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.

Efrain Arocha

To be successful depends on everyone kind of measuring whats is success. For some is to be known and admired for a large group of people, to be accepted, to be cheered every time, for others is to achieve as many golds as they proposed. But determination, constance and stubbornness seems to be common paths to achieve success, so thats what i usually do, keep going, don’t stopping on my path, if i stop is just for recovery strength and keep going harder. Read more>>

Alexis Cornell

When it comes to being successful, it truly does involve an immense belief in yourself. No matter who may support you, no matter how much easier it would be to quit, or how difficult the end goal may be to reach— success is all about how much dedication you have to yourself and your vision. Read more>>

Caitlyn Cuadra

Success is only determined by oneself. I knew the level of success that I wanted to reach was going to drive me to move in a direction with gusto and determination like no other. To be successful, you have to take risks and if you’re not willing to step out of your comfort zone and really allow yourself to see through another pair of eyes, you will never find success. When removing components of your life that may feel comfortable or easy like a steady job, a pay rate that pays the bills every month or basic health insurance, you may feel like there is no other choice and that is success for you. Read more>>

Naomi Ibanez

I feel that “being successful” is more of a state of mind and not a state of being. It takes a strong minded person to be successful. To be successful one must be open minded to trying new ideas and allowing themselves to view things from a different perspectives than their own. Additionally, one must also be courageous and not shy away from potentially making mistakes- after all one learns best from their mistakes, but most importantly it takes a lot of self discipline and motivation to be successful, you have to be YOUR biggest fan and never allow for outside distractions to sidetrack you from your goals. Read more>>

Brian Mullins

My idea of what I think it takes to be “successful” hasn’t really changed over the years. When I first started as a photographer, I felt learning as much as you can from as many people as you can and pushing my own artistic boundaries was the key to having a successful business. 17 years later, I still feel exactly the same way with one addition. Not giving in to fear. Read more>>

Marcus Heckman

For me it’s being persistent never giving up. There are going to be failures every business owner has failures but it’s how you learn and come back from those failures. That’s how you take your business to the next level and start making the progress you want. Read more>>

Royan Descartes

I think it would be making mistakes and learning from them. I can think of no other way to answer that. I know people, who i have had the honor of speaking to and they would always tell me how they made many mistakes along the way to achieve their goal. Inspiring as it sounds, everyone is built different and sometimes it is difficult for us to find the courage to power through and learn from a mistake and keep pushing. If we remember that life is always a challenge, I think we can all be successful with a little effort and discipline. Read more>>

Kevin Kaapana

I think to be successful in this industry you have to be persistent. Art is something we all love to create but the business side isn’t always easy. You have to be on top of things all the time in order to grow your business/brand. Read more>>

Jasmine Carter

massive action! if i could go back to my first intial leap to start this business i would advise myself to set the goals and take massive action to bring them into fruition. you have to be all in even when all you can see are the few steps directly in front of you. when i first started in i had my focus in many different things, many different projects. do i wanna continue school, do i wanna work full time, am i even worthy to take up space here? it wasn’t until last summer that i finally was ready for something different, and that meant that i had to do something different. Read more>>

Tev B

To be successful you need to have a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone. You need to be able to wish, have big dreams and be creative with your wishes. You need to be able to stand your ground, tell people their place so you can continue your dreams, and best of all you need to have a funny bone; you need to have the ability to laugh at your mistakes, learn from your mistakes and move on. Having a wishbone is important because being able to dream, plan and make goals in life is a must in order to live a successful life. Read more>>

Eboni Littlejohn

That’s a loaded question for me. Especially because I’ve personally struggled with “feeling successful” at times. That’s not because I wasn’t successful, rather than I was defining success by the standards, expectations, and actions of society. Society teaches us that we need to graduate from high school, get a degree, get married, have a family, and climb the corporate ladder to be successful. But what if that’s not what YOU want to do? What if you know there’s more to life than that? If you choose another route outside of society’s expectations, are you not successful? Read more>>

Alexis Hove

The definition of success varies from person to person, so I think it’s helpful to write down goals to determine what your version looks like. My version is to make connections with people through art, create a sense of community with other local makers, and make a living doing so. I think the most important aspect of long term success is to be steady, and not expect it to all happen at once. It takes time to build something cool and you have to be okay with playing the long game. (Which is honestly so incredibly difficult for me. I have no patience!) But I’d say the biggest thing is just not giving up. It’s so easy to get discouraged as any small business owner, but if you trust yourself and what you’re making, it can be done. Read more>>

