Inc. Magazine

What I Know

Business EN ↓ 167 episodes

The greatest businesses weren’t born from moments of genius. They emerged after years of discovery--and often after years of failure. What I Know from Inc. magazine takes you inside the messy, painful, and--every so often--transcendent journey of starting a company. Through candid interviews, Inc. senior writer Christine Lagorio-Chafkin draws out the real grit and true lessons behind innovative companies and remarkable brands. 

Author

Inc. Magazine

Category

Business

Podcast website

cms.megaphone.fm

Latest episode

Oct 18, 2025

Where to listen?

Podcasts in the app Replaio Radio Coming soon

Podcasts are coming to the app soon. Install now and be the first to see a whole new take on podcasts

Get it on Google Play Install for free Android 5M+ downloads · 4.8 rating iOS soon

Episodes

Melissa Ben-Ishay: The Faking It Playbook 28.09.2020

On today's episode, Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to Melissa Ben-Ishay, founder and CEO of Baked by Melissa, about tiny cupcakes, combatting imposter syndrome and stepping into the role of CEO at her company.

John Mackey: The Delicate Balance of Purpose and Profit 21.09.2020

On today's episode, Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to John Mackey, founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market. They discuss company culture, learning from mistakes and his new book Conscious Leadership: Elevating Humanity Through Business.

Scott Svenson: Managing the Tension 14.09.2020

Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to Scott Svenson--co-founder, chairman and CEO of MOD Pizza--about the purpose behind his company’s existence and balancing that motivating mission with fiscal sustainability.

Rich Kleiman: Instill Your Will on Your Future 10.08.2020

Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to Rich Kleiman, co-founder of Thirty Five Ventures, about his partnership with NBA superstar Kevin Durant, his time at Roc Nation, and how to break out of complacency.

Michael Acton Smith: Vision Without Execution is Just Hallucination 27.07.2020

Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to Michael Acton Smith, co-founder and co-CEO of Calm, about executing on the day-to-day work of starting a business, serial entrepreneurship and digital monsters.

Neil Blumenthal: Research Your Way out of Risk 20.07.2020

Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to Neil Blumenthal, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, about mitigating risk, preparing for business after COVID-19 and a food dehydrator informercial that sparked Neil's entrepreneurial spirit as a child.

Sandra Oh Lin: Be a Transparent Leader During Times of Uncertainty 29.06.2020

Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to Sandra Oh Lin, founder and CEO of KiwiCo, and leadership during COVID-19,

Tariq Farid: Find a Mentor Who Challenges Your Ideas 22.06.2020

Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to Tariq Farid, founder and CEO of Edible Arrangements, about mentorship, growing a business with a franchise model and how his company has handled the economic crisis brought on by COVID-19.

Eileen Fisher: Find the Voice Behind Your Vision 15.06.2020

The founder of the iconic clothing brand Eileen Fisher built a company rooted in creative values and radical simplicity of design. Over the years, the vision frayed--especially when she became less involved in maintaining it. She explains to Christine Lagorio-Chafkin how she found her voice and is using it to bring her brand back to its roots while calling on the industry to adopt sustainability

Shan-Lyn Ma: Take the Time To Build a Rock-Solid Foundation 08.06.2020

Zola CEO and co-founder Shan-Lyn Ma speaks with Christine Lagorio-Chafkin about why building and fortifying her vision for a wedding-registry company took four years. Only then was it time to branch out into new products and services.

Julia Cheek: Don't Try to Fit Someone Else's Model 01.06.2020

Julia Cheek, founder and CEO of Everlywell, talks to Christine Lagorio-Chafkin about being a first time entrepreneur, facing uncertainty and believing in your ideas even when no one else does.

Deirdre Quinn: Making the Perfect Partner 25.05.2020

On this episode, Deirdre Quinn talks about her partship with Shun Yen and Ida Siu, Lafayette 148's founding and how they are making it through the current economic crisis

Nir Eyal: Eliminate Distractions 18.05.2020

Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, talks to Christine Lagorio-Chafkin about distraction. Subscribe to What I Know on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. 

Scott Harrison: How to Use the Power of Storytelling 11.05.2020

Scott Harrison is the founder and, therefore, chief fundraiser for Charity:Water. Charity: Water is a non-profit that has raised money for and executed more than 50,000 projects that have provided safe and clean drinking water to more than 11 million people. Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to Scott about how he uses storytelling, including his own compelling personal history, to grow his company....

Rebecca Minkoff: Don't Wait to Change 04.05.2020

In 2001, Rebecca’s career as a fashion designer and founder started, in some ways, by chance. She had been designing her own clothes on the side and one piece she had made was an altered version of the iconic “I Love NY” t-shirt. She sent that shirt to actress Jenna Elfman on September 9th, 2001. Elfman wore that shirt on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno two days after 9/11. Rebecca’s t-shirt would...

Scott Kelly: Think Like an Engineer and Prepare for the Worst 27.04.2020

Captain Scott Kelly is a retired NASA astronaut who spent almost a year on the International Space Station. Over four flights, he’s spent more than 500 days in space, and, while commanding the ISS, made the single longest space mission by an American. Host Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to Capt. Kelly about facing uncertainty and doing so while keeping your health and mental health in check while...

Inc. Magazine Presents 'What I Know' 08.04.2020

The greatest businesses weren’t born from moments of genius. They emerged after years of discovery--and often after years of failure. What I Know from Inc. magazine takes you inside the messy, painful, and --every so often -- transcendent journey of starting a company. Through candid interviews, Inc. senior writer Christine Lagorio-Chafkin draws out the real grit and true lessons behind innovative...

Listen to the What I Know podcast in Replaio

Radio and podcasts in one app - free, with no sign-up. Install today and do not miss the launch

Get it on Google Play

Replaio is not a podcast publisher; show names, artwork and audio belong to their authors and are distributed through public RSS feeds.