Meet McKenzie Morgan: Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with McKenzie Morgan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi McKenzie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Having grit is without a doubt the most important ingredient to the recipe for success. Grit is defined as courage and resolve; strength of character. The five characteristics of grit are best known as courage, conscientiousness, perseverance, resilience, and passion. I feel as though my success stemmed from the courage to launch my brand Styled by McKenz; my conscientiousness in knowing that I would not be where I am today without the support of my family and viewers; my perseverance in continuing to work for “it” regardless of growth being at a standstill; resilience in the sense that not everyone wants to see you succeed; and passion—the key to keeping the spark alive. I am convinced that grit will take you further than anything else in life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
At fourteen years old I launched my fashion blog Styled by McKenz. Nearly four and a half years later my corner of the internet has exploded into something far greater than that. I specialize in sharing the latest trends at an affordable price point and life’s real struggles with teens and twenty-somethings around the world. Over the years I’ve been able to connect with hundreds of thousands of people across my blog, YouTube, and Instagram and have discovered a passion so deep within my heart. Was it easy getting to the point I’m at? Heck, no! And if it were, everyone would be doing it. Grit helps. Passion helps. Family helps—without them I wouldn’t be where I am today. They are my saving grace, my helping hands, my biggest critics, and yet my biggest supporters. Success is fun, but it’s more fun when you have someone to share it with.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are five people you need in order to succeed. One. You need someone who doesn’t believe in you from the start. Someone whose jealous that you have a grasp on what you want in life. Someone who belittles you, tells you what you are doing has no meaning, no purpose to it. Someone who angers you. Because anger strikes passion and one you’ve struck passion, well my friends, you’ve struck gold. Those who want to see you fail are those who are most afraid of watching you succeed. Two. You need someone who believes in you. In all its glory. The kind of belief that when you’re sitting in the kitchen with tears streaming down your face out of frustration, they remind you why you started. The kind of person who is not afraid to shake you and tell you that you are destined for great things. Few people have your best interest at heart. When you find someone, who does, thank them often. Three. You need someone who will drop everything for you. The kind of person who is there even when they have no reason to be. Someone who will tell you no at the wrong times, but yes at the right. Someone who is selfless- the kind of person who will forever be cheering you on from the sidelines. Four. You need someone who reminds you to stop saying sorry. Because you will make mistakes. You will mess up. You will fall time and time again. And that is okay. Because whether you are starting a business or following your dreams, you are taking a risk. Remember that rewards do not come without risks. Do not apologize. Do not say sorry. And do not look back— success does not come running after you, it’s meant to be chased. Five. You need someone to fuel your fire. And that person cannot be anyone but you. Yes, you. To accomplish great things, you cannot do them alone. You must ask for help. Because the truth is, you cannot do everything alone. But you must be okay with doing so. I owe much of my success to these five people; those who have built me up, some without even knowing.