Harry and Joe turn the pages on the new American(ish) Issue of Gentleman's Journal — including tangents on the good life down in Miami; reasons why the 1994 Volvo Estate is the apex of modern culture; booze-less lunches with the creators of Industry; and Rolf Sachs's endless oomph.   

Michael Murray is the CEO of Frasers Group, which owns some of Britain's best known retail brands — including House of Fraser, Sports Direct, Flannels, Jack Wills, and Gieves & Hawkes.    Appointed to the role in May last year at the age of just 33, Michael has overseen an impressive leap in fortunes for the company, at a time when the high street seems in greater flux than ever. In a conversation recorded at the Fraser Group HQ, Michael tells us how his childhood growing up in Doncaster shaped his attitude to hard work and why he feels he was always destined to be an entrepreneur — as well as what the government might do to help the ailing high street, and just what the future of retail might hold.

When young men, starting out in life, their eyes wide and dreams un-crushed, say they wish to ‘work in the movies’ (whatever that means), it is because they hope one day to have an office like Charles Finch. They don’t make them like this any more — the office or the career. It is a serious room. A study in the proper sense. An accidental curation. There are wooden models of sailing yachts; hand-written letters from royal households; giant monochrome photographs of racing cars and distant relatives; stacks of books as impromptu side-tables; framed magazine covers from past lives — a fascinating monument, in other words, to the varied life and various careers of Charles Finch.  The Gentleman's Journal Podcast is sponsored by Luca Faloni

People sometimes describe Tom Straker s a “TikTok chef” or an “Instagram chef,” and yes, it’s true that he has millions and millions and millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok, and that he’s known across the globe for his mesmeric butter-making videos, among many other things. But Tom’s also the real deal — a chef who trained at the Ledbury, the Dorchester and headed up the kitchen Casa Cruz before trying his hand, one day in lockdown, at making a cooking video for a few hundred followers. That first attempt was pretty dreadful, he admits — but now he runs an entire studio to produce his content, while his adoring fans flock from around the world to Straker’s, his new-ish restaurant in Notting Hill, which thoroughly lives up to the excellent reviews its had since its opening at the end of last year. A second is set to open in Manhattan in just a few months time.    Tom and I spoke about all sorts of things in this episode, recorded in the office above Straker’s on the Golborne Road — including his earliest food memory, the ridiculous suit that he wore to his first interview at the Dorchester, his plans to shake up the butter market, and his advice for anyone unsure of what they want to do in life. Enjoy. The Gentleman's Journal Podcast is sponsored by Luca Faloni

It's remarkable to think that Reggie Yates is only 39 years old. In a career spanning more than three decades, Reggie has been a presenter, actor, radio host, screenwriter, director, and documentary filmmaker — but also a sort of spiritual older brother to the nation; a friendly, dependable, permanent resident on our screens.  Today, in a wonderfully open conversation, Reggie talks to us about: The prospect of turning 40 How, for many years, he had trouble recognising his own value How we can all start to work out what we want to do with our lives How he gets interview guests and documentary subjects to confide in him Why he gives a copy of Rick Rubin’s new book to pretty much all his friends And his dreams and hopes for fatherhood. Reggie Yates partners with Barbour International for new Spring Summer 23 Tourer collection campaign, available to purchase on www.barbourinternational.com. The Gentleman's Journal Podcast is sponsored by Luca Faloni.  Our thanks to Fitzdares Club for playing host.

To celebrate Gentleman's Journal turning 10 at the end of last year, we thought we'd invite, Harry Jarman, founder of Gentleman’s Journal, to sit down in the hot seat. Harry takes us on the meandering, rollercoaster journey the publication has been on from a small bedroom start up (and one that everyone said would fail) to an established and hugely successful media brand.  We speak about how the worlds of magazines, luxury, and even manhood have changed dramatically over the past decade; how Harry’s hairline won him early advertisers; about the moment in the pandemic that he thought the party might be well and truly over; and whether, given the chance, he’d do it all again. Enjoy!  

This is the last episode of the podcast for 2023. But fear not — we’re going out with a bang. Or a roar. Or whatever the noise is that Formula One cars make. Because our guest on today’s show is Christian Horner, the Team Principal at Red Bull and one of the sport’s most compelling ambassadors. Christian has petrol in his veins. He was a talented driver himself as a young man, before he set up his own race team, Arden International, at the age of just 25 — and then became the sport’s youngest ever team principal when he joined Red Bull at 31. We spoke earlier this month, at the end of another bumper year for the team and its talismanic driver Max Verstappen — and in a reflective conversation, Christian gives us the inside line on the 2021 championship (the spiciest in history, perhaps); the secrets he learned from the sport’s biggest characters; and why he always uses the same portaloo on race day.  Enjoy, and we’ll see you in 2023.

Tim Brown sometimes talks about how much he used to dread dinner parties — and especially that moment when the conversation would turn to him and what he was up to for work. The truth was, Tim wasn’t entirely sure. A former professional football player in New Zealand who went to the 2010 World Cup, by his early thirties Tim had retired and embarked on what many people (including himself) though was a highly eccentric calling: creating a pair of shoes from his country’s greatest export, wool. Now, however, less than a decade later, his Allbirds brand is one of the great e-commerce and footwear stories of our time — and when it went public last year, it was valued at over four billion dollars.  Today, Tim tells us why imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; how everyone originally told him the project was doomed to fail; and what it feels like to see Barack Obama wearing a pair of your shoes.    

Our guest on today’s show is Giles Coren, the Times restaurant critic and columnist. We recorded with Giles for an hour, but it felt almost like we got two hours of content — and often at times, listening back to the recording, I was convinced I had my player going at double speed, such is the pace of Giles speech and mind. So, in a wide-ranging, highly entertaining conversation, we touched on the rise of the caviar 'bump', charges of nepotism, being seen as a person who ‘divides opinion’, why he regrets tweeting about a kid with a drum kit, trying to save Simpsons Tavern, the debauched days of 1990s Tatler, why lobster is overrated, his advice to young writers, why Keith McNally and James Corden deserve each other, and how nobody uses the word 'Proustian' correctly.

Our guest on today’s episode of the Gentleman's Journal podcast is Labrinth, the musician and super producer. We first met Labrinth back in 2019, just after his last album, 'Imagination and the Misfit Kid', came out — but before the wild, runaway success of the giant HBO show Euphoria, which became the most tweeted about program in history during its second season earlier this year. A huge amount of the show's success is almost certainly down to its soundtrack, which Labrinth, of course, scored and produced — and the music in the show very often has the otherworldly and yet soulful energy that is true of all of Labrinth’s music. His latest album, 'Ends and Begins', is certainly otherworldly — and we talk about the cosmic nature of Labrinth's music and beliefs in a highly enjoyable conversation that spans his feelings on his recent ADHD diagnosis; how he is excited about the great adventure of death; and why fame makes toddlers of us all. 

Our guest today is Maro Itoje, the England and Saracens rugby player and Frieze London committee member. Maro has won four English Premiership titles with Saracens, three European Rugby Champions Cup titles, three Six Nations titles, and has played in a world cup final — that agonizing defeat, of course, to South Africa, which we talked about a bit during our conversation. On top of that, he’s been selected for two British & Irish Lions tours, and in the second of these was voted the Lions Player of the Series. Off the pitch, he’s a huge collector of African art and has curated an exhibition with Sotheby’s — and eventually, he tells us, he’d like to open up a London gallery of his very own. In a highly enjoyable episode, we talk about the origins of his ‘Pearl’ nickname; the fragile state of Premiership Rugby; the psychological tricks of England Coach Eddie Jones; and the last days of Roger Federer.

