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

Hi Riannon, can you tell us about a book that has had a meaningful impact on you?
A book that has stuck with me has been Unbroken. It is a tragic POW biography, which is not my normal go-to but it came highly recommended by my brother and has stuck with me ever since. It is a true story of real-life tragedy but great perseverance; trauma and heartbreak but also such beautiful redemption. It shows the real-life nature of our broken, fallen nature yet the beautiful ability to overcome all through Jesus.

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.
I picked up knitting on a whim, something to do for myself and had no clue it’d turn into my own little small business. I kept knitting as practice but my husband pushed me to open my own shop (since I had a small stock of scarves just building up!). I took the leap with little knowledge and opened my Etsy shop. It was a slow grow the first couple years but with research and talking with other owners and friends I slowly started to build up my customers and gained traction.
Every year I’d add new items to the shop and did lots of marketing. I’ve connected with some great people on social media and found that doing collaborations was a huge benefit to both parties and makes it all the more fun.
Living in beautiful CO our brand is meant to relay that we are all about the mountains and our work is perfect for the fall and winter seasons.
Being a self-owned small business for a seasonal shop has allowed me so much flexibility to still stay at home and yet be able to cover birthday and Christmas shopping for our family, plan fun activities, and my husband not feel the financial burden during the holidays. This small business owner really does a happy dance with each order!
I started as a new mom with no (knitting) experience and now have 2 kiddos and almost 10 years experience growing my little shop. It has been so much fun as I love creating things with my hands and knowing they will go to so many littles all over the country. (And mommas and babies!)

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?
I taught myself to knit when my daughter was 5 mos old. We’d just moved to CO and I was not only looking for things to keep me busy now that I was away from family, but I wanted a scarf for my little and couldn’t find one small enough. She has been my muse, inspiration, & reason to keep going. I always want her to know she can do hard things and I know she learns that by watching me. Now that I have my son I use them both as my inspirations and models. They’re also great for product feedback!

Website: Etsy.com/shop/KozyKids1212

Instagram: @KozyKids1212

Facebook: KozyKids1212

Other: Pinterest: KozyKids1212

Image Credits
Kat Rose Photography Rachel Rumple Photography Miss Christine Elaine Krewe of Love Ashley Klaus 25 Dancing Spirit Photo Lia

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.