Interview with Alicja Wojciechowska, owner of Alles company located in Głowno near Łódź, laureate of the titles: Extraordinary Charismatic Woman and Beautiful 50-Year-Olds in the category of The Most Beautiful Couple (the latter title shared with her husband, Sławomir), on the designing and production of sensual women’s lingerie and how a professionally fulfilled woman uses her experiences to undertake more activities after getting retired.
What is this drink you serve?
It is a body-hydrating mixture of watermelon, grapefruit juice, coconut milk, mint and spirulina seeweed. Spirulina is a kind of algae. Scientists claim that it has been existing on Earth for 3.5 trillion years. It contains noble minerals, vitamins A, D, E and K, protein and amino acids. It is very important and valuable for our health. I would also recommend the kale plus lemon or orange juice, squeezed together with albedo, which has a lot of nutrients. Vegetables and fruits must be organically grown; if I don’t have organic ones, I carefully wash every single piece with a toothbrush, rinse and soak in baking soda solution or ozonize to get rid of chemicals.
You are a nutrition expert. Where do you get all your knowledge?
It is my passion. I read a lot; many naturotherapists share their experience, I draw knowledge from people who have changed the way they eat and now share their good advice. Spices and food that I use come from natural food producers, such as Dary Natury. I buy books, browse the Internet on the subject of taking care of life to live longer and better. I decided to make successive changes in our way of eating, therefore everything connected with the topic of good health draws my attention.
How do you feel as an Extraordinary Charismatic Woman?
More charismatic than extraordinary. I feel more than ordinary only in certain circumstances. Our company has recently celebrated its 30th year of activity, and my husband and I had our 50th anniversary. Everything we have was gained with our hard work: after all, we come from poor, working-class families, and we did not have any property. Things used to be different for us: we often lacked money for food or major payments, trips. For many years it was a real grind. We started our business when the times were hard: during the economic transformation. Today I wonder if it was worth it to work so hard. But another question I ask myself is if we had any other options. For us, it was not like we knew how to find a work-life balance. I’ve always been open, sincere, sympathetic to people; I couldn’t refuse help even when I was running out of energy. The hardest thing is when you want to make others happy at the expense of time for yourself and your family. Now I look at the world in a bit different way. I try to reward my loved ones for what I may have not taken enough care of. As we grow older, we have, unfortunately, less and less power, but the heart and reason are a beautiful pair that verifies our lives and reminds us of what is important to each of us. I want to think and live through my own values, and „enchant” the day with positive thoughts every morning.
You have a husband, two children, a granddaughter and professional success – you are amazing.
I don’t feel special. Maybe it’s a matter of upbringing, a path full of challenges and hard work to get to anything – whether we call it success or not. We always carry the burden of our past choices, but it’s important make it a good memory. However, I have to admit that nothing helps in overcoming problems better than the charisma, persistence, and responsibility. I will repeat what I have already said: heart and reason are my compass in life. That is the ground on which I make my decisions and undertake actions, and perhaps that is why fate rewards difficult moments and allows me to look to the future in more optimistic and enthusiastic way with a pinch of curiosity.
What is your work today?
I have been retired for a few years now but I still own the ALLES Company, currently managed by my daughter Karina and her son-in-law. Both my husband and I mainly spend our time on making finishing touches to the house located by lake where we can enjoy our time together with guests, family and friends. It’s a special place for us because 50 years ago we had our first date at this lake.
It requires a lot of time and work, especially for my husband who takes care the garden that everyone admires and which is our pride. I was invited to join the Contry Housewives’ Club Aktywna Kobieta. We are very active, and I am happy to be a part of the Club. I also spend some time on making ‚’healthy tinctures’’, drying herbs, making cocktails and daily preparation of my 7-ingredient juice, which nourishes and hydrates the body.
To sum it up in a brief few words: I am a housewife, a residence designer, and a ‚’supervisor inspector’’ (the nickname I got from the contractors) in one. Of course, I am simultaneously an entrepreneur and employer, too.
What are you most proud of in the professional field?
Of the fact that we have managed to maintain very good relations with our employees. These are very important people for us: they worked and created the company with us, they identify with what we do. I am proud that the company can pride itself with good reputation and recognition of customers.
We met the right people at the right moments, and thanks to them we were able to achieve a lot. And after all, we had no specialist education, only abilities that we didn’t realize we had at the beginning, and which we discovered over time, when there was the need (or an opportunity) to use them. I am proud of the fact that my daughter Karina decided to continue our business and is very successful in her role.Today, running a business is a brave challenge, therefore we make our best to make reasonable decisions. I am proud that we create a family business, in which values, respect for people and taking responsibility for the society in which we live are of the top importance. I am proud that we have managed to survive many difficult moments thanks to believing in ourselves, hard work and not giving up on our goals and dreams. Each experience, and especially the most difficult ones, teaches responsibility. I am proud that we were guided by the best values in life and of our conscience, which allows us to sleep peacefully.