“My phone was exploding, mainly with texts from my kids: ‘Donald Trump knows who you are — do we need to leave the country?!’” Jon Sopel was the BBC's North America editor from 2014 to 2021 — perhaps the most eventful seven years in modern American history. Last year, he announced he was leaving the BBC after more than three decades to start The News Agents, a new podcast with former BBC colleagues Emily Maitlis and Lewis Goodall, which kicked off in the number one slot on the podcast charts this week.  In a rather wonderful conversation, Jon discusses his high-profile scuffle with Donald Trump in the White House briefing room; the most devastating moments in his time as a foreign correspondent; and how his nerves almost got the better of him when interviewing Barack Obama.  The News Agents is available on Global Player or wherever you get your podcasts.

"The older I get, the more I am interested in simplicity..." To celebrate the launch of our Summer 2022 Issue of Gentleman's Journal, the wonderful celebrity photographer Tomo Brejc talks us through his shoot with cover star Tom Hiddleston — and tells us how we can all take better portraits, no matter who we're shooting. 

In this episode of 'Overheard at the Clubhouse', we sit down with writer and editor Dana Brown to discuss his new book, Dilettante: True Tales of Excess, Triumph and Disaster, which is excerpted in the Summer Issue of Gentleman's Journal. The book is brilliant. Charting Dana's clamber up the formidable masthead at Vanity Fair across the 1990s and 2000s, it's a wonderfully revealing romp through Manhattan's power circles at their most powerful. 

"Men will always find a way to show off, no matter how uncool it makes them look..." To celebrate the launch of our Summer 2022 issue of the magazine, we sat down with Ed Cumming (a regular contributor and Senior Feature Writer at the Telegraph) to discuss the unlikely return of the mullet and the nauseating rise of the LinkedIn Man — two recent developments that may well be intertwined...  

George Ezra is a singer, songwriter, and perhaps the loveliest and most thoughtful man in pop music. He is about to release his third album — The Gold Rush Kid — a record he says is his most personal and honest yet. But it is also a huge amount of fun, of course — that sort of sun-baked perfection that George does so uniquely well. In a highly enjoyable conversation, we spoke about the origins of his remarkable voice; the weirdness of social media; and how he almost lost a foot (sort of) while walking the length of the British Isles.

Munya Chawawa is the brilliant comedian and satirist whose viral videos have skewered the likes of Matt Hancock (in a memorable cover of Shaggy’s ‘It Wasn’t Me’), Piers Morgan, Will Smith, Nigella Lawson, vacuous influencers, American YouTubers, and most of the current cabinet. He is also the host of Race around Britain, a documentary series for which he was nominated for a Bafta just last week, while in 2021 he was nominated for a MOBO award for best media personality. He is also the hardest working man in show business, I think, and quite possibly the nicest, too. In a thoroughly entertaining episode, Munya tells us how he pretended to be Idris Elba’s son in order to get an agent; what having a million followers does to your brain chemistry; what the back of Olivia Colman’s head looks like; and how middle-aged Lithuanian women might just be central to his success.  

On the latest episode of Overheard at the Clubhouse, regular contributor Harry Shukman talks us through his piece about Oligart: a story of how the art market helped launder the reputations of the kleptocratic classes — and created a modern monster in the process.    

Ollie Dabbous is the head chef at HIDE, the beautiful, Michelin-starred restaurant overlooking Green Park in London. Having worked his way up through some of the most renowned and intimidating kitchens in the world, Ollie burst onto the scene with his eponymous restaurant Dabbous in 2012 when he was just 31, quickly becoming a truly darling of the London food scene and gaining a reputation as one of its hardest working chefs.    In a highly enjoyable episode of the Gentleman's Journal Podcast, Ollie tells us about the dish that changed his career forever; what it’s like to be at the mercy of the nation’s restaurant critics; and why Pret a Manger will always hold a very special place in his heart.

Oliver Bullough is the author of Butler to the World: How Britain became the servant of tycoons, tax dodgers, kleptocrats and criminals. The book does exactly what it says on the tin, as they probably don’t say in Moscow: it tells the story of how, as the British empire declined, we found a new role for ourselves — as a Jeeves to a series of oligarchical Woosters: laundering their reputations, hiding their money offshore, providing them with legal counsel, schools and lordships; and only now realising that perhaps that wasn’t always such a good idea. Released just last month, in March 2022, It’s hard to think of a more timely or poignant book — and in one of my favourite ever episodes of the podcast, Oliver tells us the story of the Ukrainian gas mogul who bought a defunct tube station; how gambling in this country has become our equivalent of the opioid epidemic; and the mantra that a school pupil taught him that might just sum up his entire career. Enjoy.

Our guest on today’s episode is Freddie Blackett, founder of Patch Plants. Freddie set up the company back in 2015, after discovering that he couldn’t find any decent plants that would survive on his small balcony in suburban London. Since then, Patch has become the purveyor of a very particular millennial status symbol, dragging the houseplant from its 1970s doldrums, and transforming it into a cultural phenomenon all of its own. This is a classic start up story — neat, disruptive idea; buckets of hard work; lovely branding; success. Although it’s never quite as simple as that, as Freddie explains. In a very fun episode of the podcast, Freddie explains how caring for houseplants spurred an existential crisis in him; why the unpleasant taste of Red Bull is oddly inspiring; and the overlooked secret to keeping your own plants alive forever. Enjoy!  

The use of Performance enhancing drugs — or PEDs — may well be the movie industry's worst kept secret, according to contributor Harry Shukman. It's the only way that many of today’s leading men could cook up those superhero abs at such short notice, as a host of industry insiders reveal. Today on Overheard at the Clubhouse, we discuss the effect these treatments can have on the stars themselves; the wider impact on the rest of us; and the mysterious, shadowy omèrta that surrounds this dark art — and why it persists today.  Overheard at the Clubhouse tells the stories behind the stories in Gentleman's Journal magazine and beyond.

NFT: the three most befuddling and bemusing letters in the modern English language. Depending on who you ask, that pesky acronym either contains the future of all financial security, innovation and investment; or is simply a passing fad, characterised by geeky internet artwork, the worst kind of speculation, and a thousand dinner party bores. The truth, of course, is much more complex and much more fascinating than either of those definitions. And in today's episode, Harry Jarman, founder of Gentleman's Journal, sits down with three industry experts to get their insider take on the field, their thoughts on where it's about to go next, and their actual useful advice for anyone looking to jump aboard. 

"I never felt sorry for a homeless person in my life. You've got to use that energy trying to sort them out..." Lord John Bird is the founder of The Big Issue — the revolutionary street magazine which turned 30 last year. Lord Bird’s story is fascinating. He grew up in one of the roughest slums in London, was homeless at the age five, and found himself in and out of prison several times before the age of 18. (It was here, in fact, that  he first encountered a printing press.) Today, the Big Issue is the world’s most distributed street paper — a project that has given millions of homeless people not just a solid income, but also a way back into society — and Bird himself is a hugely respected member of the House of Lords. In a brilliant episode of the podcast, he takes us on a journey from the slums of Notting Hill to the highest chambers in the land — via the tumultuous and sometimes raucous early days of the Big Issue, the new pressures of the pandemic, and an inside view on the political climate of the moment. 

Francis Bourgeois is the trainspotter turned TikTokker turned overnight national treasure, and our February 2022 cover star. Here, photographer Isaac Marley Morgan tells us what it was like to shoot him. Choo choo! Overheard at the Clubhouse is our new series where we tell the stories behind the stories in Gentleman's Journal magazine and beyond. 

Tom Molnar is the co-founder and CEO of Gail's — and thus, indirectly, the man behind the finest cheese and ham croissant in the history of the world. In a start up culture that values innovation and disruption at almost any cost, it is heartening to learn about the incredible success of Gail's — a bakery that has always made the quality and taste of its food the number one priority, from first shop to 79th. In a brilliant episode, Tom tells us why he almost pursued a career in fish instead of bread; how the company’s 30-year-old sourdough starter is it’s most sacred and protected IP; and reveals — for the first time and in perhaps the biggest scoop in Gentleman’s Journal history — his five all time favourite items on the Gail’s menu.

