Working as a make-up artist in the 1970s, Trish McEvoy says she used to struggle to find quality cosmetic brushes. So she would buy brushes from art-supply stores and cut them into the shape she needed to apply eye liners, lipsticks and blushes.

McEvoy, 61, now has her own line of beauty products carried in about 250 stores in the US and Europe. She also co-owns a skincare center and beauty studio with her dermatologist husband, Dr. Ronald Sherman. The New York entities combined have more than 500 employees and generate just under USD100 million in annual revenue. In this interview, McEvoy discussed the early days of her business.