A post from Julia this week:

My best job has been being a mother and housewife. I was my own boss. I’ve have learned more, running my family, than in any other work place.

For a lot of business women, this might sound old fashion, but I’m the living proof that a family is the most complex and hard thing to run. If you do this successfully any other project becomes relatively easy.

The family and me

I have worked for others for twenty years of my life, thirteen years for an optical company in Spain, then I became a housewife, moved to England, lived there for eight years and I worked for the Social Services in Sussex, then we move back to Spain (twenty years ago) and I worked  five years for a mobile telephone company.

For twenty five years I was the typical Spanish housewife and mother that takes control of everything and everybody’s needs (physical, economical, emotional). I did enjoy it very much.

One of me cooking

Running my family taught me everything I know about spending and saving, cooking and diets, talking and listening, laughing and crying, agreements and disagreements.

My husband,Paddy, left his job three years ago and we thought that we could start something together, using his excellent work experience and my Spanish personality.

Me with some customers

Now we have a beautiful project called “The Spanish Thyme Traveller” which is a small friendly travel company that organizes trips in reduced groups to discover the food, wine and culture of interior of Valencia and Teruel and I use the same philosophy to run the company that I have used to run my family.

The part of the business that I like the most is being with the customers because then I only have to be myself. I like people, and feel very happy when I see them enjoying themselves and having fun.

When I’m with customers I feel as though  I’m on holiday and I enjoy every winery visit, every restaurant, every walk or any other activity we do as if it was the first time. To see them happy makes me feel that I’m doing something good.

Me smiling

My motto in life is “Happiness”. I like to laugh a lot and I like people to do the same. It’s very nice when somebody smiles at me because I smile at everybody (even to the Spanish Civil Servants when they drive me mad with legal paperwork).

The Spanish Thyme Traveller organise trips on which you can experience the amazing food and culture of the  beautiful interior of Valencia and Teruel.Check out our webpage by clicking on this logo: