How AI is helping these solopreneurs build more personal membership communities — with less work

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Lis Best, Gabriela Fiorentino and Clara Ma
Lis Best, Gabriela Fiorentino and Clara Ma

Michaela Vatcheva, Joel Arbaje and Isa Zapata for BI

6 book recommendations from 2 brothers who skipped college to start a multimillion-dollar business

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Sports
selkirk barnes
Jim, Mike, and Rob Barnes, the brains behind Selkirk Sport.

Selkirk Sport

Solo founders are using AI to take on the consumer brand industry, dominated by giants

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Amber Chaudhry, Ezra Rufino, Ann Ragan Kearns
Left to right: Amber Chaudhry, Ezra Rufino, Ann Ragan Kearns.

Ian Tuttle, Michaela Vatcheva, Cassandra Klos for BI

We quit our 6-figure jobs to launch a company together. Working with your spouse can be complicated — boundaries help.

Tech Insider : Business, Politics, Travel
a family of four poses on a green couch
Daniel and Gemma Ng and their family.

Courtesy of Daniel and Gemma Ng

I'm a coffee chain owner in San Francisco, and I'm being radically transparent about why I must hike prices

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy, Business
Lauren Crabbe and Michael McCory
Lauren Crabbe and Michael McCrory own Andytown Coffee Roasters and are posting flyers at all nine locations to explain why they must hike drink prices by 7.5%.

Andytown Coffee Roasters

I'm a business owner in Minneapolis working 16-hour shifts so my staff can stay home to avoid ICE

Tech Insider : Economy, Business
Michael Knox
Michael Knox runs a restaurant near Minneapolis.

Photo Courtesy of Michael Knox

Small-business owners in Portland, Maine, weigh whether to speak out on immigration — and what it could cost

Tech Insider : Politics, Business
An anti-ICE protester in Maine
A protester rallies against the presence of US Immigration Customs Enforcement in Maine, Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Portland, Maine.

Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press

I own a Minneapolis bike shop that shut down for the strike. Closing was a big ask for a small business, but worth it to help my community.

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy, Business
a sign for the the ICE OUT strike and artwork for abolishing ICE
Perennial Cycle participated in the ICE OUT protest strike, and held its own fundraiser.

Courtesy of Perennial Cycle

Solopreneurs explain what AI is and isn't good for when you're running a business

Tech Insider : Business, Style, Technology
Left to right: Lisa York, Gloria Hebert, and Seneca Connor.

David Oats, Stephen Ross Goldstein, Ian Tuttle for BI

At 80, I won't retire from my family's 150-year-old grocery business anytime soon. I'll run it for as long as l can.

Tech Insider : Business
A greengrocer at his stand inside a market
Greengrocer Robin Blair with his wares

Courtesy of Alyson Williamson

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