We asked some of the city’s rising stars to reflect on what made a difference in their journey. We asked them to tell us about what they think the most important factor has been behind their success.

Matthew Griffey | Freelance Videographer & Director

When you are starting a business I think it’s important to be focusing on something your passionate about. When you start a business, you are committing yourself to something for the foreseeable future, so you need to be getting yourself into something that you really enjoy doing every day. I’ve been creating videos since I was 10 years old and I have been taking film classes for 4 years. Videography is something I’m passionate about, and when your truly passionate about something, you put everything you have into making it successful. Read more>>

Randall Garrett | Artist, Gallery Owner, and Mentor

One of the things I learned from working in a community college setting for twenty years was to focus on student success. Whatever I did there, whether it was delivering a lesson in class, organizing an exhibition in the art gallery, or just being available to listen, the ultimate goal and reason I was there was to deliver value to the lives of the students with whom I interacted. Read more>>

Toni Mehmedi | Owner of Celina Star Cafe

I believe the most important factor was believing in good food and service & treating every customer like family. I always believed that if a customer walks inside the restaurant, they must leave happy, no matter what. From the start, I trained my servers to pretend they’re giving customer service to their family, so they treat every customer good. The customer is always right! Our product comes from one the best food vendors in DFW, and we prepare everything fresh. So with that being said, good food and service is what makes our brand. Read more>>

Gracen Lewis | Owner & Designer

I wanted to provide affordable and adorable accessories for the whole family! I have a 10yr old sister, and growing up I have loved matching her (even as an adult!) but find it very hard to find cute accessories for us both. I wanted a brand that could balance youthful children designs and classy adult designs. Read more>>

Megan Thorne | Founder of Mega Equine Marketing

There are more than one important factor behind my businesses success. One is having open and honest communication with clients. While the other is my skill set in all marketing aspects. I keep open communication with clients frequently. This helps express ideas, issues, and thoughts that we have run in to or might run in too in the future. Read more>>

Michelle Pennington | Glassblower

The most important factor behind my success is having the ability to tell myself that each baby step towards progress and growth counts. I try not to compare myself to other small businesses or other artists because we each have our own individual hurdles to jump through. I celebrate their successes and cheer them on just as much as I do myself. Read more>>

Shannon White | Executive Director and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor

Without question, the past and ongoing success of GraceToChange is attributable to our incredible STAFF. Licensure education is the same across our state. However, ALL our Counselors are LIVING & THRIVING DAILY IN RECOVERY, (collectively over 40 years); and several others within our practice and Board of Directors have family members who have graduated from the GTC Program. Read more>>

Samantha Studdard | Wedding & Event: Planner, Coordinator, and Decorator

The most important factor behind the success of Timeless Events is our hearts and willingness to serve others. Timeless Events is more than a job to us. We live in a world where you have to have money to live on, but for us it’s more than the money. We don’t limit the amount of hours each event is allotted like most would. We choose to dedicate as much time as our clients need to ensure their mind is at ease at all times. Read more>>

Sara Brisco | Restaurateur, Artist, Builder & Creative Director

I think we are successful because we operate with the “come as your are” mentality. We are a creative bunch of humans that have never settled on what’s trending. We are always trying something new. We like to play with our food, sometimes even throw it… My personal success? The people around me. All of them. Even the assholes. Read more>>