Through our work we have been constantly amazed at the incredible things people in every neighborhood are working on. What’s even more exciting is that they all have different stories, backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses. That there isn’t a single formula for success means that everyone can take their unique set of strengths and characteristics and turn it into a success story. We recently reached out to some folks we admire and asked them what characteristics they feel are responsible for their success.

Sarah Dawson | Lingerie Designer

The most important factor behind my success and the success of my brand is how much I believe in any product I put out there. I say it all the time; you have to be the biggest fan of your work. Whenever I’m working on a new collection or working on a custom piece for a client, I have to ask myself “do I love this?” and “would I buy this?” When you believe in your product its much easier to promote it. In fashion, as well as many other industries, its very important to do market research and study your target market. After doing all of that research you should still produce a product that you also feel strongly about. It will always show if you are faking it because the passion isn’t there. I wear test any lingerie piece before I start producing it to sell. I also am never ashamed at finding something that needs improvement on a piece. If I love the way that it looks and feels I know I won’t shut up about it, which is a good thing. Read more>>

Brittni Lawrence | Face & Body Painter`

The most important factor behind the success of my brand cannot be narrowed down to one thing. The 3 factors that play a role in my success include passion, drive, and support. I’ve never given up on myself or my business because I genuinely do love what I do. I enjoy being able to spread joy and positivity through my art. The best part is hearing little kids, who are brutally honest, tell me what a good job I’ve done. Seeing their faces light up with laughter and smiles when they see their face painting design truly warms my heart. It helps fuel my drive to persevere through the many ups and downs of being an entrepreneur. I also owe a very specially thank you to all my friends, family and clientele that has supported me over the years. Booking with me, liking and commenting on my posts and reshaping my content. I can’t thank everyone enough for all their support, kind words, etc. Running a business isn’t easy but when you truly love what you do and have a solid support team you can truly conquer anything you put your mind to. Read more>>

Susan Weinthaler | Artist

Without a doubt, they key element would be my work’s inherent capacity for change. Life is not static, so if art is about life then art should move. I make “Bits” which are small objects of art with a magnet attached that can fit in the palm of your hand. Magnets offer the perfect mounting system for infinite potential configurations when placed on steel. They are intended to be grouped together so as to create something larger, something with a life force. It’s a flexible system for manipulating artistic information. They are meant to be perpetually deconstructed and reconstructed, it’s the whole point. I usually hang large sheets of steel on the wall to display my Bits, but the magnetic aspect also enables my work to move like an organism. It can attach itself to anything steel and adapt to its environment. Since I just need a magnetic surface, I love finding worthy steel architectural details that make interesting habitats for my Bits. For example, I went to Miami during Art Basel (2018) and “bombed” the city. Oh my, that was so much fun. Read more>>

Christopher Mack | Christopher & Cheryl Mack | Owners of the Bridge Art Gallery

We operate in the spirit of collaboration. To be successful, one cannot afford to operate within a silo. The Bridge Art Gallery often partners with other arts organizations, we readily refer our artists to other galleries and artistic opportunities and we also allow community based organizations the opportunity to host events within our art gallery for free. We measure success not only through our individual achievements but also by the achievements of those around us. We are able to do this when we support one another through collaboration. Read more>>

Jessica Henric | Film Director

My family. I think too many people think they have to get a “career” or pursue their dreams before having a family or “settling down,” especially women. My career would not have been possible without the support of my partner and becoming a mother, I did both those things very young, and I was told I was crazy to do it that way, but the stability and life experience I got from starting a family, gave me the foundation I needed to pursue the crazy and definitely not linear path of becoming a film director. Read more>>

Andromeda Raheem | Certified Master Life Coach

The most important factor behind my success and the success of my brand is authenticity. Being authentic has allowed me to attract my tribe, people who value me, my purpose, and the services I provide. I am often told by the women I serve that my authenticity is what initially connected them to me, made it easier for them to trust me to deliver what I promise, and keeps them coming back for more. Being true to who I am has also helped me to be consistent in my efforts to build the very important “know, like, and trust factor” to continuously grow my audience and increase my income. Read more>>

