The Entrepreneurs

Ghostly International was founded at the turn of the millennium in the college dorm room of DJ and Detroit native Sam Valenti IV. Since then the cult-favourite record company has signed on everyone from Matthew Dear to Gold Panda and evolved beyond music into design, clothing, tech and more. In this special edition of ‘The Entrepreneurs’ Valenti tells Daniel Giacopelli how he and his team have grown the business into a success and why there’s never been a more inventive time for smart entrepreneurs to enter the music game.

Byron Bay is the picture-perfect destination for an Australian holiday, known around the world for its pristine surf and bohemian lifestyle. But is the popularity of this town of five thousand people translating into a roaring trade for the local business community? We send Monocle’s Liam Aldous to find out for this special edition of The Entrepreneurs.

Seán Dagan Wood of ‘Positive News’ and designer Paul Blackburn explain how they rebranded the magazine for an evolving readership and Edward Neale tells us how his company Reunidas is rediscovering and reviving Brazil’s rich tailoring heritage. Plus: Winkreative’s Sally Oldfield explores the branding conundrums faced by a company when it matures beyond the start-up phase.​

We take a tour of London’s contemporary-art scene and explore the experiential frontier of travelling with start-up SideStory. We also sit down with James Bidwell of SpringWise, whose company uses a global network to hunt for the world’s most innovative ideas. Plus: Jonathan Fren of Rebel Minds shares his views on the future of mobile apps.

Rafat Ali explains the challenges of launching and growing his popular travel-industry news site Skift and we meet the founders of London-based healthy juice brand Moju. Plus: Miami-based property developer Avra Jain shares her top management tips.

A special behind-the-scenes business report from one of the world’s most important menswear tradeshows: Pitti Uomo in Florence. Featuring interviews and insight from Ikiré Jones, Cad and the Dandy, Ernest Supplies, Gitman Vintage, Jupe by Jackie, Oak Street Bootmakers, Mr Smith Paris and Simone Cipriani.

As Filson grows its customer base and expands internationally from its home in the US’s Pacific Northwest, the brand’s president explains how the company is keeping its focus. Meanwhile, London-based entrepreneur Damian Kimmelman visits Midori House to talk about the challenges and opportunities facing his start-up DueDil. Plus: we’re off to the Turkish coast to explore the business of the country’s nascent surfing scene.

Jacob Cockcroft discusses the origins and challenges of his digital bookclub The Pigeonhole and explains why the future of reading is social. We also sit down with the New York-based founders of made-to-measure ballet-flats brand Margaux. Plus: entrepreneur Harry Slatkin shares business lessons from his career in finance, fashion and fragrance.

In the final episode of 2015 we profile good business practices with David Goldberg of Founders Pledge and Cynthia Salim of Citizen’s Mark. Plus: Roger Martin and Sally Osberg discuss their book ‘Getting Beyond Better: How Social Entrepreneurship Works’.

We look back over the past 12 months at some of the most memorable moments on ‘The Entrepreneurs’. We meet the CEOs of Rapha and MUBI, the menswear director of J.Crew, the creative director of Angels costumiers, the founders of Cobra Beer and Konik's Tail vodka, the author of 'Well Designed', and report on a radio station in Helsinki and a humidor workshop in Havana.