From the Ground Up

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

The impact of AI on finance departments will be huge.

How artificial intelligence is shaping the product journeys from procurement to end customers.

At last year's Inc 5000, editor-at-large Christine Haughney Dare-Bryan spoke to The ActOne Group CEO Janice Bryant Howroyd about her new book, Acting Up: Winning in Business and Life Using Down-Home Wisdom. Janice touches on her life and the importance of self-care for entrepreneurs. We also have a special custom segment in partnership with Chase. A third-generation homebuilder, Jake Jorgensen built Jorgensen Builders, a residential and commercial construction and remodeling company, on his own terms. In episode 2 of Redefining Growth, a miniseries by Inc. and Chase, Jorgensen shares how he went from “broom-pusher” to dream-maker, helping customers build the homes and businesses they envision. Here, he shares practical strategies that you can apply to kickstart, grow and transform your own venture, as well as how his Chase credit card rewards helped him along the way.

In this podcast, leaders in HR and AI reveal what it will take for businesses to get their staff on board.

Inc. editor-at-large Christine Lagorio-Chafkin chatted with David Lubetzky about his journey starting Kind Snacks in Mexico City, and the lessons he learned from his father, who was also a business man. Then we have a special custom segment in partnership with Chase: Iceland offers up wintry landscapes, fiery volcanoes, and the descendants of Vikings. For Matt Wilson, co-founder and CEO of Under30Experiences, it also offered the start of an entrepreneurial journey. Wilson shares how he got the idea for his thriving travel company and how he and his co-founder have turned wanderlust into a lucrative opportunity. Wilson also shares how he maximized his Chase credit card rewards to help build his team and his brand.

At ‘Inc.,’ we focus a lot on how people become entrepreneurs, but what do you do after you’ve founded your company, turned it into a successful business, and then decided to move on? Stax founder and former CEO Suneera Madhani and Panera Bread founder and former CEO Ron Shaich describe their individual entrepreneurial journeys.

Over recent years, the use of psychedelics, specifically psilocybin and LSD, has become more mainstream in discussions of mental health. While it is still premature to say anything definitive, there have been more studies, research, and experimentation done. But the discussion has not stopped at mental health—some in the business community have been touting the benefits of psychedelics in leadership development. Paul F. Austin of Third Wave and Deepak Chopra chatted about a wide-ranging slate of topics. They covered everything from the benefits of microdosing for our brain health to how the best leadership actually mirrors what's happening in nature.

The so-called “fifth quarter” could be your opportunity to give your business a competitive edge. Hear directly from successful small business owners Lauren Petrullo, of Mongoose Media, and John Wai of John Wai Martial Arts Academy about how they use the post-holiday season to grow their businesses. In this podcast, the entrepreneurs are joined by Meta executive Becky Bui to explain how this so-called “fifth quarter”—a period often overlooked by businesses as a slow season—can be the key to unlocking new cost-effective, quality leads that lead to sales, while building meaningful connections with customers.

Ample Hills Creamery first came on the dessert and ice cream scene in 2011 when married cofounders Jackie Cuscuna and Brian Smith opened their first store in Brooklyn. The business expanded to 17 stores with an endorsement from Oprah, a partnership with Disney, and mentorship from Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s. But by 2020, the couple had to file for bankruptcy. After selling the company to Schmitt Industries for $1 million, they opened another dessert company called ‘The Social.’ In March of this year, they found investors and bought Ample Hills back, committed to rebuilding the business. And then, a couple of weeks ago, they were fired. We chatted with them in a very uncensored conversation about failure, resilience, and how to learn from your mistakes. For more info on the ups and downs of this story, check out Jennifer Conrad's article.

There are a lot of frustrating, misogynistic tropes associated with being a career-focused woman—especially when you have kids. If your business is like another child, how do you balance that? Or is balance even the right word?  "The question bothers me, no offense. It's just like we shouldn't feel that way." Alli Webb is the cofounder of Drybar and has two children of her own. "There's guilt on both sides." Alli explains how running a business and being a parent doesn't require balance because that's unrealistic. Instead, it requires honesty with your children about what you love and showing up for what matters most to them.  So, what's one solution? Alli suggests surrounding yourself with people who really love your kids. "The more people around you who love your kids, the better. Whether it's a grandma or an aunt or a nanny or the high school kid [ . . . ] anybody who loves on your kids." For more on Alli's life and career, take a look at her recent memoir

Working together within a marriage can require give and take, but imagine working in the same company too. Melissa Ben-Ishay, co-founder and CEO of Baked by Melissa, and Adi Ben-Ishay, its director of technology and innovation, met by happenstance—to be honest, it was something out of a romance novel. Now, they're married with two kids and still running Baked by Melissa. How do they make this work? We sat down with them to discuss how they met, how they support each other, and how they iron out their disagreements while raising children and working to grow their business.

From the outside, founders seem to have so much freedom in running their own businesses. But how much control do they really have? When is it an advantage to retain control over decisions, and when is it time to let go? Christene Barberich, cofounder of Refinery 29 and author of the newsletter, A Tiny Apartment; and Rebecca Minkoff, founder of her own fashion brand, sat down to talk through the nuances of working with cofounders, selling a company, and watching it grown beyond a single person’s control.

Scott Omelianuk and Diana Ransom talk with Stacy Spikes, Kathryn Minshew and Taryn Langer about how founders should approach dealing with the media. Stacy Spikes is the co-founder and CEO of MoviePass. Kathryn Minshew is the co-founder and former CEO of The Muse. Taryn Langer is the founder and president of Moxie Communications Group.

Inc. Executive Editor Diana Ransom and Editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk pull back the curtain on the world of entrepreneurship with some of the most successful founders in the world. Inc. Uncensored features frank and unfiltered conversations about what makes business leaders tick, the trends founders need to know to be successful, and the secrets that nobody really tells you before you start a business.