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.

Khali Titsch

I think that having motivation and drive to work as hard as you can for your business and clients is a key component of success. Not every day is perfect, but I try and wake up each day and put as much effort as I can into improving my business and helping my clients! In a world where there are a lot of wedding photographers, I try to stand out as best I can by being myself and sharing with the world everything you would get by working with me. And lastly, I aim to not compare myself to others or feel discouraged – I just try and work my hardest every day, and know that it will pay off. Read more>>

Ashley Denson

Simply put, you need God to be successful, “for nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). God created everything in the universe, including each and every one of us. He wants us to win, and not just spiritually, but financially, professionally, relationally, and every other aspect of our lives. In order to do this, you must first understand your identity and God’s purpose for your life. Once you develop a plan and have clear vision, then press in that direction. Note that the “press” is ever critical. You have to commit to making the maximum effort that can be made, to attain your goal. Read more>>

Frankie G.

Let’s start with success isn’t going to look the same for every business owner. Before you begin your business, ask yourself what do I want my success to look like. Most new entrepreneurs, want to make money, have time off for the family or to travel etc. But what ends up happening is early on we take on too much, spend too much time on the business while our personal lives fall to the wayside. So what do I think it takes to be successful? Finding YOUR OWN definition of success and building habits and workflows that allow for that kind of success. Read more>>

Ronnie Sunker

The easy answer is hard work and determination, but that simply gets you started. And being successful means something different to everyone. For me, it’s knowing that my clients are always happy, even when things don’t go as they should. But also that my clients are comfortable with me and feel like a friend or even family. I work with a lot of families and kids, and one of the best feelings I get is when a little one runs up to hug me at the start of a session. That is a success in my book, because getting people of all ages excited to do photos can be half the battle. Read more>>

Julie Martin

My favorite quote on what it takes comes from Maya Angelou: “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” I really like that because it’s a reminder to me that success starts within and radiates outwards. I think customers can really feel that come through in any business – I know I personally love products and services where the brand exudes the fact that people doing the work really love what they do! I’m obsessed with design, art, and creating fine custom jewelry pieces that delight people – they wear these pieces every day and it makes them happy. This is what it takes to be successful: start with yourself and it radiates to the customer. Read more>>

Jessyca Canal

Many want to be successful but not many are doing what it takes to reach success. I get called “lucky” by many people including those close to me and it truly does not sit well with me. No one is there with me through the long nights and days seeing the effort it takes to own a business. It is my 7th year running EBJ Events and just last week I had to do an 85 hour work week not to mention I have a 18 month old twins and a husband and dog. No one is there to see the late nights, the blood, sweat and tears it takes but everyone is there to call you ” lucky”. What it takes to be successful is having a mentality I call, “swim or swim” I discuss this in my podcast, Boss, Babies & Bottles aka B3. Read more>>

Kevin Wohlman

In today’s online business environment there are new direct-to-consumer companies constantly popping up in every niche. Starting a DTC business these days does not require the same amount of capital as it used to and the barriers to entry are nearly non-existent. The problem with this is that most new and “up-and-coming” brands focus on the wrong things. They focus on creating high-quality content and implementing a great top of funnel marketing strategy, but they neglect the quality and consistency of their product. This strategy may allow for some great short-term wins, but the business will never be sustainable as your customer retention and repeat purchase rates will be far too low to be successful long-ter. Read more>>

Allyson Zajac

Although it is often measured by one’s own standards, I believe that there are several things that enable success. Patience, embracing change, and passion have been the pillars that have guided me throughout this journey and led to my greatest work. Patience and embracing change have been crucial as I encounter new cities, people and styles that all bring unique challenges while capturing their natural beauty. I have lived in many cities throughout the United States which has caused me to understand how this has been a large part of my success. Read more>>

D. Golden

To be successful it takes GRIT! I was born in the late 80’s just before the whole internet thing really started to explode. I can remember the one time and the only time in my life that I spent 3 hours in an AOL chat room talking about absolutely nada. I told myself I would never waste this kind of time again. I got nothing out of it. I was always taught to work hard not matter if you were doing the dishes or a final exam, there was no difference. As a person who has worked with ages 0 – 18 years in my career as an early childhood education consultant and childcare owner to a college professor, I see that children and teens lack motivation because they haven’t been exposed to quality childhood education programs that foster their creativity in a nurturing environment if that makes sense! Read more>>

Frankie Wilson

I believe that success is the point where your discipline and commitment meet. Short-term success can be achieved through the consistency that discipline helps to create. However, I believe long-term success includes a third piece, purpose. A purpose that transcends the positions we carry, creating the motivation for our behavior (discipline & commitment), resulting in massive success. Read more>>

