From the Ground Up

Ah, 2024. So much to say! For our last episode of the season, we analyze the biggest small-business and workplace topics of the past year and highlight what’s on the horizon for 2025. Inc. executive editor Diana Ransom and editor-at-large Chrsitine Lagorio-Chafkin sat down with senior editor Tim Crino, and staff writer Sarah Lynch to discuss the annual changes that have taken place here at Inc., the massive layoffs in the tech sector, DEI backlash, and the generational workplace mismatch between managers and Gen Z employees. Also, we look ahead to Trump’s proposed tariffs and the new wave of crypto hype and scams. Don’t worry, we are optimistic about a few things in the startup landscape, though. Additional research and information: To read more from our Inc. 5000 coverage: How Tiny Changes Have Reaped Enormous Results at America’s Fastest-Growing Company How Inflation Shaped the Companies of the Inc. 5000 To read our coverage from the tech layoffs: Employees Are Still Worried About Layoffs The 2024 Layoff Landscape Is Better Than You Might Think To read our coverage of Gen Z in the workplace: Gen-Z Hits Some Bumps as it Enters the Workforce Are You Leading on Empty? How to Recognize and Combat Manager Burnout Why Gen-Z Workers Are Consciously ‘Unbossing’ To read our coverage DEI Backlash: U.S. Workers Might Be Souring on DEI Here Are the Most Common Anti-DEI Legal Cases Right Now — and What You Need to Know About Them To read more on tariffs and crypto: Here’s What Trump Says About Tariffs, and How They Would Work New Trump Crypto Venture Gets Boost From GOP Candidate Himself

If you grew up in the ’90s, the “¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!" chihuahua commercial was inescapable. Remember the vital-to-surfers sunscreen Sun Bum? Both of these memorable branding moments were created by serial entrepreneur Tom Rinks. Inc. executive editor Diana Ransom sat down with Tom for this episode of From the Ground Up to discuss his unusual path to becoming a branding whiz—and what he’s learned about identifying human desire along the way. His early job of selling furniture taught him how to read people, and his first branding deal, with the University of Michigan’s Fab Five, immersed him in the skills needed to identify talent. Diana and Tom discuss the complex art of brand-creation, company-building, and finding the niche audience who will fiercely love your product. They also discuss Tom’s most recent branding venture, the oral-care line Made by Dentists. Additional research and information: Visit: Made By Dentists Visit: Made by Dentists’s profile Visit: Made by Dentists’s educational page Visit: Sun Bum Visit: Sun Bum’s profile

Honing one's craft. Dedicating many, many hours to perfecting a skill set. Entrepreneurship can, in some ways, resemble the work life of a professional athlete. Ayesha Curry is certainly focused on her burgeoning lifestyle and culinary brand, Sweet July, and the multiple businesses within it—but that’s where she might say the similarities she has with her husband, NBA star Stephen Curry, end. Whereas Steph brings a calm sense of logic to business and philanthropic decisions, Ayesha says she’s the kind of creative founder who brings passion to a project. In this interview with Inc. editor-at-large Christine Lagorio-Chafkin, Ayesha describes how, when building Sweet July, she built in soul: It is designed to empower and celebrate women and BIPOC creators, and multiple arms of the business were inspired by her family’s Jamaican heritage. Ayesha explains to Christine how she’s navigated her career from aspiring chef to business owner, including the early tumultuous moments in the company, how she delegates responsibility to her small team, and how she creates an atmosphere of autonomy and trust. They also discuss the Currys’ Oakland-based philanthropic endeavor, Eat. Learn. Play., which builds playgrounds, opens access to nutrition, and fosters literacy skills through partnerships with local schools. Additional research and information: To read our Inc. 5000 coverage on Ayesha Curry: How Ayesha Curry Cooked Up Her Own Business Empire Read more on Ayesha Curry on Inc.com: Ayesha Curry Launches a Food Startup, So You Can Eat Like a Golden State Warrior Visit: Sweet July To learn more about: Sweet July bio Visit: Sweet July’s Instagram Visit: Eat. Learn. Play.

