Report on Cadena Ser

Now you can hear an interesting report where we participated with the team of ‘A Vivir que son dos días’ (directed by Javier del Pino), the reference radio show in Cadena SER, with Juan José Millás and Paqui Ramos.

 

🎧 Listen here

 

Here is the translation of the article from the Cadena Ser website translated into English!

 

Make the plane wait for me: the complex life of a millionaire

 

How they live, the requests they make and the people that help to organize their lives

 

Paqui Ramos

Cadena SER16/10/2022 – 10:15 h CEST

Madrid / Barcelona

 

We’re such a miserable bunch that during the two hours of the train journey from Madrid to Barcelona, we couldn’t think of a single extravagant thing to request to the Albertas. When you don’t belong to that world, you don’t have the experience or the imagination to know all the things that you could request and, better (or worse) still, everything that could be within your reach, even before you request it.

 

Lourdes Carbó worked in the Family Office for a businessman until the day that he and his family decided to leave for Miami and she decided to stay and take care of the things he needed in Barcelona. “A millionaire’s life is very complex. You cannot compare having a house to manage to have five houses, a yacht and a private jet, as well as the children’s school in a foreign country”.  They are constantly on business trips and they don’t have time to deal with day-to-day issues. “If they have a lawyer or a financial advisor to deal with their assets, why would they want to take care of buying tickets or calling a plumber?” That’s where Alberta La Grup comes in , the company that Lourdes founded 15 years ago with her ex-boss as her first client.

Throughout the morning that we spent with her almost all-female team, we realise that they are real go-getters whose strongest talent is in taking action and finding the right person to contact: “the best padel instructor, the best horse trainer, a dog-walker, the person to fix something very specific.” They ask them for everything: from picking up a ring from the jewellers to renting a car to see how it fits in the garage before they decide to buy it. Booking tickets for a particular concert, a table in a luxury restaurant, booking a villa for the Christmas holidays that comes complete with a butler, babysitter, housekeeping service, gardener, etc. They themselves hire, and sometimes even train, these people.

Juanjo is interested in having dinner with Penélope Cruz. Could they make it happen? Anything is possible “as long as it isn’t illegal or immoral”. In their 15 years of work, they have realised that the key is in having the right information, as well as good contacts and persuasive skills. Is it possible to be empathetic towards someone who spends more in a month than you will have in a lifetime? With someone who doesn’t care about making a plane wait 20 minutes because they’re running late? With someone who interrupts a meeting with an oncologist? Empathy for them is getting into the mind-set of someone else, but always keeping your feet firmly on the ground. It’s hard to keep your cool when you go up to the penthouse in the Antares Tower and take a look around  the 660 square-metre designer apartment with a terrace overlooking the whole of Barcelona and a good part of the Mediterranean. As Juanjo says, “having all of this should make you afraid of going outside – maybe a brick will fall on your head and you will lose everything”.

 

TLI on ‘Tot es mou’, the TV3 magazine

Recently we also had the privilege of appearing live on the TV3 ‘Tot es mou’, talking about The Lifestyle Institute, how the training in our Postgraduate is, the way we work and, in short, who we are and what inspires us to be personal angels.


You can watch us and tell us if you liked it!

⬇️
 

The ‘haute couture’ of the personal assistants

🗞️ Read this interesting article about Alberta La Grup and The Lifestyle Institute in the business newspaper VIA EMPRESA!

 
 
And read it in english and spanish! ⤵️
 
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The ‘haute couture’ of the personal assistants

The Catalan agency, Alberta La Grup, focused on the business of ‘personal angels’ is targeted at the economically elite and has a client base that is 95% international

David Rodríguez

 

 

“I want to come to Barcelona for a sabbatical year and live in a house that has parking for seven cars”. This request, that for most mere mortals may seem overly exaggerated, is just one of many that Alberta La Grup, an agency specialized in personal assistants and with services aimed at the ultra wealthy, have received.  The company is one of very few around the world that have an area of their business focused on the personal angel. The agency’s founder, Lourdes Carbó, mentions that “the profile of the personal assistant that we have known until now was recognized as a corporate figure, but we have now incorporated that personal element too. Usually a managerial secretary would not be involved with the domestic tasks of the given manager”. As a result of this necessity, which is very focused on a specific segment of the population, Alberta La Grup emerged in 2007. “The pioneer companies in this sector were mostly abroad, especially in the English-speaking market”, Carbó says. Bottom of Form

The clients of the Catalan agency could be described as those who are at the top of the economic pyramid. 95 % are from abroad and opportunities tend to arise from the international market. Lourdes Carbó describes that “in our work, the economic level and lifestyle really stand out, revolving around their acquisitive power”. These are people that have properties, children who study at international schools and who are constantly travelling and taking care of their businesses. Many of these profiles are celebrities, sports personalities or investors. In global terms, they are around 1-10% of the population. As Carbó mentions, “they have very different necessities to the rest”.

Lourdes Carbó: “In our work, the economic level and lifestyle really stand out, revolving around their acquisitive power “

Alberta La Grup’s business model is oriented around these requirements. Through a personalized service, their CEO explains that by limiting the number of clients, they are able to provide maximum availability. In this way “we can get to know their preferences and give them everything that they need”.

 

The only school in the world

As can be seen in the typical client profile of Alberta La Grub, Carbó says that on many occasions they need to coordinate with the family office of a client – the person who coordinates sometimes more than 30 staff working for the family. “I often say that we are like haute couture in fashion and since we have to live up to these high standards, we discovered that there wasn’t any kind of formal training for this line of work”. That  is when they came up with the idea for The Lifestyle Institute, a school that is almost the only one of its kind in the world and that could be defined as a place where personal assistants who are in charge of taking care of the social and economical elite are trained. Despite having offices on the central Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona, Carbó admits that there is still a certain lack of knowledge regarding their services within their target audience. Alberta La Grup currently has 24 members of staff on their payroll and bills around one million euros each year.

These services should be considered within the context of a growing number of multimillionaires, despite the pandemic. The number of ‘superrich’, those who have a net worth of more than 30 million euros, increased in 2020 and has doubled in the last decade. This year, a study by EsadeEcPol determined that the 1% of the richest people in Spain had increased their participation in the national income from 13% in 2007 to 16.9% in 2019, which is more than the poorest 50%.

According to The Lifestyle Institute’s calculations, there are 137 skills required to do the job of a personal assistant for private lifestyles

With these numbers, Lourdes Carbó sees the personal angel as a profession with a great future that should be given more visibility. “It’s time to enhance the training as this is what will encourage the transfer of corporate assistants towards the personal assistant field”. According to The Lifestyle Institute’s calculations, there are 137 skills required to do the job of a personal assistant for private lifestyles. Although it involves a fairly secretive world, those that move within it see this as one of the inevitable traits of its very essence.

 

 

Global concierge service

The segment of the market that is most likely to require personal angel services, according to Alberta La Grup, are those that read publications such as Spear’s Magazine, where some of the articles make references to the search for the best personal trainers or the top allergy specialists in the world. For this kind of profile, Alberta La Grup has spent the last 10 years specialising in another sector: concierge. This involves luxury residential buildings in which you can find all kinds of services, such as a personal trainer, a masseuse or a dog walker. “It’s as though it were a hotel resort, but actually it is their home”, Carbó explains. This global orientation already contributes to 40% of the agency’s business and is where the agency is positioning itself in the global sphere and receiving more and more requests from foreign investors.

