We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mackenzie Biehl a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mackenzie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

I believe the key to success is passion, the ability to listen AND learn – and – of course, execution. Too many young (and old) professionals get stuck and complacent and are too risk adverse to step outside of their comfort zone. And trust me, it’s not always easy to do.

Associate with people who are smarter and more successful than you; A supportive spouse (partner) is helpful too ;) Ask questions. I have spent a lot of time learning from people who I admire.

Everyone should have a 5-year plan. I charted a 5-year plan while working full-time in senior healthcare sales and marketing; my plan included an end goal of transitioning to self employment, thus being more present with my family. Thankfully, I was able to execute my 5-year plan in only two years.

Render a quality product and the rest will fall into line. Regardless of what you do or where your passions may lead you, it is quite simple to aim to deliver the same quality product you would expect for yourself. I focus on capturing and sharing quality content.

I worked on content creations before and after work, often late evenings and through the weekends with the end goal of knowing that growing my own business would allow for me to be more present for my children and husband.

During the infancy of my blog and content curations, I took on many pro-bono partnerships simply to build my portfolio. Additionally, I worked with brands that I could personally relate to and felt invested in. Hard work most certainly pays off.

Learn everyday. Treat every day as if it’s your first day on the job. Every day I learn something new. I believe that it is important for any individual’s growth. I learn how to better edit videos, edit colors in Lightroom, target trends, and even become a better cook. We are all students of our craft.

Mackenzie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi everyone, I’m Mackenzie Biehl. I reside in Tallahassee, FL with my husband, Taylor, our two young children and our 75 lb goldendoodle.

I am a native Floridian, University of Florida alumnus and an identical twin.

I started my blog (Happily Harper) when our daughter Harper (almost 5 now) was turning 1. I have a background in sales and marketing and worked to transition into building my own business through my blog and social media channels.

I now run my own media and marketing company where I specialize in food and lifestyle content creation.

I love sharing new ideas. I love food. I love entertaining. I’m always sharing fresh, flavorful and often healthy recipes that we enjoy in our everyday life. My goal is to inspire you with approachable and exciting food and entertaining ideas.

If we’re not connected on a Instagram yet…come on over. @MackenzieBiehl

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I knew how to better use Photoshop and Lightroom at the beginning of my journey. There are a plethora of apps out there to better assist in editing photography and videography.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a “creative” is managing my own time. In my past jobs, I always worked hard. I gave every employer and company my all. And now, I get to give myself my all.

I get to give the brands I work with my heart, my drive, and my creativity. I now have the ability to forge and develop my own path by choosing which brands I want to represent – or – what creative ideas I want to share with my audience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://happilyharper.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mackenziebiehl/
• Facebook: HTTPS://Facebook.com/mackenziegbiehl
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/mackenzie-biehl-3b36294a
• Other: Pinterest.com/mackenziebiehl

Image Credits
Just me