We asked rising stars from the community one of our favorite questions: other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?

Megan Yenny | Energy Healer, Coach & Photographer

I went through a divorce and a career change 5 years ago, all while battling an autoimmune disease and with 4 children under 7 (and 2 still in diapers!) It was, perhaps, the most difficult season of my life. I was too sick to get out of bed on many occasions, let alone think about starting over and building something brand new. Read more>>

Dillesha Davis | Servant Leader & Artist

The single most important decision I made that contributed to my success was giving myself to God. Deciding to build a relationship with Him as well as becoming more knowledgeable of Him and His word/will for my life. Read more>>

Ailin Malimowcka | Creative director & restaurant designer

Trusting in my own creative vision, showing up everyday no matter what, learning from my mistakes, sticking to my values, public relations has a big pivotal role in everyone’s work in order to spread the word so not being shy about telling people what I do and always having a deck with my work available in my phone to show to everyone I meet, not giving up, talking to other colleagues to understand how can I do better, asking for feedback, social media. Read more>>

Shiori Takemori | Pottery Artist

Joining Tiktok! I hesitated for months because I felt too old to be on the app, but turns out the algorithm knows how to push my content to all the right people. The first drop on my online store, cheeky Shrek-inspired pieces, sold out in under 3 minutes thanks to one video! The initial learning curve and extra screentime have absolutely been worth it. Read more>>

Sarah Rainbolt | Licensed Esthetician, Social Media Content Photographer, & Advanced Esthetics Instructor

I would say the moment I decided to stop worrying what other people thought about me, I immediately became more successful. Up until that point, I had spent the entire first half of my life with crippling anxiety, constantly scared I would do the wrong thing and obsessively trying not make any mistakes. Read more>>

Lindsey Kear | The Costume Consultant & Costume Designer

Being able to give back to people. This is really what inspired me to start The Costume Consultant. I’ve felt for the past few years that I wanted to “do more” and had a higher calling. I wasn’t quite sure what that looked like. Volunteering has been difficult due to the grueling hours and travel due to movie making. Read more>>

Endrew Patrick | DJ Drew – International DJ

Moving to Dallas, Texas…..It helped me with building my platform as a DJ and getting my name out there to other DJ’s & Promoter’s Located inside or outside of Texas and getting opportunities that I’ve never have had back even when I was living in South Dakota. Read more>>

Kanithea Powell | Founder/CEO QFN TV

Deciding to be gentle and love myself was the single most important decision I have ever made. Choosing to loving me changed everything. My approach to my business, how I spoke to myself and how I handled relationships, all changed after making that decision. When you love yourself you move different. Read more>>