Drafting A New Business Plan

No.221Greg AvolaUNTAPPDThree-year growth 1,882% | 2018 revenue $10MWilmington, North Carolina | Founded in 2010

He Escaped War, Hustled In Harlem, And Created Atop Skin Care Brand: The Saga Of Sundial

In 1987, when civil unrest in Liberia brought him to America, Rich Dennis also became an entrepreneur.

Founders Project Best Dressed

No.326Michelle DeLoachREVELRYThree-year growth 1,423.4% | 2018 revenue $3.8M Austin | Founded in 2009

The Next Generation Of Franchising

There are as many reasons for investing in franchises as there are franchise investors. And whether the objective is blending lifestyle with business or maximizing income, franchisers offer opportunities to match almost any motivation.

What's In A Name? A Business, It Turns Out

No.274Darpan MunjalSQUADHELP.COMThree-year growth 1,600.8% | 2018 revenue $3MHoffman Estates, Illinois | Founded in 2011

Horseracing- Against All Odds

Despite the sport's declining popularity and aging tracks, and new opportunities to gamble, BelindaStronachis betting that her company can remake horseracing.

Discovering What Makes Athletes Tick

JAYMEE MESSLER THE PLAYERS’ TRIBUNE - Messler’s sports management firm represented Derek Jeter until the baseball superstar retired. Then the duo hatched their own sports media company.

9 Best Female-Focused Funds

Founding teams that include men and women produce dramatically stronger valuation growth than all-male founding teams, according to research from First Round Capital. But startups withgender-diverseteams win just 18 percent of the venture capital pie.

Healing Communities One Act At A Time

​With the Subaru Love Promise, the car company is taking a stand in an age of divisiveness.

The Challenges Of Building An Ethical Machine

Academics worry how A.I. will be programmed to navigate ethical dilemmas. Founders of A.I.-driven companies dont. But they should.

Two Legends Talk Shop

Panera Breads Ron Shaich and Kinds Daniel Lubetzky discuss creativity, control, and the future of entrepreneurialism.

Banish Payroll Headaches With Outsourcing Options

SMB leaders need to spend more time on business-critical activities and less on admin tasks. Payroll services solutions can help.

Dream Of Early Retirement?

Yes, you can get fire’d up and financially free in your 30s and 40s— as long as you do some detailed planning.

Marijuana Is Now Legal. Is It Time To Rethink Your Current Policy?

Marijuana is now legal in many states. Is it time to rethink your current policy?

How To Fight Fakes On Amazon

One entrepreneur’s tale of his time in Amazon Purgatory— and how he finally fought back.

No Heels Allowed

Bitter experience taught the co-founders of Bombas what they needed to know about building a beloved company.

Is There A Science To Creating A Great Workplace?

There have never been more theories spun about what produces happier, more productive workers. BetterUp Labs is using some actual science to get to the bottom of it.

How I Got Myself To America As A Child (And Went On To Start An Inc. 5000 Company)

Shop the websites of top e-commerce brands like Rothy’s and Dollar Shave Club and you’re likely to receive an ultra-targeted—and pretty effective— follow-up email pitching the products you may have missed. It is the handiwork of Retention Science, a 62-person company based in Santa Monica, California. The profitable startup clocked in at No. 894 on the Inc. 5000 last year, with revenue of $4.5 million—and its CEO and co-founder, Jerry Jao, has come a very long way.

Fitness Warriors

Annoyed by her lousy yoga class experience, Sarah Larson Levey created Y7 Studio. She’s part of the upward-facing boutique fitness movement.

Ellen Pao On Social Media, Venture Capital, Leadership and #MeToo

Ellen Pao knows the startup world—and its skeletons—inside and out. The former venture capitalist and one-time CEO of Reddit is now the co-founder and CEO of Project Include, a nonprofit that advises tech companies on diversity and inclusion. Pao first rocked Silicon Valley in 2012 by suing her employer, legendary venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, for gender discrimination. Though she ultimately lost, her lawsuit sparked a long-overdue reckoning about how the tech industry treats women and people of color, and helped lay the groundwork for the ongoing #MeToo movement. In a wide-ranging interview, Pao explains why this is a critical moment for women in Silicon Valley, calls for greater regulation of the biggest internet companies, and warns entrepreneurs against the worst mistakes she sees founders make.

From Door Knockers To Bug Busters

Insects don’t respect business hours, so pest-control companies hire Slingshot to handle sales and service calls day and night. Co-founder and CEO Taylor Olson’s unusual odyssey from Mormon missionary to bug-bomb scheduler.

Diagnosis: The Scrubs Market Is Comatose. The Cure? Add Fashion And Function

Trina Spear first discovered the sleepy but lucrative scrubs market when she did a private equity deal for a large U.S. scrubs maker. Then a mutual friend introduced her to Heather Hasson, a fashion designer who was working on scrub designs that featured high-tech fabrics and trendy silhouettes. The two started Figs, the first e-commerce site to sell scrubs directly to consumers. They weren’t the only ones who saw a smart idea—early investors included Lululemon’s ex-CEO Christine Day and actor Will Smith. They expect revenue this year to top $100 million.

Finding Comfort In Their Own Skin

Sartorial frustration—and some encouragement from her wife, Naomi Gonzalez—drove Fran Dunaway to launch a clothing line for women with a masculine streak. But when the couple noticed that it was boxer briefs—not button-up shirts—that were flying off the shelves, they realized they had found their hero.

Introducing Inc.'s Founders Project

This year, Inc. is matching 40 aspiring founders with 40 experienced mentors. Meet the first pairing: Stonyfield Farm co-founder Gary Hirshberg and Wheyward Spirit founder Emily Darchuk.

Reliable Source

Jewel Burks Solomon launched Partpic, a startup that makes it easier to find industrial parts, in 2013, after she’d fielded one too many angry customer calls at a previous job. Soon, it was Amazon on the phone—with an acquisition offer.

Feeding Frenzy

The incredible true story of how poke became the hottest new food business—and the startups racing to dominate it.

How Hello Fresh Conquered America

HelloFresh blew past 100 competitors to become the No. 1 meal-kit company on the planet. The German startup is winning—but at what cost?

Make The Most Of Part Time Workers

They’re too often treated as stop gaps. But permanent part-timers can become a critical component in growing your company cost effectively.

How Do You Cut A Work Perk Without Hurting Morale?

Advice from the founders of America’s fastest-growing companies. 

Groupmuse - Bringing Chamber Musıc Out Of The Concert Hall—And Closer To Us.

Hearing an ensemble perform Beethoven’s Große Fuge, Op. 133, in a neighbor’s basement was so moving that Sam Bodkin pledged to expand listenership of chamber music.