Every overnight success we’ve seen has been years in the making. And those overnight successes are rarely because of an amazing idea or a stroke of luck. We asked some of our favorite folks from the community about what characteristics are at the heart of their success story?

Erica Hermsen | Founder & Executive Director of EverWild Forest School

Community. We’ve all heard the saying, “it takes a village,” and it’s no different in starting and growing your own business. I’ve met many entrepreneurs whose pride got in the way of allowing others inside their circle to help. I don’t believe any one person knows it all, including myself, so it’s been incredible to collaborate with those who have more experience in certain areas to provide advice, support, and services. By welcoming others to walk along with you in your journey, you’ll have more people who have “bought in” to your idea and want to see you succeed. Read more>>

Matt Schalsey | Entrepreneurial Enablement Guru

I think for me my brand and success are tied together. With not completely a college degree I found it extremely important ti build relationships with and open mind and learn as much as I can from every interaction. When it came to my brand within the enablement community, it was incredibly nerve wracking at first. After a few conversations I realized that I knew enough to be impactful to others but not enough that I couldn’t stop learning. Read more>>

Charlotte Loukola | Violinist

I believe there are many factors that have greatly contributed to where I am now. I’d say the first thing that really affected the course of my life is my family. My parents have worked a great deal in order to help make my musical career look like what it looks like right now. When I was young, I told my parents that I wanted to be a violinist, but without their help and guidance I would not be where I am right now. There are many things my parents recommended I do in order to further my musical career. Read more>>

Katy Zales | Founder & Candle creator

The only reason Shoppe 815 currently exists is due to my relentless resilience. Creating a business is not a yellow brick road. You lay each brick yourself and try to pave a path that best suits your company. My resilience helps me pivot when I head the wrong direction and make adjustments allowing me to never let my flame burn out. Read more>>

King Delane | Recording Artist & Entertainer

Marketing! Learning how to properly market anything is a major factor. Before I learned how to market myself only a small region of people knew who I was. Now I’m known in different places all over. Read more>>

Rachel Graham | Owner – RDGPhotography

Accessibility! The first live theatre show I ever photographed was in college. I was spotlight operator for the show as a Freshman, and saw when the professional photographer came to take photos. The cast was anxious and excited, then they only ever got to see a handful of photos that were used to print for promotional material. The actors never get to see the show, and the designers and production team only had access to a few photos to remember the show by and use for their portfolios. So, with permission, I took my DLSR into the booth and photographed the scenes I was not operating a spotlight in, and gave them to anyone who wanted them. Read more>>

Becki Taylor | Development Director

As a nonprofit organization, we exist only to fill a need in our community. If the need was not present, then we wouldn’t be here. In 2013 our founders, Dr. Linda Chassman Craddock and Ellen Winston recognized that access to mental health services was a challenge for many Coloradans who were low-income, under insured, or uninsured. It became our mission to ensure that mental health services, specifically Animal Assisted Psychotherapy, would be available to everyone regardless of insurance or income. Read more>>

Meredith Ashley | Owner and Jewelry Designer

When I started my brand in May 2021, I knew I wanted to create jewelry for my customers that enhanced their confidence, style and energy. Adding a piece of jewelry can bring so much positivity to many customers. As I’ve grown my business, I’ve learned a lot along the way. I’ve received a lot of valuable advice and feedback, which I credit to making my business grow. Being open and honest with myself and staying true to the brand from day 1 is very important to me. I do have many goals for the business but I want it to grow organically, in its own time. Every day is a learning opportunity for me to expand my brand. Read more>>

Keli Jakel | Owner & Life Transitions Coach

What is the most important factor behind your success/the success of your brand? Meeting clients where they are and helping them get to where they want to be. At Organized by Keli & Co, we recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all definition of being organized. An organized space is drastically different from person to person and situation to situation. Our team takes the time to listen, and we use intuition to get to the core of our client’s needs and goals. Read more>>

Jessie Wagner | Makeup Artist

The most important factor behind the success of my brand is authenticity. If you are ever on my social media, you will see when I am vulnerable, when I am sad, when I am joyful, etc. I don’t do “faking it” very well and while in the early years of my business I felt like I always had to be “on,” I have learned over time that most people respond to authenticity much better than the “I have it all together” all the time projection that you can often see on social media. Read more>>

Suzanne Covert | Headshot photographer and expression coach

There are many factors behind my success but the most import is definitely my husband and my three children. They have been there to help whenever I needed them, (well mostly, lol) from testing new equipment to moving things around, to giving me feedback, I would not be win the place I am without their help. 😉 When I started my career I was doing real estate and event and headshot photography. I quickly realized I could be a stronger photographer by just focusing my attention on one particular genre. I had seen a photographer teaching headshots online so I decided to check it out. Read more>>

Lesley Whyte | Founder of Women in Photography

Women in Photography is led by women for women and is believed to be the only global provider of photography tours and retreats dedicated to enthusiasts, hobbyists, beginners and intermediate level photographers. Created by multi-award myself, winning New Zealand photographer our retreats and tours are led by an enthusiastic team of Women in Photography mentors who have been chosen as they share Women in Photography’s philosophy of mentoring and growing “YOUR photography passion.” Read more>>

Tyler Wilkinson-Ray | Filmmaker and Photographer

I think our focus on storytelling has been the most important factor in the studios success. We primarily work in the outdoor space and when we started, most of the outdoor films were about climbing the highest peak or the doing best trick. The other production studios weren’t really finding and telling interesting stories. It was pure adrenaline filmmaking. To me that gets boring, so we brought a focus on storytelling and my background in anthropology to our filmmaking, which allowed us to find compelling stories and unique ways of telling them. Fortunately, the industry also moved in that direction in general, so our timing was good. Read more>>

Ricky Perry | Choreographer

Consistency with the craft. Read more>>

Linda Valencia | Hairstylist

The most important factor behind my success has been to prioritize my goals. Having a good outlook and understanding of my goals for my business has given me a clear vision and mindset for the success of my brand. Whether it’s short-term or long-term goals,commiting my time accordingly in fact did have a positive impact on my business and brand. Read more>>