Learning from Failure with Sugartop Gumdrop: A Small Business Story


In this episode of The Localist, Carrie tells us about one of her very first businesses, the screenprinting company Sugartop Gumdrop. Carrie started Sugartop with her friend John Yam, and while they had a lot of passion and untapped talent, they didn’t have a lot of practical business experience. Join them as they navigate learning the Print Gocco, as they construct a store display, as they expand into t-shirts and more. 

This story is part of a series of short stories that Carrie wrote to run on the podcast for the next few weeks to close out our 2024 season. Get physical copies of the stories by signing up for Carrie’s email list, or write your own stories by checking out her writing guide, “Words with Carrie.”

Carrie’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/crollwagen

Sign up for Carrie’s newsletter: https://gmail.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9c59a060684d71f12f6e495fc&id=98cd3122b9

Carrie’s Website: https://carrierollwagen.com/

Buy all the “Words with Carrie” guides for $30 (Combo Pack): https://carrierollwagen.com/combo-pack/

Buy the main writing guide for $25: https://carrierollwagen.com/main-guide/

Buy the AI guide for $5: https://carrierollwagen.com/ai-guide/

Buy the editing guide for $5: https://carrierollwagen.com/editing-guide/

About Carrie

Carrie Rollwagen is host of the Localist podcast and cofounder of Church Street Coffee & Books. Currently, she works as Vice President of Strategic Planning at Infomedia, a web development company in Birmingham, Alabama. Find the Localist at @thinklocalist on Instagram and follow Carrie at @crollwagen.

Email with a purpose Let's Keep in Touch

Good news (and practical tips) for small businesses — we're not into being pushy or spammy.