We asked the community what factors they felt were responsible for their success and we’ve highlighted some of those responses below.

Andrea Holmes | Painter and Muralist

Consistency, dynamism, collaboration, and connection have been the pillars to my success as an artist. Consistency plays a part in a few ways. Regularly showing up to the easel, creating collections of paintings in one style, and actively marketing my art. I have learned to roll with the punches over the last few years, but never have I been pushed to be dynamic more than this year. My main income source was art festivals and classes. All of those were cancelled this year. After a period of grief and eating a lot of pizza I started to think about what I could do instead of what I couldn’t. I started painting positive messages on local businesses’ windows on a donation basis. Eventually this led to a mural! Read more>>

Mark Rogers | Entrepreneur & Coach

The community is the number one factor behind the success of both of my brands. Read more>>

Heather Bush | Photographer

When I look at many factors behind my success I see the hard work, time away from my family, blood, sweat and tears. But that is not the #1 factor behind my success. The #1 thing is my CMP family. Those that trust me with their family to capture them over and over. So that they have the memories to relish over the years. Without every single family I have spent time with over the years, Chunky Monkey Photography would not be a success. Read more>>

Josh Hall | Tattooer and owner of Lamar Street Tattoo club

There is a little voice from deep within that is constantly pushing me. No matter what I am doing, I feel like I could be better at it. Even in responding to this question I will rethink it a number of times, questioning whether it was the the best answer I could have given. That questioning pushes me to improve myself and be the best I can be. Even in failure I try to learn from the experience and grow so as not to repeat said failure. The key, in my opinion, is drive. Read more>>

Kent Barker | Photographer & Brand Identity Specialist

The most important factors behind my success and the success of my brand are quality, professionalism and dependability. I am a long time commercial shooter and what that means in practical terms is: a.) I know how to light people (and light them well) in just about any situation and I know how to direct people that are not models and get them looking their best. b.) After spending decades shooting for ad agencies, I understand branding and how that translates into imagery. Google the phrase “image is everything” and you will quickly see how important your “image” is to your brand identity and marketing. c.) I understand what it means to deliver a quality product on time. When you work for national ad agencies and magazines, the deadline is the deadline. Read more>>

Eric Clanton | Real Estate Appraiser and Children’s Pastor

There are a number of factors that has led to the success of my company. As a real estate appraiser I believe the first and foremost factor is to understand what you do not know. Real estate changes market to market. While it is true that some neighborhoods are homogeneous and do not require a ton of knowledge beyond the basics, that is not the case for all areas. As a result, its important to understand your limitations and not take assignments that are outside your area of expertise. No one assignment is worth your career/reputation. Read more>>

Shahla Ali | Board certified Psychiatrist

I believe our practice is successful because we truly keep the care of our patients and the focus of offering help to our community as our top priority. Every member of my staff keeps our “patient first” motto in their mind at every task; from the first phone call a person makes into our office to schedule, to the actual evaluation with our providers and making sure the treatment plan is carried out. We treat our patients like they are our friends or family members, we want to give them the best treatment options and advocate for them with their insurance company. Read more>>

Lauren Hasson | Founder of DevelopHer + Principal Software Engineer

I favor action. I get started and keep the momentum going. This is the key to my own professional success and to the success of my brand, DevelopHer. I have built my platform to teach other women in tech how to take charge, jump start their careers, and build momentum to get ahead. I don’t take quantum leaps, instead I start before I feel I am ready and take small actionable steps and keep pushing forward. DevelopHer started as a podcast, then I built on this momentum to offer keynotes and webinars, and then scaled to offer corporate and higher education engagements. I consistently move DevelopHer forward with small, intentional steps. Read more>>

Rebekah Hardick | Famous In Oregon

Growing it organically and showing up over and over and over. All the best things about my brand came to me organically and at the right time. You can’t force anything and you can’t compare your shit to what anyone else is doing and where they are at in their journey. This year has been extremely tough since all my festivals/shows were canceled, but over the last 2 years a built a great following on social media just by keeping it real and that really helped keep me afloat. Read more>>

Faiza Khan | Tailor & Instructor

Creativity. Its too early to say I’m successful yet but the most important factor, so far, is to be creative within the requirements defined by my clients. I read it somewhere “Listening is often the only thing needed to help someone”. My business is mostly known for customization, people come to me when they want something to be more special, usable yet creative. Therefore I try to put it all together creatively. Read more>>

Belinda West | One Crazy Grandma/Creator

I believe in taking care of my customers. They have come to know me as someone who creates a reliable product and that will go the extra mile for them should they have a special request, You also have to be consistent not only with your products, but as a vendor/creator. No one wants to buy from someone who may or may not be here tomorrow. Read more>>

Melva Williams | Stylist/ Certified Hair Loss Practitioner

The biggest factor I would say is Customer Service. Making people feel welcome, feeling like they’re more than just a service or dollar sign, understanding their need, and delivering a service and/or product. I’ve won the small business Customer Service award in my industry and city at least 5 times. Read more>>

Jeni Tomlinson | Fine Artist

I have friends. I have friends that love my work. They may start as clients, but eventually we fall in love with each other. So much of my heart is tied up into the paintings and work that I create. To give those special things to someone requires a bit of faith that they will give it a space in their lives that will continue to protect it. I love to become part of my collectors lives and it thrills me to see my work in their homes and offices. It is a part of me that continues and grows with their families as well. I believe that type of connection creates close collectors and people who root for your success and watch your growth as an artist with joy and cheers. I try my best to keep my connections with emails, invites, social media and many other ways. It is important to collectors and to myself to attach my story and life to each work so every painting is so much more than just a decorative piece. Read more>>