Three Black women build Carson family business across fashion, music and mentorship

Three Southern California Black women are expanding The Famly Bizness in Carson into a family-run platform for affordable fashion, retail and entrepreneurship during National Women’s Small Business Month. The business blends millinery, music and entertainment while aiming to create opportunities for independent designers, small businesses and young people.

Why it matters: - The Famly Bizness is positioning a small family business as both a retail brand and a vehicle for generational wealth, skills and mentorship. - The business reflects a broader shift in U.S. entrepreneurship, with women-owned employer businesses up nearly 20% from 2017 to 2023, based on U.S. Census Bureau data. - The founders say their model is meant to make fashion more affordable while widening access for independent designers and young entrepreneurs.

What happened: - Bonita Sutton, Celecia Tymeka Johnson and Lashelle Sanders are leading The Famly Bizness, a Carson, California-based company built around fashion, retail and community work. - The business sells headwear, clothing, purses, sports-themed apparel, accessories, collectibles and keepsakes. - The family is using National Women’s Small Business Month and the #BuyWomenOwned push to spotlight its work. - The founders are available for individual and group interviews on women-owned businesses, affordable fashion, family entrepreneurship, traditional millinery, music and entertainment, hip hop history, mentorship and passing business skills between generations. - Consumers can explore The Famly Bizness at The Best Family Business. - The business also maintains a social media presence on Facebook.

The details: - Sutton’s entry point was millinery, and she trained in a Saturday class at West Los Angeles College before continuing in adult night school. - Sutton learned traditional hat-making methods that included working with felt, straw, wooden hat blocks, steam, stretchers, buckram, wire and connectors. - Sutton founded Hats by Bonita in 2008 while working in information systems at Harbor UCLA Medical Center. - Sutton now wants to extend the business into full-figure clothing and keep passing those skills forward. - Sanders is focused on making style accessible through hats, clothing, purses and accessories that do not require heavy spending. - Johnson is a classically trained lyric soprano who studied music performance at El Camino College and California State University, Dominguez Hills. - Johnson toured Europe in 2013 with hip hop, with stops in Germany, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Norway and Austria. - Johnson has released music, performed poetry and spoken word, and is working on a manuscript. - Johnson now uses Glowforge equipment and press machines to make products for the business while mentoring children. - Sanders brings experience in acting, hosting and stand-up comedy. - Sanders says she knew Tupac Shakur as a close friend, grew up around hip hop circles that included Dr. Dre, and sang on a Dr. Dre song. - The company’s broader plans include a marketplace that gives independent designers, small businesses and young entrepreneurs more visibility. - The family also wants to expand into entrepreneurship education for young people.

Between the lines: - The Famly Bizness is using personal biographies as part of the brand, connecting fashion, music and hip hop history into one story. - The business is trying to turn family experience into a repeatable community model, not just a product line. - The emphasis on teaching, making and mentoring suggests the company sees commerce as a tool for access and confidence, not only sales. - Sanders’ hip hop connections add cultural reach that could help the brand stand out beyond a typical fashion startup.

What's next: - The family plans to keep building toward full-figure fashion, broader retail offerings and a larger marketplace for outside creators. - Sutton, Johnson and Sanders are expected to continue using Women’s Small Business Month to promote the brand and its mission. - The business says workshops for youth will remain part of its future focus, especially around creativity, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

The bottom line: - The Famly Bizness is trying to grow beyond a clothing and accessory label into a family-led platform for fashion, culture, and next-generation business skills.