The Business Model by Inc.

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.     Then, this week’s Action Item: How to retain Gen-Z employees.

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 necessity. So how did the company that pioneered internet communication lose its place in the future it helped create? Welcome to Fail Factory—where we look at the companies that stumbled, faded, or failed, and fix them up with the benefit of hindsight. In this episode, Inc. staff reporters Ali Donaldson and Ben Sherry explore Skype's rise from startup disrupter to global tech powerhouse, the billion-dollar acquisitions that reshaped its trajectory, and the strategic decisions that left it vulnerable as competitors like Zoom, WhatsApp, Slack, and Microsoft Teams transformed the communications landscape. Along the way, we'll examine the founders' lessons hidden inside Skype's story: why being first isn't always enough, how success can make companies complacent, and what happens when market leaders stop evolving while customer expectations continue to change.

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 the R2, and his candid conversation with Scaringe.

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 with its fandom, and its plans for a sustainable future.

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 share their insights on how they pivot their businesses to overcome any challenge that comes their way and stay ahead of their competitors.

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 Rapkin writes that the company previously admitted to struggling to connect with people aged 25 to 35, its exact target audience.    On this episode of The Business Model, Inc. staff reporter Chloe Aiello sat down with Rapkin for a conversation about Sweetgreen’s losing favor with its customer base, its new leadership team, and what wraps have to do with its comeback.

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 Woofbowl  LeAnn Darland, co-founder and co-CEO of TALEA Beer Co.   Gabi Lewis, co-founder and co-CEO of Magic Spoon.

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 look at what’s happening in our client base—and we serve 3.5 million small and medium-size companies in the U.S.—what we’re seeing is certainly cautious optimism, but we are seeing growth in our local communities.”    On this episode of The Business Model, Inc. senior staff writer Melissa Angell recently sat down with Miller for a conversation about borrowing, the business of banking, and the role of AI.

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. staff reporter Chloe Aiello to give you a behind-the-scenes look into the process that formed the final list. Plus, you’ll hear from Inc. staff members who delve into the details of why select startups made the list.

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-of-the-box ideas.    On this episode, Graham Winfrey goes back to where their journeys began in a chat on launch strategies with Ron Holloway of Woofbowl, LeAnn Darland of TALEA Beer Co., and Gabi Lewis of Magic Spoon.

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 emerging product sales at Salesforce; Amelia Lerutte, chief AI officer at SaaStr; and Brandon Metcalf, founder and CEO of Asymbl to discuss how SMBs are scaling smarter with AI and unlocking significant gains.

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 brewery  Gabi Lewis’s Magic Spoon: Fun, high-protein, keto-friendly, gluten-free cereal  We’ll learn about how each of these founders overcame early challenges and their advice about launching a business.

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, head of editorial strategy for Fast Company and Inc., joins senior editor Rebecca Deczynski to make the case that it's time for Spiegel to step aside and what that could look like.

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 note that’s more than double the company’s $500 million valuation, which we covered with shock and awe a mere six months ago.     It’s been a frenzied rise for a brand that first went for sale just three years ago. Inc.’s Jennifer Conrad has the story on Grüns’ explosive path and she joins Tim Crino to talk it over on this episode of 1 Smart Business Story.

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 Aiello to share insights from that conversation and what they reveal about the company’s customer opportunities, infrastructure challenges, and the potential impact of local politics on its ability to scale.

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 Hugh & Grace’s Sara Jensen.   They discuss paid social, user-generated content, events, and a big question: What do you do when social media buzz dies off?

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 propelled its popularity, and the risks that come with it.

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 side door is the best way into a deal — if you don’t just go crashing through the front.

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 order.     Inc.’s Kayla Webster got the whole story on the Besties and joins Chloe on this episode of 1 Smart Business Story.

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 building a supply chain to managing logistics to getting investment

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 host Rob Verger on this episode of 1 Smart Business Story to discuss her in-depth piece on Schoolhouse’s downfall for Inc. Listen to hear how the brand's private equity-backed acquisition led to its bankruptcy.

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 their company. With host Jennifer Conrad, they share how they took that initial spark and made it into something much bigger.

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 calling a SaaSpocalypse.     On this episode of The Business Model, Brian joins Inc. staff reporter Chloe Aiello to discuss why this trend is happening, what potential avenues are available for these companies to combat the dip in their valuations, and the implications for the industry.

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 500: Rachel Liverman, founder and CEO of Glowbar; Angela Vranich, co-founder and chief product officer of Little Spoon; and Priyanka Jain, co-founder and CEO of Evvy.

As workers worry that AI will automate their jobs away, LinkedIn’s chief economic opportunity officer, Aneesh Raman, argues something different: AI is going to remove barriers for entrepreneurship and help accelerate self-employment and ownership.    In a new segment on the Business Model, Ramen joins Inc. staff reporter Kayla Webster to talk about his take on AI and the job market and his new book, Open to Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI, which he co-wrote with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky.

