We asked some of the city’s rising stars about why they think they have been so successful and we’ve shared their responses below.

Lizzy Rollins | Photographer

Community – no doubt. The strength of the creative community around me has provided me work when I needed it, outlets for personal projects, and allowed me to feel like I have co-workers in a career path that can be fiercely independent, and sometimes isolating. Read more>>

Whitney Rain | Watercolor Artist

Taking everything one single little tiny step at a time. I started all of this with zero painting or business experience and a brand new baby. The process was slow and it took a lot of patience but by working on this dream everyday, even if it was only for a few minutes, I was able to make huge progress over a long period of time. Read more>>

Riska Johnson | Celebrity Makeup Artist

The most important factor behind my success is being humbled enough to share my transparency of being a makeup artist and being in position to help others start their makeup career or give them leads to greater to a greater journey within their career. Read more>>

Kimberly Fontenette | A singing cook that just wants to add some flavor to your life.

Growing up in Houston, TX music and performance has always been at the forefront of my life, it was all I knew and it was all I wanted to do everyday. As I evolved as a women it was important that I took the time to discover who I truly was. Not what family or friends thought I should be, but just me. That time came after the passing of my Father, I was forced to take a deep look and myself “Who are you really?” Read more>>

Patricia Cowan | Custom Basket Designer

The most important factor behind my success is staying true to my brand. What I mean by that is keeping the reason why is started my business, which is primarily due to a pivotal item in my life and me making the decision to sink or swim. My brand encompasses the idea that each item included in a basket is a trinket for the recipient. Read more>>

Jay Eastland | Owner of Engineered Solutions of Georgia

PEOPLE I could point to several important factors that have led to our company’s success. There are the usual clichés: hard work, determination, luck, but our secret souse is people. Luis, my business partner, and I understood very early on that in order to build a great company, we would need the best and brightest team we could assemble. Read more>>

Michelle Joseph Valerie Seibert | Publicists & Business Owners

The most important factor behind our success is discipline. Having discipline is simply doing the thing you need to do consistently whether you feel like it or not which is the key to long-term success. . When you have a why for what you do, harnessing discipline becomes easy. “Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” – Abraham Lincoln Read more>>

Howard Palmer | Yoga & Meditation Teacher

The most important factor behind the brand Only Black Cosmonaut success, is liberation. We must free ourselves from the trappings of the mind to be fully liberated. We have been given the gift of love and the acceptance that it permeates all that we perceive. Without judgment and fear, we create all that is everlasting from love. Everything else is of the mind. Read more>>

Jim Karwisch | Coach at Untangled Narrative

The core of my career as a creative, as well as in facilitation and coaching, is my study of narratives and how we create them, live them, maintain them, and retell them. A clear and unhindered narrative can give great confidence and allow for great success. A tangled and flawed narrative can throw up unnecessary road blocks, and erode our confidence. Read more>>

Josie Feneck | ECCO-Kits, co-founder

My boys – their enthusiasm and pride is contagious. They are completely invested in the process. In a way, I feel like I am planting that entrepreneurial seed like our mom did with me. Entrepreneurialism is in my DNA. My mom was always trying to creatively capitalize on her talents. When it was suggested that one of my boys would benefit from additional sensory play, I recruited my sister and together we combined our marketing and educational backgrounds to create something exciting. My friends quickly took notice, and the demand was there. Read more>>

Raquel | Entrepreneur

The most important factor behind my success is Faith. Faith in God, myself, my brand, and life in general. I used to struggle with thinking negatively and always expecting the worst out of situations. I sometimes fear that things won’t work out the way I want it to and that results in me holding back my ideas and dreams. Read more>>

Chris Garrison | Owner & Operator of Boat & Fiberglass Repair Shop

The most important factor behind my success is having a great team that thrives to be the best at what we/they do, and having high standards that every job should be perfect and the customer completely satisfied. Read more>>

Chelsea Mason | Crafter

By far the greatest factor behind my success has been community support. I started my craft business right at the beginning of a pandemic and honestly didn’t really know anything other than knowing I loved to craft. My family and greater community jumped right after my first post, and they haven’t let up since. Read more>>

The Boom Bap Hour | Hip Hop Podcast

Consistency. From our experience, consistency has been the most important factor to ensuring success of any brand. Consistency creates accountability. Authenticity, passion, integrity and confidence plays a major factor in our brand success. Read more>>

Darius Weekes | Visual Artist

I would say the most important factor behind my success is being able to execute and still push my self to learn my craft as a visual artist and designer. After dropping out of college, it was hard to take what I’ve learned and my natural talent into the work force without having some sort of degree to back me up. Because of that, I was able to start freelancing until I was able to encourage myself to start a small e-commerce business. Read more>>

Bianca Lee | CEO of B. Winsome & Content Creator

The most important factor behind my success is my optimism. No matter the circumstances and odds, I truly believe I can do anything if I apply myself and give hundred percent. My brand succeeds due to me being true to my identity. Oscar Wilde said it best, “Be yourself for everyone else is taken.” I speak affirmations over myself and my business daily to feed my spirit. Living in a society where authenticity is rare, I must stay true to myself and be an example for the next generation possibly watching me. Read more>>

Tiffany Grantham | Creative Writer

The most important factors behind my success are authenticity, transparency, and patience; for the three to exist, I believe, you have to be self-aware, accept everything you learn about yourself, and get clear on your business goals. Otherwise, you’ll follow trends and recreate paths that are not meant for you and your brand.  Read more>>