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?

Kaimon Ontiveros | Music Artist

For me, the most important factor behind any current or future success I have, is my work ethic. At a young age, the motto “hard work pays off” was instilled in me, and I have tried to apply that to everything I do. When you work hard, and put your all into things, good things tend to happen, even if it wasn’t what you had originally intended. I believe in the saying “how you do anything is how you do everything”, so I try and do everything 100% to the best of my ability and let it work out however it’s supposed to. I believe my work ethic is the key to what has carried me to where I am at, because it is all I had in the start. Read more>>

Simon Shi | Professional Triathlete & Content Creator

I started making YouTube videos in 2009 starting at the age of 12 years old. I was fascinated with the Rubik’s cubes and posted my hobbies on the internet. I had a lot of fun doing it and I was not in it for the money. People didn’t even make money on YouTube back then. Now, I found that I still have the same passion to post entertainment and tutorial videos about the Rubik’s cubes and showing my other hobbies in life. I have learned that doing your research is critical to social media marketing. Speaking in terms of business, if you want to grow your following, you need to find trends and post consistently. Post things that you absolutely love to do! Read more>>

Isaac Apley | Founder of The Hype Leaks

Consistency, from the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep I’m constantly thinking about my brand and the ways that I can further better and grow this into something special. I demand a lot out of myself when it comes to this brand, I’m always working on content or skills that can better help my brand. Over the past 3+ years I have put in thousands of hours of work, along with putting out content every single day for my followers. Read more>>

Rebecca Pinkham | Photographer, Brand Consultant

I rely heavily on the expertise of my PA, Kate Grimm, and that of the team we have created together. Without the superior talents, skill sets, and innovations brought forth by these such power women, my brand wouldn’t have the capabilities it does today to affect so many in our immediate and surrounding communities. Read more>>

Mayela Vazquez | Professional MakeUp & Hair Artist

Being consistent, having short and long term goals and an open mind to be constantly out of my comfort zone. Training my mind to think positive and not negative. Keep evolving and learning, never take things for granted and appreciating the people/opportunities I have. Read more>>

Megan Behrens | Interior Designer

Relentlessness. I pack my schedule everyday to keep moving forward. I meet everyone I can and take every meeting that I can, maintaining these relationships at the same time. I truly love what I do and I think it’s evident in my designs. Trust comes easily from clients and I actually do what I say I’m going to do. It’s sad how many people these days just don’t follow through. I get bids from contractors for jobs and agree to pay the amount they request, yet they don’t show up to do the work! It’s not hard to be successful these days if you can just keep your word. Read more>>

Ariel Willow | Intuitive | Spiritual Coach | Clairvoyant

The ability to help others create a meaningful, sustainable spiritual practice and lifestyle that grows with them and supports their life rather than hinders them. The world demands so much of us already and providing clients with accessible tools, ideas and encouragement gives them the ability to build the practice they crave. Empowerment and confidence is such a huge factor in the success of my work. If I’m not leaving my clients feeling at least one of those things, then it’s time to reassess. It’s my goal to do my best to never leave clients feeling fearful and reliant on my. Sometimes we just need someone to validate what we’re feeling and going through in order to have the confidence to continue. Read more>>

Love | Artist

To be honest, I think always being involved in the journey is the real success in life. I love to learn, and in that vain, I’d say even the moments I turned out wrong were a success for me. Everytime I ruined a canvas, every ball of molten silver I chucked into the scrap bin, and every argument I lost, these were successful moments for me. It’s all part of the great adventure. If you’re having an adventure, you’re succeeding at being alive. Really what else if life for? Read more>>