Madeleine Hübner is a co-founder of Le Bijou, who, like most of us, strives to find that perfect work-life balance. She shares her ideas about her way to success in a recent interview for “Mums in Heels”. Read on to learn how she manages to juggle being a boss, a mother, and a wife at the same time.
“I am my own boss, but now I have new priorities”
Madeleine started Le Bijou with her husband when she was 20 years old; it was her first real job. She worked a lot and loved being her own boss, but after becoming a mom, her priorities switched to her family. Luckily, being efficient at work is what helped her find the balance between her business and her son.
“The best part of my job is the freedom”
For Madeleine, the hardest part of being her own boss is staying in motion: getting up every day and moving forward. She believes that it’s important to try to be efficient and to keep working even when you don’t feel like it. Everyone has not-so-productive days, but if you are your own boss, you have to motivate yourself to get up and work.
“I met my future husband at a party and then he asked me — ‘Who the kiss are you?’”
Madeleine’s first meeting with her future husband happened in front of a club where she was partying. Later, he reached out to her on Facebook with an unusual question: “Who the kiss are you?”. This piqued her curiosity, and so she agreed to see him again. They fell in love on their first date, have shared a wonderful life together, and brought a beautiful son into this world. Even when Madeleine had to go to Paris to study, her husband followed.
“I wish the idea of Le Bijou was mine, but it was my husband’s”
After spending time in Paris, where Madeleine finished her studies, her husband came up with the idea of Le Bijou. He had experience renting out his own apartment in Switzerland, and decided to make a business out of it.
“The Le Bijou mission is to become ‘The Hotel Alternative’”
Madeleine’s husband’s vision is to create an alternative to a regular hotel — an apartment with hotel-like service that feels like a home. All Le Bijou apartments are cozy, warm and have an amazing view of the mountains, lakes or the city. Travelers who arrive at Le Bijou apartments around Switzerland find the same high level of hospitality, management, and comfort as they would in a regular hotel..
“Reaching your goals is all about work, dedication and trying new things”
According to Madeleine Hübner, it’s crucial to work if you want to achieve your goals. Don’t let any excuses stop you. Madeleine believes that success is not about the money or the way you’ve been brought up — if you work hard, you can create your own environment that is beneficial for your goals. Lastly, even if you don’t know how to do something, you have to try, over and over again, and eventually, you’ll get it.
“I would take my son to a desert island instead of my husband”
Answering this funny question, Madeleine at first said that she would take her husband to a desert island. Yet, after a few moments, she changed her mind, and decided that she’d take her son. Why? Because while her husband can cook for himself and do everything else on his own, her son is dependent on her, and needs her to be around.
There is a pervasive belief out there among many women that their career and their family are mutually exclusive. But Madeleine doesn’t think so. It’s certainly not an easy task to combine your career and your family, but if you work hard at it, it’s within your grasp. It took Madeleine years of hard work, but finally, Le Bijou is where she wants it to be: disrupting the luxury hotel industry. And she’s thankful for it.