Every overnight success we’ve seen has been years in the making. And those overnight successes are rarely because of an amazing idea or a stroke of luck. We asked some of our favorite folks from the community about what characteristics are at the heart of their success story?

Nick Mele | Photographer

I believe that its about finding what makes you unique and leaning into that. What do you bring to the table that others don’t? For me, its a sense of humor and fun that brings a fresh perspective to a traditionally uptight market. Its also access to the people and businesses in aspirational destinations like Palm Beach, Newport and the Hamptons. Read more>>

Giselle Pinto | Executive Pastry Chef

The most important factor behind success, is to create your own definition of it; Success can be defined and segmented in many ways: monetarily, brand recognition, digital media activity and even balance between family/friends and Work. My definition was mine, from the very beginning. And although I already had a very successful career in advertising, it wasn’t until I opened my business, that things changed completely and I really felt “I made it!”. In fact, I remember driving my foodtruck before being remodeled, and I felt the most amazing feeling of success. Nor have I ever felt anything similar getting advertising campaigns approved, reaching the great job with the great account; this feeling was new to me and it was a sense of accomplishment. I never asked anyone about my concept, about the menu, or the plan -although always received unrequested advise. Read more>>

Maria Harrison | President & Co-Founder

There is a multitude of ingredients that go into making Bullseye Strategy a successful digital marketing and media agency. In short, we let our work speak for itself. Our clients care about results. That might be better search engine rankings that we have achieved through our search engine optimization efforts, a high return on ad spend or the stunning creative that receives outstanding engagement and reach on social media. To achieve outstanding results, we leverage cutting-edge technology. Most importantly, we have built an incredible culture and team synergized to achieve the best results for our clients. I attribute my success to being both partially hardwired and a product of my upbringing. I am fundamentally a classic Type A personality, always driving and striving to be better, leaving it all “on the court” every day. I had a very middle-class upbringing. Read more>>

Tova Teitelbaum | Photographer

Consistency in providing the best experience for my clients from when they first reach out to me to providing the final images; constantly updating my website with fresh content which has helped push my website to the front pages of Google; being responsive, professional, creating connections with people and ultimately what brings me the most satisfaction: creating photos that bring people joy. Being consistent over the years with all of the above I believe has helped fuel the success of my business. Read more>>

Miriam Amselem | Wellness and Life Transformation Expert

Naturally Healthy by Miri is basically one stop for a healthy lifestyle! The most important factor behind my brand and success is an all encompassing wellness expertise which includes Holistic Nutrition, Mindfulness, Life Transitions Coaching, Yoga, Meditation, Menopause Coaching and Fitness. Having the ability to offer all of these wellness components is unique and those who want to transform their lives and make wellness their goal, don’t need to find seven or eight different experts – they can choose just one expert to cover it all! Another item on my “business menu” is also one of my favorite things which is creating Wellness “Daycations” and Retreats for women. Read more>>

Arielle Minicozzi-Figueroa | Automation Queen & Financial Planner

Though there have been many factors behind my personal and business success, the root of them all has been surrounding myself with a network of other smart, successful people, starting with my husband / business partner, Mark, and extending out to a vast number of colleagues, friends and acquaintances. In 2017, Mark and I left New Jersey to move to Arizona. As though moving across the entire country wasn’t enough of a change, I decided to leave my career as a loan officer and become a financial planner. Business ownership was never a dream of mine, but I had a vision for the type of business I wanted to run and the clients I wanted to serve that made it hard to find a job opening; I wanted to work with millennial first time home buyers, but every open position I found was an investment manager or insurance salesperson role. My last interview was with a firm that offered me a position as a 1099 contractor. Read more>>

Claus Blohm

The most important factor for our success is the 100% natural production of SYLTBAR. And there are the benefits – Very low on Sugar ( lab testet by the University of Miami Diabetes Research Institute ) – Very low on calories ( 49 calories per 6oz glass ) – Very low on Sulfites ( 25 ppm, competitor Average 150 ppm; ppm = parts per million ) – Vegan ( 80% of the wines in the US Contain: Fish Bladder, Egg White, Corn Syrup, Mega Purzle Coloring Dye and Fish Oil – Certified by the Green Project ( Superior compared to only being Organic ) – Naturally Farmed – Wild Native Yeast – Hand Harvest – No Additives – Mycotoxin/Mold-Free – Mouthwatering delicious – Word of mouth. Read more>>

Lauren Sales | Skincare Specialist & Spa Owner

We believe the most important factor behind our success is the way we prioritize our clients and our relationship with them. We love getting to know each person who walks through our door and work hard to make sure they know they’re appreciated and taken care of. Making them feel good on the inside and outside is our goal. Since 2010, each November we host a Pancreatic Cancer fundraising event that is made possible by the support from our clients. They help us collect raffle prizes, find donors, decorate and raise funds. We know our connection with them goes both ways. Read more>>

