The show world is a strange community of misfits and outcasts. I see the same faces each week in different muddy fields and exhibition halls up and down the country.

Last summer at the Nantwich Show, I spent 15 minutes watching a craftsman handmake a pair of clogs. He outlined the shape of a foot on a wooden block with a charcoal crayon, then with a variety of ancient tools he crafted and shaped the wood into a beautiful clog. His precision and accuracy with the heavy cumbersome tools were amazing to watch. I was surprised he could achieve such a delicate finish.

Are you thinking about starting your own business? Are you feeling a bit scared? We were too. Don’t know if it’s going to work. Nor did we. Don’t have enough money to start? Snap! Today I’m going to begin a regular series of posts tracing some significant moments in valentte’s history.

Like many companies, here at Valentte we actively encourage our customers to write reviews. I read every one that is submitted. So far, we have 865 and counting! Most are good, a few bad. My favourite ones share a story about how Valentte products have impacted a customer’s life. Recently we received one that tickled me. Pat Steward reviewed our Lemongrass and Rosemary Handwash.

Sometimes I find myself wondering how to respond to customer complaints. Dealing with the individual customer is easy. We fix their problem, generally by replacing the item.

I’m a big coffee fan — strong, black double expressos with no sugar. Every morning I sit down at my desk to write this blog post with one by my side, and I refill it many times through the day. It’s a part of my daily ritual; I can’t say I give the cost of it much thought. They are £3 or £4 each from a café, so where’s the financial harm?

I love Alan Sugar’s gruff paternal manner in the BBC Apprentice show. They used to have an episode each series in which the contestants are dropped into a cash and carry of some kind. They are given a budget and get to buy stock to re-sell. Off they go for a couple of days to sell it. As they turn the stock back into cash, they can go and restock with whatever they choose from the cash and carry to repeat the process. The winner of the task is the team with the highest total of cash and stock

In 1990 I was lucky enough to spend eight weeks in North East Greenland with the British Schools Exploring Society. The trip cemented my love of the natural world, and I remember it like yesterday.

Join us on our visit to the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show. Explore beautiful blooms and fresh floral displays, and take a peak at our own show stand…