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.

Tess Higgins

I think it’s valuable to celebrate all success, whether it be big or small. When I get asked about of what I’m most proud, I remember the day I stood behind the counter that I had sanded, painted, and recovered by hand; in the space I had leased, redecorated, and turned into By Tess with no small amount of sweat and tears. I think of every glowing review, return customer, and article written about my endeavors. Read more>>

Mark Bunger

Success in our business is a matter of solving problems for our clients. We have 2 businesses, one is providing consumer packaging prototypes to CPG companies and the other is copying and printing fine art for artists. For both of these client groups people come to us with a project or part of a project that they cannot execute or complete themselves. We review the project, discuss the best solution and solve the problem. If we do it right = success! Read more>>

Kim Sayre

First of all, you have to find your passion and nurture it. Master your craft – become an expert. This often takes years. Next you find your customers, find out what problems they have that you can solve with your product or service, and serve them with empathy. One of the reasons I have been successful is that I care deeply for my clients. Read more>>

Kiera Creve-Couer

In order to achieve you got to believe, believe in yourself! Have faith in yourself! Push yourself! Try new things! Work to the best of your ability always because you will never know who’s watching.. They say hard work pays off so I’m putting in overtime thinking of new ideas. Never give up! If you fail try again & find a new route. Don’t compare yourself to others each & everyone of us are on a different path but however your time will come sooner or later be patient & wait your turn . Read more>>

Monique Battle

To be successful, starts with your mindset. Sure it takes hard work, long hours and dedication, however once your state of mind is to be successful, you can roll with the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. Read more>>

Joy Rise

In order to be successful you must be willing to work longer and harder than anyone. While work ethic and integrity are huge in business success it is often the mission or purpose of the business that is most important. While I provide a service, I truly enjoy meeting strangers and hearing about what’s important to them. The reason I love what I do is because I get to meet strangers and slowly become friends, I see them in good times, bad times, and celebrate new life stages with them. Read more>>

Amirah Perkins

Well, we all know sometimes you’ll hear a thousand no’s before getting that one yes. To be successful in today’s world you have to not be afraid. Just go for it. Your biggest critic and your worse enemy will always be yourself. I use to think I was never going to be good enough or catch eyes to break through. But here I am flourishing through lots of footwork and self-driven manpower. Read more>>

Deb Panish

I think to be successful means to really believe in yourself and your mission. Even if it means thinking that you are faking it until you are not. Also…. not doing everything yourself. You simply can’t do everything well. I have to admit I did try to do everything for way too long but in the last few years I have given in to my amazing crew of dedicated employees. Being a good boss is uber important and paying employees a living wage. Read more>>

Katie Jeffers

What I truly think it takes to be successful is having a growth mindset. A growth mindset is defined as “having the belief that your own basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work”, and I couldn’t agree more with this from my own experiences whether they were in school, in my careers, or starting my own business. Integrating a growth mindset means understanding that when (not if) you fail on the way, you learn from that failure, grow from it and find a solution to the problem. Read more>>

Carlos Vasquez

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as success means different things to different people. However, there are some general qualities that are often associated with success, such as hard work, determination, and perseverance. In addition, successful people often have a clear vision of what they want to achieve and are willing to take risks to achieve their goals. They are also able to learn from their mistakes and setbacks, and are not afraid to ask for help when needed. Read more>>

Dr. Tschanna Taylor

There are 4 C’s that comes to mind when I think about what it takes to be successful. To achieve a level of success, depending on what success means to the individual would be Clarity, Consistency, Community, and Collaboration. When I started in business in 1994, I did not have any of these things. Life happened. There were a lot of growing pains as life was “life ‘Ing.” It was only when I took doing business seriously in 2015 that I had to learn about the 4 C’s. Read more>>

Abby Turner

It’s having the grit to get back up after being knocked down. Having the courage to move forward when you’re fearful. Being kind when you don’t want to be kind. Listening to your heart when you want to listen to the “world.” It’s unapologetically being who you are, while giving people the grace to do the same regardless of past hurts or failures. Read more>>

Isiah Davis

To succeed in a rapidly changing world, it is essential to be adaptable. You need to be open to change and willing to learn new skills. You must be able to adjust your strategies as circumstances change either for the good or bad and be willing to pivot when necessary. The ability to comprehend technology properly is crucial. The newest trends and advancements in your industry must be known to you, and you must be able to take advantage of technology. Read more>>

Keri LeClair

I think the number one factor in being successful, is that you are working towards, or doing something that you are passionate about. My Dad once told me, “Find and do something that you love, and then you’ll never work a day in your life.” That always stuck with me. It was the final push in the back of my mind to start Anchor’s Away. When you are doing something that interests you, you constantly crave to learn more all of the time, resulting in more understanding, confidence, growth and finally, more success! Read more>>

Kara Swenson

I think success has a different definition for everyone. It can’t be quantified or compared. Society will tell us that success means a powerful job title and lots of money. I’d argue success means living a peaceful and content life doing what you love. That can look like SO many different things. Read more>>

Charlie Quinones

Success takes a balance between working harder and smarter. People often separate the two but the people who prioritize both will see the most success. I pride myself on being the hardest worker in the room but if I’m not actively making sure my time and effort is being spent the most efficiently than a large portion of my hard work will be wasted. Work hard, work smart, and always give 10% more. Read more>>

Jessie Hayes-Stallings

Honestly I believe its all about your mindset and having the grit to make it through the tough times. Meaning, is the passion there even during the times you aren’t making money and do you have the perseverance to keep going and be efficient when everything around you seems to be going wrong. That takes a special person with the right mindset to accomplish. Read more>>

