successful life looks like. If that means picking your kids up from school every day, or getting that C-level title, or taking care of your aging parents, or putting as much joy into this world as possible… The definition of success is exactly what you want it to be. And nothing more. Read more>>

Matene Okoye

I think it takes a positive mindset and unending grit to be successful in business. I also believe that being self-motivated and open to continuous growth is important in the journey of entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Ciera Chang

The key to being successful is perseverance. As a business owner, creative, and entrepreneur, you will face plenty of challenges that make you want to quit or give up. You have to have faith and believe in yourself that everything will work out, even if it doesn’t happen exactly the way you hoped or planned. Be flexible and open to new ideas—don’t be afraid to take challenges as an opportunity to pivot or change things up. Read more>>

Krystal Portorreal

I learned very quickly after leaving the military that success is so very relative. When I joined the military in 2002, I felt like it was going to be my ticket to “success”. At the time, to me, success meant a stable job and steady paycheck. During my time in the military as I became more and more unsatisfied, I often wondered why the steady job and paycheck wasn’t making me feel successful. It wasn’t fulfilling that true need we all have to feel accomplished. Read more>>

Boutzie R

To be unapologetically you. To stand firm in your God-given destiny and the dreams you want to manifest for yourself. Knowing that you are your biggest supporter and that no matter what, you continuously show up for you. Success is not about how much money you make, or the material possessions you acquire, but by how you remain ethical, considerate, honest, and full of integrity. Being successful means to always keep those key things close to your heart, but also it means to always give a helping hand, and to give back. Read more>>

Myka Worth

My whole life I have always heard the word “success” without really taking into account what it means. Success is a lot of different things for a lot of different people. It is entirely up to your own personal goal. To be successful you have to be prepared to take risks. John Assaraf said, “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” Not only do you need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, but you have to be prepared to put in the work. This can mean late nights, early mornings, networking events, working weekends, doing the work that others won’t. Read more>>

jesse ferrell

I think it takes many different mental skills to be successful, I think you need to develop intrinsic motivation to start with. I think you need to learn how to pivot through failure because this will happen very often and it keeps people feeling stuck cause they can’t pivot through the failure. I think you need to stick to your own personal journey even when someone else’s journey looks easier or makes more money. Read more>>

Heidi Carter

The magical formula to success, especially within the realms of entrepreneurship, is a mental and emotional compass set for success, continued repetitive actions, and never giving up. Most success is created over the long term, that is why never giving up is so important. Also, we cannot achieve higher than we believe we deserve, so doing the mindset work is super important. Read more>>

Maya Ergas

It may sound cliché, but I think there are many factors that come into play when someone is trying to be successful but some of the most important factors is remembering why you’re doing whatever it is you’re doing and being sure of yourself. I see a lot of people pick up hobbies because of a momentary serotonin or dopamine boost rather than knowing the purpose behind their passion(s). Knowing why you’re doing something makes you move with intention and which then may prompt to taking calculated risks. Read more>>

Corey Dyson

I have always heard people say that consistency is the key to success. Though I agree that is apart of success I would say that being impactful is what it takes. You can be consistent at a craft and it could not be good. When you are impactful it means you are having a major effect on something. I do not rush when it comes to the next steps with SkyBox Productions. I take time and sit with my team to discuss what is next. If the next move is not impactful then we will not take it. Read more>>

Christina Matthews

What it takes to be successful depends on your definition of success—which is often described as the achievement of desired visions and/or planned goals. For many, it also has a financial component. But, for me, being successful is loving what you do, who you do it with and who you do it for. So, in that regard, I am truly successful. When I think of people I would consider successful—people I truly admire—I notice their success includes paying it forward. So I make sure to donate time each month to giving back to the community and emulating the phrase “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Read more>>

Kenya Griffin

A team, as the saying goes: there is no “I” in team, and your dreams aren’t large enough if it doesn’t incorporate a team of folks behind the thought. The days of working independently is customary, each profitable business has a structure rather written or a mere thought, a good business comes along with having a great business plan in place. Establishing the guts of your business is essential as the thought that goes into the name of your business, the motto, and the color combos that will be imprinted in your logo. Read more>>

Allison Eder-Zdechlik

I want to start by saying that I think success can look different for everyone depending on individual situations and life circumstances. Regardless of what success may look like, I believe the number one thing it takes to be successful is hard work. I was taught about work ethic from early on in my life when I started to play hockey at the age of 7. Through high school and then as a college athlete, the one factor of every successful game, championship and goal reached, was hard work. I now take that work ethic into my career path as a content creator. Read more>>