Have you ever wondered what happened to your favorite kettle chip brand or kombucha in your local supermarket? Don’t see your favorite cranberry sauce for the holidays? For this episode, Inc. executive editor Diana Ransom and editor-at-large Christine Lagorio-Chafkin spoke with editor-at-large Tom Foster about his recent article, “Why Are So Many Supermarket Brands Losing Shelf Space?” By the end of last year, the total amount of early-stage venture-capital funding for consumer-product brands was down about 60 percent from its 2021 high. And new product launches were down about 70 percent in the same period, according to consumer-products data provider Spins. What’s going on? Is it a CPG rupture? Paul Voge, co-founder of the sparkling water brand Aura Bora, told Tom that getting on store shelves “is astronomically harder today.” He adds that “I had a smaller, worse business in 2019, and it was easier to run than my larger, better business today.” One thing’s clear: Gone are the days of consumer-product brands being able to use the strategies of Silicon Valley tech startups to fuel their rapid growth. This fascinating conversation explains why this is happening in so many supermarkets, how having shelf space for a product in a supermarket is like paying rent for an apartment, and how brands such as Me & the Bees lemonade and Aura Bora are finding ways to thrive in this industry by being creative and navigating their business relationships. Additional research and information: Read Tom Foster’s story on Inc.com: Why Are So Many Supermarket Brands Losing Shelf Space? Read another article from Tom Foster on Inc.com: At This Company, the Free Office Lunches Are So Good, Even Remote Employees Can’t Resist To learn more about Me & the Bees lemonade and Mikaila Ulmer on Inc.com: Forget an "$11 M Contract" with Whole Foods. This Kid Did Better To learn more about Aura Bora and Paul Voge on Inc.com read: Scott Galloway Called Public Universities ‘America’s Greatest Innovation.’ These Founders Agree Visit: Me & The Bees Lemonade Visit: Me & The Bees Lemonade’s bio Visit: Aura Bora Visit: Aura Bora’s bio

This is a special segment in collaboration with our partner at Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Inc. Editor-in-Chief Mike Hoffman spoke with Smarsh Founder Stephen Marsh about his remarkable journey, the legacy he has built, and the honor of being the first recipient of the inaugural Legacy Award presented by Glenfiddich at this year's Inc. 5000 gala.

It’s a young company, but its legacy spans generations. And thanks to Fawn Weaver, the story and legacy of her whiskey brand, Uncle Nearest, is becoming ever more expansive. Its most recent chapter: The company reached a $1.1 billion valuation in 2024. However, none of this would have been possible without Weaver, Uncle Nearest’s founder and CEO, who envisions herself as not just an executive and leader, but also as the company’s chief historian. She’s made it her mission to build a brand honest to the legacy of a man named Nearest Green, or Uncle Nearest, the formerly enslaved laborer who taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey. Weaver has spent much of the past decade researching and piecing together the story of Nearest Green. Her book Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest was released in June. Inc. editor-at-large Christine Lagorio-Chafkin sat down with Weaver recently to discuss her legacy as well: This year she became one of the first-ever African American women to run a company valued at more than $1 billion. Additional research and information: Christine interviewed Fawn Weaver in this 2021 episode of the What I Know podcast Read Fawn Weaver’s advice on Creating a Winning Team on Inc.com Visit: Uncle Nearest For more on Fawn Weaver Visit: Fawn Weaver’s Instagram For more on Love & Whiskey Apple Podcasts Spotify

Inc. editor-in-chief Mike Hofman and Salesforce's Adam Alfano talk about sales leadership and best practices based on an exclusive survey of Inc. 5000 companies.

Ever wonder what it takes to start a second company? For our last episode of the season, we wanted to take a look at what it’s like to start up from scratch—to scale it, to take it public, to become a household name. And, after all that, to decide to do it all over again. So we sat down with Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb, and Mike McNamara, former CEO of Flex. Their new company is called Samara, and their first product is an accessory dwelling unit that can be transported and placed on the property of a typical home. It’s called the Backyard. They spoke about all the challenges of starting a company again, but also about how much easier it is to accomplish certain goals, such as gaining the trust of venture capitalists and hiring employees. Read this story and see full transcript on Inc.com. To read more about Samara

From a business news standpoint, the first few months of 2024 had it all: the rare IPO of a social media company, a very strange economic situation facing founders, and enough developments in artificial intelligence to train a new LLM. Inc.'s editors have been chewing over all of it. In this roundtable episode of From the Ground Up, we hear from Inc. reporter Ben Sherry about the state of AI use in the American workforce, the latest in the AI safety debate out of Silicon Valley, and what's going on within OpenAI. Inc.'s new Editor-in-Chief, Mike Hofman, discusses the unusual state of the American economy, and how entrepreneurs are feeling amid wildly mixed signals from the Fed, consumers, and what seems like a cooling labor market. We also examine what's happened at Reddit since its March IPO--and how the massive community-based social network finally, after years of false starts, made its unusual public debut.

