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.

Emily Wiggins

During my six-plus years as a college professor and thirteen years as a business owner, I’ve gained some valuable insights. 1. The Power of Personal Connection: In this digital age, where screens often dominate, I’ve discovered that there’s no substitute for genuine face-to-face interactions. Energy and empathy shine through in personal meetings, fostering trust and rapport with clients. Read more>>

Brittany Hall

The first step to being successful is having a dream…a mental picture of yourself living the kind of life you want…doing the thing that you’re passionate about that truly fulfills your purpose. Once you have a dream, you have to lay out a plan to make that dream come true. Now, don’t get me wrong this is real life and things don’t always go as planned and sometimes we end up detouring from our original path, but the key is to keep going. Life is going to life and you just have to keep going despite all obstacles. With that, it’s important to keep in mind that things will happen and things will not always go as you hope they will. Read more>>

Saavgel Victoria

I believe that in order to be successful, you have to be a bit crazy and unrealistic about your goals. A lot of people think that being practical and following a plan is the key to success. I disagree. I think success is more about having a never-give-up attitude. I’ve been successful many times in my life, and I’ve learned that the most important thing is to never quit, no matter how tough things get. Every failure is a lesson, and you can use those lessons to keep moving forward until you eventually reach your goals. Read more>>

Abigail Rucker

photographer where I sat on a bench in the park, watching the people go by, trying to capture the perfect moment, the one that would tell a story without words. I had been taking pictures for years, but still felt like I was just starting. I watched this group of children playing on the swings. They were laughing and carefree, and I knew that I wanted to capture that moment, after taking a few pictures, but still wasn’t finding myself happy with them. Read more>>

Brittany Holland-Banks

To be successful I believe you have to have accountability, thick skin, will power, a positive attitude, and be open minded. A lot of businesses/ entrepreneurs fail because they have no accountability. Rather it be in the way they handled their brand, customer service, legalities, or marketing. It’s everyone else’s fault besides theirs and that’s not always the case. Sometimes we have to step back and see where we went wrong and how we can fix it. Read more>>

Mila Johnson

I believe that being intentional every day is not just a strategy, but a mindset that has truly elevated my career as a real estate agent. In this field, where personal connections and client satisfaction are paramount, approaching each day with purpose makes a significant difference. Read more>>

Nara Khakurel

Well, usually people may wonder why on earth would someone take risks when he/she can just keep a low profile on a daily basis or simply remain in the safe zone. Here is the main point, to be successful, we need to have a successful mindset. Every individual has a power and ability to explore and expose their potential and positivity. Instead, people keep complaining they did not succeed in their life.  Read more>>

Zahkia Smith

Being successful means staying committed to your goals and dreams and sticking to it no matter what obstacles come your way. In life we go through many peaks some seasons may be high and some may be very low. Being able to learn everything about your profession and becoming recession proof through hard times is what success is all about as a business owner. Never taking the easy route, if the route is easy it won’t last long, having determination, hard work ethics , integrity, and discipline is the blueprint to being successful. and most importantly, NOT GIVING UP. Read more>>

Tierra Rose

I believe that it takes a lot of patience, determination, standard & self awareness to be successful. In the beginning of my journey, there were a lot of doubts and worries about wondering if I could manage my own business. There were plenty of times where I would end up being short on products, lower my prices or give big discounts just to bring people in. I didn’t realize that I needed to set a standard for myself to own a business. Read more>>

Murphy Caesar

Being successful in my opinion involves 3 major factors. Determination, dedication, and delivery. I call it the 3D effect. Rather than focusing on what can make you money, focus on what makes “you”. Once I understood, and took the time to understand what my passions are, or what I may have interests in, I took a deeper dive. I looked into the certain aspects of my life and thought about where they have brought me. I focused on the impacts they have had, whether negative or positive and asked myself, do I need to make changes? Read more>>

Jasmine Berber

You have to be willing to dedicate an exorbitant amount of time to understanding your craft and you have to spend almost as much time networking. Then you have to make the time to practice and implement what you’ve learned to be capable of troubleshooting. THEN you have to be willing to find the money to grow your business and be willing to live lean until that income starts flowing. Read more>>

Joli Moniz

I always say life is both too short and too long to spend doing work you loathe. If fortunate enough to have a choice, the key to success I believe is doing what you love to do as you will pour all of yourself into that “work” and enjoy the process. In addition to this passion, I believe it also takes patience and persistence. Patience is a must because most new ideas or businesses do not become successful over night. Success takes time – sometimes a long time. Read more>>

Dana Boswell

I think what it takes to be successful is resilience, period. I have been a Personal Chef for 12 years, but not all 12 years was I a full time Personal Chef. The time between age 21-29 I kept a part-time job cooking for people while I was either personal training, working as a weight-loss consultant, front desk Dr.’s assistent or health food store check out girl. Read more>>

Kelly Lanes

Faith. Well, faith and copious amounts of coffee. Truthfully, you can have the best product/idea/service in the world, but if you don’t have faith in how it can help the world be a better place, it won’t succeed. Faith is in every nook and cranny of your life, and once you lean into it, magic happens. Faith (and coffee) have been with me every step of the way with my career and will continue to do so. If you feel it, deep in your core, that what you are doing will help someone and serve others more than yourself, your faith will help you make that happen. Read more>>

