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.

Melissa Wise

To be successful it takes ambition and consistency. You have to constantly find more ways to learn and grow, no matter how great you may be, there is always someone with more experience that can teach you something new. Read more>>

Aerie B

Success is a journey. For me, consistency and lots of patience has claimed my success! Being successful requires great time management, organization, and dedication. Life moves quickly so it’s important to prioritize your business in everyday life. I grew my business in a pandemic! Staying consistent with my goals and patient with my vision has brought A|Bar to new heights. Read more>>

Flor Michel

Being yourself unapologetically. I think we tend to miss out on the importance of that. We don’t tap into our own unique energy, we don’t put ourselves out there to really see what we can do and we constantly doubt ourselves, constantly doubting God’s creation (us) as if He made a mistake, when He hasn’t. You have to be yourself and show up as YOU. If we try to take on someone/thing else, we miss out on the greatness we have to offer. Read more>>

Mary Abbajay

I think success starts with defining what success looks like to you! Everyone needs to craft their own vision of success. If you have a clear vision of what you are trying to create, then you are better able to equip yourself with the right tools to get you there. Read more>>

Anomalia (Lia) Rose

Self-efficacy is the golden key to success. You must have confidence and control over your own motivation! Success can look different to every individual because it all depends on the end goal. Proper goal planning is another factor that, unfortunately, not many people know how to do. You need to have long term and sort term goals, and don’t be embarrassed to make small, easily achievable goals. Read more>>

Daisha Truitt

There was a quote I read once. To paraphrase it, basically the only thing that separates successful people from non-successful is that successful people are wiling to do what it takes to get the job done. That stuck with me because it’s so true. There have been many times where the work placed before me seemed too overwhelming and the thought of just forgetting about it and moving on would always creep up. Read more>>

Nikeah Leech

In my opinion, it takes a very strong mind and work ethic to be successful. Running a business in these uncertain economic times, requires ingenuity and the willingness to adapt your business to rapid change. Read more>>

Emily Young

Success is such a relative term. While I maybe the definition of success to one person, I might be a small fish to others. How does one define the word success, and what does that even mean? Is it being the highest earner, is it being the hardest worker, is it being the best in your industry…. And who makes those rules? If someone asked me 5 years ago, I would have said then, that I thought I was successful. Read more>>

Sharbel Mohama

I have never been very materialistic, but I have always seen my friends and family obsessed with buying trendy clothes, accessories, and expensive items. This obsession with materialism in my culture has made me feel like an outcast, and I felt this way for most of my life. From an early age, I’ve vicariously experienced the symptoms of a capitalistic society through my friends and family. Read more>>

Amy Gonzalez

How do you define success? Success is different, depending on the person. Your reason for starting a business may differ from someone else’s. I know I always go back to what motivated me to take the entrepreneur leap. I feel I have successfully faced challenges and as a result, I have found skills and strengths I didn’t think I had, these are definitely aspects of personal success to me. Read more>>

Megan Ritchie

The beauty industry is extremely saturated and with so many talented people. To be successful in this world, you have find what sets you apart from the competitors and run with it. You have to be willing to make sacrifices in your personal life, accept that things can get uncomfortable for you at times and work your ass off. Lastly, you’ve always got to keep up. Continuing your education in what you do is crucial for your career. Read more>>

Sumayah Luxton

To be successful, you need to set boundaries and market yourself. Setting boundaries so you don’t burn out and continue doing this career for as long as you’d like. This means deciding how many days a week you want to work, deciding what hours of the day you can see clients, and how many clients you’d like to see a week. Also not checking your email or work phone on your days off, so you are able to stabilize your work and life balance. Read more>>

Layla Khepri

Perseverance, humility, faith, patience, forgiveness and grace, discipline, leadership, teamwork, hard work and working smart. In regard to what true success looks like to me, I think it takes all the above mentioned. Read more>>

Alexa Carrington-Edelen

Staying committed, getting out of your comfort zone, being truthful/ relatable to your market, thinking positively And removing anything toxic whether it be people or things from your life. Read more>>

Andi Priego

Mainly take action on the ideas we have in mind, because if we never do it, if we never move a finger, our goals or objectives will never be achieved. Also another point to consider is to be persistent, not everything will work out on the first try, and that’s fine, but it depends on you if things work or not. If we look behind the story of successful companies, writers, actors, etc. We can look that they have been rejected, that it took them many years to get to the place where they are now, and why is that? Read more>>

