The Deciding Factor: What’s the most important factor behind your success?

There are so many factors that can play a role in determining our results, performance and ultimately our success, but some factors matter more than others. We asked folks what they felt was the most important factor driving their success.

Ekf Media | Entertainment Company

Our brand at Ekf Media has been successful due to the strength and dependability of our relationships and brand. We maintain our inner and outer team as a family and have seen great strides as such. Read more>>

Mccalman.co | Strategy-driven creative agency

Our success at McCalman.Co is truly a reflection of our team. Every milestone we’ve achieved is thanks to the collective efforts, vision, and dedication of the incredible individuals who have been with us along the way. We are fortunate to have a team that embodies resilience, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to cultural storytelling. Each person brings their own unique perspective, whether it’s in art, strategy, or cultural insight, and it’s that diversity of thought and talent that allows us to continually evolve and thrive. Read more>>

Troy Jones | Artist | Entrepreneur | Philanthropists

The people of course. Read more>>

Marissa Tunis | Licensed Psychologist

The most important factor behind my success is knowing and trusting myself. While that may sound trite, it was quite a journey. I entered graduate school in my early twenties and struggled with imposter syndrome for years – as a young woman who didn’t know what she didn’t know, I took on personas to look and act like a competent therapist – but inside, I questioned myself daily. I remember telling myself that when I turned 30, I would be old enough to no longer feel like an imposter therapist. For whatever reason, I felt as if 30 was a mystical age when I would be endowed with confidence and wisdom, and could fearlessly take on the world. No doubt, turning 30 was great (I’m 44 now btw), but 30 was just the beginning. Read more>>

Kaizen Asiedu | Life Coach & Public Speaker

Having the courage to be disliked! I speak about sensitive topics and right now my focus is politics and countering misinformation. Politics is extremely divisive right now, and the media’s negativity bias has helped erode discourse and create a low-trust society where reasonable people feel disempowered and afraid to speak out. Recently I’ve started speaking out about mainstream media propaganda and low integrity behavior in politics.  Read more>>

Donna Quach | Medical Army Officer and Psychotherapist

Empathy and Compassion for others. Volunteering and giving back by helping others with mental health and medical support across the United States and Globally. Read more>>

Tyler Porterfield | Artist & Music Industry Entrepreneur

Above all, staying true to myself has proven to be the number one factor behind my successes. Beginning my musical journey at an early age instilled a deep, genuine sense of joy and passion in writing, performing, and recording. The freedom I enjoyed in my youth allowed me to focus fully on the music, with far less concern for the money. Read more>>

Annemarie Penny | Founder & CEO, Dreamore – Recruiting & Advisory for Startups

Authenticity. In my early career, I had a “business persona” that wasn’t nearly as fun as my “weekend persona”. I did a good job, but I was only an average employee. When I launched my first recruiting business, I didn’t want that feeling of separation anymore. I wanted to fully BE MYSELF. I picked an industry I was genuinely excited about (tech startups) so the conversations felt natural. Many of my clients became friends. I built up a reputation for sharing joy and not simply being another high volume, transactional firm.  Read more>>

Frank Arthur Smith | Executive Producer, Actor, Director & Writer-Creator, OPEN TO IT

The most important factor behind my success? The team! Hands down. OPEN TO IT is a queer comedy series with a 75% LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC cast and crew. We are passionate about our work, especially since opportunities to create together as a community are not yet as common as we would like. But I am grateful that everyone from the cinematographer, Nacia Schreiner, to the actors – Tim Wardell and Jason Caceres are the main throuple with me, Kimberly Nieva and Elizabeth Boone are our hilarious queer neighbors, Victoria Gluchoski is their potential third – to producers Afrika Jonée, Sarah Whitaker, Josslyn Glenn, Bryan Schaub, and Troy Barboza, and of course, my co-showrunner and co-fiancé Matt Hartman, understands on a deep level what we are going for in this series. We share a desire to promote queer joy and sex-positivity. Read more>>

Anthony Geoffrey Gonzalez | Free Spirit & Location Sound Mixer

…It started with believing in myself, having the vision and passion behind it regardless of the support system I had or didn’t have, it made me realize how vital it was for me to only care about what success and happiness meant to me… Read more>>

Atheana Ritchie | Writer, producer, actress, photographer, astrologer.

I believe the most important factor behind my success with photography and my astrology business is a willingness to fail. A willingness to get back up, dust off my shoulders and see where my failures can lead to growth. Enjoying the process along the way and never limiting myself to what other people think I can or can’t do. As a creative we have to accept the fact that we do not fit in one box, there is no cookie cutter path to follow to get the “golden keys” to success. If you are truly a creative person you are endlessly talented in many different aspects- Its just most people do not nurture nor explore their “other” creative pursuits because they feel like they have to do x,y, and z to make it. Read more>>

Brenda Swenson | Artist, Author, Instructor

To be successful and a fine art painter and international instructor requires self motivation. Waiting for creativity to strike is a waste of time. Show up and get to work – motivation will follow.
Have you ever wanted something so bad it was all you could think about? Me too! Ever since third grade I wanted to be an artist. The older I got the more complicated life became. My hopes and dreams became something I would obtain later. What was I waiting for? I was waiting for my children to be older, to have more time, more energy, more money, to have my house work finished, my errands done… Read more>> 

Octavio Molina | Art director, interiors, and photography.

Consistency and determination. Work hard. Read more>>

Lisa Loop | Author

The most important factor behind everything I’ve accomplished in life is a growth mindset, particularly in the area of compassion toward my inner critic. To the degree that I befriend this beast, I expand my willingness to risk and my resilience when I fail. Everything I’ve created in my life has involved walking into the unknown, knowing that I might well stub my toe, and being able to recover when I do. Read more>>

Juliette Jeffers | Actor, Writer, Director and Solo Show Coach

The most important factor behind my success is perseverance and faith.
I started out in the entertainment industry in the early nineties. I was successful in commercials, film, TV dramas and sitcoms.
In 1996, I lost my brother and shortly after, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, a debilitating auto-immune disease. All my joints were swollen and in pain. I could barely walk. I took a little break from the industry and when I came back, although I was still experiencing pain, I kept going. Read more>>

Martina Di Napoli | Wedding & Event Planner

Being myself and really embrace my diversity as a powerful brand identity. Read more>>