What drives your success?

Hardwork? Luck? Good habits? What would you say is behind your success? We’ve shared some thoughtful responses below.

Antwone Barnes | Actor | Writer | Vocalist

I think the key thing is not caring about others opinions concerning you as you chase your dreams. We all have certain insecurities that hold us back from unlocking our deepest potential. I feel the way we access more of that is by understanding what those insecurities are and dealing with them first. Read more>>

Fabiola Campos | Director, Writer & Editor

The most important factor behind my success is the most important thing I have, and that is my family. My dad and my mom are my role models to follow; they are the hardest-working people who fight every day so that my sister and I lack nothing. Without them, I couldn’t be where I am. Before having the opportunity to study abroad, I didn’t have the hope that something like this would happen to me, especially a career like film. Since I mentioned to my dad and mom that I wanted to go to that specific university when I was 14 years old, without hesitation, they immediately began to find a way for me to go to the United States to have this opportunity. When I was accepted to the university, I remember they came to me in my room on August 28th and said, “Fabi, we did it, finally.” Those words have motivated me every day, through ups and downs, since that moment I’ve done everything for my family. My Campos Campos family are the only people who have always supported me from day 0. It is only because of them that my success and all the projects I do have motivated me to move forward and finish them with total success. Read more>>

Jason Briggs | Contractor and life long learner

The most important factor behind our success is our employees. It took a while in our company to understand the importance of being satisfied in the work that we do for each team member. The employee is the face of a company and if they are taken care of as best we are able to then the client will be taken care of as well. Employees have a significant impact on the culture and reputation of a company. We are solicited nearly every day on some sort of marketing idea and I’ve always found it interesting that none of those solicitors talk about the importance of the employees in a companies brand and image. Read more>>

Avern Richardson | Business Coach & Operations Strategist

The most important factor behind the success of Strategic Encounter Agency and Avern Richardson as a brand has been my faith and connection to a purposeful why.

My brand and business are built on the message of Genesis 1:28 Be fruitful, Multiply, Subdue & Dominate”. Read more>>

burce | artist/songwriter/instrumentalist

for me what the most important “factor” for success would be the community building. im a firm believer in pouring and investing into your community, the people you live and interact with on a daily basis whether is work, personal, family and etc. when the community can help each other grow and thrive by supporting one another is the success behind everything. im proud and honored to have found such amazing group of people. and slowly but surely we are still growing and expanding our village. Read more>>

Cody Simpson | Chief Landscape Consultant, Droughtscape

Efficiency. Efficiency is everything to me. Setting up my life and my work to be as streamlined as humanly possible has been the aim. Over the years, I’ve noticed how many people are “stuck” in their work, their relationship, their life. There’s no real movement, change or progress. To me, this is bordering on insanity, especially when they aren’t actively trying to do anything about it. At this point in my life, I can’t imagine staying in an uncomfortable position for an extended period of time without trying to do something about it. A lot of people think the idea of confronting a coworker or boss, or talking to HR or something of this sort makes you look like a “snitch” or a loser, so they sit in a position they don’t like with rules they don’t like and don’t say anything. They withhold their good ideas and they suppress their own potential, all for the sake of not having others judge them, or for the sake of sticking it to the man. Read more>>

Christopher Matias Aguila | Actor, writer, and producer

Working in the entertainment industry, there’s a lot of waiting around for the perfect job. I quickly learned that I would have to produce and create my own material to work consistently. There is a power that you give yourself as an actor when you learn how to write, produce, and direct. Developing my point of view has been essential in paving a path for myself, as well as finding my community of collaborators. Read more>>

Joel Rafael | Performing songwriter, music producer, owner/operator of Lilac Sound Recorders, and host of Rockin’ the Rez Radio Hour

I have found that the most successful brand is to not have a brand. As Woody Guthrie once said, it is better to fail at being yourself than to succeed at being somebody else. Read more>>

Noah Omobolanle (nickname CEONOAHO) | Nigerian-American Businessman, Film and Television Producer and Actor, Philanthropist, Fashion Designer and Entrepreneur.

