How Stephen Networked to Grow a Six-Figure Consulting Business

In this interview, Stephen Steers shares how he grew his consulting business and sustained the pandemic’s massive impact.

Read the interview

💡 Other Founder Stories

Twin sisters spent $10,000 to start a side hustle—it hit $95 million in annual sales in 3 years: We didn’t expect it ‘to turn into anything’

By Tom Huddleston, Jr.

He Signed His First Deal on His Honeymoon. Now He Has 15 Drive-Thru Coffee Locations.

📰 Must-Read Articles

Here are some of the top articles we came across this week.

Want to Build a Creator Business? Follow this 5-Step Blueprint from the CEO of Dear Media
By Jason Feifer

I switched from a corporate career to launching an AI-native company with no tech background. I knew the time was now.
As told to Agnes Applegate

Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni Are Growing Their AI Shopping Startup the Gen-Z Way: Podcasting
By Ali Donaldson

Why So Many Inc. 5000 Companies Embrace Flexible Schedules
By Kayla Webster

How Amira Irfan Leveraged Her Expertise to Build a Million-Dollar Digital Product Business

See how Amira used Facebook to launch her business and sell her first products, leading to more than $200k in her first year.

Read the interview

💡 Other Founder Stories

This founder grew his product to $6M ARR by taking advantage of being small

By James Fleischmann

How to Start a $700K/yr Tree Removal Business… with No Experience

📰 Must-Read Articles

Here are some of the top articles we came across this week.

How one founder discovered a lucrative gap big firms ignore—and turned retirees into a loyal, growing customer base
By Alexandra Kirkman

I dreamed of working at Goldman Sachs until I interned there. Now I’m living my new dream — running a Y Combinator AI startup.
By Joshua Nelken-Zitser

How to Run a Family Business Without Driving One Another Crazy
By Jennifer Conrad

My company holds a ‘Thinking Week’ every quarter, where we cancel normal work. The payoff is huge.
By Tim Paradis

Solopreneurs are thriving as corporate counterparts struggle
By Jared Lindzon

Vercel trained an AI agent on its best salesperson. Then it cut the 10-person team down to 1.
By Lakshmi Varanasi

Read the interview

📰 Must-Read Articles

Here are some of the top articles we came across this week.

The Compound Effect—How Small Daily Habits Shape Lasting Leadership
By Cheryl Robinson

How a husband and wife built a million-dollar business selling cinnamon buns without spending a single cent on marketing
By Jacky Barile, Rachel Cohn, and Jessica Orwig

How software maker Monday.com’s ‘AI Month’ unlocked a gusher of employee-generated ideas
By John Kell

A Behavioral Scientist Spent 15 Years Studying Great Teams. The Surprising Secret to Success: ‘Glue Players’
By Justin Bariso

The AI Industry’s Scaling Obsession Is Headed for a Cliff
By Will Knight

How Max Schneider Turned Mindfulness Retreats Into a Profitable Business

When burnout forced Max Schneider to step away from a decade-long consulting career, he never expected it would spark the foundation of two thriving businesses. He shares his inspiring story in this interview.

Read the interview

📰 Must-Read Articles

Here are some of the top articles we came across this week.

You can always do more as a business owner, but should you?
By Howard Tullman

How to rediscover your creativity in 3 simple steps
By Allie Volpe

5 lessons from eight sleep founder’s journey to $1 billion
By Jodie Cook

Vibe-coding startup Anything nabs a $100M valuation after hitting $2M ARR in its first two weeks
By Marina Temkin

AI tools aren’t making much of a difference for companies
By Chris Morris

AI-generated ‘workslop’ is here. It’s killing teamwork and causing a multimillion dollar productivity problem, researchers say
By Jennifer Liu

AI coding is massively overhyped, report finds
By Victor Tangermann

Female Entrepreneur Statistics: What the Numbers Reveal in 2025

Women have been starting businesses at record rates, launching everything from tech startups to local service businesses. But while the progress is real, the landscape still presents unique challenges for women.

In our latest report, we’ve gathered insights about women-led businesses globally and across the United States.

Read the report

📰 Must-Read Articles

Here are some of the top articles we came across this week.

