MARIA CARVAJAL

We had the opportunity to work with María a few months ago and we were fascinated.

I am María Carvajal, I am 35 years old and I am happily living this mid-decade from Barcelona. A few years ago, and after having explored different work and creative experiences, I decided to stop following the stable path that I had found working in a digital agency to bet on an idea that I became obsessed with and thought was worth taking the risk to build. That idea was the origin of my current company (otter.es) and for which I continue to fight to find a scalable digital solution that is at the service of people and not the other way around. At Otter we connect professionals and companies with the right carpenter for the idea they want to carry out, although as I like to say, Otter is not about furniture, it is about people. For me, bringing custom furniture to people is my way of contributing by building a new bridge so that people realize the creative potential they have and that they can make things (even their furniture) in their own way, in their own way. your size

HOW IS YOUR DAY?

My day-to-day life continues to be very dynamic and intensive, even though I am now working from home.

I work long hours so I try to have a mental and digital detox time before and after. I like to get up early to have 2-3 hours to myself before turning on the computer. During those hours I mainly do my training sessions and reserve hours of reading books that interest me to train myself and take note of new ideas. I used to spend some time meditating, but right now I have replaced this with walking our dog Uma, which honestly helps me disconnect more than doing yoga or meditating. When I walk with her I don't pay attention to my cell phone, I focus on very simple things and observe the environment in a different way.

The rest of the day, until approximately 8 p.m., I focus on quality time for Otter in the mornings and management tasks and video calls in the afternoons.

HOW DID THE IDEA OF “YOUR PERSONAL BRAND” AND MENTORING COME UP? WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE ALSO IN ANOTHER PROJECT, WHAT COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?

My personal brand was actually an organic outgrowth of launching Otter. When we launched Otter that was my only focus and my only plan. The first two years were especially very hard and I had no mental space for anything other than solving one problem after another that I encountered in the development of our startup. Due to the type of methodologies that we used in the development and implementation of the idea, which we validated step by step, at the beginning we did not have an application as such, but in a certain way I was the product. I went to carpenters' workshops, accompanied them to clients' houses...so I was present throughout the entire process and that gave me the opportunity to meet all the clients who used the service. Those who were interested in the brand and asked me about the development of the business knew that I was behind the idea and its communication. Organically, some of these clients began to ask me if I could personally do “what I was doing with otter” and help them improve their brand and clarify their ideas about some aspects of their business. Having several requests, I began to develop the prototype of the methodology that I currently use to work with people and businesses. The feedback and results were very positive, and what started as a one-time thing for Otter customers became a second business.

In recent years I must have accompanied around 60 people and their businesses. The fact that I am also the founder of my own company gives me a perspective that allows me to propose a process and a hand-in-hand support with the other person, personal and strategic.

I am not based only on theory or what the books tell us, but on the criteria and experience that only having gone through a series of personal and business problems gives you when you face the development of a company. And I continue to work on it every day solving the complex problem that is the implementation and growth of Otter. Being able to make everything I have collected along the way available to another person and their business is one of the things I enjoy the most right now, and I also greatly admire all the people I have accompanied. I am lucky to have been able to mentor authentic, creative people who seek to do things differently, that is an inspiration to me.

WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE A VERY ACTIVE PERSON AND THAT YOU MOVE AROUND THE CITY ON A BIKE, HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOUR SKIN?
Before the pandemic, my bike was like my third leg, and I rode it all day from home to work and it was my main transportation. In recent months I have been cycling much less (instead I walk a lot more), and I quickly notice, like now, for example, that it is starting to get colder, how my skin suffers and I need to hydrate it more and clean it better to avoid that feeling of tightness. so uncomfortable

HOW HAS MAMITA BOTANICAL HELPED YOUR SKIN AND WHAT IS YOUR BEAUTY ROUTINE?

Precisely related to the above, this summer I started using the Super Linda Cream and now that autumn has arrived, I have noticed my skin much fluffier and more hydrated until the evening. I have a tendency to have dry as well as sensitive skin, so I have really noticed the positive effect it has had.

And the star product that for me cannot be missing in the bathroom is the Revitalizing Oil. It was the first product I tried from Mamita Botanical a few years ago and I've been using it ever since. I used to have mini pimples on my arm that only went away in the summer thanks to swimming in the sea, and since I use the Revitalizing Oil as my body hydration, I maintain that “summer skin” feeling all year round.

I really like to take care of myself so I have a routine of a few minutes of taking care of my skin in the morning and at night. Although I don't wear makeup (only at specific times) I cleanse my skin very well morning and night, and I do the toner, serum and hydration process (with eye contour separately). At night I like to use the Super Linda Serum since I love its texture. Once a week I like to do a home spa to do a gentle exfoliation on my face and body and do a mask on my face and hair.
It's the best way to close the week!

WE KNOW THAT YOU LOVE TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN, COULD YOU TELL US WHAT YOUR LATEST ACQUISITION IS?

My last technological acquisition was to add an iMac at home, since my MacBook was sometimes too small for me, and seeing the foresight of keeping my studio at home instead of going all day with the computer in my backpack, it was a decision that It has allowed me to work much better these last few months. This was a more functional acquisition, but the one I have pending that is more interesting and is on my list for before the end of the year is to buy an Oura Ring to improve sleep and activity performance in general to improve healthy habits.

At a design level, something that I really liked to incorporate this summer is a new Kinto Travel Tumbler (now I have one for water and another for coffee) and a glass from the same collection to be able to carry coffee in take away mode.

FINALLY, WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THAT YOU ARE WATCHING, OR ARE LISTENING TO, OR HAVE YOU WENT TO VISIT LATELY?

In these months I haven't made many visits outside of Barcelona, ​​but I have made a couple of mini getaways to disconnect to two specific places that I highly recommend. A new discovery for me is the boutique hotel Mas Sant Marc and my favorite place for a few years is the Hostal Spa Empúries.

My other recommendation is to set aside a portion of your annual budget to invest in one quality event or training each year that will help you create new relationships in your industry and help you generate new ideas for you and your business. In my case, this year I attended the digital version of a tech event that I am going to for the second time and that is held in Amsterdam (this time online) called The Next Web. I already have the ticket for next year, so I hope to repeat the offline experience that was incredible in 2019.

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