Introduction
The business landscape of 2026 looks different from what it did a few years ago. The entrepreneurs influencing it are building loudly, thoughtfully, and with a clear sense of purpose. Their creations, such as foundations, platforms, and systems, respond to society’s current needs. Some focus on education, others on visibility, wellness, or community. All of them understand that business today is about trust, clarity, and long-term influence. Their journeys are shaped by risk, dedication, and the courage to do things differently. Inside the Journeys of 10 Entrepreneurs Building the Next Era of Global Business in 2026 takes a closer look at individuals who are redefining what leadership, growth, and impact look like in the present day and age.
1. Alex Hormozi
Alex Hormozi is an Iranian-American entrepreneur whose journey began in 2013 with a single brick-and-mortar gym. Within three years, he grew that small start into six locations. He decided to sell them and move into business turnarounds. Over the next two years, he rebuilt more than thirty struggling brick-and-mortar companies using his licensing model, and over the next four years, built and scaled three more companies across software, service, e-commerce, and physical locations. Together, they crossed $120 million in sales without outside capital. He has scaled and exited seven companies so far, including a major sale in 2021 valued at $46.2 million. He is renowned for customer acquisition and monetization by focusing on simple math, clear offers, and repeatable systems that work across industries.
Today, Alex Hormozi is the managing partner of Acquisition.com, where he invests his own capital and experience in asset-light, high-cash-flow businesses. He is also the author of Gym Launch Secrets, $100M Offers, $100M Leads, and $100M Money Models. Through his podcast, The Game Changer, and his widely followed YouTube channel, he shares lessons for winning and resets. Alongside his business, he dedicates time to improving access to education and entrepreneurship in underprivileged communities through the Hormozi Foundation. His journey proves that scale, discipline, and generosity can grow side by side.
2. Sam Altman
Sam Altman is an American entrepreneur who is doing revolutionary work in technology, scale, and responsibility. As CEO of OpenAI since 2019, he is a major player in the AI boom that is rewriting global business rules for 2026 and beyond. When he was nineteen, he co-founded Loopt, a mobile social app that raised over $30 million before being acquired in 2012. He later joined Y Combinator and rose to president, where he helped steer hundreds of startups toward growth. When OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, it started one of the fastest tech adoptions, with millions signing up. Sam’s work brought artificial intelligence from theory into daily life, placing him among the most-watched business leaders of his generation.
Sam Altman also serves as chairman of Helion Energy and previously held the same role at Oklo Inc. His investment experience spans more than 400 companies working with software, biotech, clean energy, and infrastructure. He also co-founded Hydrazine Capital, backing founders early and often. In 2023, a boardroom shakeup removed him from OpenAI, but he returned days later after strong employee and investor support. Named among Time’s Architects of AI in 2025, Sam writes essays on his personal blog and speaks directly with policymakers around the world. His journey has played a significant role in shaping how modern businesses now combine code, capital, and consequences.
3. Jessica Hunt
Jessica Hunt is the founder of Jessica Hunt Photography and a creative entrepreneur turning love stories into a global business built on feeling. She has more than 10 years in the wedding industry and has photographed over 250 celebrations across South Carolina and worldwide. Jessica leads a trained creative team offering photography and videography for weddings, elopements, families, graduates, brands, and boudoir sessions. She believes a wedding album should feel like a heartbeat on paper. Her journey proves that when everyone is racing toward automation, human connection still scales. Her mindset and her ability to combine art and trust are performing a significant role in how businesses will scale in 2026.
Jessica’s images have appeared in hundreds of online features and dozens of print magazines. She earned recognition as a Rangefinder 30 Rising Stars nominee and a Hall of Fame photographer at The Knot. Every associate photographer on her team is personally trained by Jessica and shadows her for at least 30 weddings. Quality control matters to her as much as kindness does. Her studio proudly welcomes couples of all backgrounds and identities. In 2026, Jessica Hunt proves that legacy, empathy, and an eye for artistry truly lead the way.
4. Daniel Torgl
Danny Torgl is a professional fitness trainer known worldwide as the Master of BodySculpting, with nearly five decades of experience. He was also a bodyguard to the stars, protecting some of the most recognizable names in entertainment, including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, and Tom Cruise. Based in Lake Isabella, California, Danny leads OnPoint Gym while coaching clients worldwide through his online training programs. His business was built long before social media fitness trends, and it still stands strong today. Danny’s approach includes studying bone structure, body dynamics, and long-term health before designing a plan. His sessions focus on precision, patience, and personal accountability. In 2025, his impact was formally recognized with induction into the National Fitness Hall of Fame, placing him alongside legendary names in the fitness world.