Another example of the areas in which this profession is moving can be seen in the training courses, for the time being delivered online, that are given by The Lifestyle Institute. Aimed at people who will later pass through recruitment agencies who are looking for nannies, butlers or bodyguards, the school delivers classes on topics such as ‘The Psychology of Flowers’, ‘Private Aviation’ or ‘How to Manage a Mega-yacht’. This is the reality of a profession that is evermore in demand and that needs to increase its professional level given that it is a high-pressure job that requires preparation that is similar in some aspects to that required by an elite athlete.

 

La 'alta costura' de los asistentes personales

La agencia catalana Alberta La Grup, posicionada en el negocio del ‘personal angel’, se orienta a las élites económicas y tiene un 95% de clientes internacionales

 

David Rodríguez 

“Quiero venir a Barcelona un año sabático y vivir en una casa con siete parkings”. Esta petición, que a ojos de la mayoría de los mortales puede parecer una exageración, es una de las tantas que puede llegar a recibir Alberta La Grup, una agencia catalana especializada en la figura del asistente personal, dirigido a personas con un poder adquisitivo alto. La empresa es una de las pocas a nivel mundial que tiene un área de negocio centrada en el personal angel. La fundadora de la agencia, Lourdes Carbó, comenta que “el perfil del asistente hasta ahora se le conocía por la vertiente corporativa, pero nosotros hemos incorporado al personal, ya que una secretaria de dirección no puede dedicarse a hacer gestiones domésticas de un directivo concreto”. Fruto de esta necesidad, muy focalizada en un segmento concreto de la población, en el año 2007 surgió Alberta La Grup. “Los pioneros estaban en el extranjero, especialmente en el mercado anglosajón”, recuerda Carbó.

Los clientes de la agencia catalana podrían definirse como los que se encuentran en el pico de la pirámide de la población. Así, el 95% son foránicos y las oportunidades acostumbran a llegar del mercado internacional. Lourdes Carbó matiza que “en nuestro trabajo, marca mucho la capacidad económica y el estilo de vida, cohesionados en torno al poder adquisitivo”. Son personas con propiedades, hijos que estudian en escuelas internacionales y que viajan constantemente, pendientes de sus negocios. De estas características, se concretan perfiles de celebrities, deportistas o grandes inversos. En términos globales, serían entre el 1 y el 10% de la población. Eso sí, tal y como se encarga de remarcar Carbó, “con necesidades muy diferentes del resto”.

Lourdes Carbó: “En nuestro trabajo, marca mucho la capacidad económica y el estilo de vida, cohesionados en torno al poder adquisitivo”

 

El modelo de negocio de Alberta La Grup se orienta en función de estos requisitos. A través de un servicio personalizado, su CEO explica que la limitación en la cifra de clientes es la que les permite seguir prepararse para la máxima disponibilidad. De esta manera, “conocemos sus preferencias y les damos de forma concreta todo lo que necesitan”.

Escuela única en el mundo

Como muestra del perfil típico de cliente de Alberta La Grup, Carbó asegura que en muchas ocasiones el contacto se produce con el family office de un cliente, un responsable que puede llegar a coordinar a más de 30 personas del servicio. “A menudo me gusta decir que somos la alta costura de la moda y como tenemos esta exigencia, nos encontramos con que no existía una formación específica para este ámbito”. De ahí surgió The Lifestyle Institute, una escuela casi única en todo el mundo, que en pocas palabras, se podría definir como el lugar donde se prepara a los asistentes personales encargados de cuidar de las élites sociales y económicas. A pesar de tener las oficinas en el céntrico Paseo de Gracia de Barcelona, Carbó admite que existe un cierto desconocimiento de los servicios por parte de su público objetivo. En este momento, Alberta La Grup cuenta con 24 personas con nómina y factura alrededor de un millón de euros anuales.

Estos servicios se enmarcan en un contexto de crecimiento de la cifra de multimillonarios, a pesar de la pandemia. El número de ‘superricos’, los que tienen activos valorados en más de 30 millones de euros, se incrementó en 2020 y se ha duplicado en la última década. Ese mismo año, un estudio de EsadeEcPol constató que el 1% de las personas más ricas en el Estado español habían aumentado su participación en la renta nacional del 13% en 2007 al 16,9% en 2019, concentrando más que el 50% más pobre.

Según los cálculos de The Lifestyle Institute, se contabilizan 137 habilidades para desarrollar el trabajo de asistente personal en la vida privada.

Con estas cifras, Lourdes Carbó ve en lo personal angel una profesión de futuro a la que se le debe dar visibilidad. “Es un momento de potenciar la formación, ya que se está produciendo un trasvase de asistentes corporativos hasta el ámbito de la asistencia personal”. Según los cálculos del The Lifestyle Institute, se contabilizan 137 habilidades para desarrollar el trabajo de asistente personal en la vida privada. Aunque se trate de un mundo hermético, los que están dentro, lo ven como uno de los rasgos inevitables de su esencia.

El servicio global del concierge

El segmento de mercado susceptible de recibir los servicios del personal angel, según Alberta La Grup, son las personas que leen publicaciones como Spear’s Magazine, donde algunos de sus artículos hacen referencia a la búsqueda de los mejores entrenadores personales o los especialistas ‘top’ en alergias del mundo. De este perfil, Albert La Grup lleva 10 años especializado en otro sector: el concierge. Se trata de edificios residenciales, de lujo, donde se pueden encontrar todo tipo de servicios, como un entrenador personal, un masajista o un paseador de perros”. “Es como si fuera un hotel y resorte, pero en tu casa”, aclara Carbó. Esta orientación global ya aporta un 40% del volumen de negocio de la agencia. Es aquí donde la empresa catalana se está posicionando en la esfera mundial, recibiendo cada vez más demandas de inversores extranjeros.

Otro ejemplo de los entornos donde se mueve esta profesión se encuentra en los cursos de formación, de momento en línea, que se imparten en The Lifestyle Institute. Dirigidos a personas que luego irán a parar a agencias de reclutamiento que buscan nannys, mayordones o guardaespaldas, en la escuela se hacen asignaturas como ‘Psicología de las flores’, ‘Aviación privada’ o ‘Cómo gestionar un megayot’. Esta es la realidad de una profesión, cada vez más demandada, que necesita incrementar su profesionalización, ya que se trata de un trabajo con un nivel de presión alto y que requiere una preparación parecida, salvando las distancias, a la de un atleta de alta competición.

Is Barcelona ready to receive the superrich?

🗞️ We share with you an article about Alberta LaGrup in Diari Ara! 

📰 Don’t miss it!
 
 
Read it in english and spanish! ⤵️
 
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Barcelona does not yet offer sufficient services to cover the needs of the very wealthy

Barcelona does not yet offer sufficient services to cover the needs of the very wealthy

Mònica Bernabé

BARCELONA

A man dressed in a black blazer, white shirt and tie opens the door for clients and welcomes them to the store. There are two floors. On the first one, an Asian shop assistant serves two young clients who appear to be from South Korea and who are interested in purchasing some scarves. On the second floor, there are a few more clients, also from Asia, who are looking at some lipsticks that are on display while they wait to be served. There are also three women in headscarves waiting, seemingly from the Middle East, as well as  another girl, who despite the heat, is wearing some kind of pink slippers – for sure designer ones, otherwise it would not make sense for anyone to be wearing them outside the house. There are also two women taking a rest on the armchairs and who look as though they’ve stepped off a film set: wearing wide-brimmed sunhats and sunglasses, despite there not being much light inside the shop. One of them carries a small, white poodle in her arms. Just like the rest of the clients, they are also waiting.
Although unbelievable, there is a queue for Hermès, one of the most exclusive luxury stores on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona. The reason being is that there are people for whom things, quite frankly, are going well, despite the fact that for most people the only remedy is to tighten their belts due to the uncontrollable inflation. These people are the rich and the super rich.

