The Monocle Guide to Good Business

Business literature tends toward extremes: either abstract theory disconnected from practice or breathless profiles that mistake growth for virtue. Gestalten and Monocle collaborated on this guide to occupy different territory, examining companies and founders who build with intention rather than mere ambition.

The profiles span industries and geographies, unified by a shared commitment to craft, clarity, and purpose. A Japanese stationery manufacturer appears alongside a Scandinavian furniture company alongside a British hospitality group. Each receives treatment that extends beyond financial metrics to examine brand identity, workplace design, organizational culture, and the philosophy that guides decision-making. The emphasis falls on how these businesses operate rather than how large they have grown.

Practical sections address specific challenges: designing workspaces that facilitate collaboration, developing brand identities that communicate values, hiring processes that identify cultural fit, and leadership approaches that sustain quality through scale. These are not templates to copy but principles to adapt, informed by examples that have proven their merit over time.

The visual presentation reflects Monocle's editorial standards. Photography documents actual spaces and real working conditions. Layouts allow images room to breathe while keeping text accessible. Paper stock and binding quality create a physical object worthy of permanent reference. This is a book for founders seeking models beyond the venture-backed unicorn, for managers building cultures rather than just companies, and for anyone who believes that how you work matters as much as what you achieve.