The Business Model by Inc.

As a founder, chances are that you’re the best possible spokesperson for your brand. You’re its face and voice.  But you’re also in charge of running a business, managing people, developing the brand—the list goes on. How’s one person supposed to balance everything?    On this episode of Founder Group Chat, we’re giving you an insider’s take on how to do it all from three women who know how to do...

The next big thing in artificial intelligence probably won’t look like OpenAI or Anthropic.   "Companies aren't really attempting to make their own big, foundational AI models anymore," says Ben Sherry, lead AI reporter at Inc. “Where founders are at today is saying, 'I don't have the money to make an AI model because it costs billions and billions of dollars and months and months of time and thou...

When you’re a founder building your brand in public, things can get messy as the lines blur between your personal brand and your company’s brand. How do you keep them separate? When does it matter to do so?    Tough questions, but this Founder Group Chat has answers. Inc. senior editor Rebecca Deczynski gets the scoop from Dianna Cohen of Crown Affair; Sarah Paiji Yoo of Blueland; and Elly Ross of...

If the phrases “small business” and “email marketing” sound right for a company built in the past, think again.     Flodesk, which built a platform for small businesses and solopreneurs to create branded emails, has taken its idea to the bank. Once a Y Combinator reject, the company recently passed $36 million in annual recurring revenue and appointed co-founder Rebecca Shostak as CEO.    Shostak ...

It seems like there are endless options for platforms on which you can build your brand. Substack. TikTok. Email newsletters. LinkedIn. Instagram Reels. The list goes on. So, how’s a founder supposed to decide which one is right for them?     Inc.’s Rebecca Deczynski is back for another installment of Founder Group Chat with Sarah Paiji Yoo of Blueland, Dianna Cohen of Crown Affair, and Elly Ross ...

Testosterone is going mainstream. What used to be the stuff of bodybuilders is growing in popularity for everything from treating medical conditions to giving looksmaxxers an edge.     Now, big-name players like Hims and Rugiet are entering the testosterone space, which is rife with gray market providers — including some seemingly faceless, shady companies.     Inc.’s Sam Blum joins Chloe Aiello t...

The idea of getting in front of a camera is intimidating for many people, even nightmare-inducing.   But for many founders in today’s climate, building your brand in public can feel like a necessity. Especially if you’re bootstrapped, serving as both founder and face of the brand saves cash and makes sure you get it right (or as close to right as possible). Still, it’s a daunting job and one that’...

Long gone are the days of incessant cold calling or three-martini lunches to close a sale. A new crop of Gen-Z salespeople are turning to what they know better than any other generation: social media.   It’s a new tactic known as social selling. Inc. writer Annabel Burba explains to senior editor Rebecca Deczynski how the economy led to this, and the ins and outs of what makes a good social sellin...

One of the stickiest parts of leading a business into the age of AI is a human problem: How do you persuade your employees to adopt the new technology?   They might have fears about AI taking their jobs, or the big environmental consequences it has. They might have an ethical issue with AI, or just flat out have no interest in it.     While there are plenty of justifiable fears about AI, it’s hard...

This is a special presentation of an excerpt from a new short documentary from Inc. called "The Cost of Coming Back". See full video here: https://youtu.be/9DzxYFLnMzQ After the deadly July 4 flood in Kerr County, Texas, small-business owners face hard choices about debt, survival, and starting over. Inc. Magazine delivers advice, tools, and services to help business owners, entrepreneurs and CEOs...

Most influencers and content creators don’t start making videos because they want to run a small business. But as the brand deals, ad revenue, and merch sales start to pile up, many creators run into a problem with their new reality: They haven’t a clue how to run a small business.   Enter a startup appropriately named Boring Stuff. Founded in 2024 and recently out of stealth mode, the outfit prov...

Artificial intelligence is no longer the domain of tech companies. Even traditionally analog businesses are implementing AI, sometimes in unexpected ways.   On this episode of The Business Model by Inc., senior tech editor Rob Verger kicks off a new Founder Group Chat with two unlikely advocates for AI:   Samuel Moses, founder of Sockrates, a custom sock company based in Florida  Natasha Miller, f...

We’ve heard the stories too many times. You’ve invested years in a corporate job, and then one day, a 10-minute meeting pops up on your calendar. Shortly afterward, your computer gets shut down, and you’re turning in your badge. It’s traumatizing and demoralizing. What do you do next?   Seasoned communication executive and author of “Meredith & the Media” Meredith Klein says that “layoffs have sen...

