Designer, entrepreneur, and my good friend Carmin Black, went from turning handmade jewelry in her grandparents' garage to creating handbags carried at Magnolia and a hair tie sold nationwide at CVS.
She walks me through the messy reality of building product-based businesses, from finding manufacturers overseas to knowing when to close one brand and start another.
You'll learn:
Timestamps
(00:00) – Intro
(01:10) – Working with Magnolia
(06:09) – Manifestation vs action
(08:17) – From idea to shelf
(13:09) – The messy beginning
(22:09) – When to pivot
(28:17) – Why Half United closed
(35:28) – Getting into CVS
(47:20) – Landing Magnolia
(52:50) – Building your network
(57:37) – Book recommendations
About the Show
Business From Scratch with Abbye McGee is for people who are building a business while rebuilding their life. Abbye, a single mom and three-time founder, shares clear and honest talk about the real work behind mindset, money, identity, and daily life when you start from zero.
The show gives you steady guidance, simple steps you can use right away, and real conversations with founders, creatives, and friends who built their own way.
Each week helps you focus, test ideas, and keep moving even when the process feels messy.
Connect with Abbye
Find the Show Here:
Connect with Carmin Black
Carmin Black is a designer, entrepreneur, and founder of multiple product-based brands including Carmin Black handbags (sold at Magnolia) and hairdo hair ties (sold nationwide at CVS). She's a former D1 track athlete who started making jewelry in her grandparents' garage and grew it into businesses that employ artisans in eight countries.