Léa Linster: Chasing dreams, building a legacy

Why, at 71, have you never considered retiring?

Working is the only thing I know how to do, and it gives me real pleasure. I simply don't know how to take holidays or stop. Every day, people come from Luxembourg, Germany and France just to have a book signed or to taste my madeleines. When they exclaim, "Oh my God, these madeleines are so good!", I tell them that my madeleines and I love them very much too. That means an enormous amount to me. And what I find so beautiful about my shop is that tour guides walk past with groups of thirty or forty people, pointing at the shop, and then the visitors spot me inside and realise that I am not just a brand. I am really there. Record days remind me how far I have come. On 3 October, the day Grand Duke Guillaume acceded to the throne, I sold more than 3,000 madeleines. It was hard to move inside the shop, there were so many people. I am sincerely grateful that I can still do this and that I still want to.

What lessons would you share with young entrepreneurs starting out today?

Follow your dreams, because they don't come out of nowhere. They come from your history, your family, your way of life, everything that has shaped you. And stay true to yourself, to your own values. Avoid whatever makes you uncomfortable, and avoid people who want to hold you back. Nobody held me back, and that is what made all of this possible. I also believe deeply in starting from zero, building step by step with your own skills and your own intentions. Growing slowly is not a weakness. When a stressful situation arises, you have already faced something similar before and you know how to handle it. That is why I consider myself indestructible. I made mistakes, of course. At the Buffet de la Gare, I fell into a real trap. But the way you get out of it teaches you a life lesson. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I became a very strong woman after that experience. A mistake is only truly useless if you repeat it without learning from it. When you recognise the lesson hidden behind a mistake, you grow. Sometimes, a mistake in the kitchen even gives birth to a new recipe.

What would you say to young people who feel overwhelmed and are on the verge of giving up?

Difficulties are simply part of the job. When everything runs smoothly, anyone could do it. The obstacles, the paperwork, the banks that refuse to back you, that is exactly what forges you and makes you competent. Later, the satisfaction of having succeeded your own way, without someone else carrying you to the finish line, is incomparable. Help can also make you a little weak, so use it wisely. Giving up must never be a backup plan or a fallback option. If it is truly your project, you don't give up easily. And I often tell people: it is easy to be happy, if you know what you love and you know how to get there. At 71, looking back on all these years, I have encountered so many things I sincerely love, and I have kept them close to me. Never confuse self-confidence with arrogance. Self-confidence is only the reflection of what you have already achieved, something nobody can buy and nobody can steal from you.

Quote: ”When you have the passion, you must follow your dreams. That is without doubt the best advice I can give a young person."