Move over, golf. The new sport of the business world is padel.   The racket sport has exploded in popularity among the Oura-ring-wearing, cold-pressed-juice crowd, as Inc.’s Ali Donaldson reports. Padel clubs are opening en masse across the U.S., providing an opportunity for founders to network and build new wellness-focused ventures.    Donaldson joins Inc.’s Ben Sherry on this episode of 1 Smart Business Story to dig into the trend and whether it’ll last.

Many founders engage their customers with some type of membership or subscription model. But what’s perhaps more important is building a community.   On this episode of The Business Model, we present a Founder Group Chat of women who have made real relationships around their brands.  Inc.’s Sarah Lynch is joined by a trio of Female Founders 500 honorees who have done just that—Rachel Liverman, founder and CEO of Glowbar; Angela Vranich, co-founder and chief product officer of Little Spoon; and Priyanka Jain, co-founder and CEO of Evvy.   Each of these founders has gone beyond the basics of community building. Listen and watch for their insights on why a strong community makes a strong brand.

It’s been nearly a year since President Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs, making the markets go haywire and creating sky-high duties for all kinds of businesses.    “It was stunning for a lot of founders,” says Inc.’s Melissa Angell, who recently filed a deep report on the first year of Trump’s tariff agenda. While the Supreme Court eventually struck down Trump’s initial tariff slate, he hasn’t given up the fight and businesses are still reeling.     Angell joined host Chloe Aiello on this edition of The Business Model to review how businesses have responded to the year of uncertainty and discuss what comes next — including potential refunds and a new practice of “tariff stacking.”

Women manage $32 trillion in global spending and three-quarters of discretionary spending. Still, women are really dissatisfied with the products and services available to them, according to a 2024 BCG study.   This presents a unique opportunity for businesses founded by — and focused on — women.  On this episode of The Business Model, we’ve brought back three of this year’s Female Founders 500 honorees who are taking advantage of this moment: Rachel Liverman, founder and CEO of Glowbar; Angela Vranich, co-founder and chief product officer of Little Spoon; and Priyanka Jain, co-founder and CEO of Evvy.

If you’re an early-stage founder, striking the right balance between building a sustainable business model and raising capital to get there is one of the hardest challenges you’ll face.    Inc. editorial assistant Annabel Burba recently spoke with Tovala founder and CEO David Rabie about exactly that topic. Rabie opens up about how his startup nearly ran out of runway and how a series of pivots and emergency funding rounds saved it. His big takeaway? “I no longer count my chickens the way I used to.”    On this episode of The Business Model, Annabel joins Inc. senior editor Tim Crino to discuss why Rabie’s story stuck with her and what early-stage founders need to know about fundraising, including why the timing of when you raise can matter just as much as how much you raise.    *In the interest of full disclosure, Joe Mansueto, who owns Inc., is an investor in Tovala.

Last year, female-founded companies got barely over 1 percent of venture capital investment. It’s a shocking statistic, but not a surprising one to this week’s Founder Group Chat.   For this round, our panel includes three of this year’s Female Founders 500 honorees: Rachel Liverman, founder and CEO of Glowbar; Angela Vranich, co-founder and chief product officer of Little Spoon; and Priyanka Jain, co-founder and CEO of Evvy.   With Inc.’s Sarah Lynch moderating, these three tell their own fundraising stories and share how they cleared one of the biggest hurdles women face when starting a business.

You’ve probably heard about Anthropic’s ongoing battle with the Trump administration. It started with disputes over the federal government using Anthropic’s technology to kill autonomously and spy on Americans en masse. Then Trump deemed the leading AI firm a “supply chain risk,” prompting a countersuit from Anthropic and a sea of questions from users of Anthropic products, like Claude.     On this edition of The Business Model, Inc. AI reporter Ben Sherry joins Inc. host Chloe Aiello to explain the latest news, and how businesses and solopreneurs are responding to the government’s blacklisting of a top technology firm.

President Trump has ousted Kirsti Noem, the Department of Homeland Security secretary. The man tapped to replace her is Republican U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin.    Mullin has established himself as the most influential business owner in Trump’s Washington.     On this bonus episode of 1 Smart Business Story, our guest is journalist Issie Lapowsky. She’s been tracking Mullin’s ascent and just happened to be finishing up a feature on the senator when this news broke.     Lapowsky joined Inc. senior editor Rob Verger to explain how Mullin went from blue-collar businessman to nominee to inherit the most divisive and politically explosive federal agency.

Whether you’re an Olympic athlete or a business leader, sleep optimization is key to improving performance. Inc. staff reporter Chloe Aiello recently spoke with performance coach Sam Neame, who shared six strategies for sleep optimization.    “Something I found interesting about Sam’s recommendations [was] that your best night of sleep actually starts first thing in the morning,” says Chloe.     Chloe weighs in on unexpected practices that could lead to better rest. On this episode of The Business Model, she shares with Inc. senior editor Rebecca Deczynski why this topic resonated with her, what business leaders can learn from Olympic athletes about sleep for peak performance, and how they can apply these strategies in their business.

