Through our work we have been constantly amazed at the incredible things people in every neighborhood are working on. What’s even more exciting is that they all have different stories, backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses. That there isn’t a single formula for success means that everyone can take their unique set of strengths and characteristics and turn it into a success story. We recently reached out to some folks we admire and asked them what characteristics they feel are responsible for their success.

Jane Spencer | Graphic Designer

My success can be attributed to the balance of two key factors. I know I’m already skirting the question, but for me, one cannot thrive without the other! Combining the skills achieved by constant work, with an actively maintained youthful freedom creates work that has ease, intrigue and oddity. The age old “ten thousand hours” spent working on my craft allows me the freedom to create inspired work, without getting in my own way. Read more>>

Mikaela Grace Rios | Performer

The most important factor has been the support from the people in my life. I like to to call them my village. I don’t think I would have done half of the things I have done in my life if it weren’t for them. Having people that love you rallying behind you can make the hard stuff a little bit easier. The love and support that I receive is the biggest driving force in my life to/be better. Read more>>

Ted Wulfers| Musician, Singer/Songwriter, Producer, Composer, Filmmaker, Photographer

Sometimes as creatives, we are so focused on what is next and how we’re moving forward that we’re not often allowed the chance for personal reflection and perspective on our careers to see how far we’ve climbed instead of constantly eyeing the part of the mountain we have yet to climb. I’m a multi-hyphenate when it comes to my career and brand. I’m a musician who is a recording artist, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist of many instruments, composer of film, TV and video game scores, record producer, recording studio owner (663 Sound), recording engineer and mix engineer. I’m also a filmmaker who directs documentary films and music videos. And along with all of that, I’m also a professional photographer focusing on landscape, fine art, musical instrument and travel photography. As of March 2021, I’m a musician who has played well over a thousand shows throughout the United States and Europe. Read more>>

David Hopping | Co-Host of Back to the Best Podcast

Our brand is all about celebrating nostalgia and revisiting the things we enjoyed as kids. Grace and I started this podcast because we both genuinely love pop culture from the 90’s-2000’s. I’d say the most important factor is that you can tell how excited and passionate we are to be doing this. It started out as a fun way for us to relive our childhood and that hasn’t changed, even as we’ve grown our brand. We’ve gotten the opportunity to interview some of our favorite actors, musicians, and producers who we grew up admiring. Interacting with our listeners has also played an important factor by getting them involved through social media, and making sure we cover fun topics that they’re excited about!. Read more>>

John Redlinger | Filmmaker

“Success” is obviously relative, and to even be asked the question is a huge honor. But for me, collaboration has been the deciding factor. Nobody can whistle a symphony – somebody far smarter than I am said that, but it’s true! Surround yourself with people who you respect, admire, and learn from (and for me, most importantly, people who aren’t afraid to challenge your ideas) and you’re nearly unstoppable after that! Nothing I’m proud of has ever been the result of a one-man-band. And to that end, I’m fortunate to get to work not only good friends, but brilliant collaborators who elevate each step of the process and push me to rise to every occasion and opportunity. Read more>>

Kelli Binnings | Brand Strategist, Creative Consultant & Photographer

I’ve always kept the person at the center of the project. Whether I’m working with a team or an individual, my goal is to provide value in a fun, collaborative way. The success of a project is so much more than the result you were hired to deliver; it’s about the relationships you build in the process. I approach each project with enthusiasm and an open mind ready to listen, learn and creatively improve every where I can. Being good at what you do is relatively easy, it’s about style, practice and owning it. Caring about your client and their success is part of building your legacy, it’s what makes you memorable – and that’s what makes brands successful. Read more>>

RoB J | Singer , Songwriter, Entrepreneur

The most important Factor behind my success is not allowing self doubt and negativity to stop me from achieving my goals . A lot times I have felt unsure or even asked am I ready , am I good enough or wondered if I would succeed, and it was in those moments I realized you just have to jump out and Do it . If you sit around waiting to ready you never will be . Once i realized this I learned to take advantage of every opportunity whether you feel ready or not because you never know what could happen if you don’t . There’s no room for self doubt. Read more>>

Alex Floyd | Artistic Director & Choreographer of OdDancity, an Immersive Horror Dance Company