My all-time favorite quote by pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth is, “I won’t just have a job, I’ll have a calling. I’ll challenge myself every day. When I get knocked down, I’ll get back up. I may not be the smartest person in the room, but I’ll strive to be the grittiest.” After setting foot on the campus of my dorm at California State University, Dominguez Hills, I remember reflecting on the experiences that would make my education experience memorable. I wanted to emulate the life I imagined I’d one day live, meeting success unexpectedly in common hours. So I mapped out a five-year plan. I knew I wanted to explore my entertainment and business acumen interests further, I knew I wanted to find community with other immigrants like myself and I knew I wanted to ultimately build a business with like-minded individuals. College was the playground for all my goals to be realized. I joined the board of Undocupower to use my story to help inspire immigrants and build a community of care and belonging. I was always surprised by how people responded when I voiced my dreams. Whether it was a conversation in a safe space or amongst my fellow immigrant community, I’d always hear back the dreams of others. That kind of symbiotic relationship I nurtured and found in the community led me to start an entertainment group called Top Dreams Universal, a fashion house and company called Sweven Voga, LLC, and a non-profit arm called N.O.A.H’s ARK of PURPOSE (N.A.P) Foundation. In 2020, during the unprecedented times of COVID-19, I discovered the name Sweven, which translates to Dream, and Voga translates to Fashion. Immediately after, I started my entertainment group Top Dreams Universal which is a preeminent producer of events and broadcasts worldwide; creating, collaborating, and bringing a renewed focus on excellent multimedia platforms. Around 5:00 am, in February 2024, I received a whisper to connect my life work to a purpose beyond myself which led me to start the N.A.P Foundation, which is committed to empowering and uplifting lives through discovering the purpose-driven life, which every one of us was sent into the world to discover. Three years ago, I won a SEED grant for immigrant business owners through an organization called Immigrant Rising. The goal of the SEED Initiative is to support the economic development of immigrant entrepreneurs in California. I was able to secure $5,000 in business funding to scale up my business services and come up with innovations and luxury-drawn designs. While building up my businesses, I have gained experience in event and entertainment management by working three seasons of NBC American Ninja Warrior, eight years of BET Awards, Netflix Nigerian American Live Comedy Special, Nick Cannon’s Ncredible Productions, and multiple large pro-special events and projects across the board. Because of my adopted American Dream, I’ve been able to be paid for my services and pursue my entrepreneurial passions. Read more>>

Toiya Barnes | Singer

The most important factor behind my brand is my faith in what I do! I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’m called to help people through my music. Read more>>

Shuang Yan | Award-winning Designer

The most important reason is I always try to blend innovative design with a deep understanding of social, cultural, and environmental elements. I’ve always ventured beyond traditional architecture, exploring new areas in design that resonate with people on a deeper level. My focus has always been to create spaces that are not just functional but are inspiring and thought-provoking. Read more>>

Abby Draper | Strategic Communications Expert

To me, the most important factor to all that I do — professionally and personally — is to treat others how I want to be treated. “The Golden Rule” if you will. I was raised that way and every day I strive to maintain that simple but impactful mantra. I am proud that my personal and professional brand allows others to view me as both tenacious and kind in everything I do and I believe that has led to a lot of the incredible opportunities I’ve been able to pursue. From moving across the country to open a west coast office, to the amazing brands I’ve partnered with to working with other successful strategists that I’ve admired for decades. I believe those things have been made a reality because I live by the golden rule. Read more>>

Greg Howard Jr | Content Creators & Podcast Host

I don’t take myself too seriously. In the creative world, there are a lot of artists and content creators who look down their noses at others in their field because they may do things differently and that shows in their work. I’ve always said that when whatever I’m doing stops being fun then I move on to the next endeavor and that’s helped a lot with keeping my content from feeling stagnant and joyless. Read more>>