The Business Model by Inc.

Over the next four episodes, Inc. senior editor Rob Verger is going to chat with three veterans about how they made the jump from military life to the private sector and start their own businesses. Our three founders are:  Brad Genser, founder and chief technology officer of Farther, an intelligent wealth company  John Keh, foun...

Venture capital is throwing cash at body scan companies. Firms like Prenuvo, Function, and Sweden’s Neko Health are promising they’re the future of health care.     But what’s the limit of these costly, out-of-pocket tests?      Inc. reporter Chloe Aiello went deep into the world of body scans and she explains it all to senior editor Rebecca Deczynski on this episode of 1 Smart Business Story.    ...

Before Zoom meetings, FaceTime calls, and Microsoft Teams, there was Skype.  In the early 2000s, Skype revolutionized the way people communicated, making it possible to call anyone in the world over the internet for little to no cost. The company grew at a staggering pace, attracted hundreds of millions of users, became a household name, and helped turn video calling from a novelty into a necessit...

Rivian Automotive has been losing a lot of money—around $3.6 billion in 2025 alone. That may soon change. Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe hopes that with the release of the R2, Rivian’s highly anticipated electric SUV, the company can drive toward profitability.     On this episode of One Smart Business Story, Inc. senior editor Rob Verger talks about his visit to Rivian’s factory, his test drive of t...

Unlike their Asian counterparts, American retailers have tried their hands at live shopping to no avail. That is until Whatnot took a swing at it. Spoiler alert: Live shopping is working for the $11.5 billion startup.    On this episode of The Business Model, Inc. senior editor Rob Verger sits down with Inc. senior writer Jennifer Conrad to unpack Whatnot’s magic, why live shopping is resonating w...

Standing out in an oversaturated market is a tough challenge to overcome for entrepreneurs. Luckily, these founders have some tips on just how to do that. On this Founder Group Chat, Inc.’s Graham Winfrey sat down with three experts:  Ron Holloway, co-founder and co-CEO of Woofbowl  LeAnn Darland, co-founder and co-CEO of TALEA Beer Co.   Gabi Lewis, co-founder and co-CEO of Magic Spoon.  They sha...

In the 2010s, Sweetgreen was all the rage with Millennials who loved its fast casual but health-conscious approach to their office lunch. But since then, the world has changed. More young people are working from home and not taking those coveted breaks away from the office to reset and recharge with a $20 salad bowl.     In a recent piece for Inc. magazine, journalist and screenwriter Mickey Rapki...

As a founder, you want to see your company grow and succeed. But how fast do you want to grow your company? How fast is too fast? And how do you maintain quality at scale?     Fortunately, on this Founder Group Chat, Inc.’s Graham Winfrey chatted with three experts who know how to overcome certain challenges when it comes to expanding their businesses:  Ron Holloway, co-founder and co-CEO of Woofb...

In today’s economic climate, business leaders, particularly those of small and medium-size businesses, are rightfully cautious. However, despite inflation, ongoing war, and other factors, Sharon Miller, Bank of America’s president of Business Banking, says this of BoA’s client base:    “As we enter 2026, balance sheets were stable and profitability had actually risen from a year ago. So, when you...

While venture capitalists have been pouring money to fund companies aligned with “American Dynamism,” there is a new crop of startups focused on building sustainable companies for the supply chain to support the country’s future.     Inc. senior editor Leah Carroll led a recent story on the top 17 companies that are rebuilding America. On this episode of The Business Model, Carroll joins Inc. staf...

On this Founder Group Chat, we’re looking at three very different companies: A food truck for dogs, kid-coded cereal for adults, and yet another craft beer brand.     Any of these ideas could get you laughed out of the room during a pitch meeting. Still, the founders of these companies managed to build successful brands in the wildly saturated food and beverage space — while having some fairly out...

Leaders from Salesforce, SaaStr, and Asymbl discuss how fast-growing businesses are using AI to sharpen decision-making and scale smarter.  The gap between where a business stands today and where it could be is often driven by manual processes, disconnected tools, and inefficient workflows. Inc. correspondent Shibani Joshi moderates a panel featuring Adam Alfano, president of global SMB and emergi...

Almost every founder goes through a humbling experience when they launch their brand, and these founders in the food and beverage industry are no strangers to that.   In today’s Founder Group Chat, we’re talking origin stories with three founders:  Ron Holloway’s Woofbowl: A food truck for dogs serving up delicious dog treats  LeAnn Darland’s TALEA Beer Co.: New York City’s first women-owned brewe...