Harry Shukman, our writer on the dubious 'billionaire beat' of late, takes us inside the world of luxury estate managers — the string pullers who choreography the lives of the 0.0001%. Expect Shamans on private jets, £100,000 scented candles, an FBI-grade screening process, and 27-hour work days.  'Overheard at the Clubhouse' is our brand new podcast series at Gentleman's Journal, where we delve into the stories behind the stories from our magazine and beyond. Do let us know what you think.    

John Russo, the CEO of Maddox Gallery and an expert in street art, takes us inside the sometimes discombobulating contemporary art market. In a fascinating conversation, John tells us what we should look for in our first art acquisitions; how Instagram is dramatically changing the way art is discovered; why smart TVs could be the future of art displays; and what the atmosphere was like in the room at Sotheby’s as Banksy enacted his famous shredder stunt. 

Ruth Rogers is the founder of the River Cafe — London's last true power restaurant, and a bastion of brilliant Italian comfort cooking. But the only thing harder than getting a reservation here, perhaps, is getting a seat on her new podcast, 'Table 4.' The brilliant new interview show, helmed by Rogers herself, uses food as the jumping off point for a series of candid, strikingly honest interview with the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Bob Iger, David Beckham, Edward Enninful and Pete Davidson. We were lucky enough to sit down with Ruth for half an hour just before lunch service down at the River Cafe. Here — as the knives are sharpened, the onions cut, and the seabass  filleted — she tells us how the restaurant originally came about almost by chance; her first memories of coming to England; what her ultimate comfort food is; and why you should always have a meal with someone before you hire them.

Ben Francis is the founder and CEO of GymShark, a fitness company he started with some school friends back in 2012, drop-shipping supplements to their pals in the bodybuilding community. The first thing Ben sold was a £52 pound tub of USN Hyperbolic Mass protein powder — an order that earned ben a whopping £2 profit, but which left him, in his own words, dancing around his bedroom. A few years later, a single event caused one of Gymshark's tracksuits to go viral, and the young company went from selling £300 of clothes a day, to making £30,000 of revenue in just half a single hour. But it wasn’t until last year, perhaps, that the company became a true household name, and the 29-year-old Ben became a poster boy for modern British entrepreneurship — after General Atlantic invested more than $260 million in the business, valuing it at over a billion pounds.  In a highly enjoyable episode of the podcast, we sat down with Ben up at company's  Solihull campus to discuss why humility is the best trait of all; the time Ben suffered a total ‘ego death,’ and how we should always feel like we’re winging it, all of the time. Enjoy. 

Our guest today is Jamie Laing, the founder of Candy Kittens, former star of Strictly Come Dancing and Made in Chelsea, and now author of a new memoir: I Can Explain. Jamie is one of the most open and honest and energetic guests we’ve ever had on the show. A natural entrepreneur with infectious enthusiasm, in his early twenties he walked into a meeting with Harvey Nichols to pitch his new business Candy Kittens — and walked away with a £150,000 purchase order, despite never having produced a single sweet. When he was a kid, Jamie’s friends used to joke that everything he touched came with L.A.T: Laing Added Tax. But more than that, he’s a true entertainer — and a thoughtful commentator on topics of mental health, popular culture, and the perils of social media.  In a wonderful episode of the Gentleman’s Journal podcast, Jamie tells us why he originally thought Made in Chelsea might be the biggest mistake of his life; the problem with the label ‘posh’; how he always used to worry that a swarm of wasps might turn up and ruin the party; and why we should all tell our parents we love them as much as possible. 

Scooter Braun is a media proprietor, record executive, investor and manager, best known, perhaps, as the mastermind behind the careers of Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and many others. He started his career selling Fake IDs at Emory University, before becoming one of the most successful club promoters in Atlanta. After dropping out of college, Scooter jumped headfirst into the music industry — where he discovered an angelic young street busker called Justin Bieber while scrolling through YouTube one evening. The rest, as they say, is history — but that leaves out all the wild highs and lows of the years that followed: the way that the music industry bigwigs described the pair as “that internet kid and his crazy manager”; the trials and tribulations of fame and success; and the succession of canny deals that turned Scooter Braun into one of the most formidable forces in his field today.   In a fascinating and candid interview, Scooter talks to us how he slept with a gun by his bedside for years; why he loves founders with a ‘burn the ships’ mentality; and how he’s finally re-claiming his real name, Scott, once and for all. 

Charlie Bigham is the man behind the gourmet food brand that bears his name — and the saviour of many a weekday dinner time. Known for his wholesome takes on British classics, Charlie’s eponymous company — which celebrates its quarter century this year — sells 80,000 meals every single week, and will likely hit £100 million pounds in sales this year alone. But for Charlie, you sense that the finances are much less important than the food — and in a fascinating episode of the podcast, the founder tells us how a night on the Iran-Pakistan border provided his lightbulb moment; how the financial crisis of 2007 nearly scuppered the business; why he resents his food being called ‘posh’; and what happened when a noted food critic tasted his lasagne.

Federico Marchetti is the founder and Chairman of YOOX-Net-a-Porter. He grew up in Ravenna, an ancient town in Northern Italy, which is home to some of the most historically significant mosaics in the world. And Federico describes his career, in fact, like a giant mosaic — a long process of placing building blocks on top of building blocks, slowly working towards a grand design. After an early career in finance, Federico hit upon the idea of a luxury e-commerce site in 1999, at the height of the Dot Com boom. Most people thought he was crazy for attempting to fuse these two worlds — but after cold calling Italy’s most famous venture capitalist, Federico quickly managed to get the idea off the ground — and the rest, of course, is history. Today, YOOX-Net-a-Porter is one of the biggest e-commerce players in the world, with customers in over 180 countries.  In a fascinating episode, Federico describes how Apple took some of its inspiration from Italian typewriters; why none of us will be using mobile phones in five years time; and how the next Coco Chanel won’t be a designer — but a programmer.

Most of us would be content to have one big hit in our lifetimes, and to milk it for all its worth. But Marcia Kilgore has had four resounding successes with four separate businesses — Bliss, a range of New York beauty spas, of which she sold a majority stake to LVMH for a reported $30million in 2004; Soap & Glory, a toiletries brand thar Boots bought acquired in 2014 and has hundreds of millions in annual revenues; FitFlop, the ingenious ergonomic footwear brand; and now Beauty Pie, a subscription cosmetics service which may well turn the beauty industry on its head. In a fascinating and highly enjoyable episode, we discussed the unique atmosphere of New York in the late 1980s; why bullshit is the enemy of success; and how the opposite of a good idea is almost always a great idea.  

On a special episode of the podcast we talk to three figures from the world of retail about the quiet revolution taking place on our streets. Ross Bailey is the founder of Appear Here, the venue marketplace for shops, pop-ups, and just about anything else; Luca Faloni is the founder of the beautiful Italian outfitter that shares his name; and Archie Hewlett is the founder of London footwear label Duke + Dexter. It is a fascinating conversation with three entrepreneurs who live and breathe these issues every day — and they tell us how our high streets might look in the near future; why certain brands have ridden out the storm and others have sunk; the shopping gimmicks that they're tired of seeing; and why, in fact, we should cancel the word ‘retail’ altogether. 

