There are often countless factors that go into why someone or some brand is successful, but in our research and conversations with successful entrepreneurs and creatives we’ve found that most can usually point to one or a few factors that played an outsized role in the success.  We’ve shared some of those conversations below.

Mireille Beckwith | Wardrobe Stylist & Fashion Blogger

Staying true to who I am and the content I want to create. Sometimes in the creator space, it’s easy to get caught up in what other people are doing, and if successful, want to mimic that. I have learned it’s better in the long run to stick to what I love whether it’s popular or not, because that helps me build a stronger brand than if I wasn’t sure who I was or what I liked. This thought process has also allowed for my community, no matter how small, to trust me and building a loyal following. Because of this, we get to know each other, and my audience knows me. My goal is for my sponsored content to run into my non-sponsored content and for there to not feel like any forced gap between the two. Read more>>

RaQuita Weathers | Photographer & Studio Owner

Having a strong will for success has been a huge factor in my business. It’s showing other young women who look up to me that anything is possible even with a family, a full-time job. You can do anything if you’re truly determined to see it through. Read more>>

Karolina Agner | Photographer

At the risk of sounding like I’m talking about myself I do credit a large part of the success of my business to the hard work and the passion I have for what I do. I pour a bit of my heart and soul into every single session. I try my best to connect with every single client, and to form a relationship that keeps them coming back to me. I want my sessions to flow, for their to be love and laughter to be natural and organic, and for it to feel like time spent with a friend rather than stiff posed portraiture. One of the greatest gifts this business gives me is watching my families grow through the years and experiencing all the seasons of their lives. Read more>>

Kimberly Lee-Okonya | Mental Health Therapist & Founder

The most important factor behind my success without a doubt would have to be my support team. Many people, especially in our society, have a very individualistic ( and contrast to collectivistic) outlook on things. While I believe the bulk of the work is on the mastermind behind the brand; accomplishing anything worthwhile solely alone I personally do not think is feasible. As a wife, mother, therapist, business owner, doctoral student, daughter, friend and the other titles that may be fitting to describe me, there is no way I could manage it all without having my village who provides paramount support. My husband specifically has been monumental in the success and continued growth of my brands. Read more>>

Kim Normand Dobrin | Co Founder & CEO

Watching and being witness in my own life personally, with my children and with others globally, the need for real life skills and tools to understand and develop EQ and LQ has always been so profoundly apparent. Generally conversations are limited and avoided around difficult concepts and topics such as fear, anxiety, tolerance, dreams and love. Yes, these are some issues that limit our abilities and lives stopping us from reaching our potential and living a happy life. Our brand comes from a foundation of authenticity that we have lived this journey and learnt and grown from it. Read more>>

Ralph Russell | Professional DJ

The most important factor behind the success of my brand is showing professionalism. Any event that I’m booked to DJ for, I always show up early, prepared to setup my equipment. I do this to ensure everything works accordingly so once the event starts, there will be no technical difficulties. Being professional as an entrepreneur shows people that you provide excellent customer service and brings in referrals from others who tell their friends about my brand/DJ company. Read more>>

Lekha Shah | Creative Artist & Entrepreneur

“Great things never comes from comfort zone.” I am a true believer of this wonderful quote. The most important factor behind the success of The Artsy Box is “Self motivation” and “Never give up” attitude. No roads are easy. No matter which carrier path you choose, there are going to be hurdles, challenges and once in a while a big storm like “covid-19”. All what matters is how you survive. How you learn to try new things and make your business work. Integrity and love towards what I do is what helps me get going. Through the nature of our business, I get to be a medium of spreading happiness to so many people. Read more>>

Josie Berry | Founding Member & COO of Back To You

Every Back to You client is a person, not a patient. A person’s world can be totally changed by losing their hair due to a medical condition. The Back To You experience is unique because it allows our guests to step outside of their medical treatment for a salon beauty experience and for professional guidance in alternative hair. We understand what they are going through and stand ready to serve them, their friends, family, and our community. Our certified licensed professional hairdressers are trained to ease the transition before, during and after hair loss, so the person never misses a beat. Read more>>

Michelle “MiMi” Matthews | Career Coach & Accountant

The most important factor behind the success of my brand is consistency. I continue to show up for myself and my community even if I need to take a small break. If you can continue to show up with valuable information success is inevitable. I don’t take it for granted that my people are looking forward to content that will help them in their career advancement journey. Read more>>

Julane Fisher | Author, Speaker, Blogger

Whenever an aspiring author asks me for advice, the first thing I say is, “Writing is the easy part, but marketing will be your greatest challenge.” The publishing world has changed dramatically since from the time publishers spent thousands of dollars on marketing campaigns to create instant New York Times Bestsellers. The reality today is authors must know how to market their own books. Social media platforms are a great start, but often not enough. What set me apart and the most important factor behind my success as an author has been speaking at local schools. I spent hours developing an exciting, interactive presentation that aligned with the school’s curriculum. The response has been overwhelming. Read more>>

Meka Nicole Alford | Licensed Professional Counselor

The most important factor behind my success is my ability to be authentic about who I am, life struggles, relationship concerns, my fears, and more. As a therapist I call on our clients to open up to us, to be honest, to trust us, and to work on their healing. I feel I need to model that behavior in my own life if I expect my clients to be authentic to me. People need to see that I also experience heartache, grief, relationship issues, communication issues, and more. I’m not perfect but I have tools that I have used and can share to help them to heal, grow, and overcome just as I have. Being able to authentically connect with my clients help them grow even more and it builds awesome rapport! Read more>>

Sean Patterson | Father, Entrepreneur, Coach and Friend

The most import factor behind the success of The 411 Foundation is support. If it wasn’t for people believing in what The 411 Foundation has been trying to do with helping individuals and families we wouldn’t still be here. Our annual Back To School supply drive is one of the most important thing that The 411 Foundation does each year and it wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for all of the people that support us. Read more>>

Dr. Brooke A. Jones | Clinical Psychologist and Practice Owner

I like to see Fresh Start, the business, as a “house” when answering this question. What that means is that the foundation of Fresh Start is being true to who I am. As the business owner, the foundation includes my faith, strong family background, and life experiences. The puzzle pieces of who I am is what I want to see in my company. These aspects have influenced our guiding principles — faith, family, life balance, self-integrity, and ethical practice; and the principles have created our mission statement, which explains our purpose for understanding and having compassion for others, utilizing our skills and education to provide quality mental health treatment, and respecting every patient who puts their trust in our services. Read more>>

Osazi Al Khaliq | College Admissions Consultant

The most important factor behind the success of my work in addressing educational inequity is that my goal is to empower disadvantaged students in their college application process. For me, It’s important that my students know, especially those that are under-served , that their goal isn’t just to get into a great college but to also excel on campus. That requires them to think for the long term and to reflect upon their journey of growth and where they see themselves in the future. I tell my students that the goal of the college application process isn’t to tell admission committees what they think they want to hear. Read more>>

Tianna Smith | Tasha Stewart | Maurice Price N/A

The most important factor behind our success is our family of supporters. The people who become a part of our movement are steadfast, vibrant, and just as passionate about SOS as we are. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the love and support of our SOS Family. Read more>>

Atlantis McNeil | Lifestyle Influencer

Authenticity. Social media has allowed so many people to be who they want to be. Often times, who they portray is not who they really are off screen. I try to be as authentic as possible when sharing my story. Some things aren’t pretty, but it makes me relatable and I’m able to grow my audience because in many facets, they feel like they’re not alone. Read more>>