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BOO171-674 The Gentlemans Journal DPS_Layout 1 15/11/2013 14:40 Page 1
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The Gentleman’s Journal
We  are  all  entrepreneurs
I feel that the word entrepreneurship has been thrown around a lot recently, and maybe this shouldn’t be surprising; we are out of recession aren't we? It’s time for growth - and where does this start? With entrepreneurs, of course. Putting this Winter issue together, it became clear just how diverse entrepreneurship can actually be. We the press, that is - tend to draw on the really big success stories, the 28 year-old tech billionaires, airline owners and retail magnates, but entrepreneurship goes so much further than that. In my view, there are far more entrepreneurs than we might realise. This issue is scattered with them, from hotelier Nick Jones to investment whizz Julie Meyer to renowned jewellery designer Theo Fennell, all of whom are in very different businesses but all share the common quality of entrepreneurship. One of the more colourful individuals we looked at in this issue, who I think would certainly describe himself as an entrepreneur (rather than a jailbird) is Conrad Black, a man who has consistently divided opinion, made and lost millions, been to prison and much, much more. Whether you like the man or not, he certainly has to be admired not for breaking the law, but for having the sheer determination to get to where he did in a relatively short amount of time. When Black dies, he will be remembered - mainly for the wrong reasons, I concede - but remembered nevertheless. He did something that in some form or another had an impact on a large number of people’s lives, and in a way created a legacy. In this issue Digby Warde-Aldam gives his sympathetic view on the man (Pg 92). The beautiful thing about entrepreneurship is having the ability to change something. Some are complete innovators, some just improve on existing products and services. For many of the top entrepreneurs in the World, it has never been a case of simply making money, but of complete dedication to creating a product or service that generally improves someone’s life. New brands seem to start every day, but the difference between the ones that stay and the ones that die comes down to their XVHIXOQHVV DQG KRZ WKH\ LQà XHQFH XV 7KLV issue is full of such products in the 12 page
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gift guide, both old and new, but all great. Get shopping (Pg 50). This issue also celebrates our own entrepreneurial side with the exciting relaunch of The Gentleman's Journal.com as a retail platform as well as a media one. Now you will be able to buy a number of products you read about directly from us, which will be delivered in our luxurious signature packaging. The aim is to bring the lifestyle off the page and to provide a seamless service combined with some of the most beautiful products. This all came about about six months ago when we realised that magazine publishing and retail were closer than they had ever been before. Many of our readers were asking us where they could buy the products we wrote about. There is no doubt that this direction has presented new challenges; we are more or less trying to combine two industries, and the result is still unknown - however, on the whole the more forward-thinking advertisers realise that this is the future and the reader response has been great. This step seems logical to us: why don't brands want to advertise to another brand’s customers? Wouldn’t a customer who buys a Gieves & Hawkes suit, for example, be interested in a classic Patek Philippe watch? Take a look at thegentlemansjournal.com and let us know your thoughts. Such ideas our risky, but who knows if you don't try? What’s more, if you don't JR IRU LW \RX PLJKW À QG \RXUVHOI LQ WKH uncomfortable position of being beaten to it by a young start-up willing to take the risk. One sector in particular that seems to be getting a large amount of attention at the moment is technology. On page 128, we look at key factors to bear in mind when investing in tech, examining the industry as a whole, and assessing both the risk, reward and just how much money you would have made had you invested in Apple and Amazon in the old days. We ask if this investing craze is another dot.com bubble, or whether this time around conservative investors really should take notice and get involved. Something successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs alike will agree on is that timing is everything. No matter how much hard work and research you do, if you pick the wrong moment it can make the
ON THE COVER: Style Icon, Italian Industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat Gianni Agnelli. THE
GENTLEMAN’S JOURNAL WINTER 2013
FORMAL WEAR
JEWEL TONES AND TEXTURE
THE 30 ALL TIME GENTLEMEN ART FRAUD
CON-ÂARTISTRY THROUGH THE AGES
THE 2013 WATCH SUPPLEMENT CONRAD BLACK
THE STORY BEHIND THE PRESS BARON “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently� Henry Ford
STYLE ICON
GIANNI AGNELLI
difference between failure and success. On this note, the Winter issue has included a timing special, showcasing some of the most beautiful timepieces available, looking to the future of watch making, the importance of being on time and interviewing some of the industry’s key players about their product and the business as a whole (Pg 36) There are so many reasons to choose the path of entrepreneurship - to be remembered, to change something, to create, to be one’s own boss, and to accumulate money, fame and accomplishment. The list is endless. It seems, though, that now is the time to try. Growth is slowly returning and sectors such as tech mean that we are evolving faster than ever before, which in turn creates opportunities for others. Startups now grow at a previously unimaginable pace, and if you do try and end up failing, remember the immortal words of Henry Ford, which grace our cover this month. Ford was one of the most successful entrepreneurs of them all, a man who will be remembered, achieved fame, changed the shape of an entire industry, innovated, made fortunes and was very much his own boss: ‘Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently’. | HARRY JARMAN
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Editor’s  Letter
Winter 2013
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