Jack Rivlin is the founder and former CEO of the Tab — a network of student newspapers. Started while Jack was at Cambridge, the Tab hoped to bring energy, levity, and a tabloid edge to the dull and worthy university papers — and used volunteer student journalists to report on the things that actually mattered to them. It soon grew to plenty of other universities in the UK, and in 2016 Jack raised a few million pounds of investment from none other than Rupert Murdoch himself, who Jack and his partner met the week after Glastonbury, with glitter still stuck to their faces. After expansion into the US, the Tab’s fortunes began gradually to wane; until Jack decided to sell up entirely at the start of 2020 — a process that became a fascinating ordeal in its own right. In a wonderfully honest episode, Jack tell us just how hungover he was for that infamous meeting with Rupert Murdoch; give us the inside scoop on the Aziz Ansari story that broke the internet; tells us how one of the Tab’s early legal corrections is now used in Journalism textbooks; warns against the perils of the Facebook algorithm; and discusses why newsletters have become the media outlet of the moment.    

Louis Theroux is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, broadcaster, national treasure, and latterly podcast host. Louis joined us on the podcast to talk about the release of his brilliant new documentary Shooting Joe Exotic, in which he revisits the star of last year's Tiger King documentary — but the conversation soon became about so much more: the state of America right now; the trouble with social media; the poignancy of shooting horses; the perils of podcast coziness — and the very art of interviewing itself.  Louis Theroux: Shooting Joe Exotic is now available on BBC iPlayer  

Marco Pierre White is the legendary chef often described as the enfant terrible of English cuisine, and the youngest cook ever to receive three Michelin stars. Marco’s story has now passed into legend: the childhood on a council estate outside Leeds; the prodigious genius mentored by Albert Roux, Pierre Koffman and Raymond Blanc; the outrageous work ethic and infamous temper; the pre-Raphaelite curls and smouldering brow. But to hear him tell his own story is an unpredictable joy. You don’t so much interview Marco Pierre White as uncork a genie — and so this episode does away with our usual structured conversation format and becomes something else entirely: a rolling meditation on childhood, luck, pain, celebrity, greed, and good food.  We recorded this episode in one of the living rooms of Marco’s home — a Victorian gothic hotel he is converting near Bath. It kicks off with Marco explaining what walking into a Three Michelin Star restaurant should feel like — and it rolls like a juggernaut from there. Enjoy. 

Andy Coulson is a strategic advisor, former Downing Street director of comms, former editor of the News of the World — and onetime resident of HMP Belmarsh. Across the nineties, Andy worked his way up from a local newspaper to take on one of the biggest jobs in the UK media, before jumping over the fence to join the Cameron campaign as DC ascended to Number 10. Then, following the News of the World’s phone hacking scandal, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison — a part of his life that inspired his new podcast: Crisis, What Crisis, in which he talks to a wide array of people who have, as he puts it, been up and down the hill a few times.  In a fascinating episode, Andy tells us how he dealt with what we might call David Cameron’s Toff Problem; discusses the entrepreneurial lessons he learned in prison; and describes the dangerous symptoms of a condition he calls 'Editoritis'. Enjoy. You can find a link to Andy's podcast, Crisis, What Crisis?, here.  

Gerald Ratner is the former CEO of the Ratners jewellery empire, and a professional corporate speaker. As a young man, Ratner worked his way up the ladder of his family company, eventually turning it into the biggest jewellery chain in the world. And then, at the height of his powers, a single speech changed his fortune forever, and sent his life and his business into a downwards spiral that took some years to recover from.  His story — and that infamous moment — is now the subject of business degrees the world over, and his name still trends on Twitter several times a year at moments of corporate blunder. This is one of the most interesting episodes we’ve had in a while — a true rollercoaster of a story, with a born entrepreneur whose colourful career has come to be defined by just a few words. With his famously deadpan sense of humour, Ratner talks us through the meteoric rise of the Ratners Group, the morning leading up to that speech, and why, if you want to get something done, it sometimes pays to impersonate a police officer.

In a special episode of the podcast, we're joined by Tommy Stadlen and Jonnie Goodwin — two prominent members of the UK’s investment community. Tommy is the co-founder of Giant Ventures, and has had a remarkably varied career — working as an advisor to both Barack Obama and David Miliband, setting up a photography app that was then sold to Microsoft, and even finding time as a teenager to release an ambient music album.  Jonnie, meanwhile, is the head of Alvarium Merchant Banking. He’s enjoyed a rich and colourful career in television and radio, advising on over 100 very high-profile media deals in his time. He is best known now, perhaps, for setting up Founders Forum — a network for entrepreneurs — with Brent Hoberman.  This episode is all about tech investing in 2021, and the current climate and outlook for the wider venture capital community. In it, Tommy and Jonnie discuss how purpose is now front and centre in most investment decision; the rise of the Special Acquisition Company; how they stay on top of the sea of noise and nonsense in startup land; and the sort of entrepreneurs that they do and don’t like to invest in. Enjoy.

Will Ahmed is the founder of Whoop — the man behind an ingenious wearable strap that tracks your sleep, your recovery, your strain, and all sorts of other clever metrics. Its early fans included LeBron James and Michael Phelps — and its newest fans include most of the VC universe, who have just pushed Whoop to a $ 1.2 billion valuation. (Will, by the way, is still only 30 years old.)  In this episode, Will tells us where the Whoop name originally came from; how the band became an accidental diagnosis tool for Covid; and the secret that nobody knows to gaining access to the world’s most influential figures.  

My guest on today’s show is Jamie Siminoff, the founder of Ring. Jamie is the start up world’s tinkerer-in-chief — a true inventor who first stumbled upon the idea for a smart, video-enabled doorbell because he wanted to communicate with delivery drivers while he was down in his garage. The journey from that moment — to a famous $1 billion acquisition by Amazon — is fascinating: full of ups and downs, near death experiences, luck and graft and even an appearance on Shark Tank.  In this episode, Jamie tells us about the moment a random glitch very nearly destroyed everything he’d worked for, why celebrating is not always that helpful, and why you shouldn’t listen to any of his advice (or anyone else’s). 

Jasper Cuppaidge is the founder of Camden Brewery. After missing a flight on a round the world trip, Jasper found himself stranded at the Westbourne Pub in Notting Hill — and soon worked his way up from glass collector to owning his own establishment, via every single rung on the hospitality ladder. Later, he began brewing his own lager — and the rest, as they say, is history. By 2015 , Jasper had sold Camden to AB InBev, the biggest brewer in the world — though it still retains the start up ethos that Jasper instilled in it, all those years ago. In a highly enjoyable episode, Jasper tell us about the power of walking; how he brushed off accusations of selling out; and why a teenage brewing experiment nearly exploded his childhood home. 

Sir Martin Sorrell is the advertising mogul who took a small company called Wire and Plastic Products (they used to make shopping baskets back in the day) and transformed it into the biggest advertising company in the world. After leaving WPP in 2018, he set up S4 Capital — a new, data-driven, obsessively futuristic marketing company for the modern age. It is already worth more than £2 billion, and, in his own words, has left the traditional agencies looking like dinosaurs. In a brilliant episode of the podcast, Sir Martin talks about his role as the third Saatchi brother; about plans for retirement (spoiler — he doesn’t have any); and about how his grandfather cut off a cossack’s arm at the age of 10.

Tim Warrillow is the co-founder and CEO of Fever-Tree, the mixer maker extraordinaire. The company was set up in 2003, when Tim and his co-founder Charles Rolls realised there were all this lovely gin sloshing about the place, but a pretty lacklustre selection of tonics. So he trooped off to the Democratic Republic of Congo to find the best ingredients in the world — and just about lived to tell the tale. There were naysayers, of course — there always are. But the product has always spoken for itself. Today, Fever-Tree is the number one tonic in the UK, in the face of some pretty serious competition.  In this episode, recorded at Fever Tree’s global HQ in West London, Tim told us how an article in a discarded newspaper changed everything; what he thinks of the new hard seltzer trend; and why the phrase ‘pivot’ should be banished from the earth.

