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.

Ajay Alva

I believe that success is accomplished with patience, determination and perseverance, you must always introduce new songs and of course live performance, helps spread the word and let’s people see and hear what you are about. Read more>>

Mary Scott

In order to be successful, it takes a mindset that refuses to quit. As an entrepreneur you have to remove all words with any negative connotation. You have to erase from your memory the meaning of failure because it is never an option. Success takes commitment, A positive attitude, and you always have to believe in yourself and your dream. You have to spend the majority of your time focusing on the end goal because there will be hundreds and hundreds of set backs and bumps in the road that will distract you. You also have to be healthy enough for the journey mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. And that is the key to success. Read more>>

Ashlee Clanton

To become successful it takes putting the time in and staying focused. Owning my own business has shown me that you will have time when you may not have clients or feel discouraged, which is fine! I do not let these times get to me and I just focus on what I can do next to make my business even more successful. My business is only 3 years old and I had reached 5 figures within the first year while being a full-time high school student. Another lesson I learned is to not focus on other people’s success but to only worry about yours. The time you take focusing on someone else could be used to come up with ideas to elevate your business. The main lesson I follow in life and with my business is to never be content where I am in life or with my business but to figure out how I can become even better than I am now. Read more>>

Sierra Rustom

I think what it takes to be successful is hard work, dedication & determination. For me I was determined to start a photography business and with all the hard work & dedication I had to form this amazing business was well worth it. In order to be successful in something you want to do, or have a passion for, you got to have the dedication and determination to work to be successful in whatever you want to be successful in. Nothing will happen without putting work into it.

Charlotte Howard Collins

Success is a journey that requires constant effort and determination. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that anyone can be successful as long as they have the right mindset and approach. To be successful, you need to believe in yourself and your capabilities. This demands a strong level of self-confidence and the ability to own your decisions and actions. It’s also important to recognize that success is not an overnight phenomenon. It requires patience, grit, and a willingness to learn from your failures. With a positive outlook and a disciplined approach, anyone can achieve their goals and attain success in their respective fields. So don’t let your doubts hold you back – set your sights high and keep working towards your dreams, one step at a time. Read more>>

Taneka Sawadogo

Consistency is key in success. Once you understand your business concept it enables you to develop the most appropriate strategies. I realized early in my entrepreneurship journey this was different from clocking into work everyday. I was responsible for the development of the company as well the beginning stages. It’s levels to success, I went through failures that was building blocks to my successes. At the time it didn’t feel that way overcoming homelessness, single parenting I’ve seen my fair share of disappointments. Read more>>

Gregg Farrington

What I think it takes to be or become successful is being happy with what you see in yourself in being a creative. Goals that are written down or even thought of will propel you to reach your path to success. As success does take time, it also does not lend itself to be rushed. I also develop[ed my success by setting stepping stones that allow me to reach the height of what I consider to be success for me. Read more>>

Blue Visionz

I think it takes being willing to sacrifice your time, your body, your energy, and fun…..most of the time. In whatever your doing you have to put over 10,000 hours in before you can master it. Then it’s a new world out here so you have to understand how to market yourself / business. I use to go over my friends house a lot when I was younger and I use to think they were crazy because the whole family constantly worked out all the time. Literally alll the time. And we were young, I was thinking we were suppose to be playing games but over there it’s all work. In my head I would ask my self, why they always doing the most ? Read more>>

Morgan Jones

In order to be successful I think it takes literally two things, faith and hard work. You have to know this is going to work with or without validation. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Being successful means being committed, learning from the journey, having fun along the way, thinking positively, changing your perspective, being honest with yourself, limiting distractions, and ongoing planning, if something doesn’t work it is not over its simply just a redirection. Read more>>

Aaron May

Successful individuals have to have a clear vision of what they want to achieve, this combined with a consistent work ethic tied to a plan to reach the goal. You have to show up, put in the work on a daily basis. I alway reference the great wall of china. The wall was built over the course of generations. It was built by laying bricks relentlessly every single day, year after year. You don’t have to accomplish everything in a single day, but you have to do something every single day to take a step toward where you want to go. Lay 1 brick a day and eventually you will build your castle. I am also firm believer that success is not only in the final result, but it is how you handle the journey to get there. You are successful if you love what you do, if you treat others with empathy and kindness, and you strive to put good things out into the world. Read more>>

