We asked rising stars from the community one of our favorite questions: other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?

Emalee Sigur | Pet Care Business Owner & Yoga Teacher

Prioritizing self care and aligning my actions with my values. Period. I started my business in 2016 at 23 years old which was something that I actively took a lot of pride in. Here I was forging my way down an unconventional path without knowing what I was doing or how I was going to do it. However, with the decision to do this, I was spending a lot more time working and grinding without having any practices for taking care of myself. I quickly went down a spiral towards depression, despite the empowerment of being a self-starter. It wasn’t until a year into my entrepreneurial journey that I decided something needed to change. I started yoga and ever since then have continued learning how to prioritize my mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. Read more>>

Scoop Comeaux | Artist & Producer

Reading! Growing up, I never had enough discipline to finish a good book. My uncle Nate would give me books for my birthday. One day I came across a Fiction book, and recognized the author’s name. It was over 300 pages. I challenged myself to finish it. Finishing it sparked my confidence, furthermore, leading me into wanting to do it again, and again. So I did. The key, though, is that instead of fiction books, I chose self help and financial literature. Read more>>

Amanda Lesperence | Makeup artist

The single most decision that contributed to my success is moving to a different state. Moving has really limited my distractions and created an environment where I can stay disciplined, focused and consistent with my craft. Read more>>

Angela Thomas-Smith | Queen of Collaborations

Deciding to walk away from domestic violence and be a voice for my community. Read more>>

Kelysha McCoy | Executive Director

Choosing to trust myself and my path and process as an entrepreneur. Some days will feel amazing and others you will want to give up, and the days that you want to give up you will question if it’s really what you want to do and I experienced that many times. I learned to just always check in with myself and give myself the same grace and patience I gave the world when it came to my professional aspirations as an entrepreneur. Rome wasn’t built in a day and thats exactly what entrepreneurship is like. Read more>>