Today we’re taking a deep dive into a brand we’ve loved for a very long time — Crockett & Jones. You’ll know them as one of the first names in  English shoemaking — they make beautiful handmade shoes in timeless styles, with true attention to detail and infectious enthusiasm. So a couple of weeks ago we headed to their famous factory up in Northampton to meet the people behind the brand — from the pattern cutters, to the clickers, and the closers — and even several members of the Jones family themselves, who still run the business after more than 140 years.  If you’re interested in British craftsmanship, interested in entrepreneurship, interested in how a historic, family run business adapts itself to the modern day — or if you just quite like shoes — then we hope you’ll enjoy this episode. 

Asket is the fashion brand that doesn't want you to buy clothes. The company was set up in 2014, and it focuses on a permanent collection of a few beautifully designed and very well made garments. There are no seasons, no sales, no gimmicks, no fads. The manifesto is simple: buy less, buy better, and keep it longer. In this episode, the boys talk about their first impressions of one another; their love of crayfish and schnapps; why the word 'sustainability' is rubbish; and how a year-long odyssey to design a single t-shirt nearly drove them mad. Enjoy!

John Foley is the founder and CEO of Peloton, the at-home exercise company. John started out working in a candy factory, before a meandering career took him to Silicon Valley, the record industry, Barnes & Noble and beyond. At 40, he decided to start selling exercise bikes that let you attend spin classes whenever and wherever you wanted.  Almost everyone told him it was a terrible idea. But after several years of sheer grit (and a few slightly wonky prototypes) the company is now a huge global success — it IPO’d last year, and has been one of the few real success stories of the Coronavirus pandemic, as more and more of us take to exercising at home.  In this episode, John talks to us about the atmosphere in Silicon Valley during the dotcom boom; about his love for Snickers; about the demise of Kickstarter campaigns; and about his hatred for the phrase “chillax”.

Sir John Hegarty is the British Adman extraordinaire, and the industry’s favourite contrarian. He’s the founder of BBH, one of London’s best established and most successful ad agencies, and the brains behind decade-defining campaigns for Levis, Audi, British Airways and Johnny Walker.  This is an episode from the Gentleman’s Journal archive — we recorded it back in the summer of 2018, but it’s only just seen the light of day. Thankfully, Hegarty’s advice, Oracle-like insight and counterintuitive outlook are timeless.  In this episode, we spoke about how humour can always save a campaign; about the birth of Flat Eric; about how, actually, you don’t learn much from your failures; and about how storytelling gave birth to the modern human race. 

Imran Amed is the founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of Business of Fashion, perhaps the most authoritative voice in the entire fashion industry. Imran started the company on his sofa in London in 2007, and has since grown it into a media powerhouse that employs more than 100 people. In this episode, we spoke about all sorts of things in this very interesting episode: why you should look for your global niche, how ten days on a silent retreat changed Imran’s life, why his dream is to slam dunk like Michael Jordan, and how the high street can save itself in the current crisis.

Jeremy King is the restaurateur behind so many of London’s finest and most adored restaurants. Along with his long time collaborator Chris Corbin, he opened the Ivy and J Sheekey and Le Caprice in the nineties, all of which became London’s first true ‘power’ restaurants — and more recently, they’ve been behind places like the Wolseley, the Delaunay, Colbert, Fischer's, Soutine and Brasserie Zedel.  In this episode, we spoke about how Jeremy decided to bet his whole career on the role of the dice; why he would pretend to be Long John Silver when working in finance; why you should always go with your gut; how the hospitality industry can survive this pandemic; why “I’m doing my best” is a terrible thing to say; and why you should never open a restaurant on a full moon.    

Our guest today is Eddie Jordan, the former boss and founder of the Jordan Formula One team, racing pundit, and all round legend of the sport.   This was a hugely enjoyable conversation — we spoke about how Eddie almost became a dentist as a young man, about the Wild West days of Formula One in the early nineties, about working closely with Bernie Ecclestone, about his unique style of dealmaking, and about how he has calculated that he’s the luckiest man in the world. 

Joe Grossman is the founder of Patty & Bun, who, as you probably know, make some of London’s most coveted burgers. Set up at the height of the 'burger boom' in 2012, Patty & Bun has outgunned its many competitors at every turn, and now operates 12 sites across London and elsewhere. At the start of lockdown, Joe launched 'DIY kits' so that his customers could re-create their favourite burgers at home — and by all accounts it's been a roaring success.  This is a typical Joe Grossman move, as you’ll discover — Joe doesn’t do things by halves, and he likes to charge into a problem all guns blazing. This is almost certainly why his company has been so successful where so many others have faltered. In this episode, we talk about how the first people he spoke to told him Patty & Bun was a terrible idea; why his first ever lunch service at Patty & Bun was so bizarre; and how home delivery is changing the industry day by day. 

Our guest on today's episode is Jo Malone CBE — the nation’s favourite perfumer. She founded Jo Malone London, her first fragrance brand, when she was just 21 from a tiny flat in London, before selling it just a few years later to Estée Lauder for undisclosed millions. She now runs Jo Loves, a more experimental and personal perfume brand that takes its inspiration from her own life and memories.  Today, Jo tells us about synesthesia, the incredibly rare neurological condition that gives her a “super powered nose”; how she had to learn to sell as a seven year old to put food on her family’s table; and why setting up her second business was in fact so much harder than the first.  (We recorded this episode via Zoom, and we were at the mercy of my provincial internet connection, so I hope you don’t mind if I sometimes sound a little muffled. I think Jo’s stories and wit more than make up for it.)

Our guest on today’s episode is Simon Woodroffe, the founder of YO! Sushi. Simon had never opened a restaurant before when he launched YO! Sushi in Soho in 1997 — and at first, it seemed like the robot waiters, smoke-extracting ashtrays and raw fish served off conveyor belts might be too much for Londoners to get their heads around. But they soon fell in love with it, of course — and it was Simon’s gung-ho spirit and experimental ideas, in fact, that made the brand such a colossal hit. We recorded this episode on Simon’s beautiful house boat on Cheyne Walk on the Thames — and the conversation bobbed along nicely from Simon’s early days as a set designer for rock and roll acts, to the reasons why he decide to leave Dragons Den, and even his dream to bring private islands to the masses. Enjoy!  

Our guest on today’s episode is Bill Browder, the American financier, author and activist — and Vladimir Putin’s public enemy number one. This is one of the most eye opening and poignant episodes we’ve ever recorded. Bill is, like all of our guests, an incredible entrepreneur and business person — in fact, he set up and ran perhaps the most successful hedge fund of all time. But it’s what Bill did after this initial success that really places him in a category of one — and, as you’ll hear, his incredible story takes in crooked plutocrats, exorbitant wealth, international intrigue, torture, imprisonment, tragedy and, in the end, a bold and ingenious bid for justice.  Our thanks to Mark's Club for playing host

Our guest today is Tej Lalvani, the formidable CEO of Vitabiotics. Vitabiotics is a brilliant British success story — it was set up by Tej’s father in 1971, and has since grown to be the biggest vitamin company in the United Kingdom. You’ll probably know it because it keeps David Gandy looking so handsome on all those billboards and tube adverts across the capital — but Vitabiotics and their marquee products have millions of daily advocates who aren't underwear models, too. Tej is also a Dragon on Dragon’s Den, which is a first for us and is incredibly exciting — not least because he reveals some of the most intimate secrets of the Den during our conversation. We also talk about his first job at McDonalds and his love of Fillet'o'Fish; the success of Vitabiotics' innovative new gummy products; and Tej's secret life as a house music producer — if you don’t believe me, just search Tej Lalvani on Spotify and thank me later. Enjoy the episode.

