Hardwork? Luck? Good habits? What would you say is behind your success? We’ve shared some thoughtful responses below.

Erika Haavisto | Non-fiction filmmaker

To me, success means being able to consistently do what you love for work. The two most important things about how I have managed to turn filmmaking into a career is being passionate about what I do and having other professionals recognise that I am seriously invested. You need other people to turn any passion into a career. What has been the strongest sign to pursue filmmaking is that whether I am hired or not, the camera stays in my hands. I love storytelling, the technical side of filmmaking, the human aspect when directing and being able to make a living through what I love. Those are beautiful turning points to meet professionals who believe in you and give you a chance. I do not take their trust for granted. I am proud to have been and continue being a crew member on amazing projects. Read more>>

Danny Shoemaker | Owner/Luthier/Plek Operator/Setup Class Instructor

I would say that’s a multifaceted answer: I feel that a lot of people’s success has to do with a combination of 4 things: luck, timing, location, and a consistency of hard work. My success has certainly been a combination of those things, in addition to having a great team. My team has been a proponent of living in Austin for 17 years and starting to hire more repairmen starting in 2010. Collings Guitars in Austin (Dripping Springs) makes some of the very best instruments in the world, and many of my top employees have worked there at some point in their career. Another huge part of my success comes with a German made CNC machine used for manufacturing guitars like Gibson, Martin, Collings, and many others worldwide. This specialized machine allows for even greater accuracy than handwork, and is only available to the public at 30 shops around the country. I had the first machine available to the public in Texas back in 2016, and now we’ve expanded into Houston with a second Plek machine, the first repair shop in the country to expand to a second city with a second Plek. Read more>>

Jill Turpin | Shop keeper/ Realtor/ Bluegrass festival founder/ mother/ maker

Everything has to have a story. We are a “modern day general store” which means we sell everything from fresh bread to earrings, beauty products, kids toys, even socks. Our motto is to have something for everyone and supplies for breakfast/lunch/dinner and in between. We pick products that our true to my partner and I, that mean something to us, made from good people who are trying to make the world a better place. We get to know our makers and are then able to tell their story, why they do what they do and why it resonates with us. It’s amazing to see how that resonates with our customers, making the overall shopping experience deeper and more enriching. Read more>>

Jasmine Simmons | Autism Advocate and Influencer

Totally AUsome, Totally Jace (TauTJace) is dedicated to my four year old autistic son Jaceion affectionately known as “Jace”. Jaceion is the most important factor behind our brand and success. Our motto is to Accept, Love, Advocate, and Educate. TauTJace launched in January 2024 but Jaceion’s journey started long before then. At age one, I noticed Jaceion had not reached certain milestones and I knew about late bloomers but my gut told me this was different. As a graduate of Child Development and Family Studies, a preschool teacher, and paraprofessional my experience wouldn’t allow me to not search for answers. So I began advocating for Jaceion to be evaluated for Early steps which is an early intervention program in Louisiana which is where we are originally from. It was at 18 months Jaceion was determined to have a speech delay which meant he needed speech therapy and it was later determined that he would need occupational therapy as well. Through the course of have amazing therapy sessions he flourished. We moved to Houston in October of 2021 due a hurricane that destroyed our home and that caused Jaceion to regress severely due to not having his daily routine and his familiar surroundings. At the age of 3 he was officially diagnosed with autism and was considered “high functioning”. I became an Registered Behavioral Therapist for the ABA field and there I learned how to better help my son on his autistic journey. TauTJace is cultivated with kiddos, their parents, their caregivers and professionals whom work with autistic individuals in mind. I host monthly zoom meetings and we talk about various topics within the autistic community as well as create a safe space for individuals to talk without judgment. We also have a support group on Facebook called Totally AUsome Village. One of Jaceion’s favorite parts about this business is the autism apparel because he loves getting dressed and taking pictures. His website is www.tautjace.com. We created several different characters a symbolic bear, symbolic puzzle piece, symbolic heart and various females and males of different ethnicities that represent the autistic community. We also have support apparel for advocates, supporters and professional within the autistic/neurodivergent field. On Jaceion’s socials we share videos of his speech therapy sessions, our after school table times, his cooking skills, the great times as well as the hard times of our journey. I intend to continue use our platforms to bring not only awareness but acceptance to the autistic community. Read more>>

Sage Roman | Creative Director & Cultural Curator

The most important factor behind the success of my organization is my community. The people who come to my events, share the news and support, are the entire reason I create. Read more>>