Aspri Frank | CEO & Writer

The most important factor behind my success is my faith in God. He has truly brought me through my struggles. I used to be depressed because of everything that I was going through at that time and I honestly wanted to give up, but even though we may stray from him he will never give up on us. One day I was so down and crying my eyes out and I literally looked up and asked him to help me. I told him I will give him all my problems and allow him to guide me I just needed him to help me and he did. He begin to heal me from the inside out. Now I’m far from perfect but I’m so grateful I decided to give my life to him. Also having a support system as well. My parents have been so supportive of me since I told them this is what I wanted to do. They believed in me and have been there for me every step of the way. I owe a lot to them too. Read more>>

Christine Noel-Horsford | Director of Sales & Marketing, Grenada Tourism Authority – Responsible for the Sales & Marketing for Destination Grenada in the US

Pure Grenada – The Spice of the Caribbean is a brand that speaks to sustainability and authenticity. The fact that we remain true to the brand has contributed significantly to its success. We have been able to maintain the reputation of the brand through consistency and message control. As a company we ensure that all our promotional programs and activities are in alignment with the brand image and identity. Our ultimate goal is to reach a target audience who are looking to have a truly immersive and memorable experience on their vacation. The mission of the Ministry of Tourism is to ensure that all investors are in alignment with our overall plan of sustainability. The brand strategy that we adapt is carefully planned, tested and ultimately optimized. We first had to get the buy-in of the local community before exposing the brand in the international market. As locals we live the brand! We have ongoing radio and TV campaigns reminding our locals of the brand. Read more>>

Slic N/a | Producer & Musician

In retrospect, what was cool about my first EP Toygirl was that I didn’t really know exactly how the sounds I was making could turn into music. It just kind of came together purely on impulse. I made so many mistakes and even had to restart a song after it was already sent to the mix engineer because a synth sound I really liked wasn’t tuned. By the end of the process, I had become a lot better at structuring songs. Then I turned around and started writing new music, and some of it just wasn’t clicking for me. I realized I was at an interesting point where I had to find a way to stay curious about the sounds I was making and how they fit together when it wasn’t all a mystery anymore. One thing that I get really excited about is sound design, so I build my own software synths. But there are a million examples of what I’m talking about because music is so huge. Right now I am kind of basking in how expansive of a language music is and how expressive pure sounds are. It doesn’t always have to make sense as a song that already exists out in the world. Since I shifted my thinking in that way, I’ve been able to gain knowledge about the way music works and still end up with songs that sound like me. Read more>>

Willy Chin | DJ/ Artist/ Producer/ Instructor

There are so many factors but I think quality is probably the largest factor behind my success. I strive to maintain my brand to a high standard of quality whether that be my music, videos, imagery, events etc. There are times when I experiment with different styles, but in the end what I put out will always maintain that “Willy Chin Standard”. In an ever changing society I am constantly learning new things and incorporating them to continue to produce high quality work. My audience knows that when they see my name or logo they know they are getting the best of me. Read more>>

Michele Rosenthal | Trauma Recovery Specialist

Hands down, the #1 most important factor in my success is the authenticity that drives my business. My brand is about my passionate mission to help other trauma survivors heal faster than I did. As a survivor who lost almost 30 years to PTSD, I launched my business after I finally made a 100% recovery — and realized that with the right information, knowledge and support I could have probably healed three decades earlier. At that moment I decided to dedicate the rest of my career to sharing my story, insights and knowledge to help survivors around the world find the information, resources, and practitioners who might guide them on their quest to freedom. One award-winning PTSD blog, three published books, and one podcast with more than 100 expert interviews later the success of my brand has always been directly related to one core element: my unwavering focus on being transparent. Read more>>