Q: Please tell us a bit about yourself and your family.
My name is Sennin Flanagan, and I am the owner of Bucks Workwear. I live in Wrightstown with my wife and 3 wonderful children. We have 2 sons and a daughter. Sam is 4, Evan is 2, and Mira just turned 2 months old. My wife is a TV producer. She works on unscripted television, primarily true crime. She grew up in York, PA. I was born in Philadelphia, but moved to Ireland, where my parents are from, when I was about 4 years old. I have lived in the states now for about 12 years. Growing up I played Gaelic football, soccer, and rugby. Those sports gave me opportunities to visit the US and ultimately grew my desire to move here. When I was 16, I spent a summer in Philadelphia playing Gaelic football. I also spent another summer in Boston playing football and another in New York. I have been able to travel to some other states as well, but I have always felt a draw to Pennsylvania. There is just something about being here. My wife and I were both born in Pennsylvania, so that certainly plays a part in it. There are a lot of reference points here for me that feel very comforting. I love that the city is not too far away from us here, but also not too close. I like being in the center of so many cities while also having some age to the area and such beautiful landscapes. This area reminds me the most of where I grew up in Ireland. I feel like people are also more interested in each other here than other places I have been. People genuinely care to get to know each other and hear about each other. All of these factors played a large part in us deciding to move to Bucks County about 2 years ago from New York. We love being here and are very lucky to have family close by. My sister-in-law lives in NYC so she can take the train down pretty easily. My in-laws also live nearby in Lancaster, PA. We take advantage of visits with them frequently.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career.
When we moved here, I set up Bucks Workwear. This job is not what my background is in, but it is something that is an asset that I feel our family can use to develop roots in this area. My background is actually in tech and software. I have worked with a lot of startups. Anything from a 10-person startup turning into a 100-person startup, to a 100- person start up turning into an 800-person startup. My focus was on data analytics. It was a great profession and I really enjoyed it. That led me to working with the Guinness brand for a bit, I was a consultant for them. That got me hooked on the feeling of getting to work for myself. From there I decided to start my own business, Bucks Workwear, about 6 months ago. I took inspiration from Snickers Work Wear, a Swedish work wear brand. They are to Europe what Carhart is to America. That inspired me and I wanted to introduce America to Snickers workwear. This brand is one that I firmly believe in. Their quality is great, and they have been established for ages. My company Bucks Workwear is primarily an ecommerce set up right now, but I am hoping to one day have a storefront to sell in. That is the goal we are working towards right now. While we do not have a brick and mortar store, I am always happy to arrange try-ons for people if they need. When we started the company, I was still consulting part time, but the company has grown, and I am now able to work for myself full time. We have also been lucky enough to get to take on 2 awesome interns from Bucks County Community College who are studying marketing. We have needed a lot of help starting things up, and they have been great. Our products that we distribute from Snickers Workwear are so versatile. They really focus on comfort and functionality and have just about everything. My goal is to be able to ramp up and continue to offer more and more products. I also want to be able to provide a service to tradesmen in our area. The thing about this is that for many of these tradesmen any pair of pants could do, but our product will likely last 2 times longer. The quality is exceptional.
Q: What do you love most about what you do?
I love the autonomy and independence of working for myself and being the decision maker. It is something I have always wanted to do. I am grateful to finally be at a point in my life when I felt I had the proper experience and was ready to take the leap. I also really like that I get the chance to sell a product that I wholeheartedly believe in. I have full confidence in what I am selling and know that when people receive it, they will be happy. I also really enjoy helping people. To me it is not really selling somebody something, it is getting to provide a service to people.
Q: What is a “Must do” for someone visiting our community?
There is not a strong enough word for how obsessed we have been with Mamie Colette’s croissants in Newtown. We also really enjoy walking the towpath in Yardley/ New Hope or Tyler State Park in Newtown.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Ireland will always be a place that I would love to travel back to. County Cavan is where I grew up, so I would always love to travel back there to see friends and family. If I were to pick something for another reason though, I would say one of the national parks, in particular maybe Zion or Yellowstone.
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
I am a big sports fan, so our weekends are typically watching sports or sports TV shows like the new Formula 1 show. I also loved Ted Lasso. I haven’t had too much time to watch movies recently, but I did enjoy the new Top Gun movie.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Be kind to people. People are very focused on themselves these days, but we all need to remember that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
I would love to see a Formula 1 race sometime. Also seeing more of the national parks.
Q: What is your favorite band or music genre?
I am a big classic rock fan, probably more British classic rock like Elvis Costello or The Jam. For American classic rock music I like Bruce Springsteen, and Willie Nelson- the classics.
Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
We would go somewhere like Pineville Tavern or Temperance House because they have great food and I think they represent Bucks County well. I would probably take someone like Bruce Springsteen or Willie Nelson.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
I would love to have somewhere between a small and moderate sized Bucks Workwear location in Bucks County somewhere. Maybe Newtown, Bensalem, or something like that.
Q: What are some interesting facts that even your friends or family may not know about you?
I was a DJ in a family karaoke bar in Portugal for 3 months. I have played rugby in 3 different continents. One of the companies I worked with got bought by Google for millions of dollars. I once met Mike Tyson at an airport. I have about 65 first cousins.
Q: What is your favorite holiday and why?
Christmas. To me Christmas usually involves a return to Ireland and a chance to see family.
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
My family both here and in Ireland.
Q: What is one or two of your favorite smells?
Melted Chocolate, Fire and Springtime.
Q: What words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Relaxed, comfortable, cozy, and family.
Q: Where can people find you or your business?
Website: Bucksworkwear.com
Email: sennin@bucksworkwear.com