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.

Gwendolyn Avington

It takes perseverance, a strong team, and a clear vision of what success looks like to you. My personal story that illustrate these three points is when I decided that I wanted to get my doctorate degree. I knew it would be a marathon and not a sprint to start and commit to finish the degree. I learned two key pieces of knowledge that kept me focused on the finish line. First, there are many people who start out with the goal of getting a doctorate degree, but only one percent of the worlds population have actually finished their terminal degree. Secondly, most people who finish their terminal degree spend five to ten years to do so. I decided that I would finish in less than five years and I completed my Doctor of Health Administration in 4.9 years. Read more>>

Daniel Ward

It’s funny because I’ve actually asked a lot of my clients a variation of this question. I’ll first say that there are many definitions of what ‘success’ or ‘being successful’ means but I believe what I’m going to say next captures all of the definitions rather well. I think it boils down to three things: Challenge. To be successful. I think it’s absolutely imperative for you to challenge yourself on a consistent and regular basis. Read more>>

Amanda Miceli

Oh what it takes to be successful, that’s a large loaded question for sure! Obviously it is different for everybody as success looks different in everybody’s life. However, personally I think success is about doing everything you can every day to reach your goals and whatever those goals look like and really just stemming from the inner part of that want, need, and desire to be the best possible version of yourself and doing what you love. And It’s not just about being successful and having an abundance of money and living that lifestyle it’s about what makes you happy and do you love what you’re doing and are you trying to be a better person? Read more>>

Gabe Roy

Successfully growing a service-based business largely hinges on your ability to build and maintain relationships. Forming partnerships, building referral funnels and, of course, signing new clients are the major components that keeps my business machine running. Building each of these connections requires an investment of time and care. Regardless of whether I’m trying to ink a partnership deal with a branding agency or land a big client, my goal is always to surprise and delight – leaving each interaction as a positive, memorable impression. Read more>>

SEJ

How we measure success is very subjective although I have had times starting out in early 20s where success through materialism and solid outer structure was something I gave importance, I still see how common of a denominator it is around people who measure success of a person by it, as time has passed encompassing experiences, for me it’s become very crystal clear as to the times where I have truly felt successful and those times in particular date back to or towards any day where my days are filled and organized in a way where they are nurturing to all domains of my life, and the impact I have on others including my health, things like movement, creativity, having space, embracing discipline, putting effort into, learning something new followed by enough time to unwind and reflect and love and surround myself with those who I find have similar values that align with mine. Read more>>

Marissa Sanchez

In order to have a profitable, consistently growing business there are many factors that can make it successful. I think persistence and consistency, paired with creativity and a lot of practice will determine whether a person is successful in meeting their goals or not. Many times when running your own business, you will run into a lot of failures or missed opportunities. Choosing to continue forward and being persistent is what separates a lot of successful endeavors and ones with shorter life spans. It takes consistent practice, and a really fierce belief in your business to make it past those thresholds that many will stop at. Read more>>

Craig Ambrosio

I knew that I wanted to be a photographer since the age of 15. It’s a gift to have a passion at such a young age and continue to love what I do. My persistence and creative goals have helped me succeed as a professional photographer with 30 years of experience. My industry is always evolving and its essential as a photographer to be ahead of the curve and be able to reinvent your business. During Covid, I was one of the first live TV network camera operators who had the ability to use my Sony still cameras with a prime lens on a gimbal and be able to work live TV for Fox Sports, Espn, and WWE. Understanding how to use technology to help create a different look is all part of the creative process. Read more>>

samantha siegel

After trying and failing different business models – I was able to take a step back and connect with mentors on what it takes to be successful, but really defining what success looks like for me personally. A few steps I took that have helped build my business up came from the following: Market Research: Understanding the demand for luxury dog boarding in Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Researching my competitors, their offerings, pricing, and customer reviews as well as Identifying gaps in the market that the Woof Pack can fill. Read more>>

Marcela Estrop

Firstly, I believe that above all the most important ingredient needed to be successful in life (which also includes business) is a healthy relationship to self and not many people talk about this. Like the late Lucille Ball said, “You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world”, and it’s true! When you believe in yourself and you know your worth, you’re able to navigate the world with confidence & kindness (not ego), take action, and progress. Self love helps you get past the critics and learn from others. I can’t tell you how many times folks told me I would fail because my background isn’t in coffee or that my café would fail because no one had ever succeeded in my spot. I let the negativity be a motivator. I didn’t allow these comments to bring me down. I trusted my vision, stayed focused, embraced the small wins, and most importantly, made sure to be kind to myself. Read more>>

Brendice Hines

In order to be successful it takes being persistent and consistent in your field. I feel you need to know your product or whatever ideas you have you need to be able to express knowledge of that to the customer. If you consistently study your field and the trends in the market success will follow. I feel it also take a little risk to be successful you must be willing to give it your all . Your last dollar will go to it because you believe in yourself. Read more>>

Tim Ozbun

I think what it takes to be successful is a few things. They being passionate and committed to your business, working hard and being focused. Sometimes, you also need to have patience with yourself and your clients. When I first started my photography business I was also working at a regular job for the first six years of starting my business. I was able to build up my business by finding clients and developing my skills more to make me a better photographer. When the time came to quit my regular job and do photography full time I felt like it prepared me to be ready with myself. Read more>>

