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.

Dr. Sarah Zaldivar | Weight Loss Coach

I don’t let up, most likely because I just don’t know how to give up. I am stubborn and persistent in pursuing my dreams and goals, and I somehow maintain enthusiasm even things don’t pan out the way I want them to. Read more>>

Micah Dawanyi | Author & Producer

The most important factor behind my success is inspiration. Inspiration is what drives me to create and do the work I do. What inspires me translates into what I want to focus on with my work. I honestly don’t ever want to be in a situation where I’m working on something that doesn’t inspire or move me, because it won’t come out right. Inspiration is everything. Now me personally, I get my inspiration from a lot of places. First and foremost, God. I don’t think there is a scientific formula that can explain the feeling of inspiration. To me, it comes from my creator. I’m also really inspired by music. The music you listen during certain seasons can almost act as the soundtrack to your life, and you can pull inspiration from that music. As an author and producer, I try to give my projects a certain feeling, and so I like to listen to specific types of music to stay in a certain state of mind while creating. Read more>>

Lucky C. | DJ & Musical Curator

The most important factor behind my success would be the desire for more. I have always made sure to take the time to learn/study so I could perfect my craft. Early on, that’s all I did. I was like a sponge soaking up as much game as I could, good and bad. I used that as motivation to want better, to be better. I used that energy and hunger and put it all into building myself and the brand, with integrity. Read more>>

Anthony Vega | Artist

As a fine artist and educator the most important factor behind my success, and I believe this is the same for most artists, is an irrational optimism. I say this mostly as a joke, but in reality it does take a kind of super human, and not very reasonable, amount of belief in what you are doing to keep at it long enough to see something resembling “success”. I think this irrational optimism is critical not only for my success as an artist but really for anyone looking to do something less conventional. Read more>>

Jianni Acosta | Founder

We’ve grown so much in just one year and I would have to say an important factor is consistency and showing up for your business everyday. A lot of people want to be in business but not everyone is willing to continue to show up everyday regardless if things are working out for you or not. Business is all about trial and error and being consistent and showing up is the core reason behind our so far success. Read more>>

Vicky Agulla | Freelance Journalist

Since I was at school I knew I was going to study Journalism. As soon as I started studying Social Communication, I got in the media and my life changed. But my consummation in terms of academics was having won the scholarship to do a master’s degree in Cultural Management. The process behind my business has been going on for 7 years. I have extensive professional knowledge in communication and a significant experience in public and private sectors with multicultural projects which have given me a wide understanding and varied expertise to work in many different kinds of situations, media, sectors, audiences, cultures and areas. My practice as a freelance journalist since 2016 provided me with strong skills to cover prestigious events – by Vitus- including Festival de Cannes, Biennale or Berlinale where I work as a correspondent under the pressure of deadlines but always maintaining the necessary professional independence with an open mind predisposed to learn. Read more>>

Victor Arias | Producer & DJ

The most important factor behind my success is without a doubt my friends and family and everyone else who supports me. It gives me that extra push that I need to always keep working as hard as I can, and to never give up on what I truly want. Read more>>

Christine Majken | Session Groomer

Consistency and coming from a place of authenticity are my main factors in the longevity and success of my craft. Read more>>

Kathy Mays | Meeting Planner- Pharmaceuticals

There are many elements that make a brand/company successful; hard work, dedication, perseverance, efficiency. But for me, the greatest contributing factor has been kindness. This is an ideologue that has so many beautiful facets. It’s not just remembering someone’s birthday, making sure you offer someone’s favorite tea or dessert at an event, or sending an email of good luck to your colleague when you know they have something important happening in their life. It’s not just having an attitude of kindness; treating everyone equally and fairly, accepting people who have limitations and praising them for their unique gifts and talents- it is about your attitude. I think your attitude is everything in life. I believe that treating others the way you would want to be treated is crucial to success as a business person and a human being. I not only live by this rule but I choose to have those on my staff abide by this too. Read more>>

Tammy/Bertha Smith/Miller | Owners of Cakelipps LLC & Dental Assistant(Tammy)/Pharmacy Technician(Bertha)

The success of our brand is the honoring of our Grandmother who loved her lipstick. She knew that beauty gave women power and confidence to overcome any obstacles that may have been a challenge to them. With that being said once the ladies try our product we get to see them feel and look beautiful. It’s like a mood changer for them and it makes us feel good to see them feeling beautiful. Read more>>