Autumn Scott (Chef AC)

I believe success is a process, more like a process of life. There are different levels of success and it’s actually similar to a playing a game. Each time you achieve one level of success, you pursue the next level and work to achieve your next goal. Success does not have to pertain to monetary value or materialistic values. Success can be achieving your goals through your spiritual journey, in school, with your family, or simply what you value most. Read more>>

Liz Oie

Oh, that’s kind of a subjective question. I’m sure business-minded people can give you all kinds of secrets to success involving time management, marketing, financial allocation, etc… But, for myself, my mindset is always focused on creativity and service. I’ve found that I am most successful when I am truly invested in, and passionate about what I’m doing just for the satisfaction of creating something unique, high quality and beautiful. The most rewarding thing for me is hearing that a piece of jewelry that I created has made a difference to someone. Read more>>

Robert Hamm

Dreams, visions, determination and an unwavering ability to continue to press forward under pressure. Read more>>

LaTosha Hicks

I think there are several ways to be successful; however, from what I’ve seen, the number one factor is to be your authentic self. Show your skills, personality, and knowledge, and don’t let anyone or anything dampen who you are at your core. Even though I have a creative business, I have worked in the corporate sector for over seventeen years. I’ve seen its highs and lows, different levels of success, and what it takes to get there, especially with being a double minority. Being yourself, you will find success whether you are an entrepreneur or employed by a company. Read more>>

Jessica Brown

My point of view on being successful in any aspect of life, but especially in business is to first do your research. Discover your “WHY” and what success looks like to you. It’s so important to take the time to really learn the in’s and out’s of the business path you have selected. To learn what’s required, possible pitfalls, success of others, and if what you have chosen is not only something that you are willing to do but is something you enjoy doing. The whole point of creating whether it be a business or if you’re just trying to create a life you love is to do something that makes your heart sing. Read more>>

Malia Carr

I think perseverance is important to success. Not everything is easy, I have had a lot of struggles when it comes to time management and decision making for the company. Starting out I had to work multiple jobs to make Spatique successful. It took a lot of time and energy out of me, but it paid off in the end. Read more>>

Nika Geneva

This is one of my favorite subjects and I enjoy listening to podcasts about it often, because we always continue to grow and there are always new things to learn…this answer will be a long one :) What it takes to be successful, in my opinion, is firstly having a clear idea of what success means to you, and not to what other people define it to be. To someone the ultimate happiness could express in being a full time parent, to another it might be touring across the world or living in solitude in the mountains… Nobody can define success for you and nor should you allow or expect anyone to do so. Read more>>

Emma Lyons

– Reaching out to more experienced professionals who have seen the industry evolve and experienced situations that I can learn and grow from without directly experiencing them myself – Being more open to invest my time in things that you might not profit off of, but can benefit later from it (Non-profit Art Show & Collaborative Test Shoots)
– Curiosity and willingness to learn – Putting yourself out there even if it might be uncomfortable at first – Managing your P&L – Remembering to have fun Read more>>

Amy Mucci

Being successful looks different for everyone, but I think the most important thing is to always be willing to learn. When I first started, I knew very little of the process of book publishing. I had to spend a significant amount of time researching and making a plan for moving forward. I found webinars, podcasts, YouTube videos, Facebook and Instagram groups, countless articles and made many great connections with other authors who had already been through the process. Read more>>

Christian Patterson

Success can look like a bunch of different things. But to me, what it takes to be successful is your willingness to be dedicated. It takes true dedication to your own craft and true belief in what you’re doing to achieve success. There isn’t a time limit to achieve success. Eventually I know ill get to where I want to be because I truly believe in what I’m doing. Read more>>

Kris Mathis

I believe to be successful in business it’s important that one understands what success truly means. The word “successful” is subjective so it’ll look different for everyone. After one understands what it means to be successful they now have to develop a laser focus vision and an unstoppable hunger to achieve it. A hunger that can only be fulfilled by achieving the goal. Nothing else will suffice. Read more>>

Aleksandr & Aida Skriptsov

We believe that success consists of many elements and all are important. First of all, fundamental knowledge of what you do and strong skills. Being a true professional in your field is important to provide quality service and stand out. We also think that one has to have a passion for what they are doing. Without the passion it’s almost impossible to keep the business thriving, growing, and constantly innovating. Read more>>