YouTube says it has paid creators more than $100 billion over last 4 years
By Zach Vallese

Your Competitors Are Already Winning on Substack. Here’s How
By Annabel Burba

How to Help People Adapt to an AI-Centered Workplace
By James M. Kerr

Scientists confirm what employees already know: Working from home really does make you happier—but there’s a catch
By Orianna Rosa Royle

Zoom’s CEO agrees with Bill Gates, Jensen Huang, and Jamie Dimon: A 3-day workweek is coming soon thanks to AI
By Emma Burleigh

I Left Freelancing and Built a Six-Figure E-Learning Business

In this interview, Emily Reagan shares the keys to growing her online education business. The interview is filled with practical takeaways that can be applied to the e-learning business model in any niche or industry.

📰 Must-Read Articles

Here are some of the top articles we came across this week.

How young entrepreneurs are buying small businesses through an investment tool — and building wealth along the way
By Ernestine Siu

A seven-figure Amazon seller shares 3 keys to making money online in 2025
By Kathleen Elkins

18-year-old CEO learned to code at age 7—now he has a $1.4 million-a-month AI app
By Tom Huddleston, Jr. and Valentina Duarte

There’s No Such Thing as Too Many LinkedIn Posts, Says a New Analysis of 2 Million of Them
By Jessica Stillman

After quitting his job, 31-year-old sold bagels on Instagram—now his shop brings in $200,000 a year
By Ashton Jackson and Lauren Shamo

Entrepreneurs Are More Optimistic Despite Fears of Economic Slowdown. Here’s Why
By Bruce Crumley

Ranking the 50 States by Post-COVID Small Business Growth

We studied data from 2022-2025 to see where in the U.S. small businesses have grown the most following the COVID pandemic. The study revealed a disturbing trend: nearly half of the states (24) have experience a loss in small business jobs over the past 4 years. Read the full story and see which states came out on top, and which ones are struggling.

Read the report

📰 Must-Read Articles

Here are some of the top articles we came across this week.

I quit my six-figure Big Tech job to start a business and earned back my income 2 years later. Here's what I wish I'd known sooner.

This successful content creator shares 4 specific things she did wrong.

Confessions: How an indie agency’s over-reliance on AI drove it out of business

This candid conservation shows how an agency crumbled because it’s founder thought AI tools were the “silver bullet.”

‘Sustainable ambition’ is the key to success, two-time founder says: ‘You can have it all, just not all at once’

Read how this founder found balance and overcame burnout.

Harvard Research Says Great Leaders Do 3 Simple Things to Motivate the Best Employees

See the keys to building a strong, learning-oriented work environment.

This Trendy Management Structure Harms Workplace Communication, a Survey Says

A comprehensive study revealed some surprising details about the importance of middle management.

How Adam Started a $30M/Year Business Renting Supercars

Xtreme Xperience was the first business of its kind. In this interview, founder Adam Olalde shares the inspiring story of how this business grew by allowing customers to fulfill a dream.

Read the interview

📰 Must-Read Articles

How This 28-Year-Old Founder Is Growing His Business By Roasting Tech Bros on LinkedIn

There are a lot of interesting stories out there of people making money on social platforms. This one stands out because it shows a creative approach of using a free newsletter to grow a service-related business.

I quit my job to scale my side hustle. I've earned over $800,000 in 5 years on Fiverr by raising prices and optimizing my profile.

Fiverr is popular for side hustles, but this success story shows the platform’s potential is much bigger. See how this email marketer has used Fiverr to land clients that pay $3,000+ per month.

Over half of professionals are so annoyed by AI trainings they say it feels like a second job, LinkedIn survey finds

This article shares some insightful findings that may be useful for companies and leaders as they look to increase AI’s impact on their businesses. Data shows that “companies’ aggressive push for digital transformation is straining workers, not yet augmenting them, as widely billed.”

Restaurants Are Throwing Away Billions of Gallons of Water — This Startup Said Enough

Dylan Wolff got the idea for his startup, CNSRV, after learning about the incredible amount of water restaurants waste thawing frozen food. Now, he offers a better and more efficient solution.

While working as a lawyer, I started posting about my family online. When it took off, I quit, and my site makes over $1 million each year.

