After finishing his military service, Cristóbal Colón joined the staff of a mental hospital, seeking a job where he could be useful to others. He worked for 10 years in several institutions initiating work therapy programmes. In 1981, he came to the conclusion that real jobs for mental patients can only be created in a real enterprise and decided to put into practice what had long been his dream. When Cristóbal spoke to the mayor and authorities in the region about starting La Fageda, they thought that he too, was crazy. As Colón points out: “Imagine someone wanting to set up a business, except it will be employing crazy people and is run by a psychiatrist whose name is Christopher Columbus!”.