The Coronavirus has given many us an opportunity to pause and think about life, our purpose, and even the right work life balance.  What’s your perspective and has it changed over time?

Jaclyn Bradley | Voice instructor and Music Academy owner

I think the key to anyone’s success is doing what you love and serving others through it. I get to sing and make music with others every day, and that is joyful for me and my students. Finding what you delight in and discovering how to impact the world positively through it is the “magic” formula. Read more>>

Priya Rama | Migraine artist

Taking that first step in making public my chronic pain experience was a courageous one. I can see that now when I look back on my journey. Because I couldn’t anticipate how it would be received, if at all. Making public a personal experience was never going to be easy: in doing so, I had opened myself to criticisms, disbelief and outright dismissals. However, what I didn’t expect was how well my story would be received! I have since come to understand and appreciate why this is so…Pain is not only personal but very lonely as well! And when that pain is chronic, it takes a lot out of an individual, it is exhausting! Read more>>

Chris Fury | Creator, Host and Producer of Blerd’s Eyeview Podcast, Voice Actor

The most important factor behind my success would have to be consistency and being true to the content I put out. It’s allowed me to meet some very influential people that are working in entertainment and the world of the comic book genre as a whole. Whether it’s been cosplay, nerdcore music, comic book writers, artists and more! It’s also garnered me a level of attention and respect amongst the Blerd and Nerd Communities. Read more>>

Sam Zbikowski | Owner of Dahlia Skincare, Advanced Esthetician

The most important factor behind my success and the success of Dahlia Skincare is simple. The passion that I have for skin health and self-care is what drives me to always seek new ways to provide our clients with quality products and rejuvenating results that last. Our products are made with natural, plant-based ingredients with naturally occurring vibrant colors, scents, and textures that make daily routines a delightful experience. Our skincare tools are made with real, ethically and sustainably sourced crystals that are intentionally chosen to enhance our clients’ daily self-care rituals. Every aspect of Dahlia Skincare is intentional and driven by the passion that I have as an esthetician. Read more>>

Ezra McKalmus | Artist

“Consistency Consistency Consistency” As a full time artist, it’s important to remain active and interested in your own craft. Never discontinue the act of publishing more & more & more works. For the day you lose interest,
Is not only the day you lose momentum.- Your patrons/customers/followers will surely lose interest as well. Read more>>

Rob Houk | Furniture Moving and Assembly

I believe the most important factor to the success is how we interact with the customer. When we interact with them on the phone and in person we make sure to be respectful and relate to them. When we are in their home or wherever we may be working with them at, we try to have a conversation or include them in our jokes. A lot of service people just show up, maybe say hi and get to work without talking to you. We make sure we are friendly, get to know you a little bit and have fun with the job while getting the work done. We want to build a relationship with our customers and show them that we want to work with them. Its all about caring, trust, and relating. Read more>>

Annie McDaniel | Owner, AnneMade Sweets

What really sets my brand apart and contributes to its success are the amazing flavors, simple yet quality ingredients, and the freedom to customize your macarons just the way you like. In Columbus, you’ve got a lot of fantastic places to get French macarons, and I’m a big fan of supporting local businesses. However, where I shine is in adding that extra touch to make your macarons truly special. So, let’s say you want a champagne glass design on your macaron for a Brews & Bubbles wedding shower, or perhaps you’re craving some Biscoff macarons because your grandmother adores that flavor. Read more>>

Isaac Gordon | Owner/Talent Agent – Breakpoint Booking (New Legacy Enterprises)

My team! Hands down, the company would not be where it is today without the work of my team and the agents who have helped me build the company to this point. I can look back and give so many credits, even to those that didn’t stick around and eventually went off to do their own thing. Those folks were with me in the early years and were integral in helping me build our foundation. Breakpoint Booking was founded through the collective effort of aspiring talent managers and agents. We all just wanted to learn and low and behold the company grew. I remember sitting at a table in Philadelphia, in Fishtown, at a spot called Frankfort Hall. Read more>>