After nearly 15 years, Snapchat’s parent company is still chasing profitability. Co-founder Evan Spiegel is still at the helm of Snap Inc. An activist investor demanding change, a controversial layoff of 1,000 employees, and an over $3 billion bet on augmented reality glasses raises the question: Is Spiegel still the right person to lead Snap?  On this episode of The Business Model, David Lidsky,...

Back when Chad Janis was in graduate school, his little gummy bear company was the butt of his Stanford classmates’ jokes.     Now, nobody’s laughing. Except maybe the wise few who invested early in Grüns and saw their money multiply by 100x.     Janis’ gummy bear supplement brand, Grüns, was recently acquired by Unilever for a reported $1.2 billion. Close listeners to The Business Model feed will...

The AI cloud-computing company CoreWeave is at an inflection point. It's brought on ex-Amazon executive Jon Jones as its chief revenue officer to hyperscale the company. But can he deliver?     For a recent Inc. story, senior staff writer Melissa Angell chatted with Jones to learn more about his strategic approach. On this episode of The Business Model, Angell joins Inc. staff reporter Chloe Aiell...

It can feel impossible to get the word out about your company. Social media audiences are fragmented. Email can feel as old-school as a TV or radio commercial. Plus, advertising anywhere is so expensive, you can’t afford to get it wrong.   If you’re not sure where to go, you’re not alone. But this week’s Founder Group Chat gets some answers from Mizizi’s Paakow Essandoh, Arey’s Allison Conrad, and...

Many people are familiar with private equity, but private credit is largely unknown. Award-winning business journalist and author Bethany McLean recently investigated the private credit boom and reported why she’s worried about what she discovered.     On this episode of The Business Model, Bethany joins Inc. staff reporter Ali Donaldson to explain what private credit is, the incentives that prope...

If you want to scale your company and get in front of new audiences, there are two cheat codes: Brand collaborations and retail partnerships.   However, these are some of the trickiest deals to land.  On this Founder Group Chat, we learn how from three founders who have figured it out: Mizizi’s Paakow Essandoh, Arey’s Allison Conrad, and Hugh & Grace’s Sara Jensen.  As you’ll hear, sometimes the s...

The biggest threat to the human resources status quo is a podcast.     Not just any podcast, though. The HR Besties podcast is hosted by three HR veterans — Ashley Herd, Jamie Jackson, and Leigh Henderson.     The three have built an audience by telling the oft-hidden truth that HR professionals see inside corporate America. It led to HR’s most powerful trade group asking the court to issue a gag...

What do a fashion label, a hair care brand, and a wellness retailer have in common? Supply chain woes, of course!   On this Founder Group Chat, Mizizi’s Paakow Essandoh, Arey’s Allison Conrad, and Hugh & Grace’s Sara Jensen explain how they have scaled their companies.   While their companies are more cult-favorites than household names, they face the same challenges that bigger companies do. From...

Schoolhouse made a name for itself selling vintage-styled lights from its headquarters in Portland. It then expanded from three employees to 150 with storefronts in New York and Pittsburgh, selling home hardware, furniture, and textiles in addition to lighting.     All the while, its motto was “work hard and be nice to people.” Then came private equity.   Freelance journalist Yelena Alpert joins h...

Anybody can have a good idea. It’s taking the next step that gives people more trouble.   On this Founder Group Chat, we have three founders who have turned their big idea into eight-figure-revenue businesses:  Paakow Essandoh of clothing brand Mizizi  Sara Jensen of wellness company Hugh & Grace  Allison Conrad of hair care brand Arey  Each of these founders has a personal story that inspired the...

At the beginning of this year, you may have noticed a dip in the valuation of tech companies. It’s not all tech companies, but software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies specifically. But why?     Inc. staff writer Brian Contreras recently investigated this phenomenon and spoke with several industry experts to better understand exactly what’s happening with these companies. It’s what the industry is c...

If you’re a founder who’s early in your journey, or maybe you haven’t even started yet, this is the podcast for you.   Inc.’s Sarah Lynch gets advice on all kinds of topics — from fundraising through building company culture — from three successful founders, in three very different industries.   It’s time for the final installment of our Founder Group Chat with honorees from Inc.’s Female Founders...