Pete Coco

In my experience, the first part of being, or becoming, successful, is believing in yourself. It might sound cliche, but I know from personal experience that it wasn’t until I began to believe in myself, in my talents, skills, and most importantly in my work ethic, that I started to see real change in my life. For a long time I would dream about being a professional photographer, and feel regret because I didn’t think I could ever make it happen. But, when I started to change my thinking, and start believing that I could do it, then my dream became a reality. Read more>>

Ashley Sage

In order to be a successful business owner, one must have a clear vision of what they want to provide or sell and how they can achieve that. When I was just starting out as a cookier and had finally decided to leap into the world of selling my baked goods, I made the decision to specialize in decorated sugar cookies, as opposed to offering cookies and cakes and pies and cocoa bombs and on and on. This decision allowed me to focus my attention on my craft and improve significantly faster at decorating and designing cookie sets. Just making the decision helped me focus on what was important. Read more>>

Erica Mills

I believe there are a lot of things that contribute to being successful; to name a few, patience, faith, commitment, and passion. It takes time to create something of value and importance, faith to believe you’ll get there, commitment to see the process through and your passion for it gets you there! Read more>>

Sarah Rue

Absolute stubbornness. It is only because I am stubborn that I am here. I never relent, and I never fail to see something through to the end as long as it’s worth fighting for. Read more>>

Riley Eastman

To be successful, you need to give yourself an attainable goal to strive towards. I made attainable goals for myself to reach the point that I’m at now. It took a long time for me to see any level of success from what I was doing. I wasn’t making any goals for myself. I feel like I can accomplish what I need in my craft when I make a plan or set a goal. Read more>>

Danella Sparks

I strongly believe that in order for one to be successful you need God. He’s my source for all that I have accomplished. One also needs to be consistent and determined. Read more>>

Barbara Bowers

I learned to just be confident in my product. I always find myself comparing my products/displays/presentations to those around me – but I feel most at ease when I shake those feelings and just be content in what I offer. Impostor syndrome is defined as an inability to recognize my success and skills that are needed for a thriving business and product. Personally, I find myself doubting that anyone would want to buy our product in a market that is saturated with similar products, but they do in large amounts. Read more>>

Sherita Shivers

I truly believe that mindset is everything. Anyone can be successful. We must program our mind to think positive, set realistic goals and put in the work to achieve success. Start each day with a purpose and a checklist. Check off as many items as possible. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t make it to the end. Always count small wins, because small wins became large victories. Also remember, that everyone’s definition of success may not be the same. Read more>>

Bobby Santacroce

It takes Drive motivation and inspiration to become successful but more importantly it takes the desire to get up no matter how many times you get knocked down the important thing is that you immediately get back up on your feet and put one foot in front of the other as you move forward. Action is the most impactful factor if success thing that a business owner can do. Read more>>

Alonda Brooks

To be successful you must first have a made-up mind to do so hence why I named my company I Must Become Enterprises because failure isn’t an option there are too many people waiting on me to prove it is possible to become your best self. Also, I feel you have to have a winning strategy such as the one I created which I affectioned named keep it C.U.T.E. C is for Consistent because consistency is needed to reap the rewards of your labor, U is Unapologetic you must get laser focus, and be unapologetic about what it will take for your success. Read more>>

Jaymie Solomon

It takes grit to be successful. A willingness to keep going even if you face adversity. Be open to trying new things and don’t be afraid of failure. You have to be passionate about the work you are doing. When you love what you do it doesn’t feel like work. Always find ways to make your clients feel special. Read more>>

Latoya Moore

As a mother of 4 beautiful children some people can’t believe the amount of things I do. I work as an educator full time, I have authored 2 books, I paint, and I co-host the podcast called “Becoming Eva.” In order to be successful you must be consistent in your craft, and keep learning. Each season of Becoming Eva we identify areas of growth and work towards those goals. When I’m writing sometimes I will write at least a paragraph, or page, or even chapter each day until I’ve completed it. Read more>>

Christina M. Carrion

When I ventured into the culinary world, I already had a degree; actually two, which I found unfulfilling. I struggled within myself to take the leap and change career paths. But, cooking made my heart sing. The fast-paced life of the kitchen, the details of finely plated foods, the smells, the heat, the comradery with your kitchen team…everything about the kitchen ignited sparks in me. I had found the career that put wind in my sails and it came easily for me. Over the years, I have perfected my craft and have been fulfilled and successful in developing myself professionally and personally through food. Read more>>