The time is now

When you run your finger down the monocle masthead you see the names of our staff; the people who make this business a success every single day. They deliver a passionate magazine with a global vision, a radio station that brings you news from every corner of the world, films that effortlessly unpack the intricacies of anything from Japanese food to Portuguese soft power – and they do all of this with ease because this is their story too.

They are a team that have walked along numerous paths to settle in the UK and work in our offices in Marylebone: they’ve come from the Netherlands, South Korea, Belgium, Hong Kong, France, Canada, Germany, Norway, Finland, Brazil, Lithuania and many more places beside (including all corners of the UK itself). And they are all vital to us and our enterprise.

This is the face – or rather faces – of globalisation that we see every morning in our HQ. And they are people whose right to roam is something to treasure and shout about, not least because they have created a culture at Midori House that, as a Brit, makes me feel privileged to be a part of – how great to always be getting new perspectives on the world.

We are not the only ones who understand both the cultural and economic dividend such positive and determined people can deliver. Over the coming pages we will ask you to ride pillion as we visit cities and city halls around the globe that are busy easing migration rules and developing new visas as they attempt to lure Generation Start-up (and also Generation Well On Their Way to Success). This month’s issue is for people who know that there are always ways around an annoying bump in the road and that the most important thing is to keep moving, to always be hunting out new opportunities. And that there’s always somewhere that will have open arms for people with drive and talent.

The other thread that holds the pages together this month is the theme of entrepreneurship. As a few economies wobble you might think that this is probably time to hunker down and let any ill winds play out – and perhaps not give up the day job. But actually this is the ideal time to make that leap and do your own thing.

To explain why, here’s a chapter from the Monocle story. We launched in March 2007 and a year later the global crisis struck. It turned out to be an incredible year for the company because we jettisoned the prevailing narrative that we should trim our ambitions and sit tight. Instead, in 2008 we opened the first Monocle Shop in London and the first Monocle Café in Tokyo. And that year we also recorded the first episode of The Monocle Weekly, the seed that would lead to the unveiling of our round-the-clock radio station Monocle 24.

In short we have faced the same tests and challenges as many of you and know that you must not become distracted by local chaos because there is always somewhere that’s on the up, where you will find an audience and make your mark. Over the coming months we will offer you a road map to a better business future. The journey starts here; please hop aboard.