The Business Model by Inc.

Founder Group Chat: The Stories Behind the Labels

Almost every founder goes through a humbling experience when they launch their brand, and these founders in the food and beverage industry are no strangers to that.   In today’s Founder Group Chat, we’re talking origin stories with three founders:  * Ron Holloway’s Woofbowl [https://www.mywoofbowl.com/]: A food truck for dogs serving up delicious dog treats  * LeAnn Darland’s TALEA Beer Co. [https://www.taleabeer.com/?srsltid=AfmBOooGrwW69Fd5B_qY1cymWcOnud4dnv-QG2EKWPcgUvUHDdA4lwQC]: New York City’s first women-owned brewery  * Gabi Lewis’s Magic Spoon: [https://magicspoon.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqAx6uW3QFZgFr4S0uZEgC6JcbjgX2gFdCQw2WVCKtKDrD_xEj9] Fun, high-protein, keto-friendly, gluten-free cereal  We’ll learn about how each of these founders overcame early challenges and their advice about launching a business.

1 Smart Business Story: Snap CEO Evan Spiegel Has to Go

After nearly 15 years, Snapchat’s parent company is still chasing profitability. Co-founder Evan Spiegel is still at the helm of Snap Inc. An activist investor demanding change, a controversial layoff of 1,000 employees, and an over $3 billion bet on augmented reality glasses raises the question: Is Spiegel still the right person to lead Snap?  On this episode of The Business Model, David Lidsky, head of editorial strategy for Fast Company and Inc., joins senior editor Rebecca Deczynski to make the case that it's time for Spiegel to step aside and what that could look like.

1 Smart Business Story: Grüns’ Journey to a $1.2 Billion Acquisition

Back when Chad Janis was in graduate school, his little gummy bear company was the butt of his Stanford classmates’ jokes.     Now, nobody’s laughing. Except maybe the wise few who invested early in Grüns and saw their money multiply by 100x.     Janis’ gummy bear supplement brand, Grüns, was recently acquired by Unilever for a reported $1.2 billion. Close listeners to The Business Model feed will note that’s more than double the company’s $500 million valuation, which we covered [https://www.inc.com/joshua-christensen/the-500-million-gummy-bear/91267030] with shock and awe a mere six months ago.     It’s been a frenzied rise for a brand that first went for sale just three years ago. Inc.’s Jennifer Conrad has the story [https://www.inc.com/jennifer-conrad/king-gummy-the-secret-story-of-how-chad-janis-broke-the-internet-with-gruns-1-2-billion-exit/91329186] on Grüns’ explosive path and she joins Tim Crino to talk it over on this episode of 1 Smart Business Story.

1 Smart Business Story: Can CoreWeave’s Billion-Dollar Bet Last?

The AI cloud-computing company CoreWeave is at an inflection point. It's brought on ex-Amazon executive Jon Jones as its chief revenue officer to hyperscale the company. But can he deliver?     For a recent Inc. story, senior staff writer Melissa Angell chatted with Jones to learn more about his strategic approach. On this episode of The Business Model, Angell joins Inc. staff reporter Chloe Aiello to share insights from that conversation and what they reveal about the company’s customer opportunities, infrastructure challenges, and the potential impact of local politics on its ability to scale.

Founder Group Chat: How to Find and Keep Customers

It can feel impossible to get the word out about your company. Social media audiences are fragmented. Email can feel as old-school as a TV or radio commercial. Plus, advertising anywhere is so expensive, you can’t afford to get it wrong.   If you’re not sure where to go, you’re not alone. But this week’s Founder Group Chat gets some answers from Mizizi’s Paakow Essandoh, Arey’s Allison Conrad, and Hugh & Grace’s Sara Jensen.   They discuss paid social, user-generated content, events, and a big question: What do you do when social media buzz dies off?