Eight Successful People Doing Exactly What They Want

The Alternative Entrepreneurs

What do a flea-market ringleader, a popsicle maker, and an architecture nerd have in common? They—and five others—have built successful careers doing something truly novel: exactly what they wa

Name: Sonja Rasula

Project: Unique L.A.

Years at it: Two

Many people didn’t get what Sonj

Name: Eric Demby

Project: The Brooklyn Flea

Years at it: Two and a half

Eric Demby has always been the kind of guy

Name: Jim Coudal

Project: Coudal Partners

Years at it: Fifteen

“Someone once accused us of doing nothing but following our whims to their every log

Name: Emily Pilloton

Project: Project H Design

Years at it: Two and a half

Tired of designing meaningless stuff, the budding de

Name: Geoff Manaugh

Project: BLDGBLOG

Years at it: Six

In 2004, Geoff Manaugh tapped out a list

Name: Folkert Gorter

Project: Cargo Collective

Years at it: Two

Folkert Gorter, a Dutchman who

Name: Nathalie Jordi

Project: People's Pops

Years at it: Two