Listening to my authentic self behind all the desires to “fit in” contributed to OdDancity’s success as a unique dance company. Once I removed all the superficial ideals of society and years of learned patterns, and dug deep into my psychological being, I found the genre and movement vocabulary that has become my niche. Letting go of other people’s expectations, your own expectations, making things “pretty”, and making art for other people is absolutely crucial to finding your own individual identity as an artist. I find I make the best creations, when I have no ulterior motives. A concept emerges from my subconscious and I play with it as it grows and forms into a work. I never push the art, for me, forced art never moves me. If I don’t have anything to say, I don’t have anything to say, so why say anything? If I have something to say, it will appear. Read more>>

Maynard Okereke | Science Communicator & Entrepreneur

The most important factor behind my success, and that I think rings true for any aspiring entrepreneur, is consistency. Consistency in all areas of your life plays a huge role in the ultimate opportunities that will come your way. Along my journey I have faced many setbacks, pitfalls, and failures. Many of these would’ve been easy to accept and move on a different direction. Many of these have caused incredible stress, disappointment, and doubt as well. Staying consistent means being diligent in the pursuit of your goals. That mindset will leave you fully prepared when the timing is right for you to take advantage. In my both of businesses, I have made sure to set weekly and monthly goals that keep me on my feet and working towards something. Even if any of those plans never take off or gain momentum, that consistency has kept me creative, and given me the ability to reassess and attack with a different approach. It’s also given me the work ethic to be able to handle the load when the opportunity I’ve been awaiting finally arrives. Read more>>

Sara Camilo | Founder of Camilo Careers | Certified Career Coach and Resume Writer

That’s easy – my 15 years of recruiting experience. I utilize it daily in my career coaching business. Those years included working with Fortune 100 corporations and recruiting agencies, so I bridge gaps for job seekers. I’m certified in resume writing and career coaching now, and my primary services include writing resumes and LinkedIn profiles, and providing techniques and strategies around job searching, preparing for interviews, and the salary negotiation process. I get to help my clients navigate the entire process and job searching journey to find an ideal job at a salary of their worth. Job searching can be an overwhelming and frustrating process, I aim to make it easier for my clients and share free tips on both Instagram and Facebook as well. I wasn’t happy through many years of my career, so I can relate to that “stuck” feeling many people reach. Now that I love what I do, I want to help everyone experience that feeling of fulfillment as well. Read more>>

Abbey May and Nicole Ledoux | Writers

A quick pitch: Groovy Tuesdays is a laugh-out-loud queer musical series. It’s proof-of-concept (fancy name for a long pilot) shoots in summer 2021. Evolving since it’s inception in 2019, creators Abbey May and Nicole Ledoux have an entire first season up ther sleeves, filled with colorful musical numbers and of course, some gay humor. Groovy Tuesdays’ Success comes from 3 incredible “C’s”– Collaboration, Communication and Celebration! We see collaboration as building a diverse community of voices on the team. There’s a distinct difference between filling a quota of having BIPOC/LGBTQ+ artists on set and being deliberate in considering what each artist brings to our story. We know success comes from having not just an array of people in the room, but an array of voices in the room. Read more>>

Vanessa Green | Creative

The most important factor behind my success and the success of my brand is prayer. In the place of prayer I have and continually discover my true identity. Of course, that encompasses many facets. However. for the sake of this interview I will elaborate on my entrepreneurial essence. I threw around the idea of owning a business for many years. I even embarked on several entrepreneurial journeys, but progress and success only came after I implemented prayer. Proverbs 16:3 reads, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” This is my testimony! Prayer revealed that owning a business was a God-given desire. So, I surrender my business plans through prayer. In response, God perfects them and kindly accompanies me as I carry them out. Read more>>

Bendik Moller | Songwriter & Producer

This is gonna sound weird, but I’m gonna say insecurity is an important factor behind my success. I don’t mean financial insecurity (although I’ve many times found myself stretched thinner than thin with multiple maxed out credit cards when I first started in this industry). Being financially insecure is the opposite of an important factor behind success, and is one of the main reasons people in the music industry either quit or end up stuck in really bad deals

. When I say insecurity, I mean insecurity about my work and about the quality of my music. My insecurity is what constantly pushes me into spending weeks and sometimes months on a song until it is perfect. My insecurity is also my biggest assurance and best quality control. Whenever I make a song that I feel 100% confident about, I can be pretty certain that other people will like it too, as my own personal standard tends to be set really really high. Read more>>

