The Business Model by Inc.

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. 

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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. 

Blockit promises that in just five minutes, it can learn as much about your schedule, habits, and preferences as a human could in months.  

The tool is part of a growing field of new AI agents that want to offer the benefits of an executive assistant at a much lower price tag.  

Technology reporter Claire Cameron was curious so she ran an experiment to take Blockit at its word and gave it a try for one week.  

Could the app reinvent her working life in just five minutes? Well, no. But as Claire explains to Inc. reporter Ali Donaldson, it’s complicated.  

On this week’s Circling Back, Claire and Ali discuss the brave new world of AI scheduling agents, what they’re good for, and where they still need some improvement.