Getting there involves factors that depend a lot on the way we deal with challenges, unforeseen events and obstacles, sometimes they are not stones, they are quarries on the way. In addition to providing an environment for creation, for making things happen, for pulling us up. Always looking for the ideal balance between ensuring the basics are well done and the freedom to make the company a body in constant change.

Sometimes I think that being alive for 20 years, as a tour operator, is almost a miracle. Just to give you an idea, I have seen dozens if not hundreds of new tourist entertainment companies and tour operators appear and disappear from the market during these 20 years of existence on the market, and those that existed at the time Living Tours was founded should no longer exist 10% of the brands that existed at the time Living Tours was founded.

I still remember, for example, that eight days after the founding of Living Tours, a tour operator, who dominated the market at the time, called, threatening that Living Tours would be illegal and giving us eight days to remove all the brochures from the market, otherwise, I would call all the authorities.

Unfortunately due to the way we work, the passion and love we put into the business and above all the connection with our people and everyone we interact with. Five years after this threat, which came to fruition with several inspections by the Portuguese authorities, this company or this operator lost the market every day, every week and every month, until it had to be sold to Lisbon with all its its fleet and vehicles, ceasing to operate in Porto.

The more we grow, the more I insist on innovating, keeping 80% focused on what we already know how to do and 20% always on innovation and development, new products, new markets, new areas of activity within tourism.

There are already many things copied in the world, we have to go after others to have a personality and differentiation. Something that suits us, that is interesting, that helps us position ourselves in a different way in the market.

We cannot be content with being the same as others, in my room, which is the place where we meet the executive board every week, I left a single message on the wall. “Think Outside The Box”. That's it, we always have to question the “status quo”, question normality and normality and offer something different, but one that the market wants, needs and appreciates. With our irreverence and rebellion.

And always with a lot of passion. From a very early age, I always wanted to start a business, I didn't know where. Right after finishing college, I had three business areas with a financial viability plan that I developed to implement. One idea was to distribute newspapers and magazines in the early hours of the morning by subscription, I'm glad I didn't go there, otherwise it would have already disappeared from the market or would have survived only if we had migrated to digitalization, the second was a b2b online wine distribution and b2c, could be a big business. But it was the third option, the one that is my passion to travel, and to be passionate about our country Portugal, and to be able to create a company that would show it to the world, to tourists from all over the world who visited us.

It was here that my purpose spoke much louder, when we put passion into what we do, making it happen becomes much easier, it becomes a wonderful sport to practice. The first name of the company, which still appears today on the commercial certificate, is called Living in Portugal, it was this that wanted to show how people live in Portugal that I wanted to show the world.

In these twenty years, I didn't feel like I worked, but rather that I had fun. This passion of youth, which matured with me and became true love, and gives me strength and vitality to overcome complicated moments, as was the case with the Covid-19 pandemic recently.

Doing the math to see if the business can survive is essential, but it is the minimum necessary. Although if we get immersed in more and more bills, without testing anything, we might give up on it. And a little risk, madness, adrenaline, is part of the life of those who choose to undertake. It's like traveling on vacation. The plan is quite expensive to pay for a few days that pass super quickly, but in the family's memories, that period will be eternal. And it still has a gigantic power to broaden everyone’s horizons.

In these twenty years, I didn't feel like I worked, but rather that I had fun. This passion of youth, which matured with me and became true love, and gives me strength and vitality to overcome complicated moments, as was the case with the Covid-19 pandemic recently.

Doing the math to see if the business can survive is essential, but it is the minimum necessary. Although if we get immersed in more and more bills, without testing anything, we might give up on it. And a little risk, madness, adrenaline, is part of the life of those who choose to undertake. It's like traveling on vacation. The plan is quite expensive to pay for a few days that pass super quickly, but in the family's memories, that period will be eternal. And it still has a gigantic power to broaden everyone’s horizons.

First you must study your market well, for example, before betting on and starting Living Tours I did a market study myself, scheduling meetings with reception managers and hotel directors to understand if there was a need for a guided tours, and the feedback is that there was that operator who threatened me and he worked very poorly because he was practically the only one. When I realized that there was space for a company that was professional and offered something innovative, and with passion, then there was no one who could beat us.

So if you have studied your market and believe that there is a beautiful sea to sail on, roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. What makes you ecstatic? You will only overcome insecurity by moving towards practice. Believe in your idea and go ahead because your attitude will help you overcome storms and get to the other side better. Ever.

Get your hands dirty

This freedom to look at your product and see it constantly changing and adapting, stimulated by different sources of inspiration, is sensational fuel. Putting this spirit of change into practice gives you the drive to win the game for years to come, or even forever.

Transformation. What was yesterday is over, it is no longer today. Everything can change its state of form, it's worth keeping an open mind to change.

It is also necessary to recognize and strengthen the greatest foundation of your company: human beings. We are human, our employees are human, so are our guests and partners. The fantasy of perfection is over here, because each person has their own strengths and vulnerabilities. That's why we must humanize the business through these fundamental pillars: passion, service, experience, innovation and excellence.

The word humanize is self-explanatory. Your work has to be something true, from the heart, as natural as possible. No one is better than anyone. We are all warriors and we learn from each other. I see many companies controlling professionals to humanize the business. All good. But leaders need to set an example. Because the team repeats what its manager, its leader, does.

Listen, build together, engage, be accessible. These are factors in the interpersonal relationship that make the difference. This is one of the biggest learnings I've had in all these years in the market.

I will remember the obvious: a company is made up of human beings, who need to know and connect. At coffee, on the way to lunch, at meetings to discuss ideas, in collaboration when something goes wrong, at celebrations.

Humanizing serves our business, our brand, our relationships, our decision-making and our daily lives.

We don't know everything. We only got this far because we could count on the help of people who identified with our truth, and it was the truth that also captivated our partners and guests.

We formed an incredible team and built a brand full of history, resilience, with its own personality. Above all this is the brand's performance? What are its foundations? What message is it sending? Is it strong in the market? What is the purpose of the business? And your team?

A more human attitude is rooted in many management guidelines!

If you ask me to summarize the success of Living Tours, I will answer that with people we make our five LivingTourian values ​​happen, Passion, service, experience, innovation and excellence.

I fostered these axes in the team, in the strategy, in the brand at the heart of the business and I want to foster them with as many entrepreneurs as possible. So that they also evolve not as a company, but as a community in which everyone has their own role, in which everyone looks in the same direction. Only in this way will we and those around us navigate the sea of ​​opportunities more successfully.