Investe SP participates in meeting of entrepreneurs in Praia Grande
Event attended by around 400 people featured presentations and workshops for the exchange of experiences
Investe São PauloThe director of Investe São Paulo, Sérgio Costa, was one of speakers at the 2nd Municipal Meeting of Entrepreneurs from Praia Grande, organized by the Department of Economic Development, Science, Technology and Labor (SEDETTRA). The event brought together around 400 people at Palácio das Artes, on Tuesday (July 18, 2017).
Costa explained the work of Investe São Paulo and started a dialogue about how companies can take advantage of the state’s infrastructure to expand.”We are very grateful for the partnership with the city government to help us make our services available to more companies, both those who want to expand and those who wish to export,” he says.
The event featured two case studies: the presentations of Sonia Hess, president of the leading brand of shirts Dudalina (2003 to 2015) and Thái Quang Nghiã, founder of Goóc Eco Sandal, an ecological footwear brand.
Sônia Hess told her trajectory over the years of the brand created by her parents “Mr. Duda” and Ms. Adelina and the difficulties to get to the presidency of the brand and make Dudalina one of the leading companies in the segment. “My parents always did everything with love and it was no different in Dudalina. Love has always been extended to our employees, who were always treated with love and respect by us. The great secret of this success was love,” she said.
Thái Quang Nghiã, a Vietnamese refugee who arrived in Brazil without knowing how to pronounce a single word in Portuguese, talked about his story and all the suffering he's been through in an unknown place and completely alone. “I started with less than zero, I had to create my own dictionary, study a lot, read. One of the most difficult things I’ve been through was when I started achieving the first things and there was no one to congratulate me, no father, no mother, no one. Later, with my company consolidated, I went through the worst phase of my life when my company caught fire: I lost material, machinery and customers, because I could not meet the deadlines,” he commented.
Despite all the hardships and difficulties Thái Quang did not give up and started from scratch again. Today, his company is reestablished in the market and has become an example of sustainability for the world, since it uses recycled rubber from tires to produce the soles of the shoes he sells.
Initiative- The 2nd Meeting of Entrepreneurs was organized by Sedettra in partnership with the Commercial and Business Association of Praia Grande (ACE), the Financial System of Cooperatives Sicoob Cooperace and Sebrae-SP, with the support from Investe-SP.
To the mayor of Praia Grande, Alberto Mourão, the event inspires and motivates the entrepreneurs of the city. “Entrepreneurs are an innovators, they cannot enter the comfort zone, they have to seek constant upgrade. I'm glad to see so many people gathered in search of opportunities. Don’t be afraid of facing the adversities and don’t be afraid of reinventing yourself,” he said to the participants.
Entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs left the event motivated by the talks. The student of business management, Maria dos Reis Chaves Ferreira, explains that she felt very moved after listening to the stories of people who, like her, did not have great investment conditions. “I realized that these successful entrepreneurs started as I find myself today, with no financial resources, just wanting to do differently, to undertake and study the best way to do that.”
Aurelina de Souza, who sells clothing, dreams of expanding her business and becoming a successful businesswoman. “This event is very important to me, I'm meeting a lot of people who can help me and who I’ll be able to help in some way. Seeing these examples so close to our daily lives makes it even easier to believe in ourselves,” she said.
The deputy secretary of Sedettra, Itamar Marciano, celebrates the result and believes that the goal was achieved. “We managed to transmit our message to the entrepreneurs and future businesses of Praia Grande. The motivation and appreciation of people, employees and consumers are the main fuel for success.”
The participants were also able to get to know the work of the Center for Methodical and Practical Learning of Praia Grande (Camp-PG), which promotes and encourages the hiring of young apprentices by entrepreneurs in the city, in addition to Desenvolve São Paulo and Sicoob.