Search
magnifying-glass
Inc.’s 1 Smart Business Story
Log in
Subscribe
Home
Archive
Oliver Buchannon
Mike Hofman

Editor in chief of Inc., covering founders and the companies they build.

JPMorganChase Just Earmarked $80 Billion for Small Business Lending. Here’s How to Get Your Share

Apr 1, 2026

•

6 min read

JPMorganChase Just Earmarked $80 Billion for Small Business Lending. Here’s How to Get Your Share

The JPMorganChase program is part of a new Jamie Dimon-backed program called the American Dream Initiative.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
Why LinkedIn Believes AI Will Turn Workers Into Founders

Mar 30, 2026

•

10 min read

Why LinkedIn Believes AI Will Turn Workers Into Founders

In a new book, LinkedIn executive Ryan Roslansky and Aneesh Raman argue that AI is dismantling the traditional gates to starting a business.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
Torani’s Growth Strategy: No Layoffs, Local Jobs, Shared Ownership

Mar 29, 2026

•

12 min read

Torani’s Growth Strategy: No Layoffs, Local Jobs, Shared Ownership

A century‐old family business grows toward $1 billion by staying local, private, and people‐first.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
OpenAI Just Killed Sora, and It’s All Anthropic’s Fault

Mar 28, 2026

•

6 min read

OpenAI Just Killed Sora, and It’s All Anthropic’s Fault

OpenAI’s decision to end support for its AI video-generator app is about moving forward and beating the competition.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
The Delve Scandal: A Y Combinator Darling Just Got Hit With a Bombshell Fraud Accusation

Mar 26, 2026

•

7 min read

The Delve Scandal: A Y Combinator Darling Just Got Hit With a Bombshell Fraud Accusation

Delve is in hot water following a viral Substack post filled with serious allegations.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
How Padel Became Founders’ Favorite Sport

Mar 25, 2026

•

16 min read

How Padel Became Founders’ Favorite Sport

Entrepreneurs are flocking to tennis’s cooler cousin—for competitive socializing and business opportunities on and off the court.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
How This Founder Grew Her Brand’s TikTok Shop Revenue 10x in Just 1 Year

Mar 24, 2026

•

5 min read

How This Founder Grew Her Brand’s TikTok Shop Revenue 10x in Just 1 Year

Lillian Tung’s experimentation with new sales channels has her body care brand Fur set to earn six figures in revenue from TikTok this year.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
What Circuit City’s Ghost Can Teach CEOs in 2026 About the Dangers of ‘Efficiency’

Mar 23, 2026

•

18 min read

What Circuit City’s Ghost Can Teach CEOs in 2026 About the Dangers of ‘Efficiency’

The same management blind spots that destroyed Circuit City and Blockbuster are reappearing in the age of AI.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
Get Rich or Live Forever Trying: 3 Hot Longevity Startups Selling Health and Hope

Mar 22, 2026

•

9 min read

Get Rich or Live Forever Trying: 3 Hot Longevity Startups Selling Health and Hope

How Retro Biosciences, NewLimit, and Insilico Medicine are using novel techniques, from AI to cellular reprogramming, to unlock longer, healthier lifespans.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
This Music Festival Company’s $30 Million Fundraise Proves AI Isn’t the Only Hot Sector for Investment

Mar 21, 2026

•

4 min read

This Music Festival Company’s $30 Million Fundraise Proves AI Isn’t the Only Hot Sector for Investment

The live events company Breakaway just secured a nine-figure valuation following its Series B funding round.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
The IRS May Owe You or Your Business a Pandemic Tax Refund

Mar 20, 2026

•

6 min read

The IRS May Owe You or Your Business a Pandemic Tax Refund

Here’s how to check if you’re eligible.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
What Leaders Can Learn From Open AI's Hiring Challenge

Mar 19, 2026

•

6 min read

What Leaders Can Learn From Open AI's Hiring Challenge

OpenAI is launching a worldwide competition to find its next star researchers. Do you have what it takes?

