Dean George

What does it take to turn your own idea into a creative business? For Gauchoworld founder and creative director Dean George, it started with a magazine celebrating his peers. Today, the platform has a space in the building that housed his childhood corner shop. Here, Dean shares how he got started, what he’s learned and his advice for emerging creatives building something of their own.

What I do

What do you do, and how would you describe Gauchoworld?
I’m Dean George, founder and creative director of Gauchoworld. Gauchoworld is a cultural encyclopedia that releases twice a year as a magazine, communicating everything within the realms of music, fashion and sport.

Our documentation of those three pillars works in tandem. The ethos is that musicians want to be athletes, athletes want to be musicians, and what do they have in common? They all dress the same. We’ve been running since 2018, and we’ve achieved some crazy things that I’m beyond proud of.

What makes Gauchoworld Space special to you?
I used to walk past this exact building every day on my way to primary school and secondary school. It was my first-ever corner shop, called the Golden Market, that my mum used to send me to as a kid.

Now Gauchoworld Space exists in a place where I grew up. Irrespective of when the lease is up, I can say I’ve done it. It’s history. I can tell my kids, show them the pictures and show them this interview.

Every little detail, my family helped me with it. My brother’s a carpenter, my other brother works in logistics, and my dad’s a jack of all trades, a former surgical engineer. One uncle’s a plumber and another’s an electrician.

I had surgery on my knee during the process. Our hands were getting cut putting up the heavy wall panels, so there’s literally blood in Gauchoworld Space. There were so many challenges and life lessons. I can never say, “This bit’s my favourite.” I literally have to say everything.

What’s the story behind the Gauchoworld logo?
It’s called the three bean logo and it represents music, fashion and sport. We rebranded about three years ago because I wanted the stamp to have a bit more purpose.

It was inspired by an aerial view of a screw head and a screwdriver head. A screwdriver’s job is to tighten the screw. Through our documentation, we wanted to tighten the narrative of those three pillars. They’re all the same size and in orbit of each other.

I’m beyond proud of the narrative behind it. Whenever we’re creating a new IP, it’s easy to integrate into our design system. Again, it goes back to our why. Someone can ask, “What does this logo mean?” and I can always tell them.

What are you most excited to build next?
Developing the IPs we’ve made: Platinum Sounds, our commitment to music; Gauchoworld FC, our football club; Gauchoworld Day, our annual celebration of youth popular culture within our local communities; and Gauchoworld Space.

Those four things have given me such a clear structure. I want to take my team around the world and play against creative football clubs. I want to see the world through football. With Platinum Sounds, I want to explore the best sounds in Brazil – anywhere. With the Space, I want that door open as much as possible to allow the next generation to not just dream, but believe they can do anything they want.

I just want to flex on my kids, man. I want to say, “Look what your dad did.” My parents came to the UK in the ’80s with nothing and set up such a solid foundation for me. I think, “I can’t fail,” because they came here with nothing, so I’ve got to leave with something.

How I got here

How did you first discover the creative industry?
Initially, I didn’t know anything about it. I knew how to play football, and I thought that was going to be my life.

I was doing some extras at Haggerston Park when I met the Soho Warriors. They were a player short and said, “Yo, little man, do you fancy a game?” I was 15. Afterwards, Matt Dent took my number and gave me a shout the next week.

They were ten years older than me, the coolest guys ever, wearing all the brands I couldn’t afford. They’d say, “I’m a graphic designer,” “I’m an art director,” “I’m an illustrator.” I was like, “What are these roles?”

I started shadowing them and helping as a runner at Adidas events. Spending time with Alex Nicholson, who was a director, gave me the confidence to ask, “What can I have for myself?” That’s what inspired me to start Gauchoworld. I’ll eternally be grateful to them.

How and why did you start Gauchoworld?
When I started in 2018, it had been stuck in the notes on my phone for probably two years. I felt nervous and anxious about getting it out into the world. Then Matt Dent just said, “Go for it.” Funnily enough, that was all I needed: to say it out loud for the first time.

I was surrounded by incredibly talented individuals in sport, fashion and music who also happened to be my peers. I wanted to tell their stories. I didn’t want them to wait for the larger publications to celebrate them. We wanted to celebrate them.

Before I knew it, our inbox was getting flooded by PRs who wanted us to tell stories of artists they were looking after, in the same way we were telling stories of our peers. Hundreds of stories and features later, we’re here.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned while building the business?
Always value your whys. Why are you doing something? Why have you chosen this specific font? Why have you featured this talent? If there’s any stage where your why can’t be answered, abort mission. If you can’t justify it for yourself, you can’t expect anyone else to get behind your work or decisions.

Work is subjective. Some people may love it and some may hate it, but as long as you can justify your why, you’re in pretty good stead to explain your reasoning.

What don’t people see about running an independent platform?
How much time everything takes. I pride myself on finding the best people to work with and communicating with them so we can get the best possible project. It’s not just about me winning; it’s about collectively winning.

That takes energy and time. Eighteen-hour days are the norm for me. You’re chasing a finish line that’s constantly moving. Even though there are improvements, you’re going to get frustrated.

I could be with friends, at weddings or funerals, but in the back of my mind I’m thinking about my business. I know that sounds bad, but that’s how much it means to me.

My working style in three words is “very, very unhealthy”. Burnout is real. You may feel you’re doing the best thing for your business by being relentless, but you have to realise it’s very unhealthy and shouldn’t be forever. The next stage is not to work 18-hour days.

Obsession is a beautiful thing. If there’s a benefit to what you love and care about, there’s going to be something at the end of the tunnel. But it could be dark for a very long time. I’d tell my younger self it’s okay to rest sometimes.

How do you balance commercial opportunities with Gauchoworld’s identity?
There’s a fine line between what we want to do and what we’re being asked to do. There needs to be an exchange that works for both parties.

Where you have to be brave is to push back. If something doesn’t align with your whys and core principles, you’re in your place to say, “This doesn’t really work for us.” But you also have to come with an alternative that works for both parties.

There’s a lot of power in saying no. Some partnerships don’t make sense, and I’m happy to let them go. We’re here for longevity. Saying no today could make your yes a thousand times more powerful in a few years, or even the following day.

What was it like leaving your agency job?
Ear to the Ground is an agency I admire to this day. Richard Adelsberg is a brilliant CEO. When I resigned, he laughed and said, “I was waiting for this to come.” I freelanced there for a further four months, and I feel I’ve got a really good role model and support system in him. He gave me the wings to fly.

There have been days when I would’ve taken that nine-to-five carrot again. But a couple of days later, something major happens that I wouldn’t have had time for alongside it. There’s that balance, but I would definitely not take the nine-to-five route.

My advice

What would you say to someone starting a platform with limited money, access or support?
First of all, read. What I like reading is anything business-related, because I know there’s information I can extract from it.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If there’s somebody you look up to, you have to be annoying. If you feel that person could help you understand something, pester them.

I can tell you incredible stories about being persistent with the right people, where it’s gone on to change your life. You can’t have any pride when it comes to your dreams. You have to put yourself out there and keep going.

How do you move an idea out of your Notes app?
Plan it out in your notes, but make sure it doesn’t live there. It should be called the manifest app. Anything you put in there, one day you have to make it happen. Make that promise to yourself.

No one actually cares. When you think somebody’s going to think something about your work, no one cares. There’s so much work going out every single day. Just put it out. Someone’s going to like it and someone’s not.

Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to be perfect. Be rough around the edges, and you’ll smooth it out along the way.