Success. It’s something we dress for, strive for, work towards. We wish it upon others as well as ourselves, but what is it? What is success?

Seth Tucker | Artistic Entrepreneur

I think a truly successful life is well rounded and, most importantly, balanced. I want to have personal, financial success coupled with a career of raising up others. Having a meaningful impact on my community while also being present with my family and friends. I’ve strived for financial security in the arts, something I’ve yet to attain even once, but by landing somewhere in between I’ve been able to also create work that is meaningful to me while maintaining a loving relationship with my partner and those important to me. As I write this, I’m beginning to think that the actually ending point isn’t so much the “success,” as much as the pursuit is. I’ve yet to find extraordinary success in my career, but I know that I have in my personal life, and by keeping my private life equally important as my career, I guess the success has been in the journey. Read more>>

Brianna LeDesma | Baker, Student & Mom

Success can be defined in many aspects, depending on who you ask. For myself, it isn’t about what I drive, whether I carry a designer purse, or how many figures are in my bank account. To me, success is the feeling I get each morning I see the smiles of my three beautiful children, or when I hear their innocent laughter, and I kiss them goodnight. It’s the feeling I get when I lay my head down on my pillow at night, knowing I have done everything from starting and ending careers, to becoming an entrepreneur and continuing my education to ensure those three have the best future imaginable. Read more>>

Valerie Burner | Owner, Bears & More

We have several different ways that we define success at Bears & More. The easiest way to define success as a brick and mortar retail business is the receipt totals. However that is just one way we define success. We opened in 1992 and will be celebrating our 30th Anniversary in April 2022. That is a huge milestone for any business, but especially a small retail shop like ours. We’ve survived economic downturns, recessions, and a pandemic all while keeping our focus. Read more>>