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
What Are the Odds Your Job is AI Proof? This Sports Betting Analytics Company Says They’ll Show You

Mar 18, 2026

•

5 min read

What Are the Odds Your Job is AI Proof? This Sports Betting Analytics Company Says They’ll Show You

A new tool company analyzes the likelihood that your job will be disrupted by AI. Cross your fingers and give it a look.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
Meet the ‘No-Name Creator’: The Surprising Social Media Trend Driving Sales in 2026

Mar 16, 2026

•

7 min read

Meet the ‘No-Name Creator’: The Surprising Social Media Trend Driving Sales in 2026

Allison Ellsworth and Kim Chappell tell Inc. where they think marketing is headed this year.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
The New Rules of Raises: Bosses, Workers Clash on Bonuses, Promotions, Salary Bumps

Mar 14, 2026

•

9 min read

The New Rules of Raises: Bosses, Workers Clash on Bonuses, Promotions, Salary Bumps

Companies are rethinking their compensation strategy. In this buyer’s market, that’s good news for them. For workers? It’s complicated.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
These Startups Are in a $900 Billion Fight to Be the Future of Energy

Mar 13, 2026

•

12 min read

These Startups Are in a $900 Billion Fight to Be the Future of Energy

Ambitious new nuclear power companies, boosted by the deep pockets of tech, are ready to make good on the promise of clean, abundant energy by the 2030s.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
Inside the 3-Year Battle to Legalize America’s Most Controversial Prediction Market

Mar 11, 2026

•

5 min read

Inside the 3-Year Battle to Legalize America’s Most Controversial Prediction Market

After years of lobbying for election prediction markets, Kalshi co-founder Luana Lopes Lara sued federal regulators rather than abandoning the idea.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
Is the MacBook Neo a ‘Recession Indicator’? Tech CEOs Are Divided Over Apple’s $599 Laptop

Mar 10, 2026

•

7 min read

Is the MacBook Neo a ‘Recession Indicator’? Tech CEOs Are Divided Over Apple’s $599 Laptop

Business leaders are wondering whether the low-cost laptop signals economic trouble on the horizon.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
The Pay‐Range Hack Every Hiring Leader Should Be Using When Posting a Job

Mar 9, 2026

•

5 min read

The Pay‐Range Hack Every Hiring Leader Should Be Using When Posting a Job

A simple tweak in a job posting has surprising effects on who applies and who negotiates.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
Everything Is Getting Glitchier. Vibe Coding Isn't the Whole Story

Mar 7, 2026

•

7 min read

Everything Is Getting Glitchier. Vibe Coding Isn't the Whole Story

Software everywhere is getting glitchier. Here’s what’s causing the reliability crisis—and how we might fix it.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
How Markwayne Mullin Became the Most Influential Business Owner in Trump’s Washington

Mar 6, 2026

•

14 min read

How Markwayne Mullin Became the Most Influential Business Owner in Trump’s Washington

The Oklahoma entrepreneur ran for Congress as an outsider challenging the system. Now tapped to run DHS, he’s become the ultimate insider.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
Inside Clay’s $5 Billion, AI-Powered Bid to Make Lead Gen Fun

Mar 4, 2026

•

7 min read

Inside Clay’s $5 Billion, AI-Powered Bid to Make Lead Gen Fun

Sales administrators step aside. Clay’s “go to market engineers” are turning spreadsheets into an art.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
Why Your Company Should Let You Turn Two Weeks of PTO Into 42 Days

Mar 3, 2026

•

5 min read

Why Your Company Should Let You Turn Two Weeks of PTO Into 42 Days

A longtime HR pro shares best practices for ensuring employees get the rest they need.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
With ‘Pax Silica,’ American Startups Are Key to the U.S. Plan to Beat China

Mar 2, 2026

•

6 min read

With ‘Pax Silica,’ American Startups Are Key to the U.S. Plan to Beat China

Inside Jacob Helberg’s plan to create an Amazon-like global technology stack for Americans to build transformative companies.

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
Etsy Is Purging Its Witches—Job Hunters Are Panicking.

Mar 1, 2026

•

5 min read

Etsy Is Purging Its Witches—Job Hunters Are Panicking.

Etsy has banned witches from its platform for a decade. But that didn’t stop witches until recently. What changed?

Mike Hofman
Mike Hofman
Load more

1 Smart Business Story

Join the list to receive our newest posts straight to your inbox.

1 Smart Business Story

Go inside one interesting founder-led company to find out how its strategy works, and what risk factors it faces. In-depth company profiles each day from the editors of Inc.

Login

Profile

Search

© 2026 1 Smart Business Story.
Report abusePrivacy policyTerms of use
beehiivPowered by beehiiv