“We have an account in the Las Vegas store”, says one couple who speak Spanish with a Latin American accent, and who want to buy a pair of shoes in Hermès after spending a while trying on a few different pairs. Then there are two girls, with sculpted and tanned bodies who have fallen in love with a tiny white bag that is on display on one of the shelves. The shop assistant puts on a pair of gloves before showing it to them to avoid touching the bag with her bare hands.

 

A few pairs of shoes, some items of clothing, various accessories and not a whole lot more is what you will find in Hermès. Of course, everything is extremely expensive. For example, a simple beach towel costs 350 euros, a woman’s top costs 850 and a woollen sweater, which is surprising given the time of year, costs 1,300 euros. 

 

 

Concierge services

 

“Barcelona is a very attractive city, there really are many business opportunities”, says Lourdes Carbó, who is the founder and director of Alberta La Grup, a Catalan company that is dedicated specifically to helping make the lives of the very wealthy easier. The company offers what is known as Concierge Sevices, and this year it has become one of the most outstanding agencies in the sector, according to a ranking in Spear’s magazine – a publication aimed at assisting the wealthy with the best services in the market: for example, the best whisky suppliers, the best equestrian suppliers, the best financial advisors when buying a yacht or a private plane, the best babysitters to take care of their children…
“If a family wants their child to study in a private university, we take care of the administrative tasks. Or with they want to take their care from one country to another, we take care of that too. Or if they want us to get their smoking jacket ready for the opera, or for us to fill their fridge” are the examples that Carbó gives to explain what exactly it is that she does. The requests they receive could literally be anything, sometimes involving things that are very extravagant. However, they never get involved with anything related to business, finance or legal topics.

 

 

The superrich like Barcelona because they can park up their yacht and be in the centre in 15 minutes. They also like the discretion, the gastronomy, the great private health services and the leisure options. 

 

As Carbó says, the superrich really like Barcelona for different reasons: “They can park up their yacht and be in the centre in 15 minutes. They also like the discretion, the gastronomy, the great private health services, the good infrastructure, the leisure, the entertainment and the culture”, she specifies. The problem, as she mentions, is that sometimes the city does not meet the high expectations.

“In Barcelona, it is impossible to rent three Aston Martins in the same week. You can find one, but not three. Or you can go to a luxury store on Passeig de Gràcia and they might not have the whole collection. And that means we lose clients, because if they don’t find what they want, they will get on a plane and go to Milan to buy it”, she gives as an example.
“In Barcelona, we also don’t have good agencies to find babysitters, or the babysitters you find don’t speak English. Or there are services that literally do not exist here: for example, we often get requests for a home for the elderly that is like a five star hotel”. Carbó reminds us that Barcelona is in competition with other top cities such as London, New York and Dubai, where you can find all kinds of services.

 “ In Dubai they would even close a shop so that someone can go shopping there”, she says.

 

In Barcelona, at least at the moment, they don’t tend to close shops for exclusive clients. In fact, in some luxury stores on Passeig de Gràcia, there are even queues in the street to get in. In Gucci, there are so many people just before closing time that one of the shop’s employees to warn the clients that the shop will close in the next half hour and they cannot guarantee that all the clients will have chance to go in. They speak in English, assuming that all of them are from abroad. And they are right – that is the reality.

“Do you already know what you want?” one man asks his wife. “I’m having a look”, she replies whilst taking a look at the Gucci website on her phone. Both of them speak Spanish with a Latin American accent. Once they enter the store, the lady knows what she wants to buy: a small pink bag that costs 2, 650 euros.
Carbó explains that many of her clients are from Venezuela, but she also has clients from Mexico, Colombia, the USA, Germany, Italy… Of course, around 90% of them are from abroad. “These are people that have more than one residency in the world, they usually travel in private jets and they have more than thirty employees working in their homes: butlers, maids, nannies, chauffeurs, personal assistants, security…” Carbó declines to specify what their fortunes are. “Having a yacht is clearly a status symbol as a boat involves constantly spending on maintenance” is the only information she is willing to give.

 

 

A port for luxury yachts

 

In fact, Barcelona has a port destined toward yachts and super yachts: Port Vell Marina, located in the Barceloneta. It has 151 moorings and one of the longest docks in the world, which could attract super yachts of up to 190 metres in length. It is an exclusive area, with private security and to which ARA has not been able to access, despite having requested to do so. The boats moored there belong to members of royal families, directors and CEOs of the most important companies in the world, sources at the Port Vell Marina have told us, without sharing how many of the moorings are currently occupied. “Throughout the year, the Marina hosts around 300 boats”, the same sources tell us, as well as clarifying that the months with the highest occupation are those in “spring and autumn”. Despite there not being so many yachts at the moment, the ones that are there still catch your attention. In fact, it is quite normal to see tourists – the ones that don’t have so much money, of course – taking selfies in front of the port with the yachts in the background.

 

 

“If we offered more special services, more wealthy families would come. I’m not suggesting we create a Port Aventura for the rich, but rather that if we want aim for that market, we need to be very well prepared”, says Carbó, who insists that Barcelona has a long way to go in that sense.
One of the new services that is offered in the city is the possibility to buy a luxury apartment that comes with the same services that you would expect at a five star hotel. The Antares tower, located in front of Parc del Fòrum, is one example. It belongs to the Shaftesbury investment fund, but 25% of the apartments have already been sold – all of them to superrich foreigners. The first resident moved in last February. Alberta La Grub is the company that takes care of the services and the director of operations, Thaïs Guerrero, gave ARA a tour of the building.

 

The tower has 27 floors and 88 luxury apartments. The cheapest one costs 850,000 euros and has a surface area of 115 square metres. The largest one has 795 square metres and the price has not been made public. In any case, the apartments are spectacular, with large windows, views over the sea and huge amounts of space. In some of them, you can even see the Sagrada Familia and Tibidabo from the bathtub, as though it were a viewpoint. They also have a security and cleaning service available, as well as common areas with pools, a gym, a spa… “This kind of residency already existed in Madrid. In that sense, they are more advanced”, says Guerrero.
Barcelona still needs to take a giant leap regarding having staff available that are trained to work for this kind of profile. With this objective in mind, Alberta La Grup also runs courses to train what they call personal angels – also known as personal assistants that help to make the daily lives of the superrich easier. The course, given in English and French, lasts for three and a half months and includes subjects such as household management, managing a macro yacht and organizing family travel. According to Carbó, all the students so far have found a job and are earning generous salaries of between 50,000 and 70,000 euros per year. Perhaps this is the alternative in Barcelona to low cost tourism.

 

¿Barcelona está preparada para recibir a los superricos?

La ciudad no dispone de suficientes servicios para cubrir las necesidades de las grandes fortunas

Mònica Bernabé

BARCELONA

Un hombre con traje de chaqueta negro, camisa blanca y corbata abre solicitando la puerta de entrada a los clientes y les da la bienvenida a la tienda. Hay dos plantas. En la primera, una dependienta de origen asiático atiende a dos jóvenes que parecen surcoreanas y que se interesan por unos pañuelos de cuello. En la segunda, un par de clientas más, también asiáticas, miran los pintalabios expuestos en un mostrador mientras esperan que las atiendan. Un poco más allá también esperan tres mujeres con pañuelo en la cabeza que proceden sin duda de algún país del golfo Pérsico, y una chica de origen indeterminado que, a pesar del calor que hace, lleva una especie de plantofas de pelo de color rosa que deben ser de diseño, porque, si no, no se entiende que alguien salga con eso de casa. En una butaca descansan dos mujeres más que parecen sacadas de una película: llevan pamela y gafas de sol aunque dentro de la tienda no hay mucha luz, y una de ellas tiene en los brazos un caniche de pelo blanco y arriesgado. Como el resto, también se esperan.

