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

Lauren McDonald | Founder of Urban Business Directory

The most important factor behind my success is my community. My community is the spark that ignites the fire in me to serve small and disadvantaged BIPOC owned businesses. Every service that the Urban Business Directory provides impacts the community. By helping small BIPOC businesses, the Urban Business Directory is closing economic gaps, re-circulating the black dollar within the community, and empowering individuals to pursue their dreams of entrepreneurship. Without my community, my business wouldn’t be possible. Read more>>

Chase Clark | Founder and Visionary of Chase’s Chance, Inc. and Creator of “the renaissance project: a black girls movement”

My mentality behind life (and business) is quite simple: God first, me second, community third. In my opinion this has direct correlation to my success today. Since I was young, my parents instilled in me the importance of keeping God at the head of my life however, It was not until this past year that I began to see him clearly for myself. Knowing that I will be loved unconditionally no matter how the scales may tip in life is an unreciprocated feeling that I pray everyone gets to experience. Caring for myself is another skill that I just started paying more attention to in light of the pandemic.Read more>>

Jermaine Jackson | Food Blogger

I feel like the most important factor behind my success, Is be authentic and genuine. I only make content on restaurants that I really like and enjoy.. Read more>>

Albani Sanchez Blanco | Photographer & CEO Picsani – Media Production Creators

Love and Service are the most important factor behind the success of my brand. Every project we take, whether is related to photos or videos, we personalize the service to that specific client to ensure he gets what he has in mind, or better. We love what we do and client satisfaction is our priority. It is not about how many clients we get, it is about the clients we keep over time. Read more>>

Henriette Danel | Strategic Business Coach

Let me put it this way… Have you ever walked into your kitchen and decided: Today I’m going to bake a cake, put a chicken in the oven, make some pancakes, oh and a big pot of curry and you know what, I’ll also make an apple pie while I’m at it… Now, my guess is that you wouldn’t do this in your kitchen, right? I mean just think of all the ingredients you’ll need, the mess it will create. And not to mention the overwhelm and the fact that everything would need to turn out edible at the same time. Read more>>

Tiffany Parker | Entrepreneur

The most important factor behind my success is my “Why” and my “How”. Many people in business discuss one or the other, but in my experience both have been instrumental. Why am I in business? How will I move? How will my businesses operate? How will myself and the businesses make people feel? Read more>>

Tyler Hopewell | “Global Homie”

I personally think the most important factor behind having success with yourself and your brand is having a plan. When I say a “plan” I’m say something thoroughly thought out an not based off of temporary emotions. Having patience an steady productivity will take you a long way on your journey as well. When you set out to achieve something its imperative to not start something you can not finish, I’ve witnessed tons of great ideas an dope movements that will stand the test of time an actually be successful, but I’ve also seen a lot of those same passions not work out just off the discipline one may have for themselves. Read more>>

D’Jillisser Kelly | Founder & Chief Experience Officer

Hi! My name is D’Jillisser Kelly, MPH, CP, Public Health Enthusiast, Founder & Chief Experience Officer of EnHER U Consulting — a boutique wellness consulting agency for all women. Taking the leap in wellness realm has not been a smooth journey. However, the foundation of EnHER U Consulting was founded with the core principles of faith. To further dig deeper on another key factor of the business is simply the approach as D’Jillisser shares her experiences on ways, she has overcome challenges and now promotes wellness toolkit to help empower women to bloom into their best self. Read more>>

Roderick Trujillo | Bassist/Song Writer of Pull No Punches

We believe that Pull No Punches has found success in large part because we strike a good balance between working hard and having fun. It’s an important balance to strike because working without any fun can remove the personal value one experiences when trying to succeed and, at the same time, focusing exclusively on enjoyment/fun can really hamper productivity. Pull No Punches focuses heavily on making sure that we’re doing enough work to accomplish what we’d like to without sacrificing the joy and pleasure of performing/creating. Without the hard work, Pull No Punches would never find any real success at all. Without the fun, Pull No Punches would implode because the success wouldn’t be worth pursuing anymore. Read more>>

Shadea Murphy | Spiked Delights Mobile Bartender Owner

The most important factor behind the success of my brand is the foundation that it was built on. I officially launched Spiked Delights Mobile Bartending in July of 2020 after spending 5 months in jail. Although it was not something I am proud of, it is also not something I will be ashamed of because that hardship ultimately fueled me to build the successful busines and brand that I currently have. I turned my lemons into an empire & within the last year and a half Spiked Delights has grown into a booming business, with over 10 employees and two locations we have hit the bartending scene with a bang with no signs of slowing down. All of this would not have been possible if I let my struggles get the best of me, so not only is Spiked Delights an amazing bartending service but we also serve as a reminder that you can overcome anything! Read more>>

KimBella The Solo Esthetician | Entrepreneur, Esthetician & Industry Leader/Influencer

The Solo Esthetician is a community effort. Although we’re based in Atlanta, Georgia, our members come together in our private Facebook group from every state in America, and even other countries, to share their knowledge and encouragement with each other. The success of this group is directly related to its engagement, and a huge reason why the group is so engaging is because, when we each share our real-life experiences as estheticians, the rest of us can relate so intimately. We are all so invested in each of our own businesses, as entrepreneurs and business owners, so everything we talk about really hits home- from the struggles to the wins. Each of our stories and the lessons that come from them get everyone talking and truly learning from each other. Read more>>

