There are so many factors that can play a role in determining our results, performance and ultimately our success, but some factors matter more than others. We asked folks what they felt was the most important factor driving their success.

Tianisha Payne | Serial Entrepreneur and philanthropist

The most important factor behind your success of our brand is the community. Express Yourself Sessions require parents, guardians, teachers, volunteers, board members , GEMS and community support to be successful. Express Yourself Events are created on behalf of and with our youth’s futures in mind. During Express Yourself Events we conclude what our youth have learned , allow them to spread the newfound knowledge to the community. Read more>>

Cassie Kelly | Nonprofit Marketing Consultant

The most important factor in running my own business is passion. If I don’t have a personal drive to help an organization, my work is not going to be the best it can be. I have to believe in the work that I’m doing in order to help others believe in it. Read more>>

Monique Wormerly | Loctician/Natural Hair Stylist

My success stems from being honest with my clients and using my education to help them find solutions to their hair and scalp issues. Many locticians are just in the industry for the money. They often ruin their clients locs by allowing the client to do whatever they want to their locs without giving them a proper consultation and by not being truthful about the condition of their locs. Many locticians lack proper hair chemistry education and theory and treat everyone’s locs with the same care, regardless of whether or not that care pertains to that specific client.

Quinn Gardner | Video Director &. Filmmaker

There are many important factors behind my success so far, but if I had to choose the one that has benefited me the most is the perseverance that I’ve developed throughout the course of my life. This can be mostly attributed to my college basketball career and how it all played out. I tore my ACL twice, throughout my time playing college basketball. As traumatic as these injuries are, I do not regret them because I believe that they have played.an extremely important role in molding me into who I am today and how successful I’ve been able to be. Read more>>

Lexi Debaltzo | designer and creator

The most important part behind success with my art is that it focuses on the power of words and their ability to evoke memories. Initially starting with my hometown of Lakewood, Ohio – and then venturing out to other local cities, vacation spots and schools, I discovered that people love to “remember when.” And of course, there are commonalities when we are looking at the same places. Read more>>