The Branded Gentry: How a New Era of Entrepreneurs Made Their Names
By: Charles Vallance, David Hopper
Every era has its gentry: wealth, authority and power are seldom static for long. Once, whiskered industrialists challenged the landed gentry for social ascendancy. Then in the Twentieth Century, came a new era of entrepreneurs, who made their names by making their names into brands.
This is a book about thirteen such individuals; from Johnnie Boden to Julian Richer; from Lord Sainsbury to Paul Smith; from Emma Bridgewater and John Hegarty to Robert Hiscox and others. Remarkable men and women, from a sweeping range of industries: pioneers of modern enterprise.
The authors take us on a colourful, illuminating journey, decribed through thirteen compelling portraits, covering grand philosophies and shrewd strategies, the lessons of success (and failure) and the dramas and difficulties on the way.
The book will appeal to general readers interesting in finding out more about the people behind the brands, as well as those of an entrepreneurial spirit who want to know how others got to the top. And what is involved when you have your name about the door.
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The value of the book is that it allows them to explain, mostly in their own words, why they are successful…there are nuggets of wisdom, and useful advice for any young person who wants to follow in their footsteps
- Geoffrey Owen, Spectator -
In The Branded Gentry, Vallance (an eponymous brand-man twice over as a founder of the advertising agency Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest and child of a dynasty of vanished Yorkshire electrical retailers), and Hopper profile 13 brand men and women. All rich, some famous, and five the core of the argument for me eponymous life-stylists … Brands that power up from interesting, enviable real people with backstories and lots of aesthetic attitude are particularly delicious and difficult, valuable but vulnerable. And the people themselves, with their collecting and their causes and their funny kind of fame, are the stuff of novels
- Peter York, Financial Times -
A refreshing read … The Branded Gentry is very well written. There is a commendable amount of descriptive detail and direct speech. One often feels one is in the room with the interviewee, observing his or her furniture, inflections, physiognomy. I welcome the book’s commitment that business is about people not just processes, passions not just practices. For Vallance and Hopper the personal is professional
- Jim Caroll, BBH Labs -
The excellent Hegarty chapter offers enough clear-headed guidance on creative philosophy to justify the price of admission alone
- Jon Claydon, Campaign Magazine -
Those of you who share my curiosity about what makes entrepreneurs tick are going to love The Branded Gentry by Charles Vallance and David Hopper
- William Kendall, Management Today