CATEGORIES

Culture, Tech, And Flexibility: Keys To Talent Acquisition

Hiring and keeping the best employees is a big challenge in the current labor market, but SMBs have advantages they can leverage.

How To Grow Wings

Congratulations—you have enough money to start investing in fellow startups. What to know to become a supportive— and successful—angel investor.

Get Off Of That Cloud

Storage vendors can box you in if you try to switch. How to avoid the data trap.

For Love Or Meat

The hippie endurance athletes behind Epic Provisions sold their natural food company to General Mills for a reported $100 million. It began as an unexpected love affair. Then, it got complicated.

Gaining Altitude

Meet Wheels Up, one of Inc.s Private Titansthe nations most dynamic non-public businesses. No, its notUberfor jets. But the rapidly growing company is lowering the price of entry into the world of private aviation.

Taking On Goliath

In 2013, former co-workers Julie Dacar and Amrita Grewal paired up to build their own staffing firm. Neither imagined that three years later their upstart, Washington, D.C.–based TalEx, would dethrone an industry giant, which also happened to be the parent of their former employer.

Southern Style

Today, Lauren James Enterprises, a Fayetteville, Arkansas–based apparel company that sells preppy dresses and T-shirts with a southern flavor, has more than 100 employees, three retail locations, and $13 million in revenue. In the beginning, it was just Lance and Lauren Stokes, their baby, and the business—and no time to sleep.

The Drive To Thrive

Armir Harris came to the U.S. as a political refugee, but under the wing of his uncle, who immigrated two years later, he acquired the tools to shape his own American dream. Harris is the founder of Shofur, an Atlanta-based platform that books buses for events and tracks their location in real time.

Building A Business On The Move

Cameron Cruse faced a problem common to those who marry into the military: Relocating often, it's hard to find a job, much less build a career. Cruse teamed with fellow military spouse Lisa Bradley to put people like themselves to work making high-end handbags. With R. Riveter, in Southern pines, North Carolina, they've built a network of spouses to make their products.

Making America Great

STARTING A successful business is tough. Even tougher: starting a successful business after emigrating to another country. All of these founders did just that, moving thousands of miles from home to where their talents and drive would be most appreciated. “The spirit of entrepreneurship in America is unparalleled,” says Vinita Negi, the New Delhi–born founder of Trigent Solutions (No. 369 on this year’s Inc. 500), a D.C. area–based business and IT consultancy. “There’s no comparison to what it’s like in India, or even other countries.” They still call it the American dream. These founders show us why.

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.

The New Hard Money

Hard money isn’t what is used to be. Case in point: Washington Capital Partners, a private hard money lender that couples real-life investing experience with cutting-edge technology and superior customer service.

A Splat-Tacular Start

CAN YOU TEACH KIDS HOW TO CODE DURING PLAY TIME? UNRULY SPLATS DO JUST THAT.

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.

A More Inclusive Clubhouse

A major scare led serial founder Sonny Caberwal to shift his focus to building community.

Signaling A Healthier Path

Livongo is taking on diabetes—and other chronic conditions—with data.

Can Any Company Be A Tech Company?

The profitable salad chain Sweetgreen was on track to IPO. So why did its founders decide to pivot to tech?

How I Built— And Maintain— A Cult Brand (Even After Selling To Private Equity)

Greg Koch was a wannabe musician who ran a rehearsal studio in Los Angeles for renowned rock bands like Fear Factory, Fishbone, and the Melvins. Then he co-founded Stone Brewing, which quickly became enormously influential in the craft beer world, thanks to its strong brews and even stronger personality. Stone Brewing is a 12-time Inc. 5000 honoree. But forgive Koch for being more excited about a recent collaboration with Metallica.

How I Spotted— And Grabbed— The Huge Opportunity That Almost Everyone Else Missed

When Ethan Brown founded the plant-based protein company Beyond Meat in 2009, he knew he was on to something big, even if everyone around him thought he was crazy. Then Whole Foods and other grocery chains came calling. The massively successful IPO that Beyond Meat launched this May gave more proof that he just might have been right all along.

How I Joined An Industry Incumbent I'd Set Out To Defeat

After co-founding the wildly successful direct-to-consumer eyewear company Warby Parker, Jeff Raider co-founded DTC shaving brand Harry’s, which Edgewell Personal Care, the parent company of Schick, bought in May for $1.37 billion. In Raider’s view, the deal vaults him and co-founder Andy Katz-Mayfield closer to their goal of reinventing a huge category.

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.

In Your Sandwich and Your Cone

Taylor Ham, a favorite lunch meet in the Garden State, has made the leap from sandwiches to ice cream

How I Launched My Company And Learned To Let Go

Thanks to her unruly curly hair, Alli Webb knows how a good blowout can completely change the way a woman feels about herself. In 2010, she persuaded her brother and her husband—both bald—to help her launch Drybar, which focuses exclusively on blowouts. Eight years later, Drybar has more than 100 locations and over $100 million in revenue.

How Losing My Mentor Inspired A Business

Selina Tobaccowala co-founded Evite when she was in college, and, after selling it to IAC, took on senior roles at Ticketmaster. But then she met her mentor in Dave Goldberg, the CEO of Survey- Monkey, and she became that firm’s president and CTO. His sudden death in May 2015 prompted her to get more active—and start a company to help others do the same.

How I Decided To Take On The U.S. Bail System

Many of the two million prisoners in the U.S. are nonviolent offenders awaiting trial. Oakland, California–based Promise has an audacious solution: Work with cities and counties to release them, and provide an app and support system to keep them current with court appointments and hearings. Promise is operating in Alameda County; co-founder and CEO Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins expects launches in several more counties this year.

How I Escaped The Islamist Regime In Iran ...And Started A Winery In America

Moe Momtazi’s Maysara Winery and his Momtazi Vineyard now sprawl across 532 acres of rolling Oregon hills. His pinot noirs get great reviews, and his grapes are coveted by the region’s top wine makers. It all started with some inspiration from his ancestors— and fleeing Islamist Iran.

Think You're Too Small For CRM? Think Again

Customer relationship management solutions are essential for—and accessible to—growth-oriented small and midsize businesses.