Tamera Lakes

As an interior designer, I believe that success is a culmination of passion, dedication, and continuous learning. To me, being successful in this field means more than just creating visually appealing spaces; it’s about understanding clients’ needs, transforming their vision into reality, and exceeding their expectations. One story that comes to mind is when I was working with a client to decorate their living room. We carefully selected a collection of exquisite throw pillows to enhance the overall look and comfort of the space. However, on the day of installation, we discovered that the package of the pillows was missing due to unforeseen circumstances. Read more>>

Lindsey Sarria

A great place to start is to understand what you want out of life and what is truly important to you. Having honest conversations with yourself to gain clarity of purpose, growth, and courage to fail are all vital to success. Success is really how each individual defines it. Whether it be in your personal life or professional aspirations. Anything done with passion and intention will feel like a success. For me personally, I was in a hard place a few years back. I had held various positions working in retail, customer service, non-profit sector and I felt like I hit a wall. While I gained perspective and experience, it was not fulfilling to me. I started to find myself looking for things I enjoyed doing. Read more>>

Amber Natasha Krisher

I have thought a lot about what it takes to be successful. I have listened to so many interviews, podcasts, read books and taken classes to try and determine what the secret ingredient is that differentiates a select few entrepreneurs over the rest. From all my experience and research, I think it really comes down to honest hard work and a true sense of self. Unless you are an entrepreneur, I don’t think that it is understood the time, blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to succeed. Each day is a roller coaster of emotions, problems, difficulties, and strife that have to be consistently overcome and pushed through. The discipline required to continue involves changing the mindset surrounding your entire life. Read more>>

Ali Garcia
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There are many qualities that can make a successful photographer or business owner. Of course success looks different for everyone, but to me it is the achievement of personal goals. As a couples photographer, my goals are to continuously improve upon my skills, enhance the experience I give to my clients, and serve them with memories and images that will last a lifetime. In the first few years of starting my business I certainly dealt with imposter syndrome. As a self-taught photographer, I definitely had times where I didn’t feel “good enough” or “talented enough”. Read more>>

Sharon Burstein

Being success in your career and life, begins with you! Until you you believe in yourself others will nether believe or trust you, regardless of your title r background. Believing in the person you are, who you are and what you stand for is step one and then being confident in you and your abilities. These are both crucial in building personal and success. Building trust of your self and others is another step, along with authenticity. These form the beginnings. Having goals in life is great and a plan of action, however investing in YOU and yourself first is an investment that pay lifelong dividends. Read more>>

Stacy Neal

Being a successful business owner takes nothing less than everything you’ve got, and then a little more. It means working harder than you think you can, and pushing through when you feel like giving up. Owning a business is harder than I ever imagined, but more rewarding than I knew it could be. Because of what I’ve worked so hard to build, my husband and son (1 1/2 years old) get to spend every day together helping other people. For us, doing life together as a family was more important than how we felt when it got hard. Because we knew WHY we needed to make it work, we were willing to do whatever it took to figure it out. Read more>>

Michael Whitley

I have a list of 6 things that I believe it takes to be successful. 1. Hard work 2. Patience 3. Sacrifice 4. Consistency (consistency to me, isn’t just going out there and doing the same thing over and over. What I mean by consistency, is when you’re having a day or week that’s not going your way, you still get out an provide the best service and craftsmanship you can. Read more>>

Alli Caudle

I think it takes the realization of releasing attachment and perfection, never giving up and allowing every failure to be your motivator for improvement, and connecting to a place of being of service and making work joyful! Read more>>

Gretchen Moran

There are many facets to success, but I believe it begins with what your definition of success truly is. For some, success could mean freedom to live a certain lifestyle, for others it could be status and for others, it could mean to have reached a financial level. Depending on the meaning an individual pours into the word determines what it means to them. Success for me means that I am able to support my family financially with meaningful work that I am passionate about, changing lives, and making a positive impact in my community while having the freedom to make my own schedule. It has never been about reaching a certain income level or social status. It has been more about accomplishing the mission that I believe God imparted to me when I started my business five years ago. Read more>>

Daphné Moore

Success means different things to different people, and finding the answer to what it takes to be successful is a personal journey. It is a perspective molded by one’s experiences, values, and goals. For me, success is a culmination of inner dialogue, determination, sacrifice, failure, sheer will, focus, silence, community, and a made-up mind, to name a few. In my current role as a Congressional Services Liaison for the Office of Congresswoman Deborah Ross, I am still evolving. The lessons on my journey to this place have definitely molded my view. I left high school in the 10th grade without a plan, passion, or goal. But when I made the decision to turn my life around for something better, I took the first step to find a place where I could earn a GED. That one decision catapulted me into various life transitions that I never imagined. Read more>>

