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?

Caitlin Henderson | Photographer

booking clients and building a portfolio. I think a turning point for my business was when I truly realized it is not about me. With photography and creative work, you’re providing a service; a wonderful, honest reflection of those around you. Asking myself questions like, how can I best serve my clients? Read more>>

Emily Hemendinger | LCSW, MPH, CPH, Assistant Professor, Lead OCD Therapist, and Deep Brain Stimulation Coordinator for the OCD Program with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Authenticity. All of the other qualities I possess, my ambitiousness, conscientiousness, persistence, passion, and empathy, all come out most when I’m being authentic to myself and my values. I notice that when I’m truly embracing my quirky, imperfect self, I’m most able to show up how I want to show up for both my clients and myself. By being authentic and letting go of self-judgments, I’m able to tap more into my creativity and productivity. Being authentic means being vulnerable, and while some clinicians might shy away from that or try to fit into a box of what the right type of therapist is, I’ve learned that being myself and learning from both my strengths and weaknesses have helped me have the most success in my career. Read more>>

Alexis Antonopoulos | Artist & Arts Administrator

Over and over, I’ve found myself drawn to passionate and gifted people in the arts community. After all, to work in this industry you’re often prioritizing values other than monetary security. And I am certainly no exception. My very first experience in the arts was an Arts management internship. The catch? Completely unpaid and in a different state. Thankfully, I secured an unpaid internship grant to compensate. Read more>>

Director Ave | DirectorAve is a multimedia creator that specializes in video production specifically involving VFX or 3D animation.

The moment I decided to take on the perspective that I had to be ahead of the trends and start doing things that were not necessarily popular yet, but had the potential to be. My firm belief was that popular music videos were going to soon be integrated with more and more Hollywood style VFX and 3D animation and even though I had no evidence to prove this, I dedicated the following years to improve my skillsets in these advanced editing methods. Read more>>

Jensen Sutta | Event and Celebrity Photographer

1) Liking People 2) Listening There are two factors that I’d say contribute the most to success in this business. One is liking people! Not just some people, but connecting with any and all people. Growing up, my first few jobs ranged from hotel bellman, bartender, and restaurant server. All jobs that helped me practice meeting all types of different folks, having short meaningful interactions, and translated perfectly to meeting diverse clients as a photographer. Read more>>

Meghan Yager | Food Blogger and Recipe Developer

I can attribute my success to one word: authenticity. Being in the social media realm and dealing with constant opportunities for comparison, it’s easy to lose sight of yourself in all the noise. I strive to be authentic to myself in every aspect of life. It’s those moments when you are most yourself, without any apologies or trying to work the system to go viral, that people WANT to see. Read more>>

Kelli McKandless | Golf Instructor / Owner of KMG18 / Owner and Tour Director of the Summit Junior Tour

Communication is the best way to gain respect from others and make people feel they are appreciated. I feel that I usually over communicate start times, expectations, what to bring, and I always have a list of FAQ’s. If you are getting the same question from customers over and over, then you have failed as a leader to answer those questions clearly. Read more>>

Allison KT | Spiritual Business Mindset Coach for Empathic Entrepreneurs

Choosing to heal my mindset has been the single most important factor behind my success, and thus the success of my brand (and honestly, I’d say it’s a non-negotiable for folks who want long-term sustainable success in general). I got certified as a coach in 2018 and thought that they clients would just magically come pouring in. I didn’t realize till almost 2 years later that my mindset was actually driving them away. Read more>>

Rufio Jimenez | Promoter, producer, performer and bartender

I believe the most important factor of my business is the eccentricity of the type of events I produce and host. I feel what makes my events unique from other events is the eclectic experience and creating a safe zone for all expressionists from goth, queer, kinky, burner to be you! Read more>>

Tara Dudley | REALTOR®

Passion. It all started in the Summer of 2016. I bought my very first home for my Son and I… but first let’s rewind a little bit. Now a lot of people don’t know this but I filed for bankruptcy in 2014. It was complicated, and I was in a not so healthy relationship with my Sons father. Things didn’t work out and we decided to part ways. This was very emotionally difficult for me, especially with me being a new Mom. Read more>>

Jesca Jaymes | Artist and Host of I Am Power Podcast

Success can be defined in many ways. I have always tried to make it my mission to continuously redefine success at different phases in my personal career. Adjusting it when new milestones have been achieved or when I decide to pivot my focus. I have always felt the word success is subjective. For some, success means wealth or notoriety but for me in this very moment success is defined as setting a goal and doing everything in my power to achieve it until I have a new one to reach. Read more>>

Glenn Hattem | Breakthrough Health & Life Coach

Being curious enough about my clients to love up on the parts of them they’re hyper-critical about so thy can heal and believe in their dreams that they want to realize is essential. I ask questions and give healthy feedback to demonstrate that I understand WHY they are stuck currently, so we can work together to improve things. Read more>>