We asked the community what factors they felt were responsible for their success and we’ve highlighted some of those responses below.

Talisa Almonte

I think there is always a part of me that doesn’t feel like I’ve reached my version of success yet and I know that comes from living in a capitalistic society. Read more>>

Sam Chung

Diligence, and patience. I like to set 1 – 2 year plans for my creative approaches so I can take time to not only work on my craft meticulously but also to meet people and network. Read more>>

Dr. Kimberly Lee

I would say the single most important factor behind my brand’s success is trust. In facial aesthetics, patients aren’t just choosing a procedure; they’re choosing who they trust with their identity. The face is deeply personal. It reflects confidence, emotion, and how someone moves through the world. If patients don’t feel understood, heard, and safe, nothing else matters. Read more>>

David Toledo

Consistency has been the biggest factor. I treated every event, big or small, like it mattered. I focused a lot on preparation, organization, and details that most people overlook. Over time, that built trust with clients and vendors, and that trust is what allowed the business to grow. Read more>>

Deonte & Yadicza Towner

The most important factor behind our success is obedience to God, consistency in the process, and the fact that this is personal for us. Towners Juice didn’t start as a random business idea it started as a vision God gave my wife. She came to me one day with the entire business plan written out. From that moment, we chose to walk it out faithfully. Read more>>

Haoyuan Ren

Spending 19 years behind the lens as a professional photographer has taught me that true success goes much deeper than a sea of likes or an infinite vertical scroll. It is the narrative staying power of your work: the ability for images to timelessly tell a story over and over again. Read more>>

Laura Carney

Everything I do is motivated by love and my drive to help people to the best of my ability. I believe that whatever gifts we were born with weren’t given to us so we can compete with others but so we can give where we are needed. With that philosophy, it is a sin to waste a gift. Read more>>

Claudia Borges

The most important factor has been my willingness to evolve, internally first, externally second. When I began my journey in energy healing in 2016, it wasn’t a business decision. It was a personal reckoning. I had to rebuild my life from the inside out. That experience shaped how I lead today, not from theory, but from lived transformation. Read more>>

Deepak Mandy

Trust is fragile, and that is a crucial driving force behind our success. It takes years to build and seconds to break. In the moving industry, customers hand over more than furniture. They hand over wedding albums, children’s drawings, and heirlooms wrapped in old newspapers. They hand over pieces of their lives. Read more>>

Alfonso Cobo

The most important factor behind my success is building from genuine curiosity, not numbers first. Everything I’ve created started as something I personally wanted. Unfold came from how I wanted to tell stories on social media. Hypelist came from how fragmented my taste felt, with my favorite things always scattered across different apps. Read more>>

Samer Hamayel

The most important factor behind my success as a hair color and extensions specialist is the quality and integrity of my work. In both color and extensions, there is no room for shortcuts. Precision, customization, and attention to detail are everything. It all starts with a thorough consultation. Read more>>

Jordanna Burke

If I had to identify one key factor behind my success, it would be honesty. I’ve always believed that trust is the foundation of patient care. Being transparent, communicating clearly, and doing what is ethically right builds lasting confidence. I’m also deeply committed to continuous education — medicine evolves, and I believe we must evolve with it. Read more>>

Rory Lewis

The Core Factor: Cinematic Authenticity ‘The most important factor behind my success as an actor’s headshot photographer in Los Angeles has been a refusal to follow the ‘commercial smile’ trend. Instead, I’ve focused on cinematic authenticity. In a market as saturated as Hollywood, an actor doesn’t need just another ‘clean’ photo; they need an image that looks like a still from a high-budget production. Read more>>

Danny Bardales

As a wedding officiant, my approach centers on creating a personal and memorable experience for every couple I work with. The most important factor to my success and brand is ensuring couples feel that a friend is officiating their wedding. I achieve this by connecting with each couple authentically, getting to know them on a deeper level, and truly understanding their love story. Read more>>

Juan Herrera

The most important factor behind my success I would have to say is mindset. You may have connections, skill or privilege but without the proper mindset the fruits of your labor will always be less than what you hoped. Read more>>

Koray Ozsou

The most important factor behind my success is a quality I call ‘Productive Obsession.’ When I find something I’m passionate about, I don’t just participate,I immerse myself entirely. It becomes my world. What makes this a success factor for me is that it’s an unending, cumulative process. Read more>>

Ernest Gundo

“For me, success is first measured by my ability to work hard before it is measured by profit or popularity. I believe that if you can consistently put in effort when no one is watching, then results will eventually follow. So the main success factor behind my business has really been discipline, persistence, and a strong work ethic. Read more>>

Bryce Pickett

Since I was young, I’ve always heard the phrase, “It takes a village.” That mindset has stayed with me throughout both my personal and professional journey. Understanding that success rarely happens alone—and that collaboration is essential—has been one of the most important factors behind my growth in talent management. In influencer marketing, relationships are everything. Read more>>

Laila Hazel

Community is truly the foundation of my brand. Everything I create—whether it’s through podcasting, media, or business—comes back to building spaces where people feel seen, heard, and valued. As a podcast host and entrepreneur, I’ve realized that the relationships I cultivate within my community are what continue to shape my journey and keep my work meaningful. Read more>>

Maria Stola Aldaz

The most important factor behind the success of The Pop-Up Project has been our commitment to creating a cultural platform rather than simply staging exhibitions. From the beginning, Julia Perez and I believed that artists need more than walls to hang their work. They need context, visibility, and dialogue. Read more>>