In Her Books

Julie has a couple of little rules when it comes to dressing up for work. “Keep it simple, sleek, and conventional — you are not going to a party. Keep the colours black, white, or bold. No prints — you are not going to a safari.” Julie says she is a fan of mixing expensive brands with high-street clothes and accessories, and describes her style as “fashionista in the city, classic at work, and bohemian on holiday”. Julie’s work entails her sharing her experiences and discovering new places to go, stay, eat, play, and shop. “My work can seem pretty glamorous but the worst part of the job is having a work schedule that doesn’t match the standard 9-5 week day gig,” she says. “And as much as you try to weed out the clients who aren’t ideal, there will always be some who slip through the cracks.” She loves what she does, however, and says that it takes a specific kind of person to do her job. “Running a concierge company takes multi-tasking and organization to a whole new level. Not only do you have to remember the million things on your mind, you have to think and act quickly,” she says. “My advice is not to embark on any career choice unless you are passionate about it. To be successful and thrive, you have to love what you do. In my field of work, particularly, if you don’t have patience, determination and thick skin, and if you are introverted, shy, or don’t like to be around people, this career path is not for you either. Confidence in yourself is a big key to any success. A big ego is not.” If Julie wasn’t running her own company, she would love to be an adventure journalist and travel the world — which she already does most of the time when she’s on a holiday. Beyond work, Julie loves to dance (“Or at least what I think is dancing,” she says) and scuba dive, and has clocked up 150 dives over the past two years. “I also love to eat and discover new restaurants and cafés. I can live on good salads, but I would never turn down a good cheese platter, a fine bottle of red, and espresso martinis now and then,” she says. “My favourite cheeses are Tete de Moine, Mont’ dor, Camembert, Pecorino, Burrata, aged Parmesan…basically everything. Oh, and oysters!”