January 2026

Building a Business

This $1 Billion Startup Faced Death Threats and Protests — Before Turning Angry Neighbors Into Supporters

In a crisis, this startup learned that perception matters more than facts.

By Liz Brody

Entrepreneurs

I Asked 75,000 People About Their Biggest Regrets. These 6 Patterns Changed How I Think.

I was haunted by a business decision, so I sought out the missed opportunities and professional regrets of others.

By Jason Feifer

Marketing

The Psychology Secrets Behind Guinness, Apple, and Pringles — And How They Can Work For Your Brand

Find out the behavioral science principles behind five billion-dollar brands, and how to apply them to market your business.

By MichaelAaron Flicker

Marketing

This Brand Grew From 30 Employees to $1 Billion in Sales in 5 Years — Here’s How

Unilever's largest health-and-wellbeing brand doesn't chase "new shiny toys."

By Jason Feifer

Run Your Business

AI Will Never Replace This One Thing, 6 Business Leaders Warn

Six business leaders explain the human skills that no algorithm can master — and why these abilities will become your biggest competitive advantage.

By Frances Dodds

Building a Business

He Made Vodka From Air. Now He Has a $65M Defense Deal.

Instead of chasing investors for an unproven concept, this founder started with something simpler.

By Liz Brody

Building a Business

This Pharma Exec Killed Their Deal on a Friday Morning — 18 Months Later, They Turned Her Into Their Biggest Advocate

These founders took some blunt feedback, and used it as fuel to transform their startup.

By Liz Brody

Tech

5 Tech Products for 2026, including the $230 Tool That ‘Makes You 33% More Efficient’

Start your year with tech that boosts efficiency.

By Mario Armstong

Entrepreneurs

‘When I Can Afford That Card’… How an $80 Baseball Card Changed This Entrepreneur’s Life

As a successful entrepreneur with three businesses, I was still haunted by missed opportunities and external expectations. Then I realized something powerful.

By Jonathan Goodman

Franchise 500

Jersey Mike’s Sold for $8 Billion. Their New CEO Is Ready to Double Their 3,200 U.S. Locations.

Jersey Mike's is #1 on the Franchise 500 for the first time, with a new CEO. He plans to scale at an ambitious pace, while preserving the brand's 50-year legacy.

By Jason Feifer

Franchise 500

This Beloved Fast-Food Franchise Boasts a Bold Strategy to Hit $3 Million Per Location

The brand isn't just maintaining its #2 spot on the Franchise 500 — it's setting ambitious targets for 2030.

By Stephanie Schomer

Franchise 500

How This Buzzy Brand Manages to ‘Attract My 18-Year-Old Niece and Not Frustrate My 83-Year-Old Father’

The #3 brand on our franchise 500 has proven masterful at selling to multiple generations

By Stephanie Schomer

Entrepreneurs

This Entrepreneur’s Mindset Shift Helped Her Battle Back From a Big Failure

Most entrepreneurs treat failure as validation of their worth. Kaitlyn Allen's mindset shift is one we should all embrace.

By Jason Feifer

Franchise 500

This 72 Year-Old Education Brand Is Staying On Top By Doing One Crucial Thing In-Person

Kumon invests heavily in learnings across regions. That landed it at #5 on our Franchise 500.

By Stephanie Schomer

Franchise 500

With Zero Orders Placed, AI Says to Drop 50 Wings In the Fryer. It’s Cut Customer Wait Times In Half.

Wingstop's Smart Kitchen, which uses machine learning to predict exactly when to start preparing food, has helped the brand land at #6 on the Franchise 500.

By Stephanie Schomer

Franchise 500

The UPS Store Gets 5x the Packages It Did In 2019. Here’s How They’re Handling the Growth.

Peer to peer learning among franchisees has helped The UPS Store land at #7 on the Franchise 500.

By Stephanie Schomer

Franchise 500

How Hampton by Hilton Expanded to 46 Countries, Even As Hotel Prices Rose 20%

At #8 on our Franchise 500, their brand's strategy is simple: "It's about the feeling you get when you walk through the door."

By Stephanie Schomer

Franchise 500

This CEO Ate 10 Chicken Sandwiches In a Day and Got ‘So Sick.’ But It Led to 30% Sales Growth.

After 18 months of culinary invention, their sales jumped, landing them at #9 on the Franchise 500.

By Stephanie Schomer

Franchise 500

McDonald’s Sales Jump 2.4% After They Revived This Old School Strategy

How the Golden Arches landed back in the Franchise 500 Top 10.

By Stephanie Schomer

Franchise 500

From Celebrity Investors to AI That Cuts Labor Costs by 90% — How 5 Brands Made Massive Leaps

What drove explosive franchise growth in 2025? Here are the five different growth strategies that helped these franchises rocket up in the Franchise 500 rankings.

By Kim Kavin

Franchise 500

‘Computers Can’t Tie Balloons’: 8 Innovative New Franchises

These franchises identified market gaps, and are turning unique ideas into scalable business models for our current moment.

By Jason Feifer

Franchise 500

A Day In the Life of a Franchisee Who Took His Store from $700K to $1.8 Million

Raul Larez now owns two Batteries Plus locations, but still has plenty of time for family. We asked him to keep a diary of one average day.

By Raul Larez

Business News

75% Plan to Borrow Money, 84% Want a ‘Boring’ Business — What 3,500 Franchisee Leads Reveal

What do today's franchisees really want? It's not what you'd expect.

By Frances Dodds

Franchise 500

Raise Prices or Cut Staff… How About Neither? Try The Strategy That Worked For These 5 Brands

When costs climb and consumers tighten budgets, most franchises raise prices or cut staff. But the smartest brands are reengineering value.

By Matt Haller

Franchise 500

I Took a Tiny Hometown Restaurant and Built It Into 235 Locations For Very Little Money. You Can Too.

Eddie Flores Jr. couldn't get a loan, so he built L&L Hawaiian Barbecue without much cash for traditional marketing. Here is his "impact marketing without spending money" strategy.

By Eddie Flores Jr.

Run Your Business

Why Your ‘Hardest Workers’ May Be Holding Your Company Back

I managed teams for one of the world's most elite investment firms. I saw how often leaders rewarded the wrong behavior, and limited the company's potential.

By Dave Kline

Franchise 500

‘We’re Faster Than Amazon’: How Ace Hardware Is Beating Big Tech While Selling Local

At #4 on our Franchise 500, the 102-year-old company is using a hyperlocal strategy with franchisees to drive digital growth.

By Stephanie Schomer

Franchise 500

What It Takes to Win In Franchising In 2026

Here's what we learned from the brands on this year's Franchise 500 ranking.

By Jason Feifer

Building a Business

These Retirees Bought a Cash-Only, 1962 Ice Cream Shop — And Built a Thriving Modern Business

Tracy and Chad Klopfenstein took a beloved but outdated mom-and-pop, and built an impressive operation that's earned national attention. Here's how they did it.

By Lulu Sylbert