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 it all.    Inc. senior editor Rebecca Deczynski is joined by Sarah Paiji Yoo of Blueland, Dianna Cohen of Crown Affair, and Elly Ross of Lil Sweet Treat for the final installment of this Founder Group Chat.

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 thousands of people. But I can use the AI that's available and create a really killer application or  collection of services that will kind of help me stand apart or solve a really specific, niche issue.’”    Ben recently hand-picked eight companies that are poised for massive growth this year. On this episode of The Business Model, he shares with Inc. reporter Chloe Aiello how he made his list and why these companies could be the next big thing — even if they’re not the next OpenAI.

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 Lil Sweet Treat.

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 spent months in Vietnam working with the company’s tech team to build new AI features. Her next move aims to have the company competing with the likes of Canva, vibe-coding its own design and design elements.     Inc. reporter Jennifer Conrad joins senior editor Rob Verger to show how Flodesk is making the old technology of email new again.

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 of Lil Sweet Treat.   Each of these founders has built their brand on a different platform and on this episode, they share how they decided which one fit them best — and why it’s not a good idea to be everywhere all at once.

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 to take us into the red-pilled world of testosterone replacement therapy.    Then, Sam and Chloe talk over their news obsessions this week including GLP-1s and eating disorders, and a battle between prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket.     Also, an update on our brand: This Monday edition of The Business Model, which we had been calling “Circling Back,” will now be called “1 Smart Business Story.” Why? Well, Inc. just launched a new newsletter on Beehiiv with the same name. Subscribe today to get a can’t-miss business story every week in both newsletter and podcast form.     If you happened to have an affinity for the “Circling Back” brand, don’t worry: Our closing segment at the end of each Monday episode will now be called “Circling Back,” where we fill you in on what we are obsessed with right now.

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’s bound to lead to some errors.   Fortunately, this Founder Group Chat includes three women who have built their companies while using themselves as both founder and spokesperson. One made a splash on Shark Tank. Another has become a viral TikToker. A third made her breakthrough in an unlikely way: a viral Google Doc.     With Inc. senior editor Rebecca Deczynski as host and moderator, here’s our latest panel of founders:   Sarah Paiji Yoo, co-founder and CEO of Blueland  Elly Ross, founder of Lil Sweet Treat  Dianna Cohen, founder of Crown Affair  They’ll be our group for the next few episodes, starting with Storytelling 101: A lesson on telling your story in an authentic way.   Short text description for thumbnail (8 words or less):  How to share an authentic brand story

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 selling plan.

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 to deny that it’s not going away any time soon.    On this episode of The Business Model by Inc., senior tech editor Rob Verger continues his Founder Group Chat with Samuel Moses of Sockrates and Natasha Miller of Entire Productions, learning how they are managing the transition to AI at their companies.

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 grow their businesses more successfully. You'll find information and advice covering virtually every business and management task including marketing, sales, finding capital, managing people, and much more. Visit Inc.com for the latest!

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 provides CPA, bookkeeping, and even fractional CFO services to YouTubers, influencers, and the like.   On this edition of Circling Back, Inc. reporters Brian Contreras and Chloe Aiello go inside Brian’s recent profile of Boring Stuff and what it says about a creator economy that’s apparently here to stay.   Plus, Chloe and Brian close the loop on Gourmet’s journey from storied magazine to defunct trademark to email newsletter, and Ryanair’s “Big Idiot” seat sale.

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, founder of Entire Productions, a corporate events and entertainment production company  Selling socks and planning events aren’t the most likely AI use cases, but these two have figured out how to implement the technology to allow their teams to punch above their weight.   Short text description for thumbnail (8 words or less): Why old-school businesses are embracing AI

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 sent an elite pool of talent into the consulting world, creating plenty of opportunities for businesses and consultants.” She joins us for this week’s Circling Back to discuss why consultants are no longer chasing the corporate dream and how they’re running their own consultancies instead.

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, CEO of women’s clothing company M.M. LaFleur  Ariela Safira, founder of recently acquired mental health startup Zeera

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 profile on Aziz, Joust, and the many reasons a game night company is thriving with today’s young professionals.

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 into it if I didn’t think there was a big opportunity to make a difference and—let’s be clear—build a big business,” Hedrick told Inc.’s Rebecca Deczynski.  Hedrick’s business sense paid off. His company, Tecovas, is set to pass $300 million in sales this year, capitalizing on the massive, growing Western apparel marketplace.   On this episode of Circling Back, Deczynski joins Inc. reporter Ali Donaldson to discuss Tecovas’s rise and what it says about today’s fashion and retail worlds.