There is such a wide range of shocks that can happen to your supply chain and to the demand for what you’re making. Can you ever truly prepare? What kinds of projections are most useful, and how can you set yourself up for success if you do have the ability to anticipate a surge in demand? We decided to ask someone who has worked with many companies, large and small, to make their supply chains more diversified and flexible. She’s also something of a supply chain influencer (the LinkedIn variety, not TikTok!). She’s Lisa Anderson, president of LMA Consulting Group.

No matter how sturdy your supply chain is, sometimes, crisis hits. And sometimes, it's due to something that seems positive: A sudden surge in customer demand. For The Woobles and founder Justine Tiu, a huge order of her pre-started crochet kits was delivered with flaws. Could she get her customer orders out on time? For Bobbie infant formula co-founder Laura Modi, it was a nationwide formula shortage that caused her to rethink her customer communications--and cut off new orders on her website altogether. Hosts Diana Ransom and Christine Lagorio-Chafkin unpack all the complex supply-chain management issues and customer communications strategies that come with a sudden surge in demand. Article and Transcript Read more about Bobbie. Bobbie's website. How Bobbie handled the formula shortage. Read more about The Woobles. The Woobles website.

This week, we’re following up our discussion about how to make sure your mission fits your business with an interview with one of the most fascinating sustainability experts working today: Vincent Stanley, Patagonia’s director of philosophy. Patagonia has been one of the most notable brands in environmentally responsible business practices and production for decades, and Vincent has been with the company, evangelizing about what makes Patagonia unique, since even before it was called Patagonia. Host Diana Ransom talks to Stanley and is told some stories from Patagonia's history that we've never heard before, revealing tipping points that caused the company to adapt its social mission from outdoor-enthusiasm to one that includes a sustainable supply chain and responsible manufacturing, and led to the adoption of a profit-donation model as well. He shares his perspective on making a company's mission more than just a statement, but a way of operating that builds trust and engagement among employees--and spurs creativity too. Read the full transcript Learn more about social responsibility at Patagonia Read more about The Future of the Responsible Company: What We've Learned from Patagonia's First 50 Years by Stanley and founder Yvon Chouinard Learn why Patagonia was Inc.'s 2022 Company of the Year

What happens when a company's giving back ... just isn't enough? In a special panel at this year’s SXSW festival, co-host and Inc. executive editor Diana Ransom led a discussion with Jacq and Scot Tatelman, the co-founders of State Bags, as well as Mandy Teefey, the CEO of Wondermind, which she co-founded with her daughter Selena Gomez. The conversation gets into the difficulties and successes of mission-driven businesses, and how these creative founders have adapted their missions to best serve the communities that inspired them. Read the story at Inc.com and see the full episode transcript. Read more about this conversation about mission-based businesses. Learn more about Wondermind Learn more about State Bags

Which should come first, your killer idea or your ideal customer? So many questions about finding product-market fit were raised by our fascinating discussion with Michelle Cordeiro Grant of Gorgie, and Steven and Brittany Yeng of Skrewball. Christine Lagorio-Chafkin spoke with Jeff Bussgang, a venture capitalist and senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, where he teaches a revered class all about product-market fit called Launching Technology Ventures. He has fascinating thoughts on why your early-stage startup should be an experimentation machine; the effect AI has had on startups testing their market; and some of the ethical considerations that put pressure on this process and disproportionately affect BIPOC and women founders. Learn more: Read this story and see full transcript on Inc.com Flybridge Capital Partners, Bussgang's early-stage venture-capital firm with offices in Boston and New York City and over $1 billion under management. Jeff Bussgang's Harvard Business School site. BrightHire, referenced at 5:02 Read more about Classpass's pivot, referenced at 17:36 link Bussgang's post about ethical considerations early-stage founders need to make, referenced at 20:02 X Factor Ventures, referenced at 21:37

