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.