For the last few years, Justina and I have been reading articles, watching videos, and studying onli...

Justina and I have started shooting videos to use for Instagram, promotions, and Facebook ads...

Meet a beloved member of our Valentte family - Billy the Cockapoo! Here on Gate Farm we are all anim...

The heart of our small, authentic business is hidden in the rural county of Cheshire on Gate Farm, w...

It seems like only yesterday we lived in London working full-time jobs, spending any free time we ha...

It seems like yesterday we lived in London working full-time jobs, spending any free time we had han...

I still remember challenging times where it would have been easy to give up, but we stayed determine...

The Valentte family has somewhat expanded over the years. 10 years ago, we were a team of two, worki...

When I was pitched this amazing ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ to attend the very first Christmas ...

One of my aims for 2020 is to improve the visual look of our products. This goal involves a move awa...

I have an app on my phone called Feedly, which I use to follow and read a variety of blogs. Most of ...

I spent yesterday afternoon at the Rugby, watching Worcester Warriors play Wasps. My partner (the sq...

It’s been months since I last wrote this blog. It’s not easy to begin again, to pick up an old habit...

I love listening to Toy Robbins speak and hope one day to hear him in person. He talks with clarity ...

I’m loving my new cycling turbo, a Wahoo Kickr, and have been using it in the caravan. This week I’m...

I began writing this morning and realised the last entry was three weeks ago. I can’t believe how qu...

I’m still in Malvern, and the clouds have come down, hiding the top of the hills. Looking at the map...

I’m in Malvern for the Autumn Flower Show, and yesterday evening, I walked in the hills overlooking ...

Last week I had a chat with a friend who runs a large and successful business. They exhibit at shows...

On the Today program this morning I caught the tail end of an interview with Brad Smith, the preside...

I have just returned from Burghley Horse Trials after four incredible days. On Thursday we had our h...

I’m at Chatsworth ready for their Country Show which starts on Friday. The house is stunning, and I ...

I have had a busy few days at Carfest South, before leaving Jade to manage things over the weekend. ...

You are the captain of your ship, and the enemy is bearing down on you. It is your responsibility to...

Are you working on your dream? Can you see it up ahead? Are you toiling away at the coalface, thinki...

I’m at Southport flower show, and it’s raining again. Feels like it hasn’t stopped for days. The noi...

Life is full of surprise event that can easily throw you off course. You have made a plan; you have ...

I’m at the Lowther show in Cumbria and boy is it wet! The craft marquee has a small river running th...

I arrived in the Lake District today for a few days of cycling before going on to the Lowther Show a...

I arrived at Blenheim Palace yesterday in preparation for Countryfile Live which starts on Thursday....

I remember the first company car my Father ever received; it was a brand-new Rover with electric win...

I’m back under the giant tepee at Tatton Park Flower Show, watching the rain come down. Fingers cros...

I’m writing today's blog post under a giant tepee at Tatton Park Flower Show; sadly it’s not as warm...

It’s been a busy few days. I left the Great Yorkshire Show on Friday morning and drove to Cirenceste...

I drove back from Hampton Court Flower show yesterday and was lucky enough to listen to a program on...

I arrived in London yesterday to set the stand up for RHS Hampton Court Flower Show. It’s one of my ...

Today’s blog post is about the free sample requests and to address the increasing customer anger we ...

This week I’m staying a beautiful campsite on a working farm, just outside Edinburgh for the Royal H...

I’m back in Nantwich for 48 hours before heading up to Scotland for the Royal Highland Show. The tea...

I woke up this morning to photos from our landlord at Gate Farm, where we make all the stock, showin...

Yesterday I moved north, from Bramham Horse Trials to Ripley Castle where we are exhibiting with UK ...

Over the weekend, I had a long conversation with a friend whose son is battling an addiction to drug...

I arrived at Bramham Horse Trials yesterday having just finished Gardening Scotland in Edinburgh. I ...

I have been up in Glasgow for the last week exhibiting at the Ideal Home Show, and today I’m off to ...

I drove up to Scotland yesterday as this week I’m exhibiting at the Ideal Home Show in Glasgow. Duri...

I arrived at the Devon County Showground yesterday, a couple of days early so that I can do some cyc...

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been having some very uncomfortable conversations with people ...

I’m in Malvern For the RHS Flower Show, I have been to the showground many times and admired the bea...

It’s often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a d...

I have been thinking about how I spend my time in a typical week and asking myself whether I’m using...

Yesterday, I spent time with a friend who is also trading at Badminton Horse Trials. We both have si...

I’m enjoying an autobiography on Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal and the driving force behind Space...

This week I had an alarming experience when five of my credit cards, along with one of Justina’s wer...

Last week I exploded a perfectly decent working relationship with a tradesman who has done regular, ...

Two days ago, I took the somewhat drastic step of disabling the email functionality on my mobile and...