Anthony McLean

We often measure success in terms of financial gains, but I believe richness in time is just as important. Whenever an opportunity arises, I carefully consider its opportunity cost. Each ‘yes’ to one thing means saying ‘no’ to a hundred others. I’ve learned that having some flexibility in my calendar makes me happy. I need some free time to foster creativity. Blocking out moments in my schedule for workouts, naps, or coffee with friends often gives me the boost I need for optimal performance at work later in the week. I never want my calendar to be so booked that I have no wiggle room for spontaneity. Read more>>

Melissa Quintanilla

My option the way to be successful anything you set goals for is to Pray, stay consistent, and have the discipline to stay strong on the days you want to give up. Of course that’s easier said than done. But the rewarding feeling of achieving your goals is worth every struggle I overcome is so worth all of it. Read more>>

Ruth Anna Evans

I think being successful requires finding something that you can really enjoy doing. It’s work, and not every bit of it is fantastic, but you shouldn’t dread it. When you find something to work on that taps into your inner joy, it allows you to work those long hours and pay attention to those million details. If you don’t have that joy, it will be drudgery, and either you won’t do the work, or you won’t do a good job because you just want it to be over. So success means finding your joy and then pouring all you can into it. Read more>>

Stephanie Crochet

I love this question! In my opinion, to be successful one has to be honest, authentic, clear, compassionate, creative, connected and energized. Those are the qualities that have made me successful, especially as I’ve gotten clearer on my mission in life. The business that I have co-created with my partner Jocelyn Solomon is thriving because we are one hundred percent showing up in the world as ourselves and in alignment with our purpose and what brings us joy. Read more>>

Omid Saleh

1. Clarity: Discover the power of having a clear vision and purpose that serves as a guiding light through life’s uncertainties. When you define your direction, you can navigate challenges with resilience and determination. 2. Proactivity: Become the driver of your destiny by taking responsibility for your actions and decisions. Embrace the mindset that empowers you to shape your future, regardless of external circumstances. Read more>>

Kristy Ranlett

I believe Success is in the eye of the beholder. It can look a bit different for each and every unique story and varies depending on where each person is in their journey. I contribute success to hard work, determination, setting examples for your children and overcoming difficult obstacles to get to where you want to be. I don’t measure success solely on how much revenue you are collecting or how many employees you have, but how I got my small business to become something that I am so proud of and can call my own. Read more>>

John Supsic

Hard work. A wise person once told me that when in doubt – just work harder. This holds true in all facets of life; personal development, family, relationships, business, health, and fun/joy. I have personally experienced this throughout my life within business, sports, and relationships. Moxie Sozo was founded on many, many late nights and sacrifices by designers and developers who wouldn’t put the work down until they were satisfied that the solution was fully addressing the client’s business challenge. Three of those designers are now partners at Moxie Sozo. Read more>>

Amy Goldberg

Success is an illusive thing. In fact the definition of illusive means deceptive. Something to consider, is to ask yourself, “what does success look-like for you?” Success means a lot of things to a lot of different people. Interestingly, your definition of success will change over time. What you thought success was when you first started out, will be quite different as you move through your journey. I find that exciting. Read more>>

Krystine Sherwood

I believe that the most important factor in achieving those 6-figure paychecks, is self-awareness which is ultimately mental health. THAT is true success. Knowing who you are at your core determines how quickly and how efficiently you reach your goals, dreams and desires. The more personal development you invest into yourself and actually do the work, the better off you’ll be. There are so many guides saying, “Reach your goals in 6 steps,” and sure those work but those steps don’t always solve the ROOT of the problem. Read more>>

Nakia Glynn

I believe to be successful in this business you have to be transparent. Also you have to like people. Excellent customer service skills. Kind very respectful. Read more>>

Giselle Chusan

Success is in the eye of the beholder. To me being consistent is anything is what bring success. With consistency you are able to see how you can improve to get to your end goal. Read more>>

Thomas McClure

In today’s fashion landscape, often dominated by images of immaculate models in lavish, high-end attire, there’s a noticeable gap between these stylized portrayals and the genuine human element inherent in fashion. Behind each flawlessly crafted image lies a tapestry of real lives — each person, from the seemingly impeccable models to the designers and artists behind the scenes, harbors a rich narrative teeming with authenticity. Read more>>

Brittany Hastings

Let me first start by saying, success does not come overnight. It took me four years to get to where I am now and I’m still learning and growing everyday. I don’t believe that there is one specific way to become successful because that looks different for everyone, whether you are running a business or working a 9 to 5. When I launched Boss Lady Mobile Laundry & Cleaning LLC, in 2019, I had no clue how successful I would be but I DID have determination, drive and dedication to my goals of being a successful business owner. For me, the key to success was simple.. to just START! Read more>>

Joy Remus

Part of what I think it takes to be successful is being mindful of purpose.Purpose will continually fuel your passion which will perpetuate a successful business legacy. Every single time I think of giving up, or walking away due to the ebbs and flows of a freelancer, I am reminded of my purpose/passion of being a makeup artist. Read more>>