The Business Model by Inc.

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.

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 wraps up her Founder Group Chat with two experts in brand building: Tyler Fish, co-founder of Sun Home Saunas, and Sanja Komljenovic, CEO of ONA Creative.  They tackle the tough questions on building a community around your brand and making real connections.

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 vibe-coding startups, and how competitors like OpenAI and Google are catching up quickly.   Then, on “Closing the Loop,” Chloe and Ben talk about Australia’s big move to ban kids and teens from social media and Mark Zuckerberg’s building Meta’s new superintelligence team that’s working to build a “machine god.”

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 Chat with experts in brand building:   Tyler Fish, co-founder of Sun Home Saunas  Sanja Komljenovic, CEO of ONA Creative  Tyler has built a brand that has broken through. Sanja helps companies get there. And they’re sharing their insights with you.

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 companies. It also took on a staggering amount of debt (a 500 percent debt-to-equity ratio, in fact), leading some to see Oracle’s dealings as proof of an AI bubble.   Meanwhile, Ellison has had his hands in everything: currying favor with President Trump, negotiating for a stake of TikTok in the U.S., and helping his son, David, become a media mogul.   Today on Circling Back, we have one of the best journalists to talk about this: Bethany McLean. She’s an award-winning business journalist and the author of five books, including one you’ve probably read, or at least seen the documentary, The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron.  Bethany recently dug into the big gambles that Ellison made in 2025 for an excellent Inc. story. She joined Inc. Editor-in-Chief Mike Hofman to go inside her reporting.

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 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, and Ariela Safira, founder of recently acquired mental health startup Zeera.   Watch and listen for their thoughts on exits. The Business Model will be back on Monday, and we’ll start another Founder Group Chat series next Friday with a new group of business leaders.

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 inspired by ike jime, a traditional Japanese method that produces some of the world’s finest seafood.   Inc. reporter Jennifer Conrad recently paid a visit to Shinkei HQ, and she shares what it was like with host Ben Sherry on this episode of Circling Back.   Plus, Ben and Jennifer talk about two major AI stories on Closing the Loop.

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 of founders: Fany Gerson, founder of Mexican ice cream and sweets brand La Newyorkina, Sarah LaFleur, CEO of women’s clothing company M.M. LaFleur, and Ariela Safira, founder of recently acquired mental health startup Zeera. They’re joined by Inc.’s Graham Winfrey as moderator and host.      Listen to learn how these successful founders built the human infrastructure of their companies.    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!    Get social with Inc. on:  Facebook: http://on.inc.com/ilqUryJ  Twitter: http://on.inc.com/8FGInRj  LinkedIn: http://on.inc.com/gt7KsIn  Instagram: http://on.inc.com/wLObvE2  Pinterest: http://on.inc.com/8lPoT0r

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 has landed placements in Walmart, Target, and more.  David Lidsky, Inc.’s head of editorial strategy, recently got an inside look at Grüns and its finances. On this week’s Circling Back, he tells reporter Chloe Aiello why he thinks the company is on track to hit $200 million in revenue this year and how it plans to leverage its gummy bear mascot, Barry, to keep growing.   Then, on Closing the Loop, David and Chloe share their news obsessions of the week: the leadership shakeup at Sequoia Capital, and Republican leaders who used the solar subsidies they voted to kill.

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 how did she take care of herself along the way?   On this Founder Group Chat, Inc.’s Graham Winfrey continues his conversation with 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   Watch and listen to hear how they’ve successfully thrived and grown through adversity, plus how they look after their mental health along the way.