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.

Harley Goul | Fashion, Brand and Grad Photographer

As a photographer, human connection is one of the most important factors to creating authentic work. Creating connections with the people I photograph and matching their energy to create a comfortable environment is one of the most important factors in creating photographs that we are both overjoyed about. Harley Hero Photography is all about images that showcase personality, passion and fun! For any aspiring photographers out there, i would recommend finding your best methods of connecting with others because a photoshoot where everyone is on the same page and excited about the mission is an excellent photoshoot. Read more>>

Lupe Zamora | Wedding & Elopement Photographer

Finding my true passion in photography has been the most important factor in my success. Knowing my “why” in this business has helped me understand that not everyone is meant to be my client and I am not meant to be everyone’s photographer. In my early days starting out, I wanted to be good at every niche, but quickly realized that capturing couples who were madly in love gave me the most satisfaction. My couples have a love filled with raw emotion and intimacy; it is my job to capture their story to look back years from now. The excitement I have when a couple is in front of my camera is unexplainable. Read more>>

Rosalinda Martinez | She/Her/Ella Educator | Historian | Latina | Blogger | Community Champion

The most important factor behind our success and brand is family first. Both my husband Arturo and I always put our family first and supporting our community and that purpose spreads across our careers. Our passions are family, education, and community. In our Latino/Hispanic culture family is very important. We live close to our family and we celebrate our heritage and culture daily. It’s also important for us to give back through volunteerism. We have volunteered for over 11 years with FWISD and so many other nonprofits. Read more>>

Jada Kitna | Custom Cleat & Sneaker Artist

One thing I can’t say about my business is that it succeeded because of me. I owe 100% of my success to Christ and the opportunities and blessings He has given me. I worked on my business for almost two years before I realized I couldn’t succeed on my own and finally handed my business over to God and decided to trust Him with it. It took me 2 years to grow my following from 0 to nearly 1000 followers. Then I was provided the opportunity to do cleats for Dak Prescott, and from that one God-given opportunity my following doubled overnight. Since then my business has continued to grow at a rate I never could have anticipated or achieved on my own. Read more>>

Kortnee VanCleave | Hair Stylist

Self-discipline, organization and knowing your “why”. Self-discipline is obvious though, right? An idea can only go so far if You aren’t intentional with being consistent. There are too many distractions out there to keep You from making your vision become a reality so knowing how to shut it all out is probably the biggest thing. Read more>>

Notaboi DJ | Musical entertainment pioneer

Relationships, networking, and integrity. Maintaining professional relationships, meeting numerous individuals from various industries, and having a strong work ethic/high level of professionalism. Read more>>

Holly Castro | Licensed Esthetician & acne specialist

The most important factors that drive my success and have become the foundation of Viso Bello Spa are passion, education and the determination to give back ones confidence and self esteem. Growing up, I struggled with acne and other skin issues. Learning about skincare through these struggles set me on a path to educate and help others to put their best face forward. Read more>>

Kim Bernard | Planner & Creative Director

Leaning into community and knowing when to ask for help. You are your own boss but nothing truly happens without collaborations or needing to outsource a job that you may or may not be able to do yourself. Takes you a lot further faster. Read more>>

Kinya Christian | Artist and Talent Stacker

Honesty. As simple as it sounds, honesty is the best policy. I value truth—my artistic expressions, my advice, the services and experiences at my gallery—are coming from an honest, sincere place. I believe people can feel that I am who I say I am, they trust what I’m offering is authentic, and to me, that exchange is what I call success. Read more>>

LaTonya Wilkins | Founder of Change Coaches and Author of Leading Below the Surface

Many years ago, I read Adam Grant’s book Give and Take. I quickly realized that I was a giver but I thought that this would stifle my success as an entrepreneur. But, being a giver has actually had the opposite effect. When I started scaling my business, my coach at the time helped me connect the dots that the mindset of giving and not expecting anything in return was the engine behind my success. My first corporate client came from someone that I helped land a new job. Then that corporation referred me to a number of clients. It just keeps going. So, my advice to you would be to “give and not expect anything in return.” Read more>>

Summer Ayala | Consultant & Investigator

This question has come up quite often over the past fifteen years during conversations with friends and clients. When I saw this question, to be honest, it took me a while to figure out what I was going to write that would inspire anyone given that I am coming out of an unexpected life transition. What surprises me the most is how much my answer evolves each time I’m asked this question, and my response has turned into this sort of… personal checks and balances system that not only helps my clients, but also helps me daily with personal growth. Read more>>

Emily Aguolar | Bubbles & Marquee Events

Getting an event rental company started was scary in the middle of a pandemic I started in October of 2020. I always told myself I could do it and I never looked back. My husband and I have two kiddos and we had just closed on our house in Colleyville when you husband got laid off due to COVID-19 related issues. I have never been the breadwinner of the family so I certainly panicked. on the night of September 16th I could not sleep, Read more>>

Susi Norfolk | Nail Technician & Owner

I would say the most important factor behind my success would be educating myself in the nail industry. I’ve taken numerous courses to continue to evolve in the nail industry. I became an educator for LCN USA back in 2010 and started traveling to trade shows with them and educating others about our brand. In doing this it made me to want to educate myself with other brands so that I could explain to clients what the difference was in what I had to offer. This is what made my business grow and succeed here in Dallas, by educating my clients on the importance of all the knowledge I was constantly learning. Read more>>