We asked some of the city’s hidden gems to tell us about what they feel is the most important factor behind their success.

Devyn Love Jenae | Success Mindset and Wealth Building Coach

The #1 factor contributing to my success is that I’ve built everything by fearlessly being myself. I believe authenticity is magnetic—it attracts the right opportunities, people, and partnerships. For me, it started with embracing my passion for mindful living, sustainable fashion, clean beauty, and meditation—not just as hobbies but as a way of life that I could share with the world. Read more>>

Allegra Mangione | Nonprofit Marketing Strategy Consultant

Community. Certainly. It has to be, right? Your business is only as strong as your relationships. The same goes for your career. Yes, the quality of your work, your approach, your way of being, your values, they all matter. But at the end of the day, what is concrete? Your relationships with your clients, your customers, your colleagues, and your co-conspirators. My satisfaction and happiness at work has always been closely linked to the quality of my working relationships. It is people that give you opportunities. It is people that decide to renew your contract, or to expand the project you are working on. And it is people that recommend that another organization hire you. Without a supportive, strong, caring community, Catharsis wouldn’t be. Read more>>

Jason Winkelmann | Naturopathic Doctor and Chiropractor

I think it has been not treating my healthcare business as a healthcare business. I never wanted to be a doctor; not just because conventional medicine never worked for my issues, but because I hated the way I felt at the doctor’s office. I don’t think I’m alone there either. Doctor’s offices tend to be an aesthetically unpleasing place as well as a mentally unsettling one. You are supposed to feel cared for but that was seldom the way I felt waiting forever and then being herded in and out of the treatment room in minutes flat. So when I opened my clinic I envisioned it as a hospitality business, not a medical clinic. Read more>>

Kathy Wood | Rancher

To give a little history, I am a third generation co-owner of our family ranch. I partner with my cousin and both of us have children that are interested in continuing the family legacy. From our grandfather, who started in 1923, through our fathers, we have been involved in a regenerative approach to agriculture. Our family has been growing and feeding cattle for decades, but as time has evolved in the cattle business, it is very hard for small family run operations to compete with large corporate operations, due to the economy of scale needed to show any kind of profit. Read more>>

Damien Cordova | Brazilian Jiu-JItsu Black Belt & Head Instructor

I would say that planning ahead has been the most important factor in our success at Chroma. We did a lot of research and built a really solid business plan before embarking on anything. That business plan has been a major guiding force in all aspects of running things. We consult it often. Read more>>

Kacie Aversa | Photographer

I think the most important factor behind my success is networking within the creative community in Colorado. Going to styled shoots, trading time and photos with models, and working beside other fellow photographers. These have all helped me create more content, books more clients and create a sense of community for myself. Read more>>

Aurora Chaffee | Ex-racehorse Specialist & Equine Professional

I have many ideas about how to answer this question, but they all come back to one core theme: mindset.

Mindset is shaped by various factors and plays a pivotal role in achieving success. These three concepts have profoundly influenced my mindset and, in turn, the success of my brand: Read more>>