The Entrepreneurs

Monocle

Monocle Radio’s weekly tour of the most inspiring people, companies and ideas in global business, from startups to heritage brands, covering the best in hospitality, design, fashion and retail.

Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

20 episodes
Updated Wednesday

Episodes20

Newest first

Wednesday · 29 min
No booze, no lose: Meet the founders drinking to an alcohol-free future
As more alcohol-free drinks hit the shelves, we meet two founders who carved their own path in the booming market. Lucy Isles talks about Sablière, an alcohol-free sparkling cuvée from Edinburgh. And: we head to Merano to meet Maria-Elisabeth Laimer, co-founder of Italy’s first handcrafted alcohol-free beer, Freedl. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 22 · 31 min
The case for sabbaticals: Why businesses benefit when workers take ‘Big Time Off’
Harvard Business School lecturer DJ DiDonna talks about the importance of sabbaticals and why intentionality in time away from work is a win-win for employees and bosses alike. He shares findings from his new book, ‘Big Time Off: The Transformative Power of Sabbaticals and How to Take One’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 15 · 28 min
Neurospace: How a Berlin space start-up landed contracts with Nasa and SpaceX
We meet the founder of Neurospace, the only privately funded German space start-up to have secured contracts with both Nasa and SpaceX. Plus: We visit Slatnar, a Slovenia-based ski-maker. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 8 · 27 min
Skyfirst CEO Olivier Perdriel on geopolitical flight-path disruptions and the future of private aviation
Olivier Perdriel stops by Monocle’s Paris bureau to discuss his boutique aviation business, which started with a single aircraft and now operates a fleet of long-range and ultra-long-range jets. He discusses navigating geopolitical uncertainty and why relationships remain his company’s greatest competitive advantage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 1 · 29 min
The business of better running with the founders of One Track Club
Anthony and Laura Fletcher, the husband-and-wife co-founders of One Track Club, discuss how they turned a free running club into a fast-growing business and share lessons on what it takes to scale a personalised service. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 24 · 29 min
CEO Jean-Marie Mognetti on building CoinShares
Jean-Marie Mognetti, the CEO and co-founder of CoinShares, talks about how he helped build one of Europe's leading-digital asset managers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 17 · 27 min
How a boutique studio landed the Obama Presidential Center brief
As the Barack Obama Presidential Center opens in Chicago, we meet a husband-and-wife team whose brand studio was appointed the prime design partner for the historic civil landmark. Tom Crabtree and Patricia Callaway discuss Manual’s work with the Obama Foundation and the inherent challenges to a presidential commission. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 10 · 28 min
A visit to France’s biggest sauna, Sant Roch, and Publicisdrugstore
Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco meets Chloé Bouscatel, co-founder of Sant Roch, Paris’s newest and largest sauna. Plus: Fernando chats champagne and magazines with the CEO of Publicisdrugstore, a Parisian institution on the Champs-Élysées. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 3 · 29 min
Design that changes how we see the world: Tombino and ÖÖD
Architect and designer Jason Lempieri speaks about Tombino, a project that turns manhole-cover designs from cities around the world into functional art. Plus: we head to Tallinn to meet Andreas Tiik, co-founder of ÖÖD. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 27 · 28 min
Roland Horne on scaling WatchHouse cafés, from London and Abu Dhabi to New York
We meet Roland Horne, founder and CEO of WatchHouse, a coffee chain with almost 30 global locations and counting. Plus: former private-jet broker Alex Hunter discusses why he left aviation to pursue hospitality and the relocation of his celebrated Chelsea restaurant, The Sea, The Sea, to a bigger site. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 20 · 28 min
Orbitworks and the UAE’s race to space
Andrew Mueller speaks with Hamdullah Mohib, acting CEO of Abu Dhabi-based satellite manufacturer Orbitworks, about the UAE’s rapidly growing space industry, the company’s recent deal with France’s CNES and the journey from his diplomatic role as Afghanistan’s ambassador to the US to the space sector. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 13 · 29 min
The Entrepreneurs Live in Shanghai: Museum of the future
Colin Chinnery and Purat ‘Chang’ Osathanugrah discuss their respective cultural institutions in Beijing and Bangkok. We explore how they’re making art more accessible, as well as sound culture and the challenges posed by AI. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 6 · 29 min
‘When you’re winning, change your game’: Hair raising success rules from Oribe co-founder Daniel Kaner
Oribe co-founder Daniel Kaner talks about creating a luxury haircare brand that brings fashion, fragrance and performance together. He shares why the best time to innovate is when you’re gaining momentum. Plus: Dilli House founder Arpit Kaushik on going against the grain and creating an ‘anti-perfume’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 29 · 27 min
Threads and tea: new takes on Japanese tradition with Ichijiku and Ito En
Founder Aaron Benjamin shares how his Tokyo-based luxury fashion brand Ichijiku grew out of a collection of gifted kimonos and has since evolved into what he describes as more of an art gallery than a traditional label. Plus: executive advisor and tea ambassador, Rona Tison, on Ito En’s global expansion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 22 · 27 min
Satellites over the Strait of Hormuz: space surveillance and maritime security
We meet Jarkko Antila, CEO of Kuva Space, a Finnish company using AI-powered satellites with hyperspectral cameras to monitor activity on Earth, from timely intelligence to detecting dark and stealth vessels at sea. He explains the company’s technology and its mission to launch more than 100 satellites by 2030. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 15 · 28 min
Suite, suite music: How hotels can fine-tune atmosphere through sound and sensory branding
Former DJ and Music Concierge founder, Rob Wood, explains his approach to designing the sound of luxury brands worldwide, curating music for clients including Rosewood Hotels, Belmond and Cathay Pacific. Plus: Hôtel de l’Arcade’s Laetitia Brandariz-Berrut on managing three Parisian properties and flying the Swiss flag for hospitality in France. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 8 · 28 min
From Uruguay to Moldova: why emerging wine regions are on the rise
Other co-founders Jack Blumsom and Gleb Petrenko discuss how they started a wine company championing less-explored regions after a fateful holiday in Georgia, one of the oldest wine-producing countries. Plus: how a trip to Kyoto inspired Italy native Silvia Mella to launch New York-based Japanese tea company Sōrate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
April 1 · 28 min
Dimitri Weber on Australia’s first luxury perfume house and the Kylie Minogue effect
Do brands down under need international approval before making it big at home? Dimitri Weber, founder of Australia’s first luxury fragrance house, Goldfield & Banks, talks about what businesses can learn from Aussie exports such as Kylie Minogue and Nicole Kidman. Plus: why the country is a surprising perfume powerhouse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
March 25 · 29 min
Knatchbull Savile Row’s CEO on bespoke tailoring for women and flying the British flag in fashion
Is there a new playbook for great, British brands? Founder Daisy Knatchbull shares the latest from Knatchbull, the first Savile Row shopfront exclusively for women. She discusses the importance of her global trunk shows and the brand’s ready-to-wear collection. Plus: Toby Gauvain on Gaudium, a new private-membership community. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
March 18 · 29 min
Jim Rokos on dyslexia, design and why thinking differently is a competitive advantage
Luxury décor studio Rokos’s founder Jim Rokos talks about the creative advantages of dyslexia and why he sees it as an edge in designing his sculptural objects. Plus: How new work platform Vizzy caught the eye of job-hunters and clients such as Burberry, Tiffany & Co and Louis Vuitton. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Entrepreneurs