Food blogger and author Blair Lonergan gave up her legal career for the more flexible lifestyle of running her own website. This article makes some important points, like the fact that Blair works more than 40 hours per week on her business, but she’s able to build her schedule around her family.

How ClickFunnels Grew to $170 Million in Annual Revenue

If you’re involved in online marketing, you’re no doubt familiar with Russell Brunson and ClickFunnels. In this interview, Russell shares the behind-the-scenes details of how he and co-founder Todd Dickerson launched ClickFunnels and reached $100 million in revenue in just three years.

Russell also shares their future plans for ClickFunnels, keys to success, and his top advice for entrepreneurs.

Read the interview

🏢 Essential Return-to-Office Statistics and Trends (2025)

Everyone is returning to the office in 2025.

At least, that’s what the headlines lead you to believe. This year’s news cycle has been dominated by major corporations announcing return-to-office mandates, but the statistics tell a different story.

We gathered the latest stats to find the real trends.

Read the article

📰 Must-Read Articles

I'm a startup founder and father of 3. I've disappointed my kids by missing events due to work — the guilt is constant.

Long hours and singular focus on work are often seen as a badge of honor in the entrepreneurial world, but the truth is, poor work-life-balance comes with a significant price. This story provides an honest look at the toll it can take on families.

SoundHound’s millionaire boss founded 3 software startups before even graduating—he tells Gen Z who want to be their own boss ‘don’t just throw darts randomly’

Most entrepreneurs don’t achieve huge success with their first attempt, but as the author of this article writes, “it only takes one good idea to explode into major success.” Read the story of Keyvan Mohajer to see how he used the lessons he’d learned from past attempts.

This Couple's 'Scrappy' Side Hustle Sold Out in 1 Weekend — It Hit $1 Million in 3 Years and Now Makes Millions Annually: 'Lean But Powerful'

Read this interview to see the inspiring story of a couple who started a frozen snacks brand grew their business, including some strategic pivots and an appearance on Shark Tank.

Does AI really boost productivity at work? Research shows gains don’t come cheap or easy

AI dominates the headlines in 2025 and businesses of all sizes seem to be moving towards increased reliance on AI. This article takes a detailed look at the truth behind the topic, and why AI isn’t always effective at boosting productivity.

Worried AI will replace you? These startups say the opposite

This article shares some interesting data related to AI and job security. A recent study showed that 80% of companies with significant AI adoption are actually hiring more human workers, not less. The article shares much more detail and other interesting facts.

📰 Must-Read Articles

These small creators are outselling big influencers

The creator economy offers unlimited potential, and you don’t need a massive following to earn a very good income. This article shares a few real-world examples, including Howie the Crab, a YouTuber who generated $280,000 in revenue with only 15,000 subscribers.

The best leaders are spacious leaders. Here’s what that means

Spacious leadership is a management strategy that creates space for others to participate, make choices, and be their best. This article lays out how to be that type of effective leader.

A founder said her $200 million newsletter empire had over a million subscribers. Her own records tell a different story.

Things aren’t always as they appear. Entrepreneurs and founders may be tempted to embellish the truth, but this story is a cautionary tale that shows why honesty matters.

Couple sold their company for $745 million, but felt numb after: ‘We just couldn’t process it’

Many entrepreneurs are driven by the goal of a life-changing exit, but, as this story shows, the post-exit transition can be difficult. The couple in this story felt lost their sense of purpose and felt numb.

So far, only one-third of Americans have ever used AI for work

Is that really possible? This poll from the AP shares some very interesting insight about the ways Americans currently use AI, as well as some generational divides when it comes to AI adoption.

💬 Featured Interview

How This Designer-Turned-CEO Bootstrapped His Business to $20M ARR

When Shawn Rubel launched Vecteezy in 2007, it was just a side project with a few hundred dollars behind it and a simple mission to help designers find high-quality creative resources. Today, that project has grown into a global platform serving over 20 million users each month, offering more than 60 million vectors, stock photos, and videos.

In this interview, Shawn shares how he bootstrapped Vecteezy from a solo effort into a $20 million/year business with a team of over 50 people across four continents. He opens up about the strategies that fueled the company’s growth, the biggest challenges he faced along the way, and the lessons any entrepreneur or creative can take from his journey.

Read the Interview