We asked some of the city’s rising stars to reflect on what made a difference in their journey. We asked them to tell us about what they think the most important factor has been behind their success.

Ana Celia Ribeiro | La Catrina Boston

A combination of resilience, flexibility and determination. The market changes every day and we do so, without forgetting our goals, values and inspiration. “Love what you do” should be our straight answer!. Read more>>

Yesenia Benitez | Owner of Raw South

My perseverance and dedication are the keys to my success. As cliche as it may sound, I firmly believe that where there is a will there is a way; as such, I don’t take no for an answer. I believe that anything is possible with hard work, dedication, commitment, a positive attitude, loving support system, faith in oneself and in the Almighty. Read more>>

Sharlrita DeLoatch | Publishing Consultant

The most important factor behind the success of my brand is story telling. No matter how bad our past is someone can relate and someone can win in life just by sharing your story. Read more>>

ALEKSANDRA KORONNYKH | Permanent Makeup Artist & Laser Tattoo Removal Specialist

Failure. That might sound negative, but as most of us are so afraid to fail, we forget that failure is not the opposite of success; it’s part of it. Also, I would say courage, curiosity, and ambition to make someone happy. If your business or carrier stagnates, you have to own that courage for change and the desire to act. There is no change where there is no action. And then, success for me is hidden in every smile of a customer that is stepping out happy with the result that he/she was looking for. Read more>>

Amy Miller | Co-Owner of Argyle Coffee Roasters, PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy & Mom

Surprisingly or not, we believe a lot of our success has come from not overstretching ourselves financially. It can be tempting to get a loan, or a business partner to help build the business quickly. The up side is those funds can go towards branding and marketing, product development, and hiring staff. But to us we see debt, and a risk that isn’t worth taking. Yes we could invest in building out a coffee shop, making it look cool, and having the best equipment ever. But that’s a lot of $5 cups of coffee you’ll have to sell if you ever want to make any money, let alone pay off your debts. We believe in sustainability, and being here for the long haul. So our logo wasn’t always the coolest, and our marketing has never been that great. But our rent is paid, and we have total freedom to do what we want. Read more>>

Brandee Betancourt | Founder/ Lead Designer

The most important factor behind the success of my brand is the quality of materials, the partnerships built with local vendors and the genuine love for what this industry is all about, celebrating special moments. When working with florals, we purchase from local wholesalers that import internationally and are in season, therefore they are fresh and long lasting. Our balloon work is all consisting of the Gemar brand, which is environmentally conscious and biodegradable. We put quality over quantity and understand the important that our sources are reliable and rich, so that our clients trust us with their gatherings. We apply this concept to all of our projects. Read more>>

Robenson Lauvince | Filmmaker

There are many factors that play a role in my success, my dedication of remaining consistent and authentic, which is a humble characteristic that keeps me grounded. My team and family are perhaps the most notable; in my surroundings are always people who are so talented and excel in their crafts, they make the load much lighter to carry and the work possible. To top it all off, having a supportive family who supports my work and pushes me daily is extraordinary. Success for me would not be the same without them. Read more>>

Claudia Largaespada | Podcaster/Label Owner

Authenticity. Our brand is focused on encompassing all it means to be a self-healer: healing yourself emotionally, physically, and spiritually. We can only do that by being honest with ourselves and being vulnerable with our customers and clients. Holistic healing is a life-long journey, and we want to inspire everyone to come along this journey with us, but we can only do that if we are living our truth and practicing what we preach. Read more>>

Gene Martin | Founder & President of Route 7 Orlando

The key contribution to Route 7 Orlando’s success are the men that believe in our mission; “A network of gentlemen driven to promote growth amongst the community and each other.” Our members are our strongest asset, and with every decision we make as an organization we keep that top of mind. We pride ourselves in creating innovative opportunities for engagement to sustain and grow our member-base. Read more>>

Teqiera Cleare | Beauty Specialist

Hard work and commitment. The fact that I’m committed to my brand makes me go harder everyday for it and that’s with anything in life. Read more>>

Ludiana Charles | Black Hairstylist

The most important factor behind my success is patience. If you lack patience how do you expect things to work? When it comes to anything life, you have to put in the work and WAIT for things to workout. Patience teaches you discipline, it allows you to create something that speaks volumes. If I lacked patience, my success would not exist. You need patience in order to work with clients, you need patience in order to complete the task/ service at hand, patience is the key to unlock many doors. Read more>>

Ashley Bissing | Boutique Social Media & Facebook Ads Agency

Aside from being industry experts in Facebook ads and social media management, the #1 most important factor behind the success of One Love Social is how we treat our clients. It’s so cliche but it’s so true, our clients become our friends and we genuinely have a vested interest in the success of their businesses. We are so intuned with every client that we are able to nail down campaigns and deliver stellar results! I decided at the very beginning that I wouldn’t make my clients feel like just a number, I would treat all clients the same no matter their budgets. This was important to me because I worked in a big advertising agency where it was the exact opposite, which is ultimately why I left because I thought it was so crazy that they would take on clients only to ignore them and push out mediocre campaigns. Read more>>

Claudia Batres | Master Herbalist & Registered Nurse

It would have to be authenticity. I was told at a young age to be myself, to do what makes me happy and to be honest about it. Most of my success has come from just being who I am and staying true to the vision. Read more>>