We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful McKenzie Flannery. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with McKenzie below.
Hi McKenzie, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I get my resilience from a combination of experience, mindset, and the people around me. One of the most notable experiences that has shaped me most recently was my son being born at 28 weeks and staying in the NICU for 87 days. All of the sudden, I had this 1 lb. 7 oz. baby who was fighting for his life against all odds; adapting and fighting with whatever strength he could muster to overcome this stressful environment that he wasn’t suppose to be experiencing yet. All I could think was – if he can do this, so can I. Going through that experience taught me how to stay strong in the face of uncertainty. I had to be strong for him because he was giving the fight everything he had. He was moving forward no matter what. So that meant taking things one day at a time and finding strength even when I felt exhausted. Those NICU babies are the epitome of resilience, and watching them fight gives you this inspiration to fight and persevere in a way that changes your whole attitude and outlook. Every setback is a chance to grow and come back stronger. I would say that’s when my mindset truly changed as well. I also draw strength from my support system – most notably my husband, Nick. He’s the most positive person I know and he never hesitates to remind me of my capabilities when things are tough or to help change my outlook on the situation. As long as I can keep persevering and changing my perspective, I know I can handle whatever comes my way.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I started my online baby and children’s boutique in June of 2024. I was staying home with my son due to his compromised immune system from his prematurity and I had always wanted to own and run a clothing boutique. It felt like the perfect time to start since I had stopped my full-time work schedule. That’s when Buster & Bee was born. My late grandfather had called me Buster growing up and the Bee stands for my son. It felt like the perfect combination. Once I came up with the name I knew I had to carry out my dream and give it a shot. Luckily, a good friend of mine owns Simply A to Z Boutique, which is a women’s and men’s clothing boutique. She was gracious enough to give me a space to have my products on display in her store. I felt like the accessibility of high-quality, specifically organic, children’s clothing and gift items were missing in our area, so I was excited to be able to provide that. I love being able to pick out items that will become part of our boutique inventory. An affordable price-point on a high-quality item is so important to me. I have always said that I want these items to be cozy enough to hang out at home but cute enough to leave the house for errands, a play date, or dinner.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three qualities I think were most impactful on my journey to starting Buster & Bee would be: confidence, adaptability, and resilience. Confidence is so important because there is always going to be someone who doesn’t like your idea or business and it’s up to you to believe enough in what you’re building to keep going. Sometimes you think an idea is going to go over great and it doesn’t, but that is where the adaptability comes in. The ability to change course and find out what else might work for your customers if your previous idea failed. Both of those skills go hand-in-hand with resilience. If I can stand strong and confident in this brand I’m building and continue to adapt for my customers, I hope to continue to grow this as a successful business. I’m still pretty early in my journey as well but just believe in yourself and your idea and those skills will come.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was teaching me hard work from day one and raising my siblings and I in a household that really valued Faith. My sisters and I were always taught that you worked for what you wanted, it wasn’t just given. I got a job as soon as I had a way to get to work and paid for the things I wanted with the money I made at my job. We were practicing and going to lessons in the off-season for sports we played because we knew we had to earn the spot we wanted on the team. If someone else beat you for the spot you wanted, then you practiced harder. This has truly transferred into my adult life and especially into my business. I know that you have to put in the work to get where you want to be and that is all thanks to my parents who taught me that from a young age. More importantly, being raised in a household that valued Faith has helped me to understand that even when things don’t work out how I expected them to, God is still there strengthening me. Sometimes my plan isn’t His plan, which means things don’t go how I wanted them to and that’s ok because I’m comforted by the fact that a Mighty God is writing my story and that He has something far greater in store for me than I could ever envision for myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://busterandbee.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/busterandbee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558569268935
Image Credits
Solo photo of me: Adrienne & Amber Photography Photo of My Family: Emily Tenbusch Photography Photo of My husband and I: Katie Ziel Photography
