“As We Get Bigger, We Need to Think Smaller"

When Ben Weprin founded Graduate Hotels, he thought he’d created an eccentric brand that would never really scale. Six years later, it’s raised nearly a billion dollars and is building bespoke lodging next to colleges nationwide. Now he’s wondering: How much can you grow a company that’s based on local charm?

ONE PLUS ONE EQUALS BILLIONS

Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson’s career was stalling. Then Dany Garcia stepped in to help change everything.

THE CRAZIEST BET IN RETAIL

A little startup called Le Tote recently bought Lord & Taylor, one of the country’s oldest brands. What happens next may say a lot about the future of shopping.

Keep the Team Together

If you really want to make your employees happy, stop thinking like a boss… and start thinking like an employee.

Get That First Meeting

One big meeting can transform a startup—but how do you get in front of the right person? Six entrepreneurs share how they scored some coveted face time.

What's in a Name? WHEN THE BRAND IS YOU

After transforming the beauty industry and then leaving her namesake company, Bobbi Brown is leveraging her experience to create more new brands.

THE WAY TO SELL YOURSELF

Our opening sentence is our most important. And too many of us are getting it wrong.

Tap Your Network IT'S WHO YOU KNOW

When I lost my job, I felt like I lost everything. But I hadn’t. Here’s how I built a network that helped me rebound even stronger—and build a multimillion-dollar podcast business.

Location, Location, Location FOUNDERS, GO HOME

To attract the best investors and employees, startup founders once had to move to the coasts. But more and more, they’re returning to their roots to build their businesses.

JOINING FORCES TO GROW

After running her sign-and-awning business for 18 years, Nikki Taheri decided to turn the operation into a FastSigns franchise.

FROM FLYING HIGH TO PIZZA PIE

Former Air Force intelligence analyst Stephanie Moseley became a Marco’s Pizza franchisee. And yes, those jobs do have something in common.

Finding Investors FIRST, GET INVESTORS— THEN, MAKE THE PRODUCT?

When she set out to launch the new paint brand Clare, Nicole Gibbons was told to build first and raise money later. But to really create the startup she wanted, she’d have to go in reverse.

Customer Service STOP DOING WHAT PEOPLE HATE

That’s the philosophy Jesse Cole used to build the Savannah Bananas, an unusually popular (and weird) baseball team. And it can work for any business.

Brand Name SAME WORD, NEW OPPORTUNITY

It’s easy to fear changes to your brand. It’s harder (but more fulfilling!) to embrace them. That’s why Edible Arrangements finally embraced a new definition of edibles.

Better Business, Better Business World

Stitch Fix CEO Katrina Lake is one of just a few female “unicorn” founders. And she has learned to embrace that power.

When?

When do you launch? / When do you act? / When do you change? It just might be the most important question an entrepreneur ever answers.

Mom Knows Best

When entrepreneurs really listen to their customers, their businesses can transform. That’s what Michelle Kennedy learned when building Peanut, a social networking app that set out to help moms make other mom friends…but has become about so much more.

Don't be a brand. Be a voice.

Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross spent 10 years getting a hair care company off the ground.One thing is clear:The message matters as much as the product.

Can The Black Market Be Stopped?

The biggest threat to marijuana startups isn’t coming from the legal competition. It’s coming from the illegal market, which thrives even in states that have legalized weed. To extinguish the threat, licensed dealers might have to work together.

The Pitchman's New Pitch

Celebrity salesman Anthony Sullivan, known for his OxiClean commercials, bought a hemp farm and launched a CBD brand. Why? Because to succeed, he says, you must be authentic.

Need to Make a Decision? Ask the Machine

Artificial intelligence can now guide employees’ actions at work. But don’t take it too seriously…yet.

Could You Use an Apprentice?

The old plumber and electrician trainee model has been reimagined for the new world—and could be exactly what a bootstrapped, growing startup needs.

Breaking a Few Eggs

Founders can give their companies a lot of charm and personality— but is that always a good thing? It’s the question facing Eggs Up Grill, a quirky breakfast spot that now has private equity owners, a CEO from TGI Fridays, a mandate to grow, and a delicate balance to strike.

'Not in My Neighborhood'

Sometimes a community just isn’t ready to welcome a strange new business. Here’s how dispensaries have managed to quell (or be defeated by) local objections.

The Founder & The Idea Man

The founder of MeUndies would have never met a man named Grease if both of them hadn’t ended up in the same federal prison. But their friendship changed everything (including the business).

Franchising's Fountain Of Youth

Young franchisees often prove to be a franchisor’s biggest asset. The challenge is finding them, funding them, and letting them take control.

The Hottest Chill In Franchising

Cryotherapy is the new wellness trend in franchising, and more than a dozen brands have already cropped up. Will it stick around like yoga or dissipate like oxygen bars? The truth is, it might not matter.

People Are Not Data

Want to really connect with consumers? Take it from me, a guy who ran marketing at You Tube, Spotify, Google, and Instagram : You can’t rely on data alone. It’s time to build some truly human connections.

Five Strategies For Franchise Growth

Every year, a few companies show massive gains in our Franchise 500 list by either leaping hundreds of spots or making a strong debut. How do they do it? We called them to ask.

Restaurant rescue?

Jon Taffer, host and executive producer of the TV show Bar Rescue, sees problems lurking in the franchise food space. To fix them, he’s opening his own restaurant concept, called Taffer’s Tavern. Will it work?