Aunque parezca mentira, hay cola en Hermès, una de las tiendas de lujo más exclusivas del paseo de Gràcia de Barcelona. Porque hay gente a la que las cosas le siguen yendo francamente bien, aunque a la mayoría de mortales no les quede más remedio que estrecharse el cinturón por la inflación descontrolada. Son los ricos o superricos.

“Tenemos cuenta de la tienda en Las Vegas”, comenta una pareja que habla español con acento latinoamericano y que se dispone a comprar unos mocasines en Hermès, después de que él haya estado un buen rato emprobándose varios pares. En cambio, dos chicas de cuerpo escultural y bronceado se decantan por un bolso minúsculo de color blanco que hay expuesto en un estante. El dependiente, antes de enseñárselo, se pone unos guantes para no tocar el bolso directamente con las manos.

Unos cuantos zapatos, alguna prenda de vestir, varios accesorios y poca cosa más se puede encontrar en Hermès. Eso sí, todo es extremadamente caro. Por ejemplo, una simple toalla de playa cuesta 350 euros; un top de mujer, 850, y un jersey de lana, que sorprende que lo vendan en esta época del año, 1.300 euros.

Servicios de ‘concierge’

“Barcelona atrae mucho, realmente hay oportunidad de negocio”, asegura Lourdes Carbó, que es fundadora y directora de Alberta La Grup, una empresa catalana que precisamente se dedica a asistir grandes fortunas para hacerles la vida privada un poco más fácil. Es decir, ofrece lo que se llama servicios de concierge, y este año se ha convertido en una de las agencias más destacadas del sector, según un ranking de la revista Spear’s, que es una publicación destinada a asesorar a los ricos sobre los mejores servicios del mercado: por ejemplo, los mejores asesores de whisky, los mejores expertos en equitación, los mejores consejeros financieros para comprar un yate o un avión privado, las mejores niñeras para cuidar a sus hijos…

“Si una familia quiere que su hijo estudie en una universidad privada, nosotros hacemos las gestiones. O si quieren que traslademos un coche de un país a otro, también. O que les preparamos el esmoquin para ir a la ópera, o que les llenemos la nevera”, pone como ejemplos Para explicar a qué se dedican exactamente. Las peticiones que reciben pueden ser de todo tipo, incluso a veces estrambóticas, excepto vinculadas a negocios, finanzas y temas legales, porque estos aspectos no los tocan.

A los superricos les gusta Barcelona porque pueden atracar el yate y en quince minutos estar en el centro de la ciudad, y también por la discreción, la gastronomía, la buena sanidad privada y el ocio.

 

Y sí, como dice Carbó, Barcelona realmente agrada a los superricos por diferentes razones: “Porque pueden atracar el yate y en quince minutos estar en el centro de la ciudad. Por la discreción, la gastronomía, la buena sanidad privada, las buenas infraestructuras, el ocio, el entretenimiento y la cultura”, detalla. El problema, según asegura, es que a veces la ciudad no está a la altura.

“En Barcelona es imposible alquilar tres Aston Martin en una misma semana. Puedes encontrar uno, pero no tres. O vas a una tienda de lujo del paseo de Gràcia y no tienen toda la colección. Y eso hace que perdamos clientela, porque si no encuentran lo que quieren, cogen un avión y se van a Milán a comprar”, pone como ejemplo. “Tampoco hay buenas agencias para buscar niñeras y las niñeras que encuentras no hablan inglés. O directamente hay servicios que aquí ni existen: por ejemplo, a menudo nos piden una residencia de ancianos que sea como un hotel de cinco estrellas”. Carbó recuerda que Barcelona compite con ciudades de primera liga, como Londres, Nueva York o Dubai, donde sí hay todo tipo de servicios. “En Dubai pueden cerrar una tienda para que alguien vaya a comprar”, afirma.

En Barcelona, de momento, no suelen cerrar establecimientos para clientes exclusivos. De hecho, en otras tiendas de lujo del paseo de Gràcia también se forman colas en la calle. En la de Gucci hay tanta gente a última hora de la tarde que una trabajadora del establecimiento sale al exterior para advertir a los clientes que la tienda cerrará de aquí solo media hora y no puede garantizar que todo el mundo pueda entrar antes. Se dirige a él en inglés, dando por hecho que todos son extranjeros. Y es así, todos lo son.

“¿Ya sabes qué quieres?”, pregunta entonces un hombre a su mujer. “Lo estoy mirando”, responde ella, mientras consulta la web de Gucci en el teléfono móvil. Ambos hablan español con acento latinoamericano. Cuando entran en la tienda, la mujer ya sabe qué quiere comprar: un pequeño bolso de color rosa que vale 2.650 euros.

Carbó explica que muchos de sus clientes son venezolanos, pero también tienen clientes mexicanos, colombianos, norteamericanos, alemanes, italianos… Eso sí, más del 90% son extranjeros. “Se trata de personas que tienen más de una residencia en el mundo, suelen viajar en avión privado y disponen de más de treinta trabajadores [en el hogar] entre mayordomos, criados, niñeras, choferes, asistentes personales, seguridad…” Carbó declina concretar la cuantía de estas fortunas. “Tener un yate es un claro símbolo de estatus, porque un barco supone gastar constantemente dinero en mantenimiento”, se limita a decir.

Un puerto para yates de lujo

De hecho, Barcelona tiene un puerto destinado a yates y superiots: la Marina Port Vell, situada en el barrio de la Barceloneta. Cuenta con 151 amarres y uno de los muelles más largos del mundo donde pueden atracar superiots de hasta 190 metros de eslora. Es una zona exclusiva, con vigilancia privada y a la que el ARA no ha podido acceder a pesar de haberlo solicitado. Los barcos que amarran son “propiedad de miembros de la realeza, directores y CEO de las principales empresas del mundo, así como empresarios de éxito y renombre y personajes conocidos”, han informado fuentes de la Marina Port Vell, que no han precisado cuántos amarres están ocupados actualmente. “A lo largo del año la marina puede albergar hasta 300 embarcaciones”, afirman las mismas fuentes, además de aclarar que los meses de mayor ocupación son los de “primavera y otoño”. Aunque ahora no hay muchos yates, igualmente llaman la atención. De hecho, es habitual ver turistas –los que no tienen tanto dinero, lógicamente– haciéndose selfies ante el puerto con las embarcaciones de fondo.

“Si tuviéramos más servicios especiales, vendrían más familias con poder adquisitivo. No digo que hagamos un Port Aventura para ricos, pero, si nos queremos dirigir a este mercado, nos tenemos que preparar muy bien”, afirma Carbó, que insiste que Barcelona todavía tiene que recorrer un largo camino en este sentido.

Uno de los nuevos servicios que se están ofreciendo en la ciudad es la posibilidad de comprar apartamentos de lujo que tienen las mismas prestaciones que un hotel de cinco estrellas. La torre Antares, situada delante del Parc del Fòrum, es un ejemplo. Es propiedad del fondo de inversión Shaftesbury, pero un 25% de los apartamentos ya han sido vendidos. Todos, a extranjeros superricos. El primer residente se instaló el febrero pasado. La empresa Alberta La Grup se encarga de los servicios y la directora de operaciones, Thaïs Guerrero, se encarga de hacer un tour al ARA por el edificio.