Melissa St. Hilaire | Writer, Psychic-Medium, & Witch

The important factor behind my success is authenticity. I don’t try to sell myself to people. I don’t chase after interviews or PR. I simply do what I do and allow my work to speak for itself. It can be harrowing putting yourself out there, opening yourself up to judgment and criticism, but so long as I stay true to my moral compass, I feel secure in the knowledge that the right people will find me, and they have. Because I work in the occult and paranormal realms, I’ve found that honesty is key. If you lie or manufacture supernatural events to further your own cause, you’re only cheating yourself in the end. One must be constantly vigilant in one’s pursuit of the unknown, and keep wary of those peddling tall tales. The unseen world is filled with wonder! You don’t need to pretend, all you need is an open mind and a willingness to believe in the bizarre, but also a skeptic’s mind to stay grounded in reality, even in the face of something miraculous. There’s a balance in there that’s absolutely crucial, but it’s all wrapped in sincerity. You can’t be a light in the darkness if you’re only casting shadows. Read more>

NiCale Cruz | Artist Manager & Entertainment Connector

Independence. Having the freedom of independence to create, build and expand without limitations or restrictions is the ultimate backbone of my success. Not only as an individual, but for my artists and talent as well. Being a manager to independent music artists who top Billboard charts, maximize their streaming numbers while keeping their creativity, and expand their network with like-minded creatives and professionals to allow growth beyond their career is the heart of my brand, CRUZ Management™. Read more>>

Eve Metsäranta | Actress & Professional Dancer

For me I think the most important fact has been relentless determination and refusing to give up. I’m very faithful and committed to things in long-term even though It’s not always easy and I tend to stick around. In a way I would even say I don’t know how to give up unless something no longer serves me. I also thrive under challenging circumstances and in my uncomfort zone. Since I was very little, whenever someone told me I couldn’t do something in my mind I just thought ”watch me” and eventually prooved them wrong. I’m definitely stubborn in that way which in this business has worked in my advantage. Read more>>

Gabriela Rodriguez | Instructional Designer

The most important factor behind the success of my brand has been my passion behind the meaning of the brand. Mind the Heart Clothing is all about helping people through that constant battle of the making decisions when your mind and heart are saying two different things. I believe people relate to the brand and are able to gain that courage and confidence to achieve all their dreams and take risks in their lives. Read more>>

Asher Ross | CEO – Ross Builders Design + Build General Contractor

I leave my ego out of my business. My brand and business is not about me – it’s about the product I create for others to enjoy. I build beautiful designer custom homes – and when they’re done, I’m not the person who gets to live in them. I’m here to make my client’s dream a reality, to help them create value and profit from their investment, or to build their home perfectly, down to the last finish, so that they feel proud of their home and can share it with their friends and family. Read more>>

Cami Julaine | Singer/Songwriter, Mental Health Advocate, Public Speaker

For me personally, it’s to change and influence lives. The most important factor, if anything, is to help at least one person know their own worth, to acknowledge and value their own light, and see that their is power in their own story to create their own success. Read more>>

Nxxxa Ace | Fashion Designer & Singer

I think the most important factor behind the success of Grow Or Die is not accepting excuses. A lot of people protest when I tell them I’m not interested in their excuses. They tell me “its not an excuse, its a reason” but an excuse is any reason you cant get something done. When I submitted my first sneaker designs for production, I received a ludicrous quote for the prototypes. My first reaction was to give up. I figured the entry price to the sneaker industry is way too high and that’s why only corporations and celebrities make sneakers. Not having enough money would be an understandable reason to stop but regardless that would have been an excuse. It’s 2021 and we just released our 22nd sneaker, the lvl1 Skywalkers. We didn’t do this by waiting until we had more money, no, we did this by finding alternative solutions. That’s they key. Theres always going to be another way. An excuse can be your reason for failure or it can be an obstacle you overcome, the choice is yours. Read more>>

René Romano | Editor, Copywriter and Social Media Content Creator

A brand is no longer what we tell consumers it is — it is what consumers tell each other it is. You see, companies cannot merely come up with a branding concept and blindly stick to it without taking into consideration external factors such as customers’ associations, beliefs, and emotions, as well as competitors’ efforts. The point of this complicated process is to find your way into your audience’s hearts and minds and to distinguish your brand from your competition. Building a successful brand is an undertaking which encompasses many different tasks that have to be completed and elements that have to click.It is true that no precise recipe will magically turn your business into a brand, but this is not necessarily a bad thing, mainly because you will be able to unleash your creativity and create a name that will grow and evolve together with the size of your consumer base. Read more>>

