I'm a professional chocolatier. When cocoa prices spiked, I found ways to make better chocolate — not smaller bars.

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Style
Jerome Penafort, the founder of Mr. Bucket Chocolaterie in Singapore.
High cocoa prices pushed Singapore's Mr. Bucket Chocolaterie to innovate across its business.

Huileng Tan/Business Insider

These work besties ditched their corporate jobs and poured their savings into an athleisure brand

Tech Insider : Business, Sports, Travel
Tiffany Chng and Olivia Yiong, the founders of Cheak.
Tiffany Chng and Olivia Yiong, the founders of Cheak, started off as work besties in a previous corporate job.

Aditi Bharade

These 11 retail startups raised millions from VCs this year, from Gopuff to Stickerbox

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Style
Stickerbox cofounders
Stickerbox is among the companies that raised the most money in 2025.

Stickerbox

Muscle mommies want more protein — and brands are racing to feed them

Tech Insider : Business
A woman in a deep squat lifting weights
Women, seeking muscle gains and weight loss, are driving innovation in the protein snack segment.

Mohammed Saad/Anadolu via Getty Images

I've worked at Costco for 20 years. Here are the 8 best things I bought there this year.

Tech Insider : Business
A composite image of a hand holding a box of
Designer perfume and the Shark CryoGlow mask are two of the best things I bought at Costco this year.

Veronica Thatcher

Bankruptcies are exploding across the economy, hitting small businesses and households. Few industries are immune.

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy, Business
bankrupt signage.
US bankruptcies are on the rise.

doockie/Getty Images

Retail's next wave of leaders: 9 incoming CEOs taking over at Walmart, Target, and more in 2026

Tech Insider : Business
Incoming Walmart CEO John Furner with outgoing CEO Doug McMillon.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon (R) is handing over the top job to John Furner in the new year.

Walmart

Forget Target. This year's last-minute holiday shoppers flocked to a lesser-known — but fast-growing — bargain outlet

Tech Insider : Business
Cars sit parked outside of an Ollie's Bargain Outlet store as customers walk in and potting soil sits in bags outside of the front doors. Above the entrance, a red-and-black sign reads:
Ollie's Bargain Outlet plans to more than double its store count in the coming years.

Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

I've worked at Target for 23 years. What started as a college job has transformed into a career.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Travel
Target's northernmost location in Wasilla, Alaska
Justin Howells, Target's group vice president for Pacific Northwest stores.

Matt Hage/AP Content Services for Target

All of the changes Brian Niccol has made at Starbucks so far

Tech Insider : Business, Environment
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol stands in front of a step-and-repeat banner featuring the Fast Company logo.
Brian Niccol has spent his first year as CEO of Starbucks making a series of changes, big and small, to improve operations at the coffee giant.

Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Fast Company

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