Chereen Leong Schwarz started knitting as a way to decompress after long, stressful days as a head chef. Today she’s the owner of Smeeny Beanie Knits, a handmade knitwear company in Steamboat Springs. We spoke with Chereen about how she turned a hobby into a side-hustle and eventually into a successful, quit-your-day-job business.
"if I was able to put 100% of my energy into both of my side businesses, what would happen?"
Chereen Leong Schwarz, Founder of Smeeny Beanie Knits
Chereen Leong Schwarz is the Founder of Smeeny Beanie Knits
Chereen launched Smeeny Beanie Knits in 2018 as a side-hustle, while she worked as a head chef in Steamboat Springs. Today, Smeeny Beanie Knits is a successful handmade knitwear business that uses ethical and sustainably sourced fibers. She donates 1% of all revenue to Protect Our Winters and the National Park Foundation. In this episode of the Startup Colorado Podcast, we chat with Chereen about how she transformed her knitting hobby into a business, the joys of being a solopreneur, and what “success” means to her.