Danny treats fitness as a mental practice. His private notes, refined through years of coaching, reflect a steady philosophy rooted in responsibility, humility, and self-control. One guiding belief he often shares is, “You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strengths unimaginable.” This is how he engages every part of his work, from one-on-one training at OnPoint Gym to his online coaching programs that are just like in-person guidance. Danny’s business proves that lasting global impact requires consistency, care, and showing up prepared.
5. Pedro Pallares
Pete Pallares is a social entrepreneur and the founder of the Pedro Pallares Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization launched in June 2016. He brings about action across poverty reduction, food security, housing stability, mental health, and neurodiverse support. Through the Foundation, scholarships open doors to higher education, emergency funds steady families in crisis, and international programs advance equity. Pete has earned recognition as Entrepreneur of the Year with special honors in social entrepreneurship, reached finalist status in 2020 and 2022, and appeared on lists such as Healthcare Leader of the Year and CEO to Watch for 2021. In 2024, Pete released Happiness Declassified, a book that reframes success through service and clarity.
Pete also founded the Center for Social Dynamics, currently one of the biggest autism treatment platforms in the US. He has been in the field for over 30 years, working with families from diverse socio/economic/cultural backgrounds. His specialization focuses on cultural competence and proper care for every individual. Media outlets such as SF Weekly, NBC, and FOX News have highlighted his work. Pete sums up his work with this line, “Doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right place.” In 2026, Pete’s journey shows how values-driven leadership can grow globally without losing its purpose.
6. Dr. Carla Marie Barry
Dr. Carla Marie Barry is the Founder and CEO of Embracing Hope Relationship Coaching. She is also an Accredited Event Designer at Enchanted Elegance Event Design. Dr. Carla served 27 years as a Commander in the United States Navy Chaplain Corps, supporting the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard in ashore, afloat, and forward-deployed units, including Afghanistan. After earning her Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty University, she turned her focus to healing relationships and families. Today, she helps clients identify self-defeating patterns that stand in the way of establishing a happy relationship.
Through Embracing Hope Relationship Coaching, Dr. Barry supports couples, families, individuals, and those facing divorce or preparing for marriage. Her coaching style is a combination of structure, empathy, and warmth. She is a recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors a life of service and impact. Her work has been featured in CEO Weekly, NY Weekly, San Francisco Post, Fortune Celebrity, CEO Feature, Cosmopolitan UAE, and other respected outlets. Dr. Barry often reminds clients that healing begins within, sharing, “The most important relationship you will ever have is the one with yourself.” In 2026, care-driven leadership is reshaping the global business landscape, and Dr. Carla Marie Barry is showing how it is appropriately done.
7. Holly Gold
Holly Gold is the founder of The Little Schools and The Little School Approach to Early Childhood Education. Twenty years ago, she opened her first little school in a neighborhood setting, and today, she has grown it into three Rockridge and Berkeley campuses. The Little School Approach is built on an “indoor:outdoor mixed-age” model. Holly designed spaces without long hallways or rigid classrooms. Children move, explore, and learn through doing among peers of varying ages. Besides classrooms, there are gardens because Holly believes that nature-integrated learning improves cognition, memory, and attention. Her work contains deep respect for how young minds thrive and develop. It also respects the teachers, who earn higher wages, receive paid healthcare and paid time off, and receive professional recognition.
Holly’s journey was neither easy nor linear. During COVID and shifting laws, she worked alongside other early childhood leaders to keep schools like hers open. She holds a Master of Social Work from San Francisco State University and was honored with the City of Berkeley Outstanding Woman Award. Oakland Magazine later named Rockridge Little School among the best preschools in the East Bay. Today, Holly calls The Little School Approach her life’s work. It is profitable culturally, socially, and financially. In 2026, her journey shows how education led by purpose shapes stronger communities and a more thoughtful future.