Romina Tiraboschi | Self Taught baker. Bake It Up Owner

The most important secret behind my brand is to work from the beginning with the same style. Maintaining quality, always working with respect, knowing the client, knowing what are the important dates on which they are going to call me, taking into account each of the details of their orders. But the most important thing is to continue doing this job with the same love as the first day. Read more>>

Khinuu Nefer | Owner/Founder Afrique Ngozi Dance and Drum Inc

The most important factor behind the success of my business has been dedication. This year marks 6 years in business and it hasn’t been easy. At 3 years in I decided to quit my job as a Social Worker and focus on my business full time. My commitment to the preservation of my culture has bloomed into a business that no longer feels like work. Day in and day out my focus has always remained on community and the children we serve. My business is more than just teaching dance we are dedicated to the African Arts. And if we’ve only impacted one child out of the hundreds we’ve served. Then we have done more than we’ve ever set out for. Dedication, self-promotion, hard work, and love of craft have kept us successful. Read more>>

CHANAN AVERBUCH | EVP of Primeview Americas

Typically, people define success purely based on the material accumulation. At my tenure at Prime View, I have always measured by personal success by year over year growth. For instance, how do we enter a very sought after market vertical and compete without loosing market share in a different vertical? Ultimately, the key to my personal growth and the brand has been our focus to achieve excellence every step of the way. Read more>>

Lucia Sastre | Marketing Company Owner and Health Coach

In a world that moves at a million miles an hour, the best thing you can do your brand and personal development is to never ever stop learning. Even when I started my own marketing company, I always knew it would eventually transition and change in time. Staying stagnant is the biggest mistake brands can make. The ability to be adaptable and open to change is even more important now considering our new normal and the way users consume information. Beyond that, we are always evolving and always looking for the next best thing. Brands need to be prepared to react quickly to these changes and cater to a consumer needs. The best way to do this is to predict trends and think into the future. Read more>>

Reed Horth | Art Advisor and Curator

In a word, flexibility. When I was just starting in art sales in the mid-1990’s, email was nascent, and we relied solely on in-person gallery sales and phone follow-ups. As the foot-traffic slowed, in-person sales became less and less viable so I sought alternatives, over the objections of my bosses. I began email marketing and social media when few galleries were utilizing these techniques. We started online sales when it was scarcely a thing. We researched new home buyers and reached out through cold-calls, mail and email. By the time other galleries started online, we had several years of experience in out-of-the-box thinking under our belt. This allowed us to raise our price-point from $5-$20,000 to $20,000 to over $1Million. When Covid-19 hit, several galleries who were stuck in outdated models came to us for assistance in moving stagnant inventory. As our model is lean and flexible, we are happy to help. We found that buyers were staring at the same four walls in quarantine and had both time and investment funds which could be put to better use. Read more>>

Andrea Caprio | Founder and CEO of Wellness methods, Master Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach, Digestive & Hormonal Health, Weight Loss and Emotional Eating Expert.

Having gone through my own story and how food improved my own health, I wanted to help other people to achieve the same. Driven by this passion, I now help busy people to overcome their emotional eating and weight loss issues permanently so they can stop yoyo dieting and feel more confident. Read more>>

Ed Rosas | Art Professor & Illustrator

The most important factor behind the success of my brand is being of service to others with my skillset of illustration. It is the soil from which all else grows. Without that my business would not exist. Read more>>

Gustavo Leon | Travel Agent

Definitely, the most important factor behind my success is INTEGRITY. I have learned in my years in business that being a man of integrity will always open new doors for me. It has always been the reason why my customers trust me and recommend my services to other people. My main goal is to always establish a good and trustful relationship with my clients. For me is important to understand their needs and pay attention to the small details so i can deliver the best service in order to guarantee customer satisfaction. Read more>>

Alex Jaskolowska | Traveler, Writer, Blogger

I don’t think that there is only one factor behind any success. Success is a result of many factors, decisions made in the process, character, taking the opportunities and learning from the lessons that life brings. Success is a process, it’s a continuum and in my opinion it’s not a single achievement or event, but a constant sense of happiness, fulfillment and a burning desire to grow continuously. I think that what hinders most people from achieving success is their mind. It’s conditioned from the very childhood, when something inside tells us that being more than average is not the best choice. That we are destined for other roles and other missions to fulfill. And if we believe it ourselves, the whole world around us will believe it too and will reinforce it and throw obstacles under our feet. I am a social psychologist. While writing my PhD and conducting research around the world I spent a lot of time in different countries and cultures. Read more>>