What drives your success?

Hardwork? Luck? Good habits? What would you say is behind your success? We’ve shared some thoughtful responses below.

Laura Heymann | Creative Director & Brand Strategist

Managing expectations, and consistency. My clients can reply on me showing up every day, even though we rarely see each other face to face (even before COVID. I don’t stay in my email all day long, and 99% of my clients don’t have my phone number, which means sometimes I don’t respond immediately, but they respect my boundaries because they know I’m working and I always get their projects done in a timely manner, meeting or beating deadlines. Read more>>

Ami Kristin Pitre | Artist

I think that is a two part answer for me. Personally it is important to me that my relationship with the client is more significant than just hair. We build meaningful friendships, they confide in me and I want each and every one of them not only to look beautiful when they leave, but feel beautiful too. A lot of my clients are busy and spend most of their waking hours working and taking care of others – they deserve a couple of hours of pure bliss. As a leader it’s important that I recruit and retain the right talent. Naturally they have to be talented, but it’s about a lot more than that for me. Each and every one of the girls who works at AKS has to fit the culture. They have to be eager to continue to learn, train and evolve both professionally and personally. Working at AKS it is more than a job, it’s a whole lifestyle. When the chemistry is right, we can make real magic. Read more>>

Julian Leaver | Wedding Planner & Etiquette Expert

As an adult looking back on my childhood I have realized, with the help of some pretty incredible professionals, that there was a lack of guidance provided to me about how to live a successful life. I was completely unsure about how to navigate the maze of questions and choices that were presented and determine which was the correct direction to go. In harnessing this truth about myself, looking intently at it, stripping the trauma away from the lessons learned, I have realized that my goal in life is to help people navigate difficult situations with ease. Wedding Planning is tough. Making over three thousand micro-decisions without being able to see the finished product until it is unfolding in front of all of your closest tribe is a scary process. But luckily, I have been through this maze before. I have successfully guided hundreds of couples through the wedding planning process with great success. Read more>>

Janice Townsend | Owner

At Roots, hands down our people are the greatest factor behind our success. We’ve worked really hard to develop a culture of care for our staff and customers, and that community is what makes Roots unique. Our baristas are great at not only crafting amazing coffee, but also creating a hospitable experience for our guests where everyone feels welcome. I think that feeling of belonging is why people continue to come back time and time again. Read more>>

Ryon Gross | Founder & CEO

Who you surround yourself with plays a huge role in your success. We have built a team with diverse skillsets that understands the importance of the work they do each and every day. Everyone on our team shares a passion for helping people grow their business. This passion also helps build better relationships with our clients so they become advocates for Local Leap. Read more>>

AV Vaghela | Mortgage Banker

The single most important factor behind our success is simply not quitting. Anytime you are in business or work for commissions on sales only it’s going to be hard the first few years. It takes 3 years to break even and 5 years to be profitable. Most people quit right before success because the going gets tough…. the tough get goin’. Be tough…and never quit. Now don’t be stupid- Reevaluate at the 3 year mark and if your head is above water, keep going to the 5 year mark to taste extreme success. If you are drowning- then throw the towel in. Read more>>

Alison Leonard | Dallas Health Market Leader

What really drew me to CannonDesign is the firm’s unique Living-Centered Design approach. We are deeply committed to creating buildings and experiences where all people can flourish. Whether it’s a new mental health facility, or a student residence hall or a workplace, CannonDesign invests the time and resources to understand that organization and its people and then create spaces where they can excel long into the future. We also stand out for our innovative culture. Twice in the past four years CannonDesign has been recognized as one of the Most Innovative Architecture Firms in the World by Fast Company. We’ve also been recognized as a World Changing Company and Healthcare Design’s Health Organization of the Year. I feel remarkably lucky to represent an organization with that reputation as a behavioral health leader in Dallas. Read more>>

Brian Wiseman | Artist & Oddities Dealer

When I was getting my business started and getting my art work / products out there, the most challenging thing was finding buyers and outlets that I could successfully sell my work through. I first took the approach of selling my art via a facebook page I made for my art. However realizing that I was only reaching friends and family who truly weren’t interested in my work, I switched to selling publicly through local craft markets or art festivals. I was selling things but since my artwork was rather “different” I was still having a hard time to finding the right kind of people to buy my products. It wasn’t until I really pursued promoting my work through social media that my business really took off. I was able to find several public facebook groups that fit my nitch market that I was able to share my work and social media page. Through those groups I was able to find public markets and conventions that better fit the type of products I was selling. Read more>>

Coach Ukay Ekong | Personal Trainer & Author

I believe the most important factor behind my success is that my life is God-centered. The moves that my company makes is lead by prayer and the lessons found in the Bible surrounding faith and sacrifice. The success we find outside of that is all due to the consistency of adding value to followers through information explaining how to improve health and wellness. Impactful “Before” and “After” photos, or allowing viewers to peek into live training hasn’t hurt popularity either. Read more>>

Kendria Jenkins | Host & Store Owner

The most important factor is not giving up. Being a mother, wife, full time employee and running a business can be very challenging and overwhelming at times. There will be times you’re stressed about sales (especially during the pandemic), how to promote yourself or how to get funding for your business. You have to keep pushing regardless of the challenges! The reward of knowing you’re stronger than you can ever imagine is so rewarding. Take one day at a time. All the things you’re stressed about will eventually fall into place. Read more>>

Tracy Lindsey | Director of Student Services

At BridgeBuilders we believe that people transform people, programs do not. Through providing mentors for our youth, allies for our adults, small group discipleship opportunities for our community, and a church for our neighborhood, we believe Bonton will be restored and transformed. Through after-school and summer programs for youth, job training and GED opportunities for adults, and other initiatives through partnerships, South Dallas residents can break through the everyday barriers to success that they encounter. By volunteers engaging the community of Bonton in service, we expect to see the uniting of individuals that will produce mutual transformation both in those serving and those being served. This along with many other factors are what we attempt to achieve here at BridgeBuilders. Read more>>

Yen Ong | Co-founder, Partner & Principal Architect

I have a natural ability to disconnect my emotion from my beliefs. Sometimes I wonder if I have any belief system at all, but I do suspect the lack thereof is a helpful trait in a creative thinker. The absence creates a space for me to test and offend the traditionally accepted frameworks for good architecture. As our company grew and the younger designers matured, I’d draw them into this space to throw them off-balance to see how they’d react. The company has benefitted most when I found myself pushed further into new explorations, new techniques, and new expressions. Those were circumstances that have produced our most recognized works. Read more>>