La torre tiene 27 plantas y 88 apartamentos de lujo. El más barato vale 850.000 euros y tiene una superficie de 115 metros cuadrados. El mayor mide 795 metros cuadrados y el precio no se ha hecho público. Sea como fuere, en todos los casos, los pisos son espectaculares, con grandes ventanales, vistas al mar y espacios descomunales. En algunos incluso desde la bañera es posible ver la Sagrada Familia y el Tibidabo como si fuera un mirador. Además, disponen de servicio de mantenimiento, seguridad y limpieza, y espacios comunes con piscinas, gimnasio, spa… “Este tipo de residencias ya existían en Madrid. Allí van más avanzados”, asegura Guerrero.

En lo que todavía hay que dar un paso de gigante en Barcelona es en la disponibilidad de personal que esté preparado para trabajar para estas fortunas. Precisamente con este objetivo, Alberta La Grup también imparte cursos para formar lo que ellos llaman personal angels, es decir, asesores personales que ayuden a los superricos a hacer su día a día más fácil. El curso, impartido en inglés y francés y de tres meses y medio de duración, incluye asignaturas como gestionar una casa, encargarse de un macroiot y organizar viajes familiares. Según Carbó, de momento todos los alumnos han acabado encontrando trabajo y cobran sueldos generosos, entre 50.000 y 70.000 euros al año. Quizás esa es la alternativa en Barcelona al turismo low cost.

The Lifestyle Institute and Alberta La Grup in l’Econòmic

🗞️ We share with you an article about Alberta LaGrup and The Lifestyle Institute, in L’econòmic! 

📰 Don’t miss it!
 
➡️ Read the article:  https://bit.ly/3Pm2F42
 
Read it in english! ⤵️
 
……………………………………….

Angels without wings and with their feet on the ground

Lourdes Carbó coordinates and trains the people that make the daily life of the richest people in the world easier

Lourdes, in the pink sweater, and Juan Antonio, the founders of Alberta La Grup, with two of their team members and their dog.

M. Sardà – Barcelona

The Lifestyle Institute trains exclusive Personal Angels for exclusive people. It was founded in 2021 by Lourdes Carbó, co-founder and CEO of Alberta La Grup, the first agency in Spain, and one of few in the world, that specialises in Personal Angels: men and women who provide assistance to HNWI and UNHWI (high and ultra high net worth individuals), meaning wealthy or very wealthy individuals belonging to the 1% of the richest people in the world.

They work in a highly discreet way, but always with a lot of creativity and absolute efficiency and are expect to provide well-rounded and effective services. “We help individuals or families to organize their private lives. These are people or families that need all the moving pieces to come together so that their private lives work properly”, Carbó explains. She also mentions that she usually receives between five – the lowest – and fifteen – the highest – requests from clients around the world and “they have to be ready for whenever they need them”.

But what is true purpose of Personal Angels? Carbó’s answer is very clear: “We take care of any tasks that are legal and ethical”. She explains that they work in coordination with a dedicated team for each family or individual, which means that they work in harmony with chauffeurs, babysitters, chefs, butlers, house managers and any other staff. However, they never take care of any corporate or business-related tasks, nor do they do tasks belonging to the team-members of the families for which they work.

“These are people that travel without luggage, but expect to find everything in place once they arrive at their destination. We are the people who take care of those things and ensure that everything is as it should be”, explains Carbó.

“They manage time, emotions and information, but never specific tasks”

 

 

Alberta La Grup

Throughout its 15 years of existence, Alberta La Grup has had around 300 clients from 28 different nationalities. Around 5% come from Spain, including some Catalans. Many of these clients still rely on Alberta La Grup’s services, including elite sports personalities – mainly footballers and tennis players – investors, wealthy families… Any profile that forms part of the richest 1% of the world population.

“The ‘Personal Angel’ takes care of any tasks that are legal and ethical”

Lourdes Carbó
CEO of Alberta La Grup

 

“It’s a lifestyle. Money is not an object when you need to take care of their needs. For them, time is of the essence rather than money. Therefore, we try to stay one step ahead of their needs, taking care of time, information and emotion from behind the scenes. We never simply take care of tasks”, Carbó elaborates.

The founder of Alberta La Grup worked for over ten years as the secretary to the president of a Catalan family company. One day, her boss informed her that he was going to sell the company and move the United States, leaving her without work. “That’s when I decided to take the next step. I had discovered Personal Angels existed as a profession in London and it sounded quite similar to what I had already been doing for a decade. So I decided to capitalize on this and together with my husband, Juan Antonio, we created the company and started working with our first three clients, amongst them my ex-boss.” This was in 2007. Nowadays, Alberta La Grup has a dozen employees and more than thirty freelance collaborators that they work with on a regular basis.

After facing difficulties in finding employees that had experience as a Personal Angel, Carbó decided to create the institute to train them. They offer two programs, each lasting for five months: the PA Postgraduate Diploma, for those getting started in the profession, including over 22 subject matters which cover more than 137 skills, and the Pro Program, aimed at those wanting to update, improve or expand their skills and knowledge. The third edition of the programs will begin in October of this year and the admissions committee will select from all the applications those who are successful in occupying one of the twelve unique places that are available on the course.

“We have infinite resources to find what the clients are wanting”
Arantza Fabregat
TLI Student

 

Arantza Fabregat, a 32 year-old originally from Venezuela is currently doing the Postgraduate Diploma at The Lifestyle Institute. She was already working as a Personal Angel but wanted to build on her skill set and “extend her list of contacts”. She tells us that “solving infinite problems and situations” is what her profession is about. She mentions that the clients are “very demanding” but that they have “infinite resources to get what they want”. Therefore, she tells us: “Having someone like us by their side opens up a world of possibilities because we manage their expectations. We know the sky is the limit, but have our feet firmly on the ground.” And that’s what makes them special. Of course, always with respect, honesty and discretion.

Translation: Emily Benton

What kind of lifestyle requires a Personal Angel?

Author:  María José Núñez | Barcelona, October 2021

As we have already shared what the true meaning of a Personal Angel is, what the profession and their daily work involves, the truths and the myths, and what skills the job typically requires, the time has now come to analyse what kind of lifestyle truly needs the help of a PA. Fasten your seatbelts; it’s time for take-off! Your Personal Angel will be waiting for you on the runway – with those strong wings, you can be certain that they will get there before you!

(Sigue en Español)

It seems that when we talk about PAs the first thing that we always have to do is debunk the myths (and apologies for taking advantage of the word myth here). Frankly, we really need to start by getting rid of the idea – exaggerated by the world of cinema and television – that the only kind of lifestyle that requires a Personal Angel is that of extremely famous and well-known people… Pop stars, divas or superficial multimillionaires that want someone to manage their entire lives.

Of course, in this convoluted world that we live in, you can find all kinds of different cases, just as there are a plethora of different ways to be, act or to organize your personal schedule. However, it’s important to point out that the many different conditions that could make a ‘lifestyle’ susceptible to requiring a PA are far from that stereotypical image that we tend to see.