Our guest on today’s episode is John Caudwell, the founder of Phones 4u and super philanthropist. John is an incredible entrepreneur, and he was at the cutting edge of telecoms throughout its earliest, wildest days. Some of his war stories from the first years of Phones 4u are incredible — like the time Motorola tried to destroy his entire business with a single dastardly deal. But John survived, of course, and built Phones 4u into a high street staple, before selling it in 2006 for just under $1.5 billion. Today, most of his efforts are spent on Philanthropy, and this, as you’ll hear, gives him more satisfaction than anything else. Enjoy.   

Emma Sayle is the founder of Killing Kittens, and one of the world’s leading “sex-entrepreneurs”. You might know Killing Kittens as the brand behind a world of high-end sex parties that put female empowerment at their core — perhaps you've even been to one of their events.  The company turns 15-years-old this year, has more than 80,000 active members, and turns over many multiples of millions, as you’ll find out — so it’s heartening to learn it was born out of a three day party with no sleep on the island of Ibiza.  In a brilliant episode of the podcast, we spoke about the importance of having a thick skin; the reactions of Emma’s friends and family when they first learned of the idea; and the incredible cross-section of powerful people who attend these remarkable events. Enjoy. 

Professor Stefan Allesch-Taylor CBE might best be described as a serial entrepreneur — though that doesn’t really cut it. Stefan has been a policeman, an advertising agency founder, a film producer, a stock broker, the director of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s charities, an arch philanthropist, and an advisor and investor to countless successful start ups. He's also the first Professor of the Practice of Entrepreneurship at King's College London.   In a lively recording, we spoke about Stefan's Harlem Globetrotter-like approach to rugby union; the reason he used to keep a tank of piranhas by his desk; and the giant blag he pulled off at the age of 19 that kick started his business career.

Our guest on today's show is Will Butler-Adams, the CEO of Brompton Bicycle. We recorded this one at Brompton’s factory in West London, and it's a fascinating episode that tells the story of one of Britain's most singular brands and the man behind its quiet revolution. In it, we spoke about Will’s two trips to the amazon (one of which very nearly killed him); his visions for a truly bike friendly London; and why it's what we do in the five-to-nine really defines us. Enjoy.   

On today’s episode we sit down with two men from the top of the property game: Liam Bailey, the Global Head of Research at Knight Frank and Tim Hyatt, the Head of London Residential at Knight Frank. The property market can sometimes seem like an opaque and mysterious business. But in this episode, Tim and Liam lift the lid on its inner workings, revealing how they got into the game, the challenges that will face London in the year’s ahead, and where to put your cash in 2020.  Our thanks to Mark's Club for playing host. 

Our guest on today’s episode is Luca Faloni, the founder of the Italian menswear brand that bears his name. Luca’s business is a classic style start-up success story — one excellent hero product, a little artisan craftsmanship, a successful online store, a loyal and discerning following… and then the slow steady climb to start competing with the big boys. Today, the brand has four major stores across the world (with seven more on the way next year) and has an adoring following wherever it appears — their linen shirts, in particular, come highly prized. In this episode, Luca tells us why 28 is the ideal age to start a business; why the restaurant owner next door can teach you just as much about business as Elon Musk; and why there’s no such thing as being over prepared.

In a special live episode of the podcast, we've teamed up with esteemed Northampton shoemaker Church’s for a Rugby World Cup extravaganza. Editor Joseph Bullmore is joined by Dylan Hartley, the most capped hooker in England history; Ben Franks, the Kiwi two-time World Cup winner; and Harry Mallinder, the U20s World Cup winning captain. With plenty of audience participation from the gathered crowd, the Northampton Saints players spoke candidly about life at the top of the game, their first rugby memories, their greatest style disasters and their predictions for the 2019 World Cup.  Our thanks to Church's for playing host

This special ‘al fresco’ episode of the podcast is all about 'collecting masterpieces' — investing in luxury, celebrating beauty, and building a covetable collection of anything, from cars to watches to wine. Recorded at Hampton Court Palace at the annual Concours of Elegance car show — and made in partnership with our good friends at German watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne — it features Simon Cundey of Savile Row tailors Henry Poole; Evan Zema, collection manager for Bruce McCaw; and Wilhem Schmid, the CEO of A. Lange & Söhne. Enjoy.

David de Rothschild is an explorer, conservationist, and Breitling watch ambassador. He looks a bit like a more handsome Jesus, and is, in many ways, the older brother you've always wanted. He’s got a ripping yarn for any situation, often with the battle scars to match — like the time he danced for an Ecuadorian chieftain, at gunpoint, to Kajagoogoo. Or the time he sailed a catamaran made of plastic bottles around the world. In a thoroughly enjoyable episode, David tells us why GDP is the worst metric for success; why advertisers should pay a dividend to nature; and why fear, actually, can be a very good thing.   

Johan Obel and Clemens Boeninger run the Drug Store — the UK’s foremost and finest seller of CBD. And if you don’t know what CBD is, you soon will — the cannabis extract is behind one of the biggest new industries of this century, and it's being applied in a huge amount of treatments and supplements. The market around it, meanwhile, is predicted to be worth some $22 billion by 2022. For two young guys, Johan and Clemens are annoyingly switched on, and their ideas around start ups are applicable to anyone interested in starting a business. Enjoy the episode. Our thanks again to Mark's Club for playing hosts. Excellent olives. 

Davide Cerrato is the Managing Director of Montblanc Watches and one of the most fascinating figures in modern watchmaking.  In a special episode recorded down at Hound Lodge on the Goodwood estate — Montblanc, of course, are the official timekeepers for Goodwood’s Festival of Speed — Davide tells us why we should always strive for imperfection; how he lost his favourite ever watch as a young man; and why we should all try to stay five years old forever. 

Jean-Baptiste Lecaillon is the chef de cave at storied champagne house Louis Roederer, and one of the leading voices in this ancient and enigmatic industry. This was an incredibly fun episode to be a part of — Jean-Baptiste brought a couple of bottles of champagne along to the recording, and over a flute or six we spoke about his predictions for the world of wine, the truth about biodynamic champagnes, and why all wine, really, is about our childhoods. Enjoy. Our thanks to the Savoy for playing hosts. 

Our guest on today’s episode is Nick Wheeler, the founder of Charles Tyrwhitt. Now a true pillar of the high street and perhaps the best known shirtmaker in Britain, Charles Tyrwhitt began when Nick started flogging shirts by mail order at university. In the decades since, it’s had monumental highs and a couple of lows — in fact, Nick tells us how the brand very nearly went bust twice, and how he’s learned just as much from these near failures as he has from his successes. Recorded at the hub of Charles Tyrwhitt operations in London Bridge, in this episode Nick tells us why he’ll never, ever sell the business; how the high street might just save itself; And why he keeps a beard in a jam jar.

Our guest on today’s episode is Simon Kidston, perhaps the best known vintage car broker and connoisseur in the world. Born into a motoring family, Simon was destined to work with cars — and what he doesn’t know about the things really isn’t worth knowing. Today, he’s a world authority and private advisor and who helps the likes of Ralph Lauren and Marc Newsom get their hands on some of the rarest cars on the planet. In a very enjoyable episode, Simon tells us how to make your own luck, how to make a career out of your passion, and how he once took the Batmobile for a joy ride. Our thanks to Mark's Club for playing host

Alexandre Mars is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO of Epic Foundation, a groundbreaking charity platform. Epic focuses on taking the grey areas and worries out of charitable giving, and builds philanthrophy into the structure of all the companies it works with. Alexandre has been described as the “French Bill Gates” — and the comparison is pretty fitting. A businessman from his teenage years, Alexandre has started and sold a series of successful tech companies, before finally turning his skills and his fortune to humanitarian problems around the world. In this episode, we talk about his eerie knack of predicting the future, his love of break dancing, and his brilliant new book. Our thanks again to Mark's Club for playing host.

