We asked some of the city’s rising stars about why they think they have been so successful and we’ve shared their responses below.

Joseph Castillo | Broker Owner at Castle Group Investments

If you ask the big guys about habits, you’ll get the typical morning jog, meditation time, etc. While all those are great, I find people need to start with the simple things like replying back in a timely manner, letting anyone and everyone know you got their email, text, VM, etc., and will respond back tonight or in the morning. Setting reminders to do that. I call it ‘at the speed of business.’ I was fortunate enough to be featured as a small business owner (SBO) in Beijing a decade ago. My time in business in a fast-paced environment like Beijing taught me a couple of things. And it all goes back to my first time meeting with a billionaire to “talk business”. One time, a friend from Chicago who was in real estate wanted to meet a couple of wealthy friends of mine. They knew me only a short time and didn’t know my buddy, but when I said I’d like to meet them to talk about investing in America, they drove out to meet us within 2 hours from the text message. Guys at my level don’t ordinarily play ball at their level, right? They were not too rich or too proud to at least hear anyone out, and did so at the speed of business. So, seizing the moment, moving at the speed of business, treating small-time or big-time clients with the same fast-paced respect was a lesson I learned and try to keep at the forefront of my business and personal ethic. Read more>>

Lauren McElyea | Weight loss transformation

When I first started my weight loss journey, I was depressed and had gone through several traumatic events. I found the motivation after my son said to me one day “Mom I wish you would smile more” and this lite a fire in me that I did not know existed. I hired a nutrition coach and met my trainer at a boxing gym. There are several habits I have formed along the journey. Read more>>

Jennifer Brown | Mortgage Broker/Owner

I have formed habits taught to me long ago by my grandmother, and that is to be diligent, work hard, and never give up. I was always taught that if you are going to do something, then do the best you can to succeed at whatever you are trying to accomplish. So that taught me to be a hard worker and be diligent in all that I do in my life. But most of all to never give up, because failure just means to pick yourself up and try again. Read more>>

Nizky Nguyen | Tattoo artist

Habits thay helped me towards succeeding include taking the time to practice everyday. When practicing I focus and put my mind to it. Also practicing patience towards myself and my progress. Read more>>