Savannah Mares

I think it takes determination, kindness, willingness to learn & absorb information and hard work. You must keep learning new traits to be successful. You must surround yourself with knowledgeable people and you must keep going after everything you want, no matter how many times you fail. Read more>>

Pamela Breece

To be successful I believe you have to truly LOVE what you are doing. When you are passionate about your business, you wake up excited. You would do the work for free if you could. You would still want to do the work even if you won the lottery. When you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work and that passion and energy translates to customers. Read more>>

Lizbeth Domínguez Rivera

I feel successful when people see my effort. Sometimes it’s hard for people that are not part of this industry to understand that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. All the effort that it takes to create an effortless look. It’s funny, perhaps, because the most effortless designs are the ones that take the most effort. I believe it takes a strong work ethic and an open mind to being wrong and to welcome different ideas. Read more>>

Ella Rae

When someone starts a business for the love of it, not just for the money, I believe that this is what makes a brand or business successful and long-lasting. Having a passion for something shows in the quality of your work and in your relationships with your clients as well. Read more>>

Andria Riley

I believe that to be successful, you have to be persistent, resilient, confident, and focused. In life and in business, you will face challenges. Being confident in yourself/work and knowing that regardless of the situation, you will see it through allows you to be resilient. Focusing on your goals and taking it step by step is critical. Planning is key. With these four traits, you will automatically be on the right path to success. Read more>>

Laney Flaugher

To be successful, is really determined by yourself. Success is going to look different for everyone, and it will constantly evolve as you grow. As you reach your goals, you set new goals and push yourself even farther. Read more>>

Kelsey Van Horn

Success can be defined in so many ways, and there are a million roads to get there. My personal version of success has meant daydreaming vividly and without limit… Then following through on those aspirations. Read more>>

Amanda Parker

Success is like a moving target. Often times, the ultimate goal was just a destination point that provided a whole winding journey. I believe what you do while going through that journey will prove true success. Choosing the road less traveling by doing things with quality, integrity and character may provide a longer journey, but will ultimately be worthwhile. The pillars of MandaLynn Creations are comfort, quality and style. Read more>>

Malissa Young

I think being successful requires a can do attitude, a strong initiative, and sometimes just putting one foot in front of the other without overthinking what ten steps down the path will bring-though a little foresight is helpful! It also sometimes requires trying again and again. And real resilience when challenges strike … you can’t quit at the first bump in the road. It probably also requires some joy in the process, so that you continue to find motivation to grow. Read more>>

Sherrita Jones

I think it takes hard word and dedication to be successful. I feel you have to have access to resources and be good with time management. You have to get out of your comfort zone and be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Never give up and keep pushing forward no matter what. Read more>>

Audrey Rouzer

I think it take courage, resilience, and relentless drive to be successful as well as constant evaluation on what success means to someone over time. Not only is it different for everyone, it’s different for each person as time passes. Read more>>

Annie Petersen

I firmly believe with all of my being, that this day in 2022 consumers, employers, and small business owners are looking for two basic needs to be filled. Read more>>

SUNSHINE GOODMAN

My business aspirations began in 2011 when I first opened Celebritimage. This was my first time discovering what I was meant to do. Prior to this, I worked for other people. Now, it was all on me to succeed. I had to discover who I was as an entrepreneur, as a tenant in a commercial building, and what my brand was going to be. Self-discovery is important. You have to discover who you are as an entrepreneur, employee, servant, etc. No matter what you do, the discovery process is inevitable. Read more>>

Day Kennedy

Success can be defined in so many different ways and it means something completely different to different people. Does success mean you make a certain amount of money? Does it mean you are getting a certain level of notoriety or attention? Does success mean having a good work/life balance? The first step is figuring out what success looks like to you. Read more>>

Jacob Walton

What I think it takes to be successful is just being yourself. Being genuine is the most important part of being a content creator. People are able to see right through others being fake on the internet. I don’t really worry too much about trying to be a creator. I’m just myself. I’m honest with my followers, my takes, opinions, thoughts, all honest. When it comes down to it, people don’t come to your page to see content. Read more>>