Laura Christian

Often times people may have this lofty view about what being an interior designer and business owner entails, but the truth of the matter is it takes dedication, a clear focus, and just putting in the work day-in and day-out. Our biggest days of our projects are without a doubt the Install Days, where we come in and transform a home with the carefully selected furnishings. It can look so easy, but these days represent countless hours of designing, planning, and preparation. If it is a new build, these projects have been in the works for a couple of years. We can make it look like everything is done in a day, but everyone knows anything good takes time. It is truly a labor of love! Read more>>

Jasmine Jordan

As a personal injury attorney practicing in Texas, I believe that several key factors contribute to success in our field. First and foremost is effective communication. Being able to clearly convey complex legal concepts to clients and the opposing party is paramount. Additionally, communication ensures a strong attorney-client relationship, where I can truly understand my clients’ needs and goals. Preparation is another critical aspect of success. Diligent and thorough case preparation, including gathering evidence, conducting investigations, and anticipating potential challenges, forms the foundation for building strong cases. Dedication is what drives me to go above and beyond for my clients, ensuring that they receive the best possible representation and advocacy. Read more>>

Suki Thao

To start off, the term ‘success’ and how the way an individual defines the meaning of it, is very different for every person. However, in my experience, what it takes to be a successful person in all aspects of life is that you show up and you do the work. If you want to be successful, you have to put yourself in an uncomfortable position, stay in it and push through. It is crucial that you believe in yourself and you do whatever it takes to not give up. The road to success can also be very lonely and you need to be okay with being alone! Not every friend you have will want the same thing as you and you need to be okay that wanting different will set you apart from the rest. Your family and the closest people to you may not even understand but it doesn’t matter because as long as you understand why you are doing it, you are the only person you need to get the job done. Read more>>

Lauren St George

I believe that the number one skill needed to be successful in both your personal and business life is creativity. What is creativity? The simplest definition that I like to use is “the ability to come up with new and novel ideas”. This means problem solving. Creativity is often mistaken for artistic ability. It is a skill used when making new artwork or writing but again is not the hands-on skill used when drawing or painting. Why is this creativity important? In a world of exponential change your ability to solve challenges as they arise is paramount to your success. There are 8 principles that underpin creativity and when we can embody these, we are better able to ride the waves of change, overcome roadblocks, imagine a vibrant future and live our dreams. Read more>>

Gabrielle Grant, Ebony Bage

Put simply- to be successful, you have to continuously work hard. Success doesn’t happen overnight, and if you don’t enjoy or have love for what you are doing, then eventually it is going to get old and you won’t be able to keep pushing when times are tough. During Covid, our sales dropped as our business relies primarily on sales in person at festivals and gem shows, and with lockdowns and the fear of catching or spreading covid, these in-person events declined in attendance. We knew that this wasn’t going to last forever, but it definitely felt like it at the time. Fortunately, we love what we do and had no problem making the best of the situation and started to slowly grow our online presence. Finding something you are passionate about and love doing is important when starting a business- when “work” doesn’t feel like “work” you know that you have done something great and it is so rewarding. Read more>>

Nicole Beckum

To be successful it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. I think people hear that and think, “well, duh,” but they don’t realize how much hard work and how much dedication it takes. You have to want to be successful. You have to have a drive that makes you continue to get up every day and spend long nights honing your craft. You have to be open to learning from others, no matter how much you think your way is “right”. Read more>>

Anne Dickson

Over the course of the seven years that I’ve operated my own business, I’ve doubled the revenue year over year. That has meant constant and rapid fire growth, continually adapting to needs and demands internally and externally. The key to success in my experience is hiring great people. I have managed to assemble a team of highly talented women who are pushing the company’s mission and vision forward. I look for people with the right kind of energy. My expectation, though perhaps sounding high, is that people come to work ready to give 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. We are women on the rise! Read more>>

Morgan & Robin Bailey

One thing that I think it takes to be successful is courage. You have to be courageous to test out new things. You have to be courageous to ask for help. You have to be courageous to speak to people. Once you are courageous, you will be successful. Read more>>

Rashida Brown

1. Clear Goals: You have to know where you’re going and what you are wanting to achieve. When you write out your goals it has to be specific and you have to set a date. See them in your mind’s eye very clearly and set SMART goals to achieve so that it helps you accomplish those bigger goals. Read more>>