CATEGORIES

Three Pivots to $100 Million - How do you find a working business model? Do it like Rowan-a brand that reinvented itself many times before finally piercing the ear-piercing market

If you have a tween girl, you've probably heard of Rowan. It's the cool brand for piercings, where licensed nurses insert hypoallergenic studs into thousands of ears every day. With more than 500 employees, it's on track to have 65 stores and an annual run rate of $100 million in revenue this year.But in 2017, Rowan was just a fledgling startup with a great idea and a bad business model. It survived because founder Louisa Schneider was willing to pivot, and pivot, and pivot again, until its mission, profit, and market all clicked into place.

A Watch Is More Than Just a Pretty Face - As collectors look to make their grail watches stand out, they're turning to unique vintage bracelets and paying thousands on thousands for straps on the secondary market.

For Tommy Cabrerizo, a Miami-based collector, landing one of his dream watches from Richard Mille was just the start of the fun. Soon after, Cabrerizo found himself deep in the wormhole of authorized dealers and secondary market sellers to find the perfect complement to his new timepiece.Because, when it comes to a watch, the bracelets and straps can be just as important, historic, and beautifully designed as the head. It's part of the chase, Cabrerizo says. The same way I was excited to receive the RM 67-02, there's that same buildup leading up to getting the straps-that same high. Cabrerizo is already planning a trip to Geneva, mapping out how he'll come home with a few extra bands. To get any of RM's coveted straps-which come in fabric and rubber across a Crayola factory's worth of colors and sell between $500 and $1,300 at retail-Cabrerizo will need to bring his watch with him to the store or else he'll be turned away. If he's looking for something a little more rarefied, he'll pay a premium. The more desirable RM straps, made for its blue-sapphire tourbillon, sell for $5,000 on the secondary market.

The Miraculous Resurrection of Notre-Dame - In 2019, a fire nearly destroyed the crown jewel of France-and the nation set a breakneck five-year deadline to bring it back from the ashes. This is the story of how an army of artisans turned back centuries to restore Notre-Dame by hand, and wound up reviving something even greater than the cathedral itself.

In 2019, a fire nearly destroyed the crown jewel of France-and the nation set a breakneck five-year deadline to bring it back from the ashes. This is the story of how an army of artisans turned back centuries to restore Notre-Dame by hand, and wound up reviving something even greater than the cathedral itself.

Get Rich Slow - GQ answers all your personal-finance questions

This magazine talks a lot about money. Not explicitly, but implicitly. Clothes. Watches. Art. Travel. You know, the good life. So for once, we wanted to take your money questions head-on. Over these 10 pages, we'll talk about how to save, invest, and-yes-spend the GQ way. Tackling everything from ETFs and Roth IRAs to whether or not being really good at sourcing watches or betting on sports qualifies as "investing." So if you're wondering: Can I make smart money choices without giving up all the cool, stylish, indulgent things I love? The answer is yes. As long as you do it right.

Can Anyone Catch Lamar Jackson? - There is an awestruck, almost mythical way that folks discuss Lamar Jackson. Teammates, coaches, and fans talk about the Baltimore Ravens' incandescent 27-year-old quarterback

There is an awestruck, almost mythical way that folks discuss Lamar Jackson. Teammates, coaches, and fans talk about the Baltimore Ravens' incandescent 27-year-old quarterback like he's the football version of Paul Bunyan, if Bunyan ran the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds.

"It's Not About Being Perfect. It's About Being Revolutionary"- Beyoncé Knowles-Carter talks business, legacy, art, and family.

Midway through Cowboy Carter, her eighth and most recent studio album, released this past spring, a voice makes the project's mission statement plain over blaring alarms and a thunderous beat-declaring the concept of genre to be a sense of confinement for those artists whose creativity is too wide-ranging to fit in a neat box. All before Beyoncé herself saunters in comparing herself to Thanos, the Marvel villain known for seeking precious stones of mystical power to claim as his own and assemble into one unified superpower.

SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS! FOR EVERYBODY!

Are you up to date on your vaccines? Our handy guide will let you know.

Prevent the Pain of Shingles

You don't have to suffer, as long as you take two important steps

Terrified of Turtles

And other \"scary stuff\" that might surprise you

Wes Lang's Heroes of Love..

This month, LA-based artist Wes Lang unveils The Black Paintings, a monumental series of works that play like storyboards to a raucous midnight horror movie and a spiritual quest. Here, GQ collaborates with the artist on a fashion story that brings his stylish characters off the canvas.

HOW TO BOUNCE BACK FROM A BAD REVIEW

A one-star review can hurt your egoand your business. But it's possible to prevent (and remedy!) this scary scenario.

HOW TRUST SAVED KFC

The former CEO of Yum! Brands explains how he turned around a struggling KFC and the important lesson it offers for anyone in franchising.

In Wonderland

Coach creative director Stuart Vevers and husband Ben Seidler's country cottage on 40 rolling acres is filled with antiques, flea market finds and their gorgeous young twins.

Mr. Happy

Kieran Culkin as electric an actor as he is a constitutionally ambivalent one-anchors the dark comic indie A Real Pain, and is leading Glengarry Glen Ross to Broadway. It's a lot to process.

America's Favorite MOM POP SHOPS 2024

HOW WE PICKED 150 BUSINESSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

The $414,000 Side Hustle

I have a day job-and a highly profitable interior design company on the side. Here's how I did it.

Full Flower

Erdem Moralioglu plants a new seed with his bloom-adorned bag.

'Only the Strongest Are Going to Survive'

Brian Lee cofounded companies like LegalZoom and ShoeDazzle-and he believes a lot of conventional business wisdom is backward. Sure, it's harder to raise capital. But it's actually cheaper than ever to start a company. by JASON FEIFER

Coming Up Rosy

The new blush isn't just for the cheek. Coco Mellors feels the flush.

MY MVP EMPLOYEE

One amazing team member can make an outsize impact on your business. We asked some of the shops on our list to share their No. 1 team member-and what makes them so special.

Make Your First Electric Car an Old Ford Bronco

In a former naval shipyard outside San Francisco, one start-up is cooking up cars for the next century-just not the kind you think.

THE CURSE OF GROWING TOO FAST

FAIRE is a platform for small businesses, but it grew big the wrong way-almost becoming a $12 billion wreck. Here's how it fixed the problem, and why you should think twice before skyrocketing.

HOW TO ASK FAMILY FOR MONEY

Your friends-and-family fundraising round doesn't have to be scary and awkward. Here's advice from one of the world's leading investors.

Trust Equals Sales

For their business to work, Dianne and Gabrielle Melillo need more than customers. They need a community that has total confidence in them.

WOMAN TO WOMAN

Chemena Kamali's debut for Chloé was notable most of all for the way it connected with so many. Chloe Schama meets the designer whose name is on everyone's lips.

SUPERNOVA

A searingly modern take on Sunset Boulevard, starring Nicole Scherzinger at the height of her powers, comes to the New York stage.

HORSESHOE BEACH, FLORIDA

WHEN CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE IDALIA, complete with 125-mph winds, came pounding across the Gulf of Mexico in August 2023, Horseshoe Beach, Florida, took a direct hit.

MANUEL'S BIKE SHED

IN SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND

BUTTE, MONTANA

TO SEE THE BEST OF BUTTE, Montana, all Joyce O'Bill has to do is look out her front window at the gleaming white Virgin Mary on the mountain.

THE FIRST PHOTOBOMBER

struck in 1853! And other \"new\" fads that are actually ancient history.