James Moore

I think it starts with the desire to make a positive name for yourself and your company by being innovative and ambitious. It takes heart and discipline. One has to stay focused on success in order to be successful. It’s easy to allow negative things deter you from your mission. A lot of time has to be sacrificed. Success comes to those who want it the most. Read more>>

Ria WrapQweenRi Newton

It takes a lot of hard work, money and consistency to be successful. You have to invest in yourself even if it’s your last you must figure it out and know that God/the universe will provide. You also have to put work in whether it being mastering your craft or just being consistent on social media. Promoting yourself is also a major key to success! Read more>>

Alisha Procter

Success can be determined in many ways. What one person may consider a success may be ‘small potatoes’ to another. The beauty in being successful can be found in the process. It begins with a big, giant, idea. Something that you imagine and figure out how to make happen. Once you have your idea, you decide how you are going to turn this idea into a business. Read more>>

Yahairah Aristy

Wow, that is a deep question—I hope my legacy will be one of being of service for the betterment of all despite all the twists and turns of life. I hope the life I lived professionally and, in the community, inspire my beloved family and friends, and strangers alike to remember to fight the good fight for both them and others because that is when we are the greatest asset to humanity. Read more>>

Ramiah

I believe it take having a driven person that is willing to take the risk and always show up no matter the outcome. It takes rejections , No’s , and hardships to get to where you want to be. Being successful is not letting failures hinder your growth and taking it as a learning Opportunity. Read more>>

Kierra Taylor

I think that in order to be successful, you have to first start by identifying what success looks like to YOU! For me success looks like peace-inner and outer. Success looks like creating a space that allows you to do the things that brings you joy. Most importantly, success is about making deposits into others. Everything that I have done successfully has been rooted in those three things- peace, joy, and service. Read more>>

Akeiri Taylor

I think it takes patience. “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and that applies to being successful. I feel like in todays society we always see the end result with social media being at the forefront of everything that we do but we don’t ever see the struggle and the journey that most businesses had to face/ overcome to be where they are today. Read more>>

Alex Terranova

Here’s the thing about success… For most of us, most of the time, it’s bullshit! It’s an arbitrary standard that others created and defined that we apply to our own lives, relationships, businesses, happiness, and even personal worth. Read more>>

Kelly Lynn Welsted

What does it take to be successful? I believe the meaning of successful is different for everyone! For me, it is coming up with a way to smash a goal you have and making it happen. Whatever that may be! To be happy, healthy and financially stable is what success looks like for me. I work out regularly, treat my body right with what goes inside of it mentally and physically and try to stay positive no matter the situation at hand. Not every day is easy, especially running your own businesses but a positive attitude goes a long way. Read more>>

Natalie Huscheck

Success at Well Grounded Coffee Community is measured by relationships. We build relationships with our baristas in such a way that promotes life transformation for them and for their children. We build relationships with our customers that build community and a safe place to grow & learn. The most exciting event in a day at the coffee house is watching baristas and customers connect at a deep level, each offering the other support, love, and encouragement. We’re not just a Coffee House. We are building relationships one cup at a time. Read more>>

Felly Day

Resilence. Building a successful business, even becoming an entrepreneur in the first place requires so much failure. Your idea could be gold but your marketing will flop. You could have the foundation set up but lack the confidence to sell yourself. I don’t think anyone starts out with all the boxes ticked. Marketing, Sales, Confidence, Self-Trust. Read more>>

Rolando Diaz

This is a wide door, but to me success is a feeling it really doesn’t involve any materialistic items. Its a point of accomplishment, reaching a goal that brings a certain type of happiness to your life and keeps you motivated to continue to push forward and keep that tank full. Read more>>

Chayne Gregg

I’d suggest that everybody has to answer this question for themselves, because being successful is subjective to what that actually means for yourself. For me, success is time spent focusing on my spiritual beliefs, quality relationships with family, and within work, it means challenging myself with each project Maybe that means taking a creative risk, Read more>>

Christina Jordan

If you take a survey of successful people in any field, I wonder how many of them will share how a teacher influenced them to take interest in their field. I feel like I am living my life’s purpose when I chose to become a teacher. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to teach, but the impact of the teachers I had in elementary, middle, and high school solidified my decision to become an educator. Read more>>