Zia Yusuf is the co-founder of Velocity Black, a mould breaking digital members’ club and one of the fastest growing venture-backed technology companies in the world. Zia is one of those tech founders who really does live and breathe his business, and he has an almost philosophical approach to entrepreneurship that I think a lot of business people could learn from. In a fascinating conversation, we spoke about the secret to all great partnerships, how to create word of mouth publicity, and why we should all chase that 'top of the rollercoaster' feeling. The Gentleman's Journal podcast is brought to you by Martell Blue Swift  

This is a very exciting episode for us  — it marks the first time we’ve ever recorded the podcast in front of a live audience. In December I sat down at the Conduit Club in Mayfair with five of the most exciting young entrepreneurs in London, and spoke to them about their memories and experiences in those make-or-break first days of the start up game.  We were very lucky to be joined at the Conduit by Freddie Garland of Freddie's Flowers, Daniel Scott of AirSorted, Henry Hales of Sir Plus, Arthur Kay of BioBean, and Archie Hewlett of Duke and Dexter. It’s definitely one of the most interesting and downright useful episodes we’ve ever recorded, and we’re incredible grateful to Martell Blue Swift for collaborating with us on a very special evening.   

Our guest on today's episode is Nick Woodman, the founder and CEO of GoPro. Nick first started the company in 2002, when he realised that it might be fun to record his surfing antics on a wrist-strap camera. And the rest, as they say, is history: adrenaline junkies, performers and sports stars have been using these incredibly smart and nearly-indestructible cameras to record just about everything ever since. Today, Nick tells us how he sold Indonesian shell necklaces to fund the first ever GoPros; Why it’s important to put a deadline on your success; and how it’s good to be a little bit scared once in a while. Enjoy.            The Gentleman's Journal Podcast is brought to you by Martell Blue Swift. 

This episode is slightly different to our usual format. We launched the November/ December issue of our magazine a couple of weeks ago, and some of the stories inside are so interesting that we thought they were might be worth discussing on the podcast, too. So I sat down with Jonny Wells, our features writer, and Harry Jarman, our Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, and we spoke about everything from Cristal champagne to our interviews with Sir Richard Branson, Sir Paul Smith and Ralph Lauren, not to mention our incredible cover story with Mr Hugh Jackman. If you’re interested in the luxury market at the moment, the advice of great, great men, or just how a magazine is put together, it’s a pretty interesting stuff.  The Gentleman's Journal Podcast is brought to you by Martell cognac. Our thanks also to Mark's Club for their hospitality.    

We’re joined on today’s episode by three gentlemen at the centre of the fitness revolution: Jason de Savary of Core Collective, James Balfour of 1Rebel, and Damian Soong of Form Nutrition. In a particularly animated episode of the podcast, the boys discuss how fitness has become more fashionable than fashion; why mental fitness could be the next big thing; and how social media can be a double-edged sword. The Gentleman’s Journal Podcast is brought to you by Martel Cognac.

Adam Ludwin is the co-founder of Captify, a leader in Search Intelligence. After dropping out of university, Adam founded his first digital media business from a computer in his mother’s hallway at the age of 21. In just a few short years, his company Captify has gone on to work with some of the world’s biggest advertisers, including Apple, American Express, Microsoft and Nike. He now runs a team of more than 200 people across the world, and recently raised over £10 million for further expansion. In today’s episode, Adam tells us the importance of showing your vulnerabilities, how search intelligence predicted Brexit and the rise of Trump, and why he keeps a photo from his first day at school on his bedside table. The Gentleman's Journal Podcast is brought to you by Martell cognac. Our thanks also to Mark's Club for their hospitality.

Cassandra Stavrou and Ryan Cohn are the co-founders of Propercorn, the UK's best selling popcorn brand. The pair started the company in 2011, and back then they used a cement mixer and a paint sprayer to cook up their first batches. Today, Propercorn sells a packet of popcorn every second. In a today's episode, Cassandra and Ryan discuss building a healthy start-up culture from scratch; the keys to a winning sales pitch; and why Winnie the Pooh is an excellent guide to modern life. The Gentleman's Journal Podcast is brought to you by Martell Cognac. Our thanks once again to Mark's Club for playing host.

Anton Chirkunov is the founder of Wheely, a luxury ride hailing app based in Moscow and London. A typical tech founder prodigy, Anton built the first version of the company at just 23 years old. Since then, it’s grown into a thriving business with more than 250 employees, and next year plans to expand from into Paris and beyond. In today’s episode, Anton tells us why it’s okay to spend two years building the wrong product; how it feels to be the underdog every single day, and why he never learned to drive himself.  The Gentleman's Journal Podcast is brought to you by Martell Cognac. Our thanks once again to Mark's Club for playing host.

David Spencer-Percival is the serial entrepreneur behind No. 1 Rosemary Water and now No. 1 Botanicals, a new range of botanical-infused drinks with various health-giving properties. In a fascinating episode of the Gentleman's Journal podcast, David tells how a chance encounter in a carpark changed his life forever; why he decided suddenly one day to sell all his worldly possessions; and how a tiny village in the Italian hills might just hold the secret to a long and healthy life. Our thanks to Dukes Hotel for playing host.  

Our guest on today's episode of the Gentleman's Journal Podcast is Jason Fox, the former marine, Special Forces operative and documentary filmmaker.    Jason's career has spanned several decades and dozens of countries. But there's been a running theme throughout  — no matter where he finds himself, Jason survives and thrives in the harshest situations on the planet.    From his work as a Special Forces diver to his new Channel 4 documentary investigating the world's deadliest drug cartels, Jason has dealt with some of the most stressful scenarios imaginable. With that in mind, this episode is all about conquering your fears, facing risk, and overcoming monumental odds — whether in business, in entrepreneurship or in life.    Our thanks to Mark's Club for playing host.

Our guest on today’s episode is Justin Byam Shaw, the chairman of the Evening Standard and the Independent, the director of the Felix Project, and a serial entrepreneur.  Justin’s career has spanned many, many companies and several decades, but it all come back to a few familiar traits — an eye for the main chance, a winning way with people and an uncanny sense of timing. From the privatisation of BT to the manic days of the dot com boom and the new media revolution, Justin’s successes trace the story of modern entrepreneurship.  Today’s episode, recorded in his corner office at Northcliffe House, is a must listen for anyone interested in getting to the top and staying there.

Our guest on today's episode is Nuno Mendes, the world-renowned chef behind Chiltern Firehouse, Bacchus, and most recently Mãos — a remarkable new intimate dining project. In a fascinating episode of the Gentleman’s Journal podcast, Nuno reveals why it’s okay to have no idea what you want to do with your life after university; why it’s as important to be pleasant as it is to be talented; and the one food he absolutely can’t stand to eat.  Our thanks once again to Mark's Club for playing host.

Our guest on this afternoon’s episode of the Gentleman's Journal podcast is Steve Bartlett, the founder and CEO of Social Chain.  Since its birth in 2014, Social Chain has gone on to become the most successful social media agency ever — it owns and controls some of the world’s biggest social accounts, employs more than 250 people worldwide, and has been behind some of the biggest viral trends of the last several years. In an incredible candid interview, Steve tells us why he dropped out of university on the very first day, how buying followers for your rivals is the quickest way to destroy them, and why everything does NOT happen for a reason.  Our thanks once again to Mark's Club for playing host

My guest on today's episode is Steve Varsano, founder and CEO of the Jet Business, the world’s first private aviation showroom. Steve’s career started up in the clouds when he trained to become a pilot in the 1970s. He's scarcely come down to earth since. Today, the New Jersey boy has sold more jets than almost anyone in the world, and his remarkable showroom on Park Lane continues to use breathtaking technology and insight to win over its clients.  In one of the most entertaining episodes we've ever recorded, Steve tells us how a chance encounter at a night club led to his first job in sales; how a good network is one of the most valuable things one can own; and how his first sale — at the hands of some mysterious Venezuelans — was almost his very last.   Our thanks, once again, to Mark's Club for playing host.