Launching and growing a business is rarely smooth sailing. These founders have been through it all and share their lessons on scaling their businesses, navigating hardships, and even making an exit plan. This is the first Founder Group Chat video marathon featuring Inc.’s Graham Winfrey and three founders:   Fany Gerson, founder of Mexican ice cream and sweets brand La Newyorkina   Sarah LaFleur,...

Safi Aziz is “grossed out” by the AI boom. “They’re promising to make the movie Her a reality, and they’re trying to do so with swiftness and with deliberation,” he told Inc.’s Ali Donaldson. “That scares me.”  So, Aziz started a company that would lean into something radically different: game nights.   On this edition of Circling Back, Donaldson joins Inc.’s Chloe Aiello to talk about her recent...

The Tecovas story is almost like a Hallmark movie: Paul Hedrick, a Texan at heart, gets his Harvard degree and lands well-paid jobs with the likes of McKinsey and L Catterton. But he can’t stop looking down at his cowboy boots, so he leaves the corporate world and starts selling boots from the back of his SUV.   This decision wasn’t as quaint as it sounds, though. “I probably wouldn’t have gotten...

The best contemporary brands aren’t just brands. They’re communities, each with a distinct voice and feel.  Plus, there’s a whole world of influencers and celebrities that brings a new line of questions for founders: Who fits our brand best? How do we make real relationships and work together beyond one Instagram Reel?  On this episode of The Business Model by Inc., deputy editor Michelle Legro wr...

If you ask Inc.’s artificial intelligence reporter Ben Sherry, this year’s most successful founder isn’t a person at all. It’s Claude, Anthropic’s family of AI models.   Ben joined Inc. reporter Chloe Aiello for this week’s Circling Back to talk about why Anthropic stands out from the pack when it comes to enterprise AI. They discuss how Claude sets itself apart, how it has helped launch numerous ...

In 2026, brands must contend with a lot: AI slop. Copycats. A sea of influencers and content and competitors.   Breaking through to consumers has always been a struggle for every company, but the ever-changing media landscape makes it even tougher. So how can brands win in the year to come?   On this episode of The Business Model by Inc., deputy editor Michelle Legro kicks off a new Founder Group...

At age 81, why would Larry Ellison risk so much?   Show notes: For a moment earlier this year, Larry Ellison was the richest man in the world. Although the Oracle co-founder only briefly stole the top spot from Elon Musk, it was a high point in what was a huge — and risky — year for both Ellison and his legacy tech company.   Oracle’s stock price soared as it landed major deals with the biggest AI...

The mere idea of selling or exiting their businesses can bring out all kinds of reactions in founders. Some don’t want to even think about it. Others are putting a target sale price into their launch plans — the exit is the goal.   Wherever you fall on the exit-strategy spectrum, this Founder Group Chat has something for you.    On this episode, Inc.’s Graham Winfrey finishes his conversation with...

After fish are caught, they can suffer for hours. This makes them release stress hormones, which can lead to a rancid taste and shortened shelf life.   Shinkei Systems wants to change that. It is one of the many startups based in the burgeoning robotics capital of El Segundo, California.   Shinkei’s main offering is a robot fish-killer that processes the catch right on the boat using a technology...

You can’t scale a company alone. As you’re building, you’ll need to hire the right people for the job.    Those first hires are critical. But as your company grows, the initial staff aren’t necessarily the ones to take it to the next stage. Or are they? It’s a conundrum for founders.     Fortunately, this week’s Founder Group Chat contains real-life experience and advice. We continue with our trio...

It would’ve been easy to doubt Grüns. On the surface, it’s just another supplement brand joining the crowded marketplace of pills, powders, and gummies that come with major health claims.   But just two years into its existence, Grüns has hit a $500 million valuation — a figure more on par with that of AI companies than a new consumer brand. The company’s CEO says it’s already profitable, too, and...

A few years ago, Ariela Safira’s Zeera was set to launch a brick-and-mortar mental health concept in New York. The opening month was set to be April 2020.   As you might’ve guessed, things didn’t go as planned. Still, Ariela led her company through the hardships, a rebrand, and an acquisition.   It’s something of a storybook ending for a founder. But how did Ariela cope with the challenges? And ho...