No booze, no lose: Meet the founders drinking to an alcohol-free future

The case for sabbaticals: Why businesses benefit when workers take ‘Big Time Off’

Neurospace: How a Berlin space start-up landed contracts with Nasa and SpaceX

Skyfirst CEO Olivier Perdriel on geopolitical flight-path disruptions and the future of private aviation

The business of better running with the founders of One Track Club

CEO Jean-Marie Mognetti on building CoinShares

How a boutique studio landed the Obama Presidential Center brief

A visit to France’s biggest sauna, Sant Roch, and Publicisdrugstore

Design that changes how we see the world: Tombino and ÖÖD

Roland Horne on scaling WatchHouse cafés, from London and Abu Dhabi to New York

Orbitworks and the UAE’s race to space

The Entrepreneurs Live in Shanghai: Museum of the future

‘When you’re winning, change your game’: Hair raising success rules from Oribe co-founder Daniel Kaner

Threads and tea: new takes on Japanese tradition with Ichijiku and Ito En

Satellites over the Strait of Hormuz: space surveillance and maritime security

Suite, suite music: How hotels can fine-tune atmosphere through sound and sensory branding

From Uruguay to Moldova: why emerging wine regions are on the rise

Dimitri Weber on Australia’s first luxury perfume house and the Kylie Minogue effect

Knatchbull Savile Row’s CEO on bespoke tailoring for women and flying the British flag in fashion

Jim Rokos on dyslexia, design and why thinking differently is a competitive advantage