Nicole Fisher

Persistence. I think anyone can make up excuses or let road blocks defeat them but to succeed you keep moving forward no matter what. If that’s the dream, you make it happen. There is absolutely nothing that could get in the way of that unless you let it. Read more>>

Viviana Flores

From personal experience, I think it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Not giving up when things get hard or don’t work out a certain way. Figure out what you can improve on instead of giving up completely. It’s definitely easier said than done, but that’s when you have to find your motivation and your reason for why you’re wanting to be successful. Read more>>

Tangela Turner

You’ve simply got to have purpose, and of course a plan. Purposes driven lives have meaning and power. You’ll need fuel for the journey to success. When you’re on the roller coaster that is life, you’ll find yourself needing a push back towards the wonderful, algorithmic plan you made towards the beginning of your journey. That fuel is purpose. Your journey must have purpose. ‘It’ must be bigger than you’. Success is found in purpose and meaning. Read more>>

Kevin Huckabee

That all depends on your definition of success which has changed for me a handful of times. It used to be about reaching the highest accolades and winning awards when I was young and then, as I got older, became about providing sustainability with what I love to do financially. Lately it’s been about realizing the stories and ideas I have at their highest potential. That meaning, not settling for lesser qualities of production or taking shortcuts. Who knows what it will be next, but to be successful you have to unequivocally believe in what you’re doing and have the flexibility to alter your plans while pursuing your vision to take full advantage of every opportunity. Read more>>

Kate Tilton

Publishing books like many creative fields is difficult. Rejection, failure, and frustration are all a part of the journey for an author. As someone who works with authors, I also face the challenges with them when things don’t go quite as planned. It’s my job to help authors remain in the right mindset and find clarity on the steps to take next no matter what happens. Read more>>

Melissa Farley

This is actually one of my favorite questions to answer because as a strategic goals and communications coach, the first thing I do is flip the question right around and ask, “What does success mean to you?” That has to be the starting point, because every person’s definition or vision of success is different and the steps that need to be taken to reach that measurement of success will vary depending on your answer. For some people, success looks like 100K in the bank, multiple investments properties and retirement by age 50. Read more>>

Caitlin Tabilog

To be successful it takes having a committed, ambitious, and passionate mindset while surrounding yourself with people who challenge and support you and are further along the road in their career or business to where you want to be someday. Most of the time success doesn’t happen overnight, so it takes perseverance, patience, and persistence to reach your goals. One of my favorite quotes is, “Nothing worth having comes easy,” which relates to the journey of becoming successful and why it’s worth pursing your goals. Read more>>

Christian Lopez

Love your art!! That’s what it takes too be successful. Not giving up on yourself and making those ideas come true. We are so stuck and comfortable with our current life’s that the idea of failure frightens us. The only way for you too learn is from your mistakes. Then you get back up and do it over again no business is successful if their isn’t some failure involved. Read more>>

Chris Brown

I’ve always believed that successful can only be measured by the individual seeking it. Remaining authentic throughout your successes is extremely valuable. I feel the most important success behind any brand is trying true to your gut. Stay the course with your vision. A creative starts at the bottom of a circle, gains experience and moves through an education of their craft. It’s when you move beyond that and start going back down the circle, forgetting everything that you’ve learned, that you come back to a place where you’re trusting your instincts, and your unconscious voice. Read more>>

Christopher Tracy

Well first off success has different meanings for everyone and I guess it’s a matter of perspective. Do you want to be the best? Do you want to just get by? You level of success is based on your level of risk and to some on the road to success risk is considered a bad word. For me the base of success has to be the service you provide for your customers. Are you giving them what they ask for or steering them in the right direction if they don’t know what they want? Word of mouth for me has also been the best advertising I could ever want We are very proud of the service we provide for our customers and in return they tell all of their friends and it can spread effectively especially if you are in a densely populated area. Read more>>

Kevin Moore

At the top of my list are being humble and teachable and operating with integrity (especially when no one is watching). If you have humility (not low self-esteem), you instantly propel yourself way ahead of the pack, because it’s such an uncommon trait nowadays. It may take a while for character and integrity to produce fruit, but when they do, the harvest is much better and long-lasting. Sure, talent can open doors, but humility enables you to stay in the room. Humility empowers you to receive correction (even from those who mistreat you), keep quiet when you have a “right” to defend yourself, and most importantly hear what God is saying, One of my former pastors says that, “Humility means ‘agreeing with God. Read more>>

Djenane Gourgue

I deeply believe that success is a concept that is different for every person. Whether it means having a great career, a home or a family, more money that you can count, success is something everyone strives to achieve. It makes you feel proud, it gives you excitement and it lets you know you have made an impact in a competitive world. I define my success simply by acknowledging that I was able to bridge my mission with my passion. For the first half of my life – success was more tangible and emotional. Because success is not something you attain without putting in effort. Read more>>