Kyle Kania

To be successful in a niche industry I believe it takes hard work, structure and checks and balances. It also takes extreme dedication to your craft because you will only get out of something what you put into it. One important thing I have learned is to make connections within the industry. This will help you become successful because these connections are very valuable. By expanding your network you’re also expanding your customer base. Another extremely important part of being successful is your customer service. We pride ourselves on our great customer service and doing the small things right. Read more>>

Jennifer Toegel

In my experience, it takes a LOT of hard work, professionalism, responsiveness, and perhaps a little bit of luck to be successful. One must be able to set and meet their own deadlines, answer potential client’s questions, and then of course provide an excellent service that sets them apart from the rest. My aesthetic is bright, bold, and dramatic, with rich colors and natural skin tones. I utilize dramatic lighting and romatic and editorial poses. My work speaks for itself and is unique in the wedding industry. Read more>>

Cedric Gilmore

I think that in order to be successful you have to have laser focus. It’s important to stay focused on what you want and not get distracted by others opinions or obstacles that you may encounter. I think you also have to constantly envision goals for yourself and reach them in order to achieve new heights. You shouldn’t be afraid to fail either because after learning from that mistake, it will help you know what to do when a similar problem arises. Read more>>

Jamarious Simmons

Success can be attained in many different ways! Everyone has different meanings for success. I once heard that you will never get to the point where you know you’re successful. It is what you do that will put you in the category of success. You will always want to reach another goal once you’ve achieved your previous one. It is a constant cycle that will take you to higher levels. But there are ways you can get to the point that tell you that you’re on the right track. Read more>>

Susette Castro

I think success is based on perspective. However, no matter your perspective on what determines success, the method you take to reach whatever that mile marker looks like is perseverance. Read more>>

Victoria Crowder

I think success varies person to person. Success is not one size fits all. In my opinion, success means waking up early, working smart and diligently. I think it takes discipline. Understanding that you will have to miss out on social gatherings to meet deadlines. I’m a firm believe in hustling hard and smart now, so that I can enjoy the fruits of my labor later. Read more>>

Jarian Wade

Perseverance! It’s the one thing that separates most people who are on the path to greatness. The beauty about perseverance is that it’s not something you can teach, it’s not something you can learn, it’s something you either have or you don’t. The only reason I have been somewhat successful in my career, in business and in life is because I didn’t quit. We all are faced with adversity at some point in our lives and if you can find it in you to keep going, to keep fighting, to pull on that tiny thread in your soul and push yourself through whatever you are facing you will ultimately be successful. Read more>>

Gergely Maklari-Kis

The first thing is to understand your industry. I mean really understand. For example my business is in the entertainment industry. You have to follow the latest trends and especially focus on your subtype. So usually my day starts to read the latest news about the escape rooms. If you know every aspect of your industry you can be more prepared. The second thing is to understand the feedbacks. Read more>>

Iyanna Eady

I believe that in order to be successful , dedication and consistency is KEY . An idea is just an idea until you take the necessary steps to make it happen ! I truly believe anything is possible . Dedicate yourself to ur goals and consistently take the steps needed to complete that goals ! Plan Your Work & WORK YOUR PLAN ! Thats It , That’s All ! Read more>>

Brandi Myers

I believe what it takes to be successful is consistency and belief in yourself. Being consistent at practicing your craft, marketing yourself, networking, and even self care will go a long way in becoming successful. It shows great strength that even though you don’t feel like doing something, you make a way to push through! Believing in yourself is also a huge plus to becoming successful, because when you have ideas and a vision for something you feel strongly about, other people may not understand. Believe in yourself when no one else will! Read more>>

Michael Hunte

The key to success is an individual journey and everyone has a pedigree for the success of their own goals and achievements. I believe what it takes to be successful from my point of view is putting God first, in everything you do put God first. Be committed to the goal you want to achieve, by being engaged you will gain momentum and motivation to achieve those goals. Read more>>

Kari Andrews

I think success can be defined in a number of ways, but for me success means building a company with integrity that helps and supports people. It means leaving someone better than they were when you met them and supporting them even after the business relationship has ended. It means making my husband and my kids proud and significantly contributing to my family and society financially. Read more>>

Megan Romine

I believe that success means something different to each and every one of us. A young mother’s success may include staying at home raising her children. A travelers success story may include taking a year off from work and traveling around the world. Whatever success means to you- I do find there is typically at least one common denominator. That common trait is that somewhere along the way, we must overcome adversity. Read more>>