Dan Knepper | Artist

To have art sell, it has to be in front of the right audience… the person who will make a connection with the painting and want to look at it again and again. Word of mouth plays a big role in this and I’m grateful to those who share my work on Facebook or instagram, or maybe even more importantly, share it with a friend who might be interested. I’ve also been very lucky to be in all the art magazines, and so my story and my work has gone right into the hands of people specifically picking up a magazine to look at art. Now my work is in the big auctions and prestigious shows where collectors attend to buy art. Read more>>

Spencer Wolfe | Film Director

The most important factor behind my personal success as well as success of my brand is consistency. Consistent in quality, communication and planning. Although most success is gauged by how much personal profit you’ve accrued, I find that the best success is to strive for progress in quality assurance. If you can be sure to provide the best quality in your product(s) and to progress in your knowledge the profit will follow. Like the saying, “fame before fortune.” Read more>>

Jess Hellmich | Entrepreneur & Chief Marketing Officer

If I had to boil it all down into a single, most important factor behind my success and the success of my brand it would be “Taking Action.” There is of course context to this factor, and can be further explained with the following points: 1. As business leaders, take action in developing your team. Share real data with them and let them be part of your success. They are way more likely to be inspired and stay motivated when you give them the ability to have their contributions to your efforts matter. 2. Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunity and don’t be afraid to take action on them when opportunity knocks. But do your homework. Plan, think ahead, and know what you’re going to do several steps in advance. Read more>>

Nikki Lawley | Patient advocate , nurse and entrepreneur

The most important factor behind my success I believe is my authenticity and vulnerability. People want to see real people they want to know that they are not alone. When I suffered a traumatic brain injury, my life changed in a second I had no idea how I was going to survive and live. What I learned is people are not looking for perfect people they are looking for how people deal with their imperfections I believe my success is truly because I found something that helped relieve my symptoms that I was not taught about in nursing school, or in the real world , it took me almost dying to find plant medicine and it’s Benefits Read more>>

Ciji Stamper | Blogger

I believe that success comes from honesty. For many, we share our everyday lives online. This is to help other women, moms, parents to know they aren’t alone. Parenting is a beautiful journey but it sure is tough. We need to stand together in this journey. It’s ok to ask for help. It’s ok to show your weaknesses. We’re human, but we should stand together and lend others a hand when needed. Read more>>

Eric Six | Film Actor

The most important factor behind my successes is probably the ability to have flexibility within my creative processes as an actor. Within the acting world, things can change on a dime. For example, you could run into a scenario where the scene you should be filming in a week is now the first shot of the day, when you arrive on set. I just always make sure I have a flexibility to make these changes happen. My job as an actor is to deliver the emotions within a given scene no matter what is happening. There is an ongoing joke, within the entertainment industry, that money is constantly burning on a film set. So, if for some reason a scene is taking longer than usual that is more money for production to spend. Read more>>

Abby Smithers | Wedding & Portrait Photographer

As a portrait and wedding photographer I feel as though the most important factor behind success is the client experience. After all, it is all about my clients. I strive to ensure that from the beginning of an inquiry to the delivery of a gallery, my clients feel as though they were valued. I have procedures and goals in place to help ensure that my clients receive adequate communication throughout working together, and that they feel comfortable and relaxed during our sessions. I want to make working with Abby Malia Photo LLC memorable and so enjoyable that they want to come back for another session later on! I desire to serve my clients with joy and kindness, and to do everything I can to help them along the way, and I have seen how much of a difference this makes for connecting with people and creating lasting impressions. Read more>>

Shawn Coss | Artist / Brand Owner

One of the most important factors behind the success of Any Means Necessary is my business partner and I’s refusal to not give it everything we have. While many would give up after a few mistakes and setbacks, we never once thought to quit but rather bear down and push forward because we knew if we didn’t, another would. Read more>>