Mariana Cortez | Entrepreneur, Owner & Founder

The story and the connection I have with all my customers. The inspiration they get from my failures and successes made me realized that the first and most important value of a business is to understand the market. The goal should be to ultimately connect with them and change the mentality from sales driven to market driven. Read more>>

Ashley Green | Jewelry Designer & Business Owner

Staying true to ourselves. For 20 years my sister Emily and I have designed jewelry that we love and that we know will make our customers feel unique and happy. We design timeless heirlooms that are meant to be passed on from generation to generation. We only sell pieces that truly come from our hearts…which makes parting with some of them very hard! Read more>>

Darla Powell | Interior Decorator

Without a doubt, social media marketing. 100%. I actually kind of accidentally fell into social as a powerful marketing vehicle for my brand and business when I first launched Darla Powell Interiors as a side-hustle in Nov of 2016. I received almost immediate traction and notoriety and knew I was on to something. I studied everything I could get my hands on about digital marketing and even started my own agency, Wingnut Social. The key is to tell your story and be your authentic self. Warts and all (sometimes). Read more>>

Karen Hirst Kennedy | Owner, Artistic Director & Teacher

I believe you are successful when you are doing what you truly love. I feel that has been the key to my success. Dance is a passion for me, you have to want it so bad to be successful, so teaching became a passion. To be able to give a student, dancer all the knowledge you have and to see them transform it and use it. It’s like creating a piece of Art. It also involves drive and dedication, but I feel another important factor to the success of my school is to get to know each dancer. I truly love the personal relationship I have with each dancer. I feel that is another key factor to success in this business. Especially in today’s word, getting to know each student on a personal level is a gift for both me and my dancers. This is why I have kept the studio small, to create quality dancing and develop emotionally strong dancers and people. Read more>>

Trina Oropeza | Art Teacher & Director of Imago

Without a doubt, the most important factor behind the success of Imago is the human team that brings to life the purpose of this project, without the passion, commitment and dedication of each one of them the essence of Imago could not be revealed. Another of our most important factors has been the location of the space in the city of Coral Gables, we feel very grateful to be able to have our headquarters in such a beautiful city with a history linked to art and culture. In addition to this, we consider the community of families and collaborators who have supported the work we have been doing throughout these years a huge strength. Read more>>

Yahima Morejon | Attorney

Personalization. I am an attorney, and we are pretty busy people. However, I make time to speak to my clients, to answer their questions, and to be on top of their cases. Most of them appreciate the one on one interaction because they are used to be just “one more file” in another law firm. Legal proceedings are expensive, and I like to put myself in my client’s shoes; if I am paying a lot of money to solve my problem, I would like to know how it works. That is why my firm’s motto is: Your problem, is our problem. Read more>>

Maytee Toledo Gomez | Tattoo Artist & Business owner

Quality service , happy energetic environment . Passionate in what we do. Read more>>

Warren Ifergane | Private Lender

Speed and pricing are both paramount in the private lending industry. ICG10 Capital excels at both: beating out the competition on loan-to-values and interest rates, while funding loans in just two weeks. In 2019, we had funded over $100 million in loans. Despite COVID, we’re already aiming to beat that record. While many during the pandemic closed shop, we continued to lend despite the risks. Our dependability gave us a very loyal customer base. Read more>>

Erik Lopez | Jewelry Designer

The most important factor behind the the success of our brand is that I pursue excellence in everything I create. I was taught by my mother, the founder of the business, that every piece of jewelry we create should be considered a timeless treasure. Much of what we have made over the past 35 years has been created for an important event in ones life. And those items, an engagement ring, for example, will be worn daily for the rest of the owner’s life, and often handed down to future generations. So, the piece must be built to the highest standards and aesthetic considerations. Read more>>

Steven Irving | Owner & Operator

The most important thing to me is my team. I started this business nearly eight years ago alone and did well. But over the years I’ve put together what i like to call the dream team. My father became my partner 3 years ago and he handles the back office. scheduling, estimates and customer service. We constantly hear how great he is to the customers. Then there’s Matt. He came on board over 4 years ago. He’s loyal to this company and does whatever it takes to make the customer happy. Last but not least there’s Adrian he’s been on the team for a little over 3 years. He’s hard working and dedicated to this company. All these things put together are what make us successful We are all committed to making this company the best pressure cleaning and painting company South Florida has ever seen! Read more>>

Colleen Orrico | Co-Owner

Authenticity. Not just we believe in the lines we sell, or the fact we are a family business and our shoppers know each of us and what we value, but that we understand how they live, they engage with their world, they dream. Fashion removed from magazines is style. Style creates a look to live in without thinking about it; it lets you move and be beautiful, instead of looking primpy or mannered. It’s easy, but it makes a statement without screaming. Because we share our friends’ worlds, they know who we are. What we sell reflects that. You can think you know Palm Beach, or you’re part of the fabric. Read more>>