Build it and they will come? It’s not so simple. Hosts Diana Ransom and Christine Lagorio-Chafkin spoke with founders who took two totally different approaches to a core business concept: finding product-market fit. They spoke with Michelle Cordeiro Grant, founder of the sugar-free energy drink Gorgie, and Brittany and Steven Yeng, founders of the peanut butter liquor brand Skrewball whiskey, about how they identified their markets, strategies they used to get their items on shelves, and how they applied consumer feedback to adjust what they were selling. Learn more: Michelle Cordeiro Grant’s website Gorgie Skrewball Whiskey Inc. podcasts Episode recap and full transcript

During her time at SXSW this year, Diana Ransom sat down with Shira Lazar, video blogger, personality, and founder/host of the web series “What’s Trending,” to discuss her journey in the creator economy space. Shira also gave Diana personal tips and strategies on how to capitalize on trends, using vlogging as a creative outlet, and how to be the face of a brand through social media outlets.

In the past couple of years, TikTok has provided a platform for budding entrepreneurs to connect with their consumers. But how effective is this method, and can it lead to a new level for success for founders? In a panel discussion for Inc.’s Founders House at SXSW, Diana Ransom posed this question to FYSH Foods founder Zoya Biglary, Hot Take co-founder Gabrielle Brulotte, and Bloom Nutrition founder and president Mari Llewellyn. They discuss the importance of putting a face on your brand, being personable for your audience, and how TikTok is an effective marketing tool-provided your approach is on target.

After our conversation with the co-founders of the Sloomoo Institute, co-host Christine Lagorio-Chafkin followed up with clinical psychologist, author, and professor Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, about the concept of grief--and how to navigate it, especially when you’re extremely busy, or a founder. She explained the complex range of responses humans have to grief, and the unique ability founders might have when it comes to coping through being able to envision a transformation in the future. She also spoke about getting off the productivity-industrial complex’s “wellness hamster wheel” and instead embarking on your own journey. She shared insight into finding support systems for mental health--and establishing a healthy relationship with your co-founder. Show notes and links: Tracy’s company, Arcade Theraputics: https://arcadetherapeutics.com/about-us/ Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary’s website: https://www.drtracyphd.com/ Inc.com article on Sloomoo Institute episode Grief as Startup Fuel: The Sloomoo Institute's Unusual Beginnings https://www.inc.com/christine-lagorio/from-the-ground-up-sloomoo-institute-karen-robinovitz-sara-schiller-grief-as-startup-fuel.html Karen Robinovitz and Sara Schiller had been through multiple businesses--and multiple traumas--before coming together to find reinvention and joy through an unlikely substance: slime. recap: https://www.inc.com/christine-lagorio/from-the-ground-up-sloomoo-institute-karen-robinovitz-sara-schiller-grief-as-startup-fuel.html Transcript of this episode: https://www.inc.com/christine-lagorio/transcript-from-the-ground-up-tracy-dennis-on-grief.html DSM entry on Prolonged Grief Disorder: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/prolonged-grief-disorder

Karen Robinovitz and Sara Schiller had each been through multiple traumas when they found reinvention and joy through the unlikeliest of substances: slime. Yes, slime. They explain to hosts Diana Ransom and Christine Lagorio-Chafkin how they channeled their newfound joy, and passion for sensory play, into a business, the Sloomoo Institute. Sloomoo is a growing slime-museum business with four locations that makes some 600 gallons of slime each day. This episode was recorded live on-site in SoHo, New York, at the Sloomoo Institute Links: Inc.com article: www.inc.com/christine-lagorio/from-the-ground-up-sloomoo-institute-karen-robinovitz-sara-schiller-grief-as-startup-fuel.html Episode transcript: www.inc.com/transcript-from-the-ground-up-podcast-sloomoo-institute-founders-karen-robinovitz-sara-schiller.html The Sloomoo Institute: https://sloomooinstitute.com/pages/new-york-2-0?utm_source=google.com&utm_medium=organic Slime play and care (PSA about slime removal!): https://sloomooinstitute.com/pages/slime-care *note to listeners: The concepts of death and depression, are mentioned in this episode, as is the fact of a school shooting, though none are discussed in depth.

Join Inc. Executive Editor Diana Ransom and Editor-at-Large Christine Lagorio-Chafkin as they host From The Ground Up, a new podcast from Inc. that features frank and unfiltered conversations—with some of the most successful founders in the world—about navigating the role of the founder, the tips and tricks entrepreneurs need to know to be successful, and the secrets that nobody really tells you before you start a business. New episodes start April 4th, see you then! Website: https://www.inc.com/podcasts/from-the-ground-up