Kimberly Parkman | Owner & Principal Designer

The one non-negotiable in my business is providing amazing customer service with a personal touch. I feel that good customer service is lacking today and for me, that’s what keeps me loyal to a brand. Before I even put a product to market, I test it myself to make sure a piece of jewelry doesn’t tarnish, an article of clothing wears nicely, a tumbler performs to standards, etc. I personally interact with my customers on social media and answer all of my DMs on my own. I also provide custom order services to help my customers create the perfect item for personal use/wear or for a gift. Being an online retailer, I know that you have options but I want you to continue to come back to Belle & Ten over and over again based on your experience with us from the very first interaction with the brand. Read more>>

Jahkeen Washington | Co-Founder & Coach

The most important factor behind our success revolves around our brands mission and brand consistency, JTW FIT offers quality and affordable fitness solutions to Harlem and beyond. We have created a fitness community that is unique, diverse, and welcoming, all while ensuring people of color are afforded a space to train comfortably and confidently. When you combine this with our well rounded service offerings, you get a special place and cool vibe that is unmatched. Read more>>

Scpt {o;oe | Meteorologist

Be yourself. Don’t shy away from being goofy and authentic. Social media has been key to my success and brand. It takes a lot of work to manage social media profiles, but it has advanced my professional career tremendously. I strive to post accurate weather information while also engaging with a wide audience through creative and often humorous content. Read more>>

Tayla Berry | Photographer; Cloud Ten Photography

The most important factor behind the success of my brand is that it creates space(s) where others feel seen. It’s my intention that Cloud Ten uplifts, encourages, serves, and welcomes others in seeing their own authentic light. Images that highlight, empower, and affirm individuality, in the purest form. The success of the “Cloud” is not my alone but that of the community it builds in providing others a space or moments in time where they can have the room to explore different depths of themselves in self-expression. We believe that everyone offers something unique to the world and on Cloud Ten it’s most important that we have honest connections, carrying the confidence that extraordinary things can happen when two or more come together to create something beautiful. Read more>>

Jessica Lowe | Nail Technician & Esthetician

The most important factor behind my success, is having faith in God! I moved into my first apartment the day before Georgia was shut down due to COVID. I worked a full-time job, and was in school full time for Cosmetology at the time. And because of low work, and high positive test results in my workplace, I quit my job. I took a leap of faith, and decided to become a full time nail technician. It started off slow, and as I practiced more and more on myself and family members, I began to take real clients. I picked up maybe 5 new clients, and after that I applied for a nail salon job, lol. That salon was great to start off, because the salon was extremely slow. But I wasn’t getting better, so I applied for another salon job where it was more traffic, and within a few months my nails were, as good as someone in their second year. While doing nails in a salon, I finished up cosmetology school and took my state board exam. Read more>>

Christine Quarte | Wedding & Portrait Photographer

The most important part was defining who I was and what I offered my clients. How do I stand out against the crowd? What do I offer that’s unique to me and my services? How do I want to be perceived by my clients? Defining those attributes of my brand was critical in determining my messaging, offering, purpose and brand promise. It was important that I be able to articulate this to my potential clients so they understand who and what they were getting by working with me. But I also wanted to generate excitement and confidence with clients too. My goal was to have prospects connect with me during the consultation and feel excited and motivated when determining whether I was a great fit to tell their story. Read more>>

Jordan Gensler | Owner | Photographer

It’s all about cultivating a relationship with your potential client. There are so many great photographers out there but what set you apart is your passion and your personality. I’m extremely passionate about taking a snapshot of these memories at a point in time that they can treasure forever. You become invested in one of the most important memories of their life so although they start off as a client they end up being your friend afterwords. A lot of my business is focused on referral and reoccurring business. So if they like you then they know you then they’re more likely to keep you as a family photographer. And same thing goes for business. Being organized and having strong communication skills is a vital mindset in his business. Read more>>

Shameka “Meka” Wilson | Photographer and Content Creator

Continuing to try new techniques, putting yourself out there, whether networking on posting on socials. Read more>>

Shamanda Burston, M.A, Ed.S, LCAS | Licensed Therapist, Executive Producer, Screenwriter, Author

The secret weapon behind my success and brand is “God’s Favor.” Everything about my life and journey says that I’m not supposed to be here. I’m a former high school dropout and teen mom of 2 turned Licensed Therapist, Ph.D. student, Movie Producer/Screenwriter, Published author, and Domestic Violence/ Childhood illness survivor. I truly believe that God allows us to experience situations and circumstances to testify to how we overcame them, which helps others. Essentially, that’s what my production company, LuLu B. Productions is all about. I write and produce cinematherapy-focused films that are centered around healing and spreading mental health awareness. Read more>>

Monique Rauls | Business Owner

The most important factor behind my success of my brand is MAKING A CLEAN DIFFERENCE Becoming an expert in the cleaning field, Growing my business at a steady rate with excellent customer service thats necessary to gain clients and build trust and a positive reputation along the way. Read more>>

Leda & Co. | A Creative Agency

At Leda & Co., we pride ourselves on being a one stop shop for a brand or business. Not only do we offer event and experience services, social media strategy and public relations but a host of other creative services. We like to give our clients the full experience from start to finish. If you are a business who needs a thorough social media strategy to help you grow but you also want to host a pop-up shop, we got you! And if we can’t get it done in-house, we’ll connect you with someone who can! Read more>>