Tara Gladstone

Tara is a Project Manager and a Director at The Good Life Society.

She also works for Some Good Ideas, Hawarden Estate Farm Shop, The Glynne Arms and Glen Dye Cabins and Cottages, where she project manages and works on a huge range of projects from product development, design work, event work and basically anything that comes up (which is a lot).

Take it away, Tara.

Photo by Department Two

Please tell us what your role in the business is?

My main job is as a Director at The Good Life Society. So I oversee, plan, manage and run all of our events (our Campsite, Camp Good Life, Summer Camp and the hasn’t-happened-since-I-started-this-job-thanks-COVID Camp Glen Dye). All of this is done with massive help from the rest of the team, in the planning and on the site.

I started this job in March 2020 so actually, since I started, we haven’t run any events (again, thanks COVID). But, our Campsite opens soon and Summer Camp starts in July.

The last year has been an amazing one for planning, changing, developing and growing The Good Life Society, despite the intense pressure that COVID put on the business.

The other part of my job is to run or oversee other projects that come up at Some Good Ideas, Hawarden Estate Farm Shop, The Glynne Arms and Glen Dye Cabins and Cottages. This work varies HUGELY! Which I love.

My bosses (and parents) are entrepreneurs and are pretty much always thinking of the next thing they want to do. My job is to make these things happen, with a close eye on the bigger picture creatively and financially.

Where do you do most of your work?

I live in London with my boyfriend and my puppy Goose, so I spend the majority of my time in my lovely flat working from there.

I just bought a new desk having used a tiny one for the last year. John Lewis! It’s an absolute game changer. Who knew.

I also plan to meet up with Tom, our Head of Marketing, twice a week to work together, once we have found the right office space in London.

Since most of my work is actually based in Hawarden, where our Farm Shop and pub are and where we host our events, I also spend about 5-7 days a month working from there. This works well for many reasons; I can spend time in the fresh air (a real bonus), I can spend time with more of my colleagues (when the magic happens), and I can do site meetings, site planning and generally just be closer to things (helpful when you are planning events, obviously!).

How many people do you work with closely on a day-to-day basis?

Hmm. This can change but I would say 6-8 people.

That includes my parents (my bosses!), one of my sisters, Xanthe, Sarah and Tom who work in the creative and marketing of the businesses, and Will who is a project manager, too (he is also my cousin). I also regularly work with Vicky who is our estate and site liaison and who I work closely with on site planning for our events (she is also my Aunt!).

I then work and resource our design team which has actually just changed quite a lot. We now work with Sam Wilkinson and Rhys Jones, who are amazing designers and we are thrilled to have them on our team. Keep an eye out for their work, coming in hot!

Once a week I work with another of my sisters India, who edits part time for Some Good Ideas. And then sometimes I also commission Kinvara, my other sister(!), to do some design work.

It’s a family business (as you can probably tell), with loads of other amazing colleagues who I’m lucky enough to work with daily.

What is the biggest challenge that you face at work every day?

If I was to be honest I would say a really annoying answer - the clock ticking by way too fast. Sometimes there is so much amazing stuff going on, and balancing time across several businesses definitely has its challenges.

I’ve spent years working across different projects in this way, so I just have to check in with myself and remind myself of what’s possible.

Have you ever heard the ‘fried egg technique’? No? Well I’ll tell you about that another time…

Talk us through lunch. A sandwich at your desk or a full hour in the park?

Before I started this job I worked at an amazing creative agency called Anyways (sister business to It’s Nice That). We had a full kitchen, with a hob, oven, etc. Right from the get go, I got into using that and not going for the sandwich option. It’s not for everyone, but I love this habit. It forces you to take a break because you have to cook/prepare something (however basic it was).

I still do this. I spend some of my lunch time cooking, some eating (you’d hope so!), and then I either go for a stroll or do some life admin. I seem to ALWAYS be fixing/changing/doing something to the flat and I often use a snippet of time at lunch to do this. Gardening? Hanging a picture? Buying something? Selling something? There’s not much that can’t be done before your 2pm zoom!

At the moment, though, my lunch break is for puppy training.

What is the biggest lesson that you’ve learned that you wish you’d known when you started your career?

Oh, there have been a lot. I think my biggest lesson is that you can care deeply for your work, about how it turns out and how it’s received by customers, but that doesn't mean that you have to go into a dark stressful hole in order to get it done.

Now, that wasn’t very concise.

What I mean is that you are allowed to step back, take a breath, a walk or whatever, in order to clear your head, think and refocus. If you do this, it doesn’t mean you don’t care. It just means you are going to have a better outcome.

Email. Friend or foe?

My best friend!

Kidding… Kind of.

I actually spend a huge chunk of time on emails. I don’t see a problem with it, though I know some people hate it. I call those people!

Do you use a digital or paper To Do List? And how effective are you at getting everything done?

I think I am pretty good at getting everything done. I have got really good at re-jigging my list, moving things to the top, to the bottom, etc. I use an app called Microsoft To Do, which makes a lovely sound when you tick off a task.

Sometimes I hand scrawl notes if I need to refocus on something bigger and break it down into smaller lists. I like lists within lists within lists within lists. I break them down to the smallest task at the end, and then make my way up to the main task.

I also have joint lists with some of my colleagues, which works really well. We have calls every week to check on each other’s progress.

Do you leave work at a set time each day?

Not at all. My work hours vary hugely. I start at the same time every day, between 8:30 and 9am. I’m a morning person (sorry!). I sometimes close my laptop at 5pm, but more commonly it’s 6pm and if I feel unsatisfied and unclear, I’ll go for longer as I know it’ll make my evening more relaxed.

I actually think that working from home in the last year has made me work later which I am sure I’m not alone in.

No commute means less of a pressure on the end of the day, I think.

How do you relax? Do you look after yourself properly?

I am lucky. I look after myself well! I have also been really good at going from full work mode to full relax mode within seconds. I am, however, more addicted to emails on my phone than anything else!

I exercise (running, spinning or pilates) 5-6 days a week. I read a lot every night (as long as I can stay awake). I get fresh (does London air count?) air every day.

How confident are you about the future of your business?

I really strongly believe in what we do. I think all of our businesses are fully authentic versions of themselves. We do nothing by half. We are doing it for our customers and are driven to give them everything they could possibly want.

I also see now that we can change and develop our businesses in amazing ways if and when it’s needed.

What is your secret time-wasting technique at your desk?

Instagram. Playing with Goose (my dog). Looking up things to buy for/do to the flat. They are all addictions!

Do you listen to music as you work and if so, what has been playing today?

I actually don’t listen to anything while I’m working. I find listening to music while I work really stress-inducing for some reason. If I am really stressed I search ‘calming classical music’ on my Spotify and listen to that for a bit.