8. Erin Carroll-Manning
Erin Carroll-Manning is the founder of Gentle Giraffes Newborn Care and Family Services and a leading voice in redefining how early family care professionals should be recognized. She has more than thirty years of experience in private childcare. Her journey began hands-on as a babysitter and professional nanny before evolving into specialized newborn care. In 2017, she opened Gentle Giraffes in the Greater Boston area, building a full-service pregnancy and postpartum agency focusing on patience and respect for infants as capable communicators. By 2019, she became a Master Newborn Care Specialist after completing a rigorous three-year mentorship with Newborn Care Solutions. Erin combines medical insight with functional, in-home care and encourages adults to slow down and listen to what babies are already telling us.
Erin’s impact has been featured in Parents Magazine, Consumer Reports, NYWeekly, Nanny Magazine, and Women’s Business League, and appeared on the front cover of the Boston Globe in 2015. In 2023, she was nominated for INA’s Nanny of the Year and named a top-five finalist. She also testified in support of the Massachusetts Domestic Workers Law and trained as a mediator to support fair resolutions between domestic workers and employers. Erin co-hosted National Domestic Radio (NDR), a show created by domestic workers for domestic workers. Her journey shows how care is an important element of healthier societies and stronger economies.
9. Riana Milne
Riana Milne is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, trauma recovery expert, and global coach who is influencing how emotional wellness fits into modern business leadership. She built her work around something many overlook: healing as a growth strategy. With over 25 years of clinical experience, Riana leads Lessons in Life & Love Coaching LLC and Therapy by the Sea LLC, both based in Palm Beach County, Florida. She specializes in helping adults work through childhood and relationship trauma so they can succeed in life, love, and career. Riana is a #1 bestselling author of LIVE Beyond Your Dreams and LOVE Beyond Your Dreams, and also hosts the globally recognized podcast Lessons in Life & Love™. Riana has recently developed the first video, interactive Coaching Avatar on her site, where members can sign in for 24/7 support and simply talk to the screen; RianaAI will respond in any language. It gives personalized answers to their specific problems. Her avatar has been trained on her teachings of over 40 years of coaching, and includes advice from both The Mindset for Success System and Riana’s books and trademarked courses as a global Life, Love Trauma Recovery, and Mindset Coach.
Riana has been featured in Forbes, NY Weekly, Disrupt Magazine, Women’s Journal, Influencer Daily, Wealth Insider Magazine, DatingNews.com, and Fashion Republic, where she appeared on the September 2023 cover. NY Weekly named her one of the Top 15 Transformation Coaches Globally, while Wealth Insider listed her among the Top 10 Coaches to Follow. The Global Trade Chamber selected her as one of the 100 Most Successful Women Around the World. Her work combines psychology, mindset training, and decades of lived experience into systems she has taught for more than forty years. Her work proves that inner work fuels outer results and healing is an engine for global impact.
10. AJ Prenzix
AJ Prenzix is a global PR strategist and the founder of Prenzix, a media and branding agency shaping visibility and credibility for modern leaders. Through Prenzix, he helps entrepreneurs, founders, and executives turn expertise into influence. His work spans PR features, listicle placements, media campaigns, and book publishing support, all designed to build reputation. AJ focuses on making people memorable, not just visible. His strategy combines storytelling with smart distribution, so voices land in the right places and stay there. He has helped emerging leaders build an established presence that shapes industries and drives decisions.
AJ treats media like architecture, so every placement has purpose. Prenzix’s campaigns have delivered high-impact publications seen by thousands, strengthening clients’ search presence and professional authority worldwide. AJ’s work includes media PR, book publishing pathways, TV exposure, and premium digital features across platforms such as Forbes, Yahoo, and Wikipedia mentions through strategic processes. In the current business landscape, attention is currency; AJ helps leaders earn it without gimmicks. His approach proves that reputation is a long-term asset. Global businesses value clarity, trust, and narrative power, and AJ Prenzix’s strategic approach ensures leaders write the version of their story the world remembers.
Conclusion
The journeys shared in Inside the Journeys of 10 Entrepreneurs Building the Next Era of Global Business in 2026 show that the future of global business is being built by people who care about what they create and who they serve. These entrepreneurs are creating long-lasting systems, services, and ideas. And most importantly, these leaders show that growth need not come at the cost of values. Instead, values often become the reason growth happens. These entrepreneurs also focused on adaptability. Their paths did not follow a straight line. Challenges appeared, markets shifted, and expectations changed, but they stayed focused. Their journeys remind us that meaningful work can scale through discipline and passion.