So, let’s go back to that initial question: What kind of lifestyle may require a Personal Angel? Since we love a good list and to simplify complicated issues, we have summarised it in four points:

  • They are complex lives, where there are usually various elements at play: people or families with a large number of staff (at least 5 members of personal staff, but it could be as many as 30 people or more), who have to travel almost constantly and in which professional life tends to overshadow personal life with the former almost completely taking over the latter, or at least significantly reducing their free time. And that takes us on to our next requirement…
  • Lives that need time management. The composition of their daily reality leads to a kind of ‘Tetris’ that is difficult to overcome. That’s why they need external help, on top of their household staff, nannies, etc, to ensure that all those different pieces fit together properly and to coordinate their ‘to-do list’ of all the things that the individual in question will not have time to do.
  • Of course, we are talking about ways of living that are a long way from a ‘typical’ lifestyle that most people are used to. We are talking about high net worth individuals; lifestyles in which we might encounter situations such as organising a large party with influential guests or getting a yacht ready to go travelling the next day, or making sure the house where they are going to stay is perfect for them when they arrive at their destination. And that’s exactly what a PA takes care of.
  • A lifestyle where luxury reigns. The simple fact of having a Personal Angel already emits the signal that your everyday pace is not the same as it is for most people, and that you need someone who has the capability to coordinate everything that you don’t have time to do and to delegate… It means you can delegate all those activities, tasks and errands to that person. And of course, you can use your economic resources to make sure that the PA takes care of them in the most efficient way possible. Objective: the tasks completed by your PA mean more time for you, for your family, for your job, for you to enjoy… that’s for you to decide. Because that’s your lifestyle.

“A Personal Angel works for the client under the strictest confidentiality, ethics and discretion. These are non-negotiable within this profession”

We could be more specific about the kind of lifestyle that requires a PA, but it would be impossible to be sufficiently rigorous or fair…  There are as many different lifestyles as there are lives, cultures, families, economic factors, social situations and different circumstances (the current situation with the pandemic, for example). But if one thing remains clear, it’s that all of this takes us to the same place: time and how it can be managed. In the words of the Greek philosopher, Theophrastus: “Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend”. In the end, it is a gift and we have no idea when it will run out. If you have within your grasp a way to make sure you invest it in the best way possible, why not take advantage of that? That is the essence of Lifestyle Management.

 

Copyright © by Alberta La Grup

If you wish to re-print this article or photos, that’s fine.
Just include the biography at the end of the article. Thank you!

Photo Credits: Pixabay
Translation: Emily Benton

Qué estilos de vida requieren de un Personal Angel

Autora: María José Núñez | Barcelona, Octubre 2021

Ahora que ya hemos difundido lo que engloba el significado de Personal Angel, de qué trata esta profesión, cuáles son sus funciones, los mitos y las verdades y, además, las aptitudes que reúnen, creemos que llega el momento de analizar qué estilos de vida requieren, verdaderamente, de la existencia de un PA. ¡Abróchense los cinturones, que vamos a despegar! Tu Ángel Personal te espera en la pista de aterrizaje, pues con sus extensas alas da por hecho que llegará antes.

Parece que, cuando hablamos de PAs, lo primero que haya que hacer -siempre- es desmitificar (y disculpad el abuso de la palabra ‘mito’). Francamente, sí, tenemos que empezar por quitarte la idea -hiperbolizada por el mundo del cine y la televisión- de que el estilo de vida que requiere de un Personal Angel sea el de alguien famoso, extremadamente conocido… Lo que viene siendo una estrella mundial del pop, una diva o un multimillonario superficial que quiere que se encarguen de gestionar su vida entera.

Obviamente, en este mundo enrevesado en el que vivimos, tiene que haber de todo, al igual que multitud de maneras de ser, actuar y organizar una agenda personal. Sin embargo, hemos de señalar que, si tenemos que ponernos serios y hablar de una serie de condiciones para tener una ‘lifestyle’ susceptible de necesitar un PA, quedaría muy lejos de esa imagen estereotipada que se tiene, generalmente.

Entonces, vamos a la cuestión inicial: ¿qué modos de vida son los que han de ir ligados a la figura del Personal Angel? Como somos muy de elaborar listas y de simplificar las cosas complicadas, lo razonaremos de manera muy resumida en cuatro puntos:

  • Se trata de vidas complejas, donde suelen entrar en juego la existencia de diversas propiedades; se trata de personas/ familias con mucho personal a su alcance (con un mínimo de cinco miembros de personal que pueden llegar incluso a las treinta personas o más); con la exigencia de realizar viajes casi constantemente y donde la vida profesional suele eclipsar bastante a la personal, pues la primera se ‘come’ (por así decirlo) a la segunda. O al menos, le resta tiempo. Y ahí entra el siguiente requisito…
  • Vidas que necesitan gestionar su tiempo. La composición de realidad diaria resulta un ‘tetris’ difícil de superar. Con lo cual, para que todas las piezas del puzzle encajen, han de tener esa ayuda externa, aparte de personal de servicio, nanny, etcétera, que dirija todos aquellos aspectos de su ‘cuaderno de tareas’ -por así decirlo, que no pueden ser llevados a cabo por el individuo en cuestión.
  • Evidentemente, son formas de vivir ajenas a la vida ‘corriente’ a la que la mayoría de personas están acostumbradas. Se trata de gente con alto poder adquisitivo y de elevados patrimonios. Lifestyle donde pueden darse situaciones en la que haya que organizar una gran fiesta con invitados influyentes o disponer de un yate para viajar al día siguiente, y que la casa donde vaya a alojarse esté perfectamente dispuesta cuando llegue a su destino. Y de todo ello, se encarga el PA.

Una vida donde prima el lujo. El hecho de disponer de un Ángel Personal ya es una señal que envías al mundo de que tu ritmo vital no es como el del resto, que precisas de una figura que tenga la capacidad de aunar todo aquello a lo que no puedes dedicar tu tiempo y delegar… Delegar en esa persona las actividades, acciones y/o trámites. Y sí… puedes emplear tus recursos económicos para que el/la PA los efectúe de la manera más diligente posible. Objetivo: que ese cometido perpetrado por el profesional contratado derive en mayor tiempo para ti, para tu persona, para tu trabajo, para tu tiempo libre… eso lo decides tú. Porque ése es tu estilo de vida.

“El Personal Angel trabaja para el cliente bajo estrictas medidas de confidencialidad, ética y discreción, condiciones indispensables para el ejercicio de esta profesión”

Podríamos ser más concretos en las condiciones de vida que demandan un PA pero nunca seríamos lo suficientemente rigurosos ni justos… Porque maneras de vivir hay tantas como vidas (valga la redundancia otra vez), culturas y situaciones familiares, económicas, sociales y coyunturales (véase la situación actual de pandemia). Pero si algo vemos claro es que todo nos lleva a un mismo lugar: el tiempo y cómo gestionarlo.  Como dijo el filósofo griego Teofrastro: “El tiempo es la cosa más valiosa que una persona puede gastar”. Al final, es un regalo que nunca sabemos cuándo se va a desgastar. ¿Si tienes al alcance de tu mano saber enfocarlo de la mejor manera posible, por qué no aprovecharlo? Ésa es la esencia del Lifestyle Management.

 

Todos los derechos reservados ©by Alberta La Grup

Si quieres publicar este artículo o fotografía, está bien. Sólo debes incluir la biografía, autor y esta información sobre los derechos. Gracias.

