Building a Creative Business with Grit: How Cortney McKenzie Turned Passion into Purpose
Launching a business takes more than a great idea—it takes resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to keep learning. In this episode of Grit Won’t Quit, Tom sits down with Cortney McKenzie, founder of Cozy Croissant Embroidery, to discuss what it really takes to build a creative business from the ground up.
After spending years in high-pressure professional environments, Cortney made the leap into entrepreneurship in her 30s, creating a woman-owned embroidery business focused on craftsmanship, creativity, and meaningful connections. From live embroidery events to custom merchandise and personalized gifts, every stitch reflects her commitment to thoughtful design and exceptional customer experiences.
Taking the Leap into Entrepreneurship
Starting a business is rarely a straight path, and Cortney’s journey is proof that valuable experience often comes before entrepreneurship. Before launching Cozy Croissant Embroidery, she worked in the legal field and higher education, developing organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to perform under pressure.
Those experiences helped prepare her for business ownership, but entrepreneurship offered something her previous career couldn’t: the freedom to build, create, and continuously improve. Rather than feeling limited by corporate structures, she embraced the opportunity to solve problems, experiment with new ideas, and create something entirely her own.
Her story serves as a reminder that it’s never too late to pursue a passion and build a business around what you love.
Building a Business One Stitch at a Time
Cozy Croissant Embroidery offers two primary services that continue to grow together.
The first is live embroidery events, where Cortney brings her embroidery equipment directly to corporate events, brand activations, private parties, and special occasions, creating personalized items on-site for guests.
The second is custom embroidery, producing personalized gifts, branded merchandise, apparel, and custom products for individuals and small businesses alike.
Managing both sides of the business has created exciting opportunities while also presenting new challenges as demand continues to increase.
The Reality of Being a Solopreneur
Running every aspect of a business alone requires constant balancing.
From customer communication and production to marketing, scheduling, shipping, and event setup, Cortney currently handles every part of the business herself. While that level of involvement ensures quality, it also creates limitations on how quickly the business can scale.
Tom shares lessons from growing his own company, emphasizing that one of the hardest transitions for entrepreneurs is learning to delegate. Hiring help, implementing systems, and trusting others can free business owners to focus on growth instead of becoming the bottleneck.
For many entrepreneurs, building systems is just as important as building products.
Creating Better Systems for Sustainable Growth
As her business continues to expand, Cortney is investing in tools and processes that improve both efficiency and the customer experience.
Whether it’s implementing client management software, documenting workflows, or creating repeatable processes for live events, she’s focused on making every future project smoother than the last.
One habit that has made a significant impact is reviewing every event afterward. By identifying what worked well and what could be improved, she’s building a playbook that will eventually help train future team members while maintaining the high standards her clients expect.
Learning from Every Challenge
One of the recurring themes throughout the conversation is viewing setbacks as opportunities rather than failures.
Tom explains that every business encounters obstacles, but successful entrepreneurs treat those moments as learning experiences. Instead of dwelling on mistakes, they evaluate what happened, improve their processes, and move forward with greater confidence.
Cortney shares that this mindset has become part of her daily routine, allowing her business to evolve with every project she completes.
Growth isn’t about avoiding mistakes—it’s about learning from them faster.
Why Relationships Matter More Than Marketing
Although Cozy Croissant Embroidery continues to grow, much of that growth hasn’t come from paid advertising.
Instead, referrals, networking, and social media have played the biggest role in attracting new clients.
Through relationships with fellow entrepreneurs, event planners, and business owners, Cortney has built a network that continues to generate opportunities. From local businesses to nationally recognized brands like Wingstop, authentic connections have opened doors that traditional marketing alone couldn’t create.
The conversation highlights an important lesson for small business owners: people enjoy working with businesses they know, trust, and remember.
Expanding Beyond Embroidery
While embroidery remains the foundation of the business, Cortney has a much larger vision for the future.
She hopes to grow Cozy Croissant into a broader customization company by adding complementary services alongside embroidery. As demand for live events increases, she’s also exploring ways to serve larger guest counts through additional equipment and new customization options.
Rather than limiting the business to a single service, she’s focused on creating an experience that gives clients more ways to personalize their products.
Finding Inspiration Behind the Name Cozy Croissant
Every memorable brand has a story.
For Cortney, the inspiration came from her time living in Paris after college while working as an au pair. The experience left a lasting impression, making “Croissant” the obvious centerpiece of her future business name.
The word “Cozy” perfectly captured the feeling she wanted customers to experience through personalized embroidery—warm, welcoming, and uniquely their own.
After carefully researching trademarks and protecting the brand, Cozy Croissant Embroidery officially became a name she could proudly build her business around.
Embracing Technology Without Losing the Human Touch
Artificial intelligence continues to transform many industries, and embroidery is no exception.
Tom and Cortney discuss how AI can improve administrative tasks, streamline workflows, and even enhance design files. However, they also agree that creativity and craftsmanship still require a human touch.
Every embroidered item must still be physically created, inspected, and finished with care. While technology can improve efficiency, authenticity and quality remain the true differentiators for creative businesses.
The Importance of Mentorship and Continuous Learning
One of the most valuable parts of entrepreneurship is recognizing that there’s always more to learn.
Cortney credits much of her success to fellow embroidery business owners who generously share advice, answer questions, and offer guidance. As her company grows, she’s actively seeking additional business mentors who can help her navigate scaling, leadership, and long-term growth.
Tom echoes that perspective, explaining that curiosity has been one of the driving forces behind his own entrepreneurial journey. The willingness to ask questions, try new ideas, and continually improve has helped both entrepreneurs evolve alongside their businesses.
Going Above and Beyond for Customers
One story perfectly captures Cortney’s commitment to customer service.
Facing a tight holiday deadline for a major brand order, she spent the Fourth of July weekend tracking down a specific thread color from sewing suppliers across the country, overnighting materials, ordering the client’s products for comparison, and working through the holiday to ensure every detail was perfect.
The result?
The client immediately requested another order.
It’s a powerful reminder that exceptional service often creates repeat business far more effectively than any marketing campaign.
Final Thoughts
Entrepreneurship isn’t about having every answer from the beginning. It’s about being willing to learn, adapt, and continue showing up through every challenge.
Cortney McKenzie’s journey demonstrates that building a meaningful business requires creativity, persistence, strong relationships, and an unwavering commitment to serving customers well. Whether she’s stitching custom gifts, creating memorable experiences at live events, or planning the next stage of growth, her story is a testament to what can happen when passion meets perseverance.
For aspiring entrepreneurs, creatives, and small business owners alike, this conversation is a reminder that success is built one opportunity—and one lesson—at a time.
Connect with Cortney McKenzie
To learn more about Cozy Croissant Embroidery, explore custom embroidery services, or inquire about live embroidery events, visit cozycroissantembroidery.com or follow Cozy Croissant Embroidery on Instagram and TikTok to see Cortney’s latest work and behind-the-scenes creations.
This podcast episode was filmed at Wingman Planning in Belmar.
