The Business Model by Inc.

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.

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.