Inc. Magazine

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today’s innovative company builders.

The Next Generation of Founders

YOU CAN’T BEAT THEM. SO JOIN THEM • International companies are challenging the primacy of American innovation—which could be less of a problem for U.S. founders than you’d think.

Spring cleaning, Without Tears

The Jargonator • Swatting the buzzwords of business since 2014.

Should Your Company Take a Political Stand? • Companies including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Nike, and Lyft have elicited kudos and controversy for their political stances. But partisan antipathies are very high these days. (Perhaps you’ve noticed.) Should you speak out? We had two smart founders stake out their positions, one whose company is vocal on women’s health issues, and a marketing expert who urges a more cautious approach.

WHAT REALLY RUNS MARCH MADNESS

Europe’s Fastest-Growing companies

DENVER • Come to Inc.’s No. 8 Surge City for the cannabis, stay for the creativity.

Specialized Keeps It Weird • A cycling company whose founder has learned enough to know that analytics can’t beat putting yourself in the rider’s seat.

THE BEST BUSINESS ADVICE • I EVER GOT WISDOM FROM CEOS, BOSSES, MOMS, JAPANESE TITANS, AND MORE

Data Surfer

The Question That All Founders Must Face • It’s one worth pondering—even if it’s painful.

HOW DO YOU PLAN EFFECTIVE TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITIES? • Advice from the founders of America’s fastest-growing companies.

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.

“AN AMERICAN SMALLBUSINESS HORROR STORY” • One entrepreneur’s tale of his time in Amazon purgatory—and how he finally fought back.

PROTECTING YOUR BRAND IN AMAZON’S JUNGLE • If your product is something counterfeiters can figure out how to copy, they will. You can’t stop them all—but, if you’re prepared to spend the time and money it will take, you can keep them from cannibalizing your business on Amazon.

HOW TO SPEAK AMAZONIAN: A GLOSSARY • Amazon sells products in two ways: through its first-party platform, Vendor Central, and through its third-party platform, Seller Central. Firstparty—or 1P—users wholesale their goods to Amazon, which retails them, while 3P users sell directly to consumers.

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.

How We Did It Luke’s Lobster • Luke Holden and Ben Conniff started a small chain of simple lobster shacks. Then they started thinking much bigger.

The Customer Is Sometimes Wrong • How do you set them straight—without losing their business?

THE OLD RULES GO UP IN SMOKE • Marijuana is now legal in many states. Is it time to rethink your current policy?

POT BY THE NUMBERS

TO TEST, OR NOT TO TEST?

CHARGING A HEAD • Lithium-ion batteries are essential to our lives and businesses—but struggle to keep up with modern demands. Inside the race to build a better battery.

Sila Nanotechnologies: The Powder That Will Power EVs

WHO’S ALSO IN THE BATTERY PACK • Some of the other key players trying to crack the code of making denser, more...