Kiki

First of all, I think it’s important to understand that everyone has their own definition of success. Most of the time, what success looks like is greatly affected by the environment and people were surrounded by. When I was younger I was taught that a successful life looked like this – you graduate with honours, secure a big job, make lots of money, get married and have kids. And if I wasn’t on that path, I wasn’t going to be successful. Read more>>

Arnet Jonuelle

The first time I answered this question, my first thoughts were qualities in someone who has built success. I even Googled “top qualities of successful business owners” and received answers like “persistence”, “determination”, and “ability to critically think”. Today I sit here dumbfounded at how I completely glossed over the answer that made my small business achieve its milestones thus far. Granted, the said qualities are still very important, but even more important are the relationships built. Read more>>

Wendy Lawhorne

To be successful, I believe that we must invest in education to master our craft. When deciding to go from a “mom with a camera” to a paid photographer, I realized the responsibility it was to ensure that I provided my clients with a quality service. I needed to learn more about photography! As we all do nowadays, I immediately began searching YouTube for free trainings, believing that I would get immediate results. I found a few instructional photographers with videos on posing, lighting, and editing. Read more>>

Christina Araujo

There are a lot of factors that come into play when it comes to being successful. Believing in yourself is key. Being your own personal cheerleader and never giving up on something that you are passionate about. You have to invest in yourself and make sacrifices for the greater good of nurturing your craft. Read more>>

Zach Keeshig

I think what is takes to become successful is having the passion for what you’re doing. If you believe in the product you’re giving your customers and it’s new innovative and creative, just keep pursuing and don’t give up, it will catch on and people will recognize eventually. Read more>>

Cristie Schlosser

Go the extra mile. Details, follow up and tenacity are what it takes to be a successful interior designer. Interior designers responsibilities include every aspect of a project and running a business. Missing any detail can derail your project and upset your client. Client’s hire the interior designer because of their expertise and style. Creativity is 20% of the job. Percision, communication, details and business accumen are the remaining 80%. Read more>>

Amanda Messerli

To be successful takes guts. You have to be willing to take risks in order to be successful & you have to step outside your comfort zone on a consistent basis while leaning into discomfort. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable is a skill that is imperative to growth and opportunity. I now own 3 businesses, and I was always waiting for the “right time” to start. The “right time” to take the leap. The perfect opportunity to change. Read more>>

Haley Halford

You have to be able to define success for yourself. A knowing of what you want is the first step to getting it. Aside from that, I think you’ll need an almost delusional belief that you can attain it, a plan of action, and the grit to keep going when it’d be easier to quit. Read more>>

Ebonie Brown

The number one key to being successful is remaining persistent. The journey is not an easy one and requires discipline, sacrifice, and patience. I often face obstacles that make me question myself. There might be days where i make little to no money. At times, I want to give up. I have to remember my why. Why am I doing this? Who am I doing this for? I want better for myself and my family! I want to create something amazing for my legacy. Success happens when you don’t allow failure to be an option. Perseverance is key! Read more>>

Jamie Parker

Success takes the right mental mindset to grow and walk in your God-given purpose. Too often, we let life happen to us verses us happening to our lives. Do you want to know how to happen more to your life? Read on as we will discuss some simple practical’s that are bound to make a difference in your life and business. Read more>>

Besart Copa

The user. It’s all about the user. And this means conducting user interviews nonstop: potential users, current users, and, especially, users who left. At Chestr, we aim to talk with a current user every other week. These chats are incredibly rewarding because we can put a face on the actual people using our app and because we always learn about new edge cases that we could’ve never imagined ourselves. Read more>>

Davi Pena

Success is rooted in ones perception of it. Is it how fat you can make your wallet? Is it legacy? Is it respect? Chasing your dream, and making it come true, to me is the definition of success. Money may come along but if your heart is in the right place, I think those things sort of come organically. I think a-lot of people attribute money to success, which makes sense, but if your definition of success lies completely within your own finances, then I think you’re missing out on one of the most beautiful journeys you can have as a human. Read more>>

Viktoriia Zvaryshchuk

That’s great question. I think that everyone who starts working for himself or already works think about how to become more successful. And I believe that the common feature of all business owners is to believe in what you are doing. Every day and every time you spend all yourselves in your business- so believe you will succeed Read more>>

Jennifer Crawford

I believe being successful is not a one size fits all model. It should be tailored to each person’s aspirations, desired lifestyle and unique family context. Personally success feels like waking up daily and enjoying the labor that supports my desired lifestyle and allows me to contribute financially to my household. It is also being able to enjoy the present moment even on hard days. In essence, reflecting on the progress I have made and honoring the process and not singularly focusing on metrics and outcomes. Read more>>

Hayley Gaertner

I heard someone say on a podcast one time “the most successful people are those who never give up,” and that has really stuck with me. Of course, you have to have a special skill or offer, but we all have that. Every single person is great at something, and most of us are great at different things, but the REAL difference is that some people are willing to put in the hard work and some aren’t. Read more>>

Dominique Ervins

To be successful I think it takes hard work, dedication, and a strong passion for what you are doing. With that being said, I think it’s important to keep in mind what your goals are for your business. Having short term and long term goals in your business give you a reason to keep going, as there are going to be plenty of times where business may not necessarily be fun. Even if what you are doing is your passion. Read more>>

Alejandro Chávez

Hi, I am happy to share ideas with this cool magazine. I think that enjoying what you do is one of the most important things in life, because it becomes something more, like a dream, a purpose. That’s what it takes to be successful, loving your talents and your work. Of course you need to have faith in yourself in order to achieve your goals, because it’s not easy when you are an independent artist or an entrepeneur, it requires a lot of patience. Read more>>

Dawn James

My business was born from a passion for teaching and sharing my knowledge with others. I feel it is important to do what you are passionate about because it not only gives you energy, it also enhances personal creativity, innovation and continuous improvement. Read more>>