I would like to remind that Alles was honored with the title of The Best & More for the production of comfortable and elegant lingerie for women with sophisticated taste, as well as specific needs (pregnant women, nursing mothers and Amazon women), care for the development of employees and extensive social activities. You are known for high quality of your products and customer satisfaction.
Our company’s mission is to win the trust of every woman and make her a loyal customer of our brand. Indeed, they come back to us. Just like our employees. There have been many people who changed their jobs for various reasons, and yet, later, they returned and continued to work for us. Not for all of them salary is the greatest value, which I consider an achievement. The issue of quality, on the other hand, has always been one of the priorities of our company. An important part of it is the control of all stages of production, starting with raw materials, sourced from various countries. You need to know that every bra is often a different composition of raw materials and can consist of up to 50 elements. This requires special care and diligence, because stitching and joining so many elements is a job only for very patient and talented people.
You have extensive experience in organizing events and appearances.
If I work for financial gain solely, I don’t feel any satisfaction. I am happy to share with others. That’s why I have been involved in many events, and often sponsored them. As an Ambassador of Women’s Entrepreneurship in Poland, for several years I organized and was the main and only sponsor of the interscholastic contest „Młody Kreator Przedsiębiorczości” in Głowno. The prize was a beautiful statuette presented at the gala; I invited authorities, media, parents and school principals. I was also involved in activities for senior citizens, such as the elections of Miss 50+. I have been distinguished with a noble title of Latająca Babcia („Flying Grandmother”) by a group of retired ladies from Łódź, whose organization bears the same name. I financially supported publication of a several books issued by the association. My husband supports local sports.
Your husband describes you as an extraordinary wife. In your case 2 + 2 = 5, you are a couple that complements each other perfectly.
Yes, and that helped us to be together, although I don’t know if we put an effort in being together, or if we were together because that is what we wanted. Talking half-seriously, I wonder what experience other couples of the same zodiacal signs have; nevertheless, I have to admit, that such a relationship bases on some amount of competing. On the other hand, though, this is perhaps why the goals are set and things get achieved. I am convinced that you need to take care of the relationship, nurture love and trust; that you cannot consider an option of going beyond the mark with the loved one. There are, for example, situations such as this:
– Did you turn on your lamp?
– No, I’m tired.
– And of course, I was tired as well, but I brought him the lamp and I turned it on because I know how important it is for his health.
Both sides of the relationship need to take care of each other. Patience, respect, tolerance, acceptance: without these features, it is impossible to build and survive together in a relationship. I cannot perceive myself as more important, underestimated, ot that I am sorry; of course, there are such moments because nobody can be strong all the time. We need to talk about problems, feelings, goals and dreams because only a sincere conversation allows us to understand another person.
What kind of mother are you?
I am now trying to make up in different ways for the period when I had no time for my children. At the same time I am a bit overprotective, especiallu towards my granddaughter Livia. On the other hand, we have less and less time for one another, and since we moved to finish our home /family home/ we are separated by distance. We are all busy. Karina, who runs the Alles company together with my son-in-law Marcin, try to meet all the needs. My son Jarosław went his own way and established his own company. I miss their presence every day. I know that they have their own families but I continue to suffer from the empty nest syndrome. I thank providence that we raised our children to be good, wise, sensitive, hard-working and, above all, valuable people. It is my great happiness and joy.
What are your plans?
I intend to establish the Fundacja Alicji Wojciechowskiej foundation. I would like to brand it with my name, so that it would be credible, reliable. The main idea is for women to draw from the experiences of other women, especially in rural environments, where the opportunities are fewer. I want to organize meetings with interesting people; I know many interesting individuals who want to share their knowledge. I want to talk about health, various challenges women have to face, family relations, such as mother-daughter, or mother-in-law-daughter-in-law. I have always said: family reflects the nation. People are in constant rush, losing values, forgetting what is most important. I used to struggle with this myself. Although I think that the pandemic has helped to reevaluate many things and people now look at themselves and the world around us differently. My motto: WHAT COMES FROM THE HEART, TOUCHES THE HEART (Don Sibet) always gives me strength.
Oh my, and what is that?
Marigold tea. I want to treat you to
my healthy tomato cream, too.
Dorota Kolano
Beata Sekuła
