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.

Barrett Maki | In-N-Out Store Manager & Podcast Host of Growing Through Life

Being intentional with personal development has been the key. Adding value to yourself will ultimately result in adding value to others! When the leader gets better everyone gets better! Read more>>

Chris Huffman | Gallery Manager

I am not the best at setting habits and sticking to them! One of the best things that I have learned through my time working in Retail and also within the Gallery environment, is to always be open. There are always multiple ways to achieve the same result. Being open has allowed me to continually develop new ways to connect with clients and also how to be understanding of different people. Also, being persistent and having good follow through can make a huge difference between closing an acquisition and establishing a long term relationship with a client. Being persistent is tricky sometimes because you don’t want to always come across as pushy. Adaptability is the key to this and knowing what type of service that the client would want and expects. Read more>>

Valarie Kerby | Not Your Ordinary Real Estate Agent

I believe success comes with a clients perspective. Being a people person gives me the ability to assist all clients from listing luxury homes to first time home buyers. I enjoy listening to my clients stories about their dream homes, having the ability to help clients see a diamond in the rough and create a vision that encompasses what they want in a home has proven to be successful for my business. I am extremely fortunate to have a referring database.. which leads to huge success from client loyalty. Read more>>

Gina Miller | Sports Media Executive, Sportscaster & Speaker

Without question: curiosity, perseverance and staying abreast of current events. You could argue that those are both traits but I look at them as habits that need daily dedication. Curiosity helped me throughout my career whether as a reporter, at networking events or in pitches. The habits that come with being curious have been invaluable. From approaching a situation with an open mind to understanding the importance of asking thought-provoking questions, being curious about people, their businesses and their stories has led to incredible opportunities. Perhaps most importantly, it’s helped me adopt a growth mindset that’s a necessity in our rapidly evolving world. Part of being curious, like I mentioned, is asking questions. A lot of them. While it’s important to avoid yes or no questions, in business you are ultimately looking for a “yes” or a “no”. You cannot fear the no. Read more>>

Sarah King Beauregard | Founder CEO

The main habit that helped us succeed sounds so simple, but helped me tremendously mentally and that is at least doing one thing each day to help my business move forward. Knowing that not everyday is going to be successful, but as long there’s one action that was positive. Even down to a social media post. It all adds up and gives your business life and movement even during hard days. Read more>>

Ed Philips | Artist/Painter

Working Hard, being patient with the progress, communicating well – especially with customers, staying consistent with the product I’m offering, attention to the presentation of my brand in every area, being personable and as agreeable as possible, being willing to invest both time and money into the business. Above all is doing all of this with integrity even when it may hurt! Read more>>

Gaylan Hendricks | Chief Executive Officer and a Proud GRAM of Rylie and Haven

Work ethic first and foremost. Some would have called me a “workaholic” at certain points in my career. I would totally disagree with that. Work is not spelled “FUN” for a reason, but it doesn’t mean that you don’t and won’t have FUN if you truly love what you do and your passion for it will create the environment that makes you want to get up and do the same things everyday. While I don’t feel I work as hard as I did when I started, the truth is I put in more hours now than ever, but because I TRULY LOVE what I do and know not only that I am helping others navigate something like “health insurance” that’s not easy, but also seeing other people we work with become so successful much faster than they had ever thought possible. I think having someone who believes in YOU and SHOWS YOU how to do something is always better than just being TOLD TO DO SOMETHING. Read more>>