Créditos fotografía: Pixabay
Traducción: Emily Benton

 

Remote work through the eyes of a PA

Author:  María José Núñez | Barcelona, September 2021

It is well known that we find ourselves in the era of remote work. If there is one thing that the COVID 19 pandemic has given us, it is, without a doubt, working from home. However, in the world of the Personal Angel, what has been a new concept in many cases, has been the reality for most PAs for a long time. In fact, PAs almost always work remotely, that is to say, without seeing the client. It’s a fact: Personal Angels are constantly teleworking. Read on to find out how and why…

(Sigue en Español)

PAs can do 70% of their daily work from anywhere, without the need to be ‘in situ’, except for when they need to visit private homes or villas. However, the majority of PAs prefer to work remotely, constantly using their phones or laptops and always carrying their passport, just in case. PAs are like satellites, constantly rotating.

So why does a PA work like this? A Personal Angel works based on results, rather than focusing on a set schedule or occupying (or perhaps, better said, warming) a chair in the office.  It doesn’t matter where they live, or where they are. Nor does it matter where the client is.  A Personal Angel’s commitment is, and will always be, to resolve thing – actions, requests, missions, etc.  This can be done perfectly from home, or a desk, or a boat. The range of possibilities is endless, as long as the work is done to perfection, of course.  In fact, it is one of the key factors that sets a good PA apart from the rest: the efficiency with which they execute their tasks, coordinating and organising themselves, whether or not they have their boss in front of them. They know the time at which they work best, they understand what their capabilities are and, therefore, they know how to give the best of themselves.

“PAs can do 70% of their daily work from anywhere, without the need to be ‘in situ’”

All of this brings us to our final reflection… What is the most important factor in deciding whether or not a PA’s (or any other professional’s) work is excellent?  The results obtained, of course! Based on this, we can therefore present the following considerations:

  • The Personal Angel is a professional who is an expert in manage unknown lives. Before doing this, they of course need to know how to organize their own lives. Based on this, they know how to organize themselves, and consequently do their job, wherever they may be.
  • The physical location that a PA works from does not matter. The important thing is how they do it and ensuring that they get results in a timely manner.
  • Being a PA involves a whole range of tasks. It is a not a profession that simply requires a computer, an office and a client. PAs have multidisciplinary skills (reminding us of the 137 skills of the Personal Angel), and face varied situations that come about when you are constantly restructuring and putting together pieces of the puzzle that is a client’s ‘lifestyle’.

In conclusion, remote work through the eyes of a Personal Angel is based on one core value: responsibility. Responsibility together with making sure that work is done well, that everything flows without the necessity of always being physically there.

With the arrival of the public health situation in which we found ourselves immersed in 2020, the Personal Angel has had to further improve the way they obtain results when working remotely, as well as how to find balance and harmony between their personal and professional lives – solving complex problems from the peace of their own home, carrying out requests from the client and keeping their agendas organized, always showing the same efficiency, energy and aptitude as if  the client were by their side.

As Antoine de Sant-Exupéry says in The Little Prince: ‘the essential is invisible to the eye”. It may be that the Personal Angel is not always visible to the client but the result of their work is just the same – or even better! The world is too big to only work in an office – trapped between four walls, eternally. The universe is infinite, and the Angels omnipresent.

Copyright © by Alberta La Grup

If you wish to re-print this article or photos, that’s fine.
Just include the biography at the end of the article. Thank you!

Photo Credits: Pexels
Translation: Emily Benton

El trabajo en remoto desde la óptica del PA

Autora: María José Núñez | Barcelona, Setiembre 2021

Es bien sabido por todos que nos encontramos ante la era del teletrabajo. Si algo ha traído la pandemia mundial de COVID 19 esto ha sido, sin lugar a dudas, el trabajo en remoto. Sin embargo, en el universo de los Personal Angel este concepto que para muchos resulta ser una novedad, para los PA es una realidad desde hace muchísimo tiempo. De hecho, podríamos asegurar que casi siempre realizan su trabajo en remoto, es decir, sin ver al cliente. Sí, los Ángeles Personales teletrabajan constantemente. Y a continuación, te explicamos cómo y por qué…

Los PA efectuan un 70% de sus funciones desde cualquier lugar, sin necesidad de estar ‘in situ’, excepto cuando toca estar en las villas o residencias. Sin embargo, la mayor parte de la profesión del PA se desarrolla teletrabajando, constantemente, con sus teléfonos móviles y sus portátiles, siempre con el pasasporte en el bolso y como en un satélite: revoloteando.

¿Por qué el PA trabaja así? Porque el Personal Angel trabaja en base a resultados, no a un horario establecido ni a ocupar (y calentar, dicho sea de paso) un asiento en la oficina. No importa el lugar donde resida o esté, ni dónde su cliente pues el cometido del Personal Angel es y será siempre resolver cosas: acciones, peticiones, misiones, etcétera. Y esto se lleva a cabo desde su casa, un despacho o un barco. El abanico de posibilidades es infinito mientras, por supuesto, el trabajo esté perfectamente realizado. De hecho, es una de las claves que marcarán la diferencia de un buen PA respecto a otros: la eficacia con que ejecute todo lo que se requiere de él/ella, coordinándose y organizándose, independientemente de si tiene o no tiene a su jefe delante. Conoce cuáles son sus tiempos, sus capacidades y la manera en que puede dar lo mejor de sí mismo.

“Los PA efectuan un 70% de sus funciones desde cualquier lugar, sin necesidad de estar ‘in situ’”

Todo ello nos lleva a la reflexión final… ¿Qué es lo más importante a la hora de calificar el trabajo de PA (y el de cualquier otro trabajo) como excelente?

Obviamente, en los resultados obtenidos. Por lo tanto, esto último nos dirige a las siguientes consideraciones:

  • El Personal Angel es un profesional experto en gestionar vidas ajenas. Y previamente, ha de saber tramitar la vida propia. Por lo tanto, sabe organizarse y realizar su trabajo, esté donde esté.
  • No importa el lugar físico dónde permanezca el PA cuando trabaja. Importa cómo lo realice y que lo ejecute en los tiempos adecuados.
  • El PA abarca muchos campos. No se trata de una profesión con la que baste con un ordenador, tu oficina y un cliente. Son conocedores de muchas materias (recordemos las 137 habilidades del Personal Angel), están en diversos frentes, estructuran y componen un puzzle: el ‘lifestyle’ del cliente para el que han sido contratados.

Conclusión tras los anteriores fundamentos: el teletrabajo desde la óptica del Personal Angel va a basarse en un pilar fundamental: la responsabilidad… La responsabilidad unida a garantizar el buen ejercicio de su deber, donde todo fluya y sin la obligación de comparecer en todo momento.

Con la situación sanitaria en la que estamos inmersos de 2020, el Personal Angel ha tenido que mejorar aún más su rendimiento trabajando en remoto, armonizando su vida personal con la laboral, solventando situaciones complicadas desde la tranquilidad de su hogar, haciendo trámites para su cliente y organizando su agenda, demostrando la misma efectividad, energía y aptitudes que si estuviera a su lado presencialmente.

Porque como decía Antoine de Sant-Exupéry en El Principito: “lo esencial es invisible a los ojos”. Y puede que el Personal Angel no esté visible todo el tiempo para el cliente, pero el fruto (su trabajo) es el mismo, ¡o incluso, mejor! Porque el mundo es demasiado grande como para trabajar únicamente en un estudio -bajo cuatro paredes- eternamente; el universo, infinito y los ‘Ángeles’… omnipresentes.

Todos los derechos reservados ©by Alberta La Grup

Si quieres publicar este artículo o fotografía, está bien. Sólo debes incluir la biografía, autor y esta información sobre los derechos. Gracias.

Créditos fotografía: Pexels
Traducción: Emily Benton

 

What is the origin of the Personal Angel?