My mother was one of the “Ten Pound Poms” who emigrated to Australia in the early 1960s where she en...

Some days ago, I replied to a comment made by Sade on an earlier blog post “The Day I Gave Up”. She ...

Yesterday I had one of those rare days when I learnt something life-changing. A day I believe I will...

I remember the first time our glass order for the candles and diffusers came on a pallet. We made st...

I have been thinking today about how we cope emotionally when things are not going well.  Has your p...

All of us are selling, every moment of every day. It doesn’t matter if your job title doesn’t contai...

I just finished reading Shoe Dog, the autobiography of Steve Knight who founded Nike. It's an inspir...

I have had a hectic ten days. We are exhibiting at the Ideal Home Show, and the website is flying. F...

What happens when you stumble? Are you like me and your good habits go out of the window? Today's vi...

Our first show was the Ideal Home Show at Earls Court more than five years ago. Today's video is abo...

Life is full of compromises. I remember this during the week when we received an email from a custom...

Sometimes truly amazing, unbelievable things happen. We work away, unrecognised and unrewarded and t...

If I think back over my life, there are some events that are seared into my memory. I’m not thinking...

The show world is a strange community of misfits and outcasts. I see the same faces each week in dif...

I’m writing this post on the 4th March 2019, seven days after the British climber Tom Ballard went m...

I distrust CV's. I find them full of waffle, and big statements. I can’t see the real person behind ...

I realised I was wasting a lot of time in the evening. I would get home from work, tired and flop in...

I have been very lucky throughout my life to spend time in the mountains. We were encouraged at scho...

If I close my eyes, it’s easy to imagine what my dream holiday looks like. Close them again, and it’...

Earlier this week I received a lovely email from Jenny Appleby expressing her positive feedback for ...

I have just installed Feedly on my phone. It’s a pared down blog-feed-reader for easy content consum...

I try very hard not to care about what other people think about me. But it’s hard when I read their ...

All companies have systems and ways of doing things. I understand they are important in making the b...

We had a couple of beautiful warm days. It felt like spring had come early. But today looking out of...

Your tired, it’s been a long day. You arrive home late for supper. What do you talk about while you ...

Have a backup plan! Sounds like sensible advice that I would usually follow. Listening to a program ...

Each morning in the shower I think about my goals. I do the same while I’m driving. I think about it...

For as long as I can remember my working day started the same way. Sat at my desk, I would look thro...

Last summer at the Nantwich Show, I spent 15 minutes watching a craftsman handmake a pair of clogs. ...

I have been wrestling with a decision, tossing it over and over in my mind. Playing out the possible...

Are you thinking about starting your own business? Are you feeling a bit scared? We were too. Don’t ...

In my mid-thirties I began to do a lot of cycling. When I mean a lot, think of Forest Gump and his r...

I frequently find myself in quiet moments reflecting on my happiness. Is my life going the way that ...

Regular readers will know that I have made a personal commitment to “become the kind of person who d...

I’m spending a couple of days hill-walking with my brother in Snowdonia. He reminded me about a go-k...

The mountains are great teachers. They care nothing about our ambitions or goals. Each time we ventu...

The hardest part of any journey is the first few steps. Out hill-walking I often find myself overwhe...

Like many companies, here at Valentte we actively encourage our customers to write reviews. I read e...

Sometimes I find myself wondering how to respond to customer complaints. Dealing with the individual...

Hardly a day goes by without me feeling one or more of these fearful emotions. I imagine you have fo...

Over Christmas, I have found myself thinking about the quality of my relationships. Particularly tho...

I’m a big coffee fan — strong, black double expressos with no sugar. Every morning I sit down at my ...

2019 is the 20th anniversary of me stopping drinking and gambling. Back in 1999, I was 25, newly mar...

I love listening to motivational speakers on YouTube. I heard one tell a story, about a group of pho...

I love Alan Sugar’s gruff paternal manner in the BBC Apprentice show. They used to have an episode e...

I remember reading an old interview with Michael Caine. He discussed his early career and how succes...

I have always set goals. Endless goals and targets. Throughout my life. For work, for the gym, for m...

I sometimes find myself questioning the responses I give to others when they make a request. I’m not...

We believe that our homes should contain beautiful, natural and organic products. Free from the chem...

In 1990 I was lucky enough to spend eight weeks in North East Greenland with the British Schools Exp...

Do you remember the last time you had to find something? It was important. It was urgent. You just h...

Do you find it hard to make changes? Do you find reasons for not implementing the changes you need t...

Each year I visit a lot of motorway service stations. Last year I drove just over 40,000 miles. Sitt...

Mandy is our candlemaker. She came to me and asked if I would come and examine a batch of wicks that...

One of the big changes you will see with Valentte products in 2019 is the phasing out of labels on o...

Join us on our visit to the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show. Explore beautiful blooms and fresh floral d...