Patrice Perkins

It’s been a struggle-free path for me so far when it comes to reaching my desired goals. Not many obstacles or challenges we’re truly faced in my journey of becoming a brand ambassador and promoter. My advice to be successful in this type of industry would be to take your time and do not force things. Know your audience, learn your niche, build your presence, and just simply do not give up. Make sure you have a complete understanding of who you want to be and why. Whatever shall pop up in the process is only going to be for the better and looking back when you have achieved your goals, you will see that. Read more>>

Anna Warner

This question hit me hard! It is so difficult to define success, especially when first starting out, and so easy to try to compare your success to others. While thinking about how to answer this question, I realised that the ways in which I perceive the success of other photographers and videographers is very different from how I assess my own — personal success has become more of an intangible, emotional state of being that I use to evaluate if I’m satisfied with my work or on the right path, while perceiving the success of others is usually limited to their outward, marketing appearances on social media. It is not a useful comparison. Genuine success for me is an equilibrium that I work towards daily, making sure that the work I create is aligned with my values and helping me grow as an artist. Read more>>

Jennifer D.

In my opinion and experience, being successful and achieving longevity in your industry relies largely on how you treat everyone you come into contact with, no matter their role. I have received huge jobs off of tiny mini sessions where the family happened to own a corporation I had no idea about, and their experience in their little family shoot led them to ask me to rebrand their entire roster of clients. I have received calls from other vendors that worked events with me for their own special events, or find out they threw my name out to a client because we had a great experience working together. You never know who you are meeting, you never know who will remember that you were on time and smiling. Read more>>

Dmitry Zhitov

As my friend author Susan Ford Collins said “It is the little things that make you successful.” Things you do daily, relationship with your family and friends, what you eat and what you think…. Not just your professional life but also a personal one. Read more>>

Emma McLaughlin

For what I have chosen to do in life, staying committed to the practice of photography is what it takes to truly be successful in this field. Ever since I took an initial interest in the art of photography from a young age, I knew I wanted to utilize a visual method to communicate my ideas about art, beauty, stories, fashion, and many other points. I always felt I was better able to communicate those concepts through a creative method rather than just words. Read more>>

Krit Khandelwal

Working hard and smart are two important concepts contributing to individual and professional success. They are not mutually exclusive but rather complementary approaches to achieving goals. At the start of your business or career when the resources are very limited learn to work hard and put in a significant amount of effort and dedicate time to tasks and projects. As your business starts to grow and you have access to more resources, learning how to delegate and work smart becomes more crucial. Read more>>

Alex Tinsley

There are plenty of things that factor into being successful, like desire, having a vision, acting on those visions, persistence, and staying positive. All of those things are important but I think the most important one is never giving up. When something you’ve dreamt of gets shattered right in front of you it’s hard not to want to give up, but nothing good ever comes from standing around looking at all the broken pieces. You’re better off picking them up and putting them back together the way you want them to be. It seems like there are all of these “checkpoints” that you’re supposed to cross off to measure your success throughout your life, but I think success is measured in so many different ways and it is solely up to each individual to define that for themselves. Read more>>

Lewana Harris

I remember when I was in that transitional moment in my career, trying to figure out my next move. Although I had achieved many personal and professional goals, I still felt like something was missing and there was so much more for me to do. But at a greater capacity. When I usually have these moments, I seek out counsel from a mentor or advisor to help sort out my thoughts. “What do you want to do?” A question that was presented to me after a scheduled meeting with my mentor. “If you take away the title of whatever position you are seeking, what is the ultimate thing you want to do?” Read more>>

Michael Acuff

Throughout my career I have come across many successful people that either work in corporate america or own a business or businesses. I have noticed that every single person has a different outlook on what success is and how you can achieve it, but there are multiple universal attributes as well. I would like to think of these as non-negotiables when working towards whatever success looks like for you: Read more>>

K. Reshay

Being successful takes lots of hard work and dedication. I’ve been in the literary industry since the debut of my first novel, “Appearances.” You have to have tough skin and be able to handle everything that comes with it. I’ve received bad book reviews and great book reviews. I’ve also been blessed to meet some amazing people. I wouldn’t change it for the world. Read more>>

Julia Shinkareva

In modern reality, while working in such fields as I do, you undoubtedly should be flexible and as much creative as you can, researching the market every day and coming up with exclusive ideas for agencies and clients you’re working with. Read more>>

Cynthia Fernandez

I feel that everyone has their own definition and vision of what success looks and fells like. People define it as how much money they have in the bank, what they own, but what I’ve learned in my experience is that success is a mindset. Success to me as a business owner, mom, wife, and all the things, is having the mindset to create goals for myself that are attainable, and once I’ve reached those goals I create new ones, and keep going. Read more>>

Shanlee Johnson

I think success is defined differently to each person. I believe if you are happy doing your job and there is relatively low resistance then you are doing things right for you. And being able to receive monetary compensation for what you love doing is always a great sign of success. Personally, I love to create. So a feeling of success for me comes from creating something that brings other people joy. It makes me so happy to see someone purchasing one of our Pineapple Sunshine outfits for their newborn or a baby gift, and the smile it brings to their face. Read more>>

Monica Hurst

I think success is measured by multiple things. Many people measure success as the bottom line. I measure it by satisfaction. What do I need fulfill in my life to be successful. Well, having time to watch my kids grow and spending time with my husband is directly correlated to the success of my business. I would prefer to not have a penny to my name than to have no time with my family. Success is a feeling of accomplishment to me. Success is learning to balance life and work. Success is hard work, but the reward is time. Read more>>