Editorial The Lifestyle Institute | Author: María José Núñez | May 2021

If we get nostalgic and decide to refer to the most primitive and basic origin of Personal Assistance, we can go directly to those who cared for the kings of the monarchies of antiquity, those who held power, who invented the concept of luxury and, in addition, who relied on figures of lower social rank than their own but of considerable aristocratic lineage. Therefore, these Personal Angels of past centuries had access to culture and enjoyed exquisite refinement and education. And for that reason, they had the trust of the sovereign and they, in turn, gave him their unconditional loyalty.

And to observe a clear and historical example of this, we can refer to the painting of Las Meninas, by Velázquez, where the royal family of the seventeenth century is depicted, that is, the Infanta Margarita -daughter of Felipe IV-surrounded by her ‘meninas’, girls members of the nobility who entered the court to assist the queen and / or her children. The monarchs appear in the background as a reflection in a mirror, but the famous painting focuses on the Infanta, and we can say that the there is a glimpse of importance of her bond with her ‘personal assistants’, a concept that at that time was not known as such but that we could extrapolate its function to current Personal Angel.

‘Meninas’ aside, finding the origin of personal assistance as we know it now is an arduous, complex task, and we could even call it… complicated. Perhaps it is the confluence of factors such as social, economic and cultural transformations, which have been shaping and drawing this role. First, it was the monarchy, specifically the European queens, who had escort ladies whose responsibilities were aimed at being confidants of the sovereign, accompanying her on her travels or, simply, being her right hand, following them with fidelity and honesty. After all, it was truly an honor to serve an empress. And only the best and excellently prepared were chosen for it.

But we can see the root of the PA not only in the chamber maids or bridesmaids. In general, it was normal and natural for royalty to have subjects in their charge who were an extension of them; people who anticipated their requests and requirements before they announced them; individuals who accompany them, to feel supported, encouraged and backed up, taking into account the endless commitments and commitments that a being of high rank such as the crown had.

In addition, as we pointed out, times change, and luxury and ostentation were becoming a notion and expression that was within the reach of a few … of very few; And there come various variants of personal assistance that we know today and from which some small ‘branches’ can be extracted to shape what we know today as ‘angels of the 21st century’. 

We have seen hints of the Personal Angel of the future in some of the designs of the personal secretaries of a company, in the butlers, in those who assist athletes, celebrities, millionaires … 

Little by little, the identity of this profession that combines many of these services while others move away, providing a more personal, confidential and private aspect, beyond the client’s work ‘perimeter’. 

For this reason, we can dogmatize – with the permission of this very serious word – that we obtain the ‘silhouette’ of our PA by merging all the priorities of contemporary lifestyle, such as the prevalence of well-being, the the achievement of our own dreams and the acquired ostentation in the experiences after the result of the bond with the person for whom we work, becoming an extension of themselves, making their life simpler, making the complex simple, and the inaccessible, not only achievable but proximate, close and immediate.

Conclusion behind this pseudo-chronology? That having a Personal Angel is not a symbol of expression of luxury and opulence as it could have been at another time in history, but it is  something more intimate such as the power to take charge of your own lifestyle. Because despite having been slow to realize it, time is the real luxury.

¿Cuál es el origen del Personal Angel?

Si nos ponemos nostálgicos y queremos remitirnos al origen más primitivo y básico de la Asistencia Personal podemos ir directamente a quienes atendían a los reyes de las monarquías de la antigüedad, que eran quienes ostentaban el poder, quienes inventaron el concepto del lujo y, además, se apoyaban en figuras de menor rango social al suyo pero de considerable linaje aristocrático. Por lo tanto, estos Personal Angels de siglos pasados tenían acceso a la cultura y gozaban de un refinamiento y formación exquisitos. Y por ello, contaba con la confianza del soberano y éste, a su vez, le otorgaba su incondicional lealtad.

Y para observar un claro e histórico ejemplo de ello, podemos remitirnos al cuadro de Las Meninas, de Velázquez, donde aparece la familia real del siglo XVII, es decir, la infanta Margarita -hija de Felipe IV-rodeada por sus ‘meninas’, que eran unas niñas miembros de la nobleza que entraban en la corte a asistir a la reina y/o los hijos de ésta. Los monarcas aparecían al fondo reflejados en un espejo, pero el famoso cuadro se enfoca la Infanta, y podemos decir que se vislumbra la importancia del vínculo de ésta con sus ‘asistentes personales’, concepto que en ese momento no se conocía como tal pero que podríamos extrapolar su función al de los Personal Angel actuales.  

‘Meninas’ aparte, encontrar la procedencia de la asistencia personal tal y como la conocemos ahora, es una tarea ardua, compleja, e incluso podríamos denominar… complicada. Quizás sea la confluencia de factores como las transformaciones sociales, económicas y culturales, lo que haya ido perfilando y dibujando este rol. Primero, fue la monarquía, concretamente las reinas europeas, quienes contaban con damas de compañía cuyas responsabilidades iban encaminadas a ser confidentes de la soberana, acompañarla en sus viajes o, sencillamente, a ser su mano derecha, siguiéndolas con fidelidad y honradez. Al fin y al cabo, era un auténtico honor servir a una emperatriz. Y sólo las mejores y excelentemente preparadas, eran elegidas para ello.

Pero no sólo en las damas de cámara o damas de honor vemos la raíz del PA. En general, para la realeza era algo habitual y natural contar con sujetos a su cargo que fueran una extensión de ellos; personas que anticiparan sus solicitudes y requerimientos antes de que ellos llegaran a comunicarlos; individuos que les acompañaran, para sentirse respaldados, alentados y secundados, teniendo en cuenta el sinfín de compromisos y cometidos que tenía un ser de alto rango como la corona.

Asimismo, tal y como apuntábamos, los tiempos cambian, y el lujo y la ostentación fueron convirtiéndose en una noción y expresión que quedaba al alcance de unos pocos… de muy pocos; y ahí entran las diversas variantes de asistencia personal que conocemos hoy en día y de la que se pueden extraer algunas pequeñas ‘ramas’ que van conformando lo que conocemos en la actualidad como ‘ángeles del siglo XXI’. 

Hemos visto pinceladas del Personal Angel del futuro en algunas de los designios de los secretarios personales de una empresa, en los mayordomos, en quienes asisten a deportistas, celebrities, millonarios… 

Poco a poco, se ha ido formando la identidad de esta profesión que aúna muchos de estos servicios y, de otros, se aleja, aportando un cariz más personal, confidencial y privado, más allá del ‘perímetro’ laboral del cliente. 

Por ello, podemos dogmatizar -con permiso de este vocablo tan serio- que obtenemos la ‘silueta’ de nuestro PA fusionando todas las prioridades del lifestyle contemporáneo, como la preponderancia del bienestar, el éxito de la consecución de los propios sueños y la ostentación adquirida en las experiencias tras el resultado del nexo de unión con la persona para la que trabajamos, pasando a ser una prolongación de ellos mismos, haciéndoles la vida más sencilla tornando lo complejo en simple, y lo inaccesible, no sólo en alcanzable sino próximo, cercano e inmediato.

 ¿Conclusión tras esta pseudo-cronología?  Que disponer de un Personal Angel no es un símbolo de expresión de lujo y opulencia como pudo haberlo sido en otro momento de la historia, sino algo más íntimo como es el poder de tomar las riendas de tu propio estilo de vida. Porque a pesar de haber tardado en darnos cuenta, el tiempo es el verdadero lujo.