Entrepreneurial Woman Awards 2023

First Prize for Rural Entrepreneurship

On November 16, the 2023 Entrepreneurial Women Awards were presented by the Guadalajara Provincial Council. Cosmo Guada had the honor of receiving First Prize in the Rural Entrepreneurship category, a recognition that fills us with pride. The delivery date for these awards is usually close to November 19, Women's Entrepreneur's Day.

From here, I want to express my most sincere gratitude to the Provincial Council for distinguishing me with this award and the financial aid that it entails, especially valuable at this time of year, when astronomical observations are difficult to organize due to climatological instability.

And here comes the ceremonial. Let's get into the subject, really know what the process was like, how I experienced it. Because Cosmo Guada is not a company, it is the project of one person, me, Lola Silva. Let me tell you:

It was a day full of emotions and very intense. The previous days were tense due to the need to submit a series of documents, scan them and send them correctly. Once the paperwork was resolved, all that was left was to prepare for the delivery ceremony. And that, for any woman, is quite a challenge.

What do I wear? What time is the hairdresser? The manicure? Who does my makeup (I never wear makeup)? From the early hours of the morning, my bed was a jumble of clothes I had tried on. Once the “outfit” was chosen, it was time to shower, eat something (we were already on time) and run to the hairdresser. Then, to a friend's house who has all kinds of makeup and let one of my daughters take care of it (yes, yes, like a diva).

Get dressed and run off to the venue where… Oh, the speech! With so much hustle and bustle, he had not prepared any speech. Well, the piece of paper with my name on the stage chair might help me. Said and done, let's write... They explained to us what the event and the delivery would be like, where to stand, where the authorities would go and the times the choir would come out and where they would stand. Okay, thank you, I'm going to greet my guests.

My son and Ana Rebollo, one of the “pushers” of this project, which has had several, arrived. There was Antonio, the president of Astro Guada, the astronomical association to which I belong. Kisses, hugs, more excitement and nerves and… the speech, Lola, finish the speech! There is some video out there where I keep writing during one of the chorus songs.

Four prizes for each of the three categories. Not all of them were present, but those of us who were, how nervous, how excited, how well-groomed and beautiful, what smiles and what a lot of knowing looks. Meanwhile, our appreciated kora I was giving shape to a mural that spoke of the entrepreneurial woman.

And the time came to start handing out prizes. We all had our opportunity to speak. And cry. Because it seemed like we had agreed. When the time came to dedicate the award or give special thanks to the children or parents, the partner, the siblings, we all had a lump in our throats and tears ran down our cheeks (thank you daughter, how good makeup, everything remained in its place). And you didn't cry with your speech, but with everyone.

How exciting, how great all the companions of Impulsa Mujer (LoveU my Ladybug) and of AGEMA (thanks Kora, Marga, Loreto, all of them), what applause and cheers. What a beautiful bouquet of flowers and how good it smelled. How wonderful my children, what a good pulse that of my photojournalist, crying and everything, but a very stable recording (thank you darling).

And what a long act, because we ran down from there to the bathrooms (mental note: next time, it is essential to go to the bathroom before).

And then the moment of Spanish Wine. Hugs, kisses, photos, three divine children. She was like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, waited on all the time: something to drink, something to eat, give me the bouquet and the coat, and the bag? Ah, the boy has it, well... everything controlled by them. Another photo, more congratulations…

I have nothing but words of gratitude for each and every one of the people who accompanied me that day, in person or not. I adore you, I love you and I am grateful for having you in my life. A week later and I'm still excited. It has been a wonderful experience and both Lola Silva and Cosmo Guada are proud of this great family. Because this project would not exist if it were not for the push (sometimes almost literal) that I have received over the years to have this beautiful project.

Cosmo Guada was born from the desire to not have to move from Saelices de la Sal to work. Thanks to the opportunity that Ana Rebollo gave me by including me in the Starlight Foundation instructor course, I began this path. But this time, unlike in other endeavors, I did not wait to see the end. I just started, I created the company. If I hadn't, I would never have gotten here. As I encountered an obstacle, I faced it, got around it, and continued.

Cosmo Guada is an astrotourism company that wants to make astronomy known, but with its feet on the ground. Because Cosmo Guada does not want to be just a “look through the telescope” company and the project covers much more. The location is Saelices de la Sal, a small town located in the Sierra Ministera and which belonged to the Duchy of Medinaceli. It is an area with a tremendously low population density and that is good; because the air is not contaminated, not even by the light of streetlights. And because we are surrounded by nature, plants, fauna, ancient crafts, heritage... But it is bad because labor is scarce.

At Cosmo Guada we want tourists who come to the territory to be able to enjoy something more than just the stars: chozones, Salinas, pine resin, routes between horses, ornithological routes, bellowing, and yes, planets, moon, nebulae and...stars. Throughout 2024, we will implement new activities and offer our clients unforgettable experiences.

And furthermore, as it cannot be otherwise in a territory like ours, there are several companies that believe that collaboration, and not aggressive competition, is the method for all of us to grow and to offer our visitors an unforgettable experience.

I invite you to follow me, to see the process and development of this small company, to learn about the collaborations we do, to get to know the rest of the companies in this territory.

I'm Lola Silva and I'm looking forward to meeting you