The Entrepreneurs
A weekly deep dive into global business. Inspiring stories from startups to legacy brands in hospitality, design, fashion, and retail.
Latest Episodes
Craftwork
Hirofumi Kurino from United Arrows and Simone Cipriani from the Ethical Fashion Initiative discuss the creative partnership that led them to hitch a ride to Ethiopia. Then the CEO of Oliver Peoples explains why the US eyewear brand is making moves in Europe. And Palida Boonyarungsrit reveals how she’s leveraging…
Eureka 16: Jane Porter
Presented by Monocle’s Daniel Giacopelli, ‘Eureka’ is a weekly spotlight on business origins brought to you by the team behind ‘The Entrepreneurs’. This week we hear the story of Jane Porter, founder of bespoke uniform design company Studio 104. For better or worse, first impressions count and in hospitality a…
Designing the simple life
In an age of digital distraction and constant interruption one company is taking a stand for minimalism through good design. Punkt. is a Swiss brand that creates products to simplify our frenetic lives. Their latest creation is a mobile phone that does just two things: make calls and send texts.…
Eureka 15: Max Barenbrug
Presented by Monocle’s Daniel Giacopelli, ‘Eureka’ is a weekly spotlight on business origins brought to you by the team behind ‘The Entrepreneurs’. If you’re a parent of a certain age you’re likely to know stylish baby-stroller brand Bugaboo. Designer Max Barenbrug was a student in Amsterdam in the mid-1990s when…
Taking off
Not long ago Texas-born Mickey Ashmore was a 20-something finance graduate working for Microsoft. Now he’s affectionately known as the Sabah Dealer, the founder of a hugely popular and fast-growing brand that sells slip-on shoes based on an old-school Turkish design. Ashmore shares his tale. Meanwhile, we meet Simon Talling-Smith,…
Eureka 14: Tom Donald
Presented by Monocle’s Daniel Giacopelli, ‘Eureka’ is a weekly spotlight on business origins brought to you by the team behind ‘The Entrepreneurs’. Tom Donald is an Australian composer and concert pianist whose work has been featured in award-winning films. He’s also the founder of the London Contemporary School of Piano.…
Bright future
We visit God’s Own Junkyard, a family business in a quiet neighbourhood in London that has perfected the art of making signs. We also meet an Australian entrepreneur who set off for gelato school in Italy and returned to Melbourne with a delicious company: Pidapipó Gelateria. Plus: former airline pilot…
Eureka 13: Hannah Russell
Presented by Monocle’s Daniel Giacopelli, ‘Eureka’ is a weekly spotlight on business origins brought to you by the team behind ‘The Entrepreneurs’. Hannah Russell is the co-founder and CEO of Layer, a curated marketplace for pre-owned design and vintage furniture. In this episode she shares her early inspirations and the…
Rivet & Hide
Entrepreneurs find inspiration in unlikely places. For Danny Hodgson, founder and owner of Rivet & Hide, one of London’s premier shops for premium denim brands, inspiration arrived thousands of feet in the sky. For more than two decades Hodgson worked for British Airways as a cabin-services director on long-haul flights…
Eureka 12: James Cadbury
Two centuries ago John Cadbury set up a small chocolate business in the English city of Birmingham. He essentially invented the solid chocolate bar and his business grew into one of the world’s most famous chocolate empires and one of the UK’s most well-known brands. His descendant James Cadbury is…