Our guest on today's episode of the Gentleman's Journal podcast is Vernon Hill — serial entrepreneur, master retailer and, most recently, the founder of Metro Bank. Vernon founded his first business when he was just a teenager, and had set up his first bank by the age of 26. As you’ll find out, he’s not much interested in sticking to conventions — at the time he set up Metro, it was the first bank to be established in the United Kingdom since 1840. Today, Vernon describes his early career with Ray Kroc, the man behind McDonald’s; how his dog Duffy is at the centre of his business model; and why you should probably abandon your high street bank immediately, if not before.

In a special episode of the Gentleman's Journal podcast, we're joined by three towering figures in British craftsmanship and manufacturing — Robert Ettinger of Ettinger; Jonathan Baker of Turnbull & Asser; and James Fox of Crockett & Jones. What these three don’t know about the art of manufacturing — and the science of selling — isn’t worth knowing. And as you’ll see, they present this ancient, deep-rooted industry in a refreshing new light. For any entrepreneurs interested in making beautiful products, and building brands from the ground up, this episode will be 45 minutes very well spent. Our thanks once again to Mark's Club for playing hosts.

Henry Hales is the founder of Sir Plus, a men’s fashion start up that uses surplus material to build distinctive British garments and accessories. From his humble beginnings selling boxer shorts on a stall in East London, Henry has grown the business to a formidable size, and built a brand that stands all on its own in a particularly crowded marketplace.  In today’s episode, Henry shows us the power of growing slowly, the tricks to building an incredibly loyal following, and the importance of doing one thing extremely well.

Will Dean is the founder and CEO of Tough Mudder, the world's most successful endurance event. Will first came up with the idea for the race while studying for an MBA at Harvard, and despite the protestations of his professors, he decided to put his dream to the test. He’d hoped to get 500 participants to his first ever event — in the end, he got more than 5000. In just the seven short years since, Tough Mudder has gone from strength to strength, and today has put more than 2 million people through their paces at 150 events worldwide. In this episode, Will tells us how close he came to tear gassing his participants, why he imported mud into the desert, and how his flash of inspiration came at the hands of an ill-fitting wetsuit. 

Fifth Anniversary Special – In a twist on our usual format, we ask Harry Jarman, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Gentleman's Journal, about his own entrepreneurial journey as the publication celebrates its fifth birthday. In today’s episode, Harry discusses how the company first got started; the dramatic changes in the world of luxury in the past five years; and why it pays to ask for forgiveness, not permission.

Paul Smith is one of the most successful mens’ fashion designers in the world, and a titan of British industry. After a bike crash as a teenager, Paul's rise in the world of fashion was slow and steady but ultimately unstoppable. From a tiny shop in Nottingham, Paul now operates over 300 stores worldwide, and still oversees every single area of the business himself. In today's episode, Paul tells us about his Bespoke by Appointment service; why the most dangerous thing you can do is follow trends; and what to do if you ever receive a live pigeon in the post.

Our guest on today's podcast is Ross Bailey, the founder and CEO of Appear Here.  Ross left school at 16, and soon found that his infectious enthusiasm lent itself perfectly to the world of business. His first true entrepreneurial venture, founded when he was just 19, is the one that he still heads up today. Appear Here is now the world’s largest online marketplace for short-term retail spaces – a kind of Air BnB for commercial property. A major driving force in the pop-up sector, the company works with thousands of established brands and fledgling businesses every year, and has just overseen a very successful expansion to Paris and the US. Today, Ross tells us how a Jubilee-themed party accidentally kicked off the entire business, what it’s like to be a CEO of a multinational company at the age of 25, and why he never wants to hear about another clean-eating start up ever again. Our thanks once again to Mark's Club for playing hosts.

Our guest this afternoon is Nicholas Coleridge, the Chairman of both Condé Nast and the Victoria & Albert Museum. For many years, Nicholas has been the figurehead of the international magazine industry, acting as both an adoring cheerleader and a hardnosed innnovator. As a former editor of several high-profile titles, and the departing managing director of one of the world's most influential publishers, Nicholas knows the industry from cover to cover – and might just be able to predict the next installment in its turbulent modern history. In today’s episode, Nicholas discusses his greatest journalistic scoops and stunts; what not to do if you want a job at Condé Nast; and why magazines are best enjoyed in the bath. Our thanks to Mark's Club for their hospitality.  

In this week's episode, we talk to Wilhelm Schmid, the CEO of German watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne. Though Wilhelm’s background is in the automobile industry, he has, since a very young age, been obsessed with watches. He’s in the right place, then – based in the famous watchmaking town of Glashütte in Germany, A. Lange & Söhne is perhaps one of the most celebrated and venerated watch brands in the world. Today, the CEO tells us how a watch can possibly cost 2 million euros, why smart watches are doomed by their very nature to fail, and why gentlemen are still so in thrall to measuring time. Our thanks, once again, to Mark's Club for playing hosts.

David Gandy is the most successful British model of his generation, a fashion entrepreneur in his own right, and an investor in several menswear start ups. He's joined today on the show by Terry Betts, the former Buying Director at Selfridges and now the head of business development at Thread, the revolutionary online stylist.  In today's episode, these kingpins of the fashion industry tell us why menswear has exploded in the past decade, how the rise of influencers could be a dangerous thing, and why we may all soon be getting our clothes delivered from a blimp. 

Geoffrey Kent is the founder, chairman and CEO of Abercrombie & Kent, the world's first ever luxury travel company and still the industry's gold standard. In this week’s episode, the travel tycoon tells us how he convinced the richest man in the world to become one of his first customers; why most entrepreneurs fall at the first hurdle; and how an incident with a tailored shirt changed his outlook on life forever. Our thanks to Mark's Club for playing hosts.

Getting rich is easy. It's staying rich that's the hard part. Today, we speak to three titans of the wealth management industry – Alex Scott, Charles Hambro, and Piers Hedley – and discover just how much this ancient game has changed in recent years. From the fallout of the financial crisis, to the rise of millennial billionaires and the advent of investment algorithms, today's guests give us an unprecedented insight into wealth management’s inner workings, its future, and the strategies that will help secure it. Along the way, Alex, Charles and Piers tell us how they can instantly tell a good entrepreneur from a bad one, how the wealthy make their own luck, and how everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.    

Arthur Kay is the founder and CEO of Bio-Bean, an award winning clean energy company that recycles old coffee grounds into advanced bio-fuels. Arthur chanced upon the beautifully simple idea while he was studying for a degree in architecture, and kicked off the company just a few days after he graduated. Very soon, he had raised several million pounds in private funding and built an expert team with decades of combined experience in the energy industry. Today, the waste from one in ten of the UK's cups of coffee goes through Bio-Bean's factory.  In this episode, Arthur tells us how ideas mean nothing without execution, about the danger of being labelled a “green” entrepeneur, and how he hopes to hack the world’s major cities, one problem at a time.

Aaron Simpson is the founder and chairman of Quintessentially, the world’s most famous luxury concierge company. Founded with university friends Ben Elliot and Paul Drummond in the late nineties, Quintessentially has become the gatekeeper of the good life, offering its clients unprecedented access to just about anything. Today, the company has over 3,500 employees, offices in 60 cities around the world, and big, big plans. In this episode, Aaron tells us about his project to build the world’s biggest superyacht, the changing spending habits of the mega rich, and his secret plans to create the world’s most ambitious immersive experience.   Our thanks to Mark's Club for playing hosts.