How I Started My Business in Spain

Today's post won't be a delightful sangria recipe or a drool worthy Spanish food destination-- it's about to get personal here. So if you're reading for the pictures of pinchos and tortillas, apologies-- we'll hopefully be back to regular programing very soon!

3 years ago I had no idea what I was doing...

July of 2011 was an exciting month. I'd just celebrated a Spanish wedding (my own!) and was about to get legally married in the US at a second wedding at my parents' home. But you want to know a secret?

I was overwhelmed.

Not with the wedding planning (my lovely mother took care of the American wedding details and I didn't allow myself to get too wrapped up in our Spanish celebration), I was overwhelmed with the decision to seriously commit to someone and something, even though we both seemed to be at the same place, unsure of the future but sure that we wanted to spend it together.

I walked down the aisle, said "I do" and soon after escaped to Mexico for a gorgeous honeymoon I wished it would never end. But it did-- and real life came knocking.

When we moved back to Spain we moved to Madrid immediately (and we were so poor that we moved from Cadiz to Madrid by bus-- in two 9 hour trips!). I'd visited only once, but it seemed like the right place to be. Thank god it was. I'd resolved not to go back to English teaching (nothing against teachers, you are AMAZING people) but I'd long realized it wasn't for me.

But reality was I was an illegal foreigner in Spain until my residency card cleared, and didn't exactly have many options. Fast forward 7 months and I was still giving private English classes and also teaching at a school as a language assistant. I was miserable-- exhausted and bitchy and even developed a nervous tick in one of my eyes (I was convinced I had some strange disease!).

Was I sick? Yes and no. I was horrified that I was doing something I disliked so much after working so hard in school to have career options. I was unhappy with my choices and lifestyle and it was affecting everything including my health and sanity.

So I quit my job.

I gave notice at the school I worked at and wrote them a very polite and sincere letter before leaving, pointing out some of the things I think they were really doing backwards (such as teaching the past tense COMPLETELY wrong). It felt so good to get it off my chest!

I was so lucky to have had Ale's support during this tricky time. We were not financially stable at all (he'd also quit his job before getting married to start his own company) but he valued my sanity and health over a paycheck.

The journey into blogging

From the first day I moved to Spain in 2009 I knew I wanted to blog. And not just to keep my family updated on my affairs-- I wanted to earn the big bucks (cue eye-roll). So I registered at blogger.com with the lovely domain Spanish Seduction. (Sidenote: I swear I deleted this monstrosity but apparently didn't, if you click the link you will see it in all of its glory). Unfortunately, this creative curious title for a website sounded slightly pornographic, and the black background with red text didn't help either. It was obvious I had no idea what I was doing.

But I wouldn't give up so easily. I read and read, taking on HTML, SEO, DSLR photography, etc. I started Spanish Sabores soon after my American wedding, resolved to share my food and wine exploits with the world.

But I wanted to travel

If it had been completely up to me I would have saved some money and slowly traveled the globe. I would've gone little by little, working abroad and ideally with food if possible. It's still one of my dreams. But marriage is a commitment, and as much as my partner loves to travel too, it wasn't the right time for him to take off.

Accepting that fact was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I was used to doing my heart's desire, and my heart wanted to wander. I'd torture myself reading other peoples' blogs, jealous of the lives they portrayed online. But I've been able to come to peace with reality, with the knowledge that there will come the day when I too will wander-- and for now our frequent short trips will suffice!

So I continued to trek along with the blog. I loved learning the ins and outs of creating a successful online presence, and still work very hard to continue learning and improving. Spanish Sabores grew, slowly, but each and every follower has come organically.

Starting a business in Spain

I never planned to start a business in Spain. That sounded too permanent. But it kind of just snuck up on me, and here I am, two years in business with Madrid Food Tour and now launching Devour Barcelona Food Tours. The idea of a food tour came while blogging, I stumbled upon a description of one and was immediately struck by how it would be the perfect job for me. In the US I studied business management and hospitality and tourism-- I think I might be the only American I know actually using their college degree! I adore food and always have (my Italian-American roots are probably to blame), and now that I was writing so much about food, I had a strong urge to show people what I was writing about firsthand.

In early 2012 I began drafting business plans and researching non-stop. I didn't know where this new venture would take me, and I was open to different possibilities.

Over the past two years building Madrid Food Tour has completely changed my life. My work has purpose, I'm constantly learning, I've met an amazing business partner and also taken my very own Alejandro on as a partner as well. I've worked with incredibly smart and funny tour guides, and had the sheer luck of finding some of the world's best interns (thank you Jessica, Jennifer, Julia & Amy!).

I'm thankful for taking a risk.

This post has been a long time coming, but I wasn't sure I'd ever write it. On the one hand I wanted to update any curious readers out there about what I've been doing these past two years (apart from traveling and eating of course!). I wanted to explain why my posts are so random and often spaced out. Running a business takes up so much time! But on the other hand I thought, no one cares! Soon I plan to turn Spanish Sabores into a more contributor based website, as I've accepted the sad reality that one person covering the amazing and varied cuisine of an entire country is a difficult feat. I'm excited by the prospect of taking on new contributors, like my first, Trevor Huxham, an American who loves Spain to death and has lived in Jaén and Galicia.

But first things first: introducing Devour Barcelona!

But before Spanish Sabores gets a huge facelift and posts start happening multiple times a week again, I have to focus. My partners and I are launching Devour Barcelona Food Tours this week and I am SO EXCITED about this new chapter. Starting a company in Madrid was one thing (and difficult enough) but expanding to food tours in Barcelona where I won't be living on any permanent basis is scary yet amazing at the same time! If all goes well it's a testament that hard work does pay off.

Difficulties along the way

I don't want to make it seem like all of this has been easy. It's not. I usually work long, 12-hour days where my only breaks are bathroom and some sort of sustenance. Saturdays and Sundays are work days too. I've gained weight from eating out all the time (someone has to taste test!) and from stopping my daily exercise routine. I've also lost a lot of my social life, and have gone from the person always inviting people for dinner and parties to someone who too often cancels plans because of work commitments or sheer exhaustion.

So no, it's not easy, but I enjoy it and hope I'll be able to say it was all worth it. If you'll be visiting Madrid or Barcelona in the future, definitely check us out-- we'd love to have you come eat with us on a tour!

Back to Spanish Sabores...

If you've made it all the way down here, thanks for reading. I'm curious, what would you like to see on the site in the future? Recipes? City guides? Travel tips? More personal posts? Let me know! And if anyone is thinking of starting a business in Spain, best of luck!

See Also: Life as an Entrepreneur in Spain