Carrington | Clothing Designer & Artist

The most important factor behind my brand and its success has been branching out and trying new things. I never planned to be a clothing designer. I actually moved to LA to become a professional dancer. One day I had zero plans so I went to Goodwill and bought a denim jacket. Went to the art store and picked up some paint. I made the most simple design because at the time I was not an artist at all. I mean yea I took art class in high school, but it was for a credit. The next day I wore the jacket on Melrose Ave and some man walking asked me the brand. He loved it so much he gave me $500 right then and there. I obviously kept making pieces because here i am today, but just imagine if i never took that risk of paining on a jacket. Another important factor has been the support from my family, friends, and followers. It feels so good to do something that used to be out of my comfort zone and people hype me up for it. I can’t thank those people enough. Read more>>

Lamarr Lyons | Singer/Songwriter & CEO Of The Dopester Brand

Character And Drive! And That’s That On That! Keeping Your Character Intact And Treating People With Respect And Building A Trustworthy Work Relationship With Them!. Read more>>

Raychel Harrison | Celebrity Stylist, Salon Owner and CEO Nuuvo Haircare

The most important factor behind my success and the success of my band is adaptability. Customer service and a great product are close seconds, but adaptivity is why I still exist as a brand. I love thinking of ways to solve problems outside the box. Suppose something comes up like it did this last year when we were forced to close for 75% of 2020. We had to reinvent how we would still have a relationship with our salon customer. How can we help them without performing hair services? What is their pain point? And what can we do to make a profit and ultimately save our business or grow our brand?. Read more>>

Jamison Scala | Actor/Comedian

Success is an interesting concept to someone who is a performer. Most Americans are raised to believe success is starting on a path, working hard, and moving up a ladder. Each new rung coming with a fancier title and more money. And yes, that’s a form of success. But artistic endeavors don’t usually fall into that same framework. A handful of years back, I was reflecting on the fruits my labor as an actor/comedian and didn’t have a large sum of cash or a fancy title to show for them. But I still felt successful. I had been diligently working, making sacrifices, taking chances, and keeping the course despite all the “nos.” It was success, just in an unconventional sense. I committed to qualifying success in unconventional ways and I encourage all my artist friends to do the same. It makes life easier and happier. Read more>>

Alisa Reyes | Actor, Singer, Producer, Writer & Acting Coach

My number one goal in life is to always stay grounded and to always be my most authentic self. Being in that frequency is what allowed me to align within where I am currently with my 30 year acting career. Starting acting as a child and now thanks be to God I am still going strong into my adulthood my most important factor behind my success was the support of my mother whom is now my guardian angel in heaven and having a strong team and tribe of family, friends and business associates helping me along my journey. I always made sure to stay as active as possible within my marketing and branding and my connection with my fan base since day one. I always have had a strong moral compass to where I have always been the captain of my own ship and made sure that I stayed in alignment within my work ethic, my manifestation and my over goals and vision for not only in front of the camera but also behind it. Read more>>

Dana Williams | Fashion Designer

Betting on myself! Leaving Corporate America and starting the KOKO HARLEY clothing brand was a big step but I knew I was made for this. I was ready to apply everything that I learned in the corporate world and take the leap! It’s been two years and I haven’t looked back. Read more>>

Erin Colvin | Artist & Creative Director

For me the most important factor behind the success of High Society Collection starts with the art or ideas behind our jewelry. Each piece is designed to shift expectations of what jewelry can be. We make dual purpose pieces that are clever and unexpected. Read more>>

Megan Ranegar | Social Media Manager and Community Builder

I’ve always explored my creativity, even from a really young age. As a kid, I remember turning a closet into a makeshift “office” space and spending time cutting things out of magazines, dreaming up designs, and just generally letting my mind run wild. I have creative parents who didn’t push us in any certain direction, so I was able to freely test the waters when it came to art, writing, music, sports–all of it, really. I took that approach all the way through college, and in looking back now, it made all the difference. I was a college athlete but maintained a good balance outside of athletics, writing for a local magazine in my college town, hosting dinner parties, and diving into my creative interests. While my career has been largely in the corporate space, creativity is something I never take for granted. Taking time to step away, get inspired, and tap into my creative side has always, always added value to my work. I’d say it’s the #1 key to success in my career. Read more>>

Eunice Sun | Artist and Author

I believe the most important factor behind my success is investing myself as an individual into the brand. As a small business, I don’t have multiple people running operations, marketing, and customer service – it’s just me! So, it’s always been really important for me to be transparent with my audience and customers about my business as well as share myself as a mom, friend, wife, artist and entrepreneur with each person I work with. In turn, I actually get the pleasure of getting to know people on a different level that allows us to grow deeper relationships. It’s been really important for me to be really honest, real and to have fun in my social presence in addition to providing education and encouraging my audience, customers and future customers to be creative, and to try something new. My mission is to show people that they CAN watercolor – even if they’ve never imagined they could. Read more>>

Kira West | Wellness Entrepreneur & Content Creator

There are really two important factors when it comes to the success within my life. The first is that I’m resilient and I know how to survive. It’s not often that things work out easily on the first try especially when building anything new so knowing how to keep moving forward is key. The second is knowing when to get help. We can’t all be experts at everything so I’ve found asking for help to be a huge part of my success because it allows me to lean into the things I excel in. Read more>>

Taylor Florence | Senior Care Expert

By far the most important factor to our success is being our personal touch with the families/ clients we support. We are with them each step of the way through the journey. Our personal and hands on approach to helping families navigate the challenges of an aging loved on makes all the difference in the world. Read more>>

Johnny Miller | Artists Management

(Michael McBay Founder and Bass Player) Truly having a great group of musicians around me who are not only amazing at their craft but we are like a family behind the scenes as well, also our team from our management, social media, distribution, and consulting teams. We have been very fortunate to work with top producers and musically and visually to be able to put out great music and videos. Read more>>

Mangal Suvarnan | Music Producer, Singer/ Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & DJ

Success is a relative term for me. I’ve had so much failure in my journey, I’m almost used to it right now, which is something not a lot of people see. There’s a lot of rejection in the industry I’m in, and over the years I’ve learnt to take in my stride. I’ve had so many goals and milestones I’ve wanted to hit by the time I’m 30, and I’m no where close to it. But from an outsider’s perspective, a million plays on a streaming platform, is in fact, success. I’d like to call it “small wins”. A small victory that proves as a bona fide marker of the fact that you are, indeed, moving forward. I put my entire being towards achieving these small wins. This way, every step forward is euphoric, and celebrated with my friends and family. Read more>>

Erin and Eric Ward and Stogsdill | Co-Owner

I think there’s a combination of factors behind our success. Our coffee is seasonally sourced and we roast on the lighter side. It’s great coffee. Our approach to coffee is to make it approachable. Our approach to customer service is to be welcoming. This combination gives customers a good feeling. So you have a great cup of coffee and an enjoyable in-store experience. That’s what makes the Alana’s brand work. Read more>>

Hanna Gothberg | Artist & Songwriter

The most important factor behind the success of my brand HAGO is definitely trusting my gut and don’t listen to what everyone thinks. Some people will give you great advice that pusch you in the right direction in your career. But sometimes it’s not the right way for you to go. You might need to take the long way to reach your success. Be true to yourself and don’t let anyone define you. Read more>>

Aman Bassi | Director & musician

The most important part of my success is helping others and doing everything I do out of love for the field I am in. Some do it for money but money doesn’t fulfill or give you the joy you get when you do something from the heart and also make others feel happy or put a smile on their face. Read more>>

Joey Martinez | Entrepreneur and Girl Dad

Treating my customers like Family and running my business with my heart 1st has led to the success that we have achieved in less than a year. Read more>>

Cesar “Valentino” Valdizan | Entrepreneur

We started our brand from an idea that had never been done. When a brand follows an established road it doesn’t need too much perseverance because it knows the steps along the way. That’s why you also see some brands succeed faster than others, because they followed the set road with faith and it paid off, and that’s admirable. Faith is easier to have than perseverance because faith is a choice, to be bold and do or not be bold. But, a brand like ours, that paves its own road, requires an insane amount of perseverance because we didn’t know what choices to even put our faith in. Our brand had to persevere lost until we found steps and choices we could put our faith in. If you are lost somewhere and have a map with the path and exit, all you need is a choice to have faith in the map and follow it, but if you are lost and don’t have a map, that’s when perseverance is needed more than faith. Read more>>

Rex Darnell | Film and Virtual Reality Composer

I believe that every genre of music has a particular, indispensable way of supporting a story. By writing in both new and old styles, I can help filmmakers conjure up any tone they want, whether it be sleek and contemporary, or classical and nostalgic. Living in our high-speed world of evolving trends, it’s easy to forget about our thousand-year history of of incredible music. I think that to write good music, it helps to understand our current sensibilities, but it’s also important to understand how we got here. Read more>>