Choosing Discipline Over Expansion

Exactly 5 months ago, we started shipping 39BC to the world, and it’s been a fantastic whirlwind. Pretty much everything I wanted and visualised for the business has happened within this short time, and as a result, the opportunities have come thick and fast.  Which is the precise point

Ignore Africa’s Luxury Consumer at Your Peril

There is a quiet arrogance in the global luxury industry. A long-standing assumption that wealth — and therefore taste — is concentrated in Europe, the United States, and parts of Asia. That everyone else is “emerging.” That everyone else is “next.” Africa has been “next” for over twenty years. And yet, anyone

Here is my classic fundraising strategy...

Fundraising doesn't just happen. It's a series of intentional steps that drive the cash your way.

Founders Diary, Investor Dinners, NPD, Battle of Fates, Content Lists, Supply Chain Issues and Planning 6 Years Forward

Designing the next six years of 39BC revealed a small packaging red flag — and why our very first products might become collectors’ items.

The Path of Least Resistance.

For years I tried to win games that were never designed for me. Then I realised I could simply choose different ones.

Founders Diary February 2026: Research Trips, Store Training, A Launch Dinner, Back Talk with Paloma, Dover St Parfums Pop Up, Japanese Garden, Drops of God.

From rewriting scent briefs in Japan to launching at Selfridges and installing Paris Fashion Week retail — this is the honest layer behind the growth.

Today I Failed

What building something excellent quietly takes from you.

It’s Not Boredom, It’s Self Sabotage

Sometimes your friends aren’t wrong about you. They’re just describing a version of you that no longer exists.

My First Proper Onsen Experience in Japan

Today I went to my first ever proper public onsen in Japan. I’m sitting in the gift shop / foyer area feeling completely relaxed, revived, restored. You’re not allowed to take pictures, so I’m writing this while it’s fresh in my body. After my 5am Eihei-ji temple

Founders Diary January 2026 - Meetings, decks, how I set my annual strategic goals and the real reason I did an event in NYC.

I’m writing this on the train to London with that chemical cocktail of fear and excitement running through my veins because tomorrow I’m going to Japan for a 10 day research trip. Originally I booked this as a holiday for my son’s 15th birthday. I was so

Healing the Past Doesn't Always Determine Your Future

Doing The Work gets to back to basecamp, but I think physics will propel you to higher heights.

What you should stop doing in 2026

ChatGPT cussed me out and told me I was over sharing….