I've learned so much over the last 5 years that I have decided to share some stories about what I've been living and learning. With no intention of teaching anyone anything, but with the intention that these accounts can serve/help someone
In 2013, returning from maternity leave, I shared my volunteering experience with the Human Resources group and asked what we could do to promote this opportunity to “DO GOOD “ for Company’s employees, as part of their engagement
The program for women entrepreneurs was incredible – I invited consultants from different areas of the company to participate as volunteers in the program: they would adopt an entrepreneur and participate in all the mentoring meetings.
2015 was not an easy year! My third year as a partner and I was now questioning all my choices, what I was doing with my life. Countless times, I put the children to sleep and stayed until dawn watching Mario Sergio Cortella's lectures on YouTube. There's a sentence that wouldn’t leave my mind: "Life is too short to be small!" by Benjamin Disraeli.
That was the question I asked Alice Freitas in September 2015. . A social entrepreneur, she created Rede Asta, an impact business that works with more than 800 artisans who live in communities, offering fashion trends, training and partnerships with designers, as well as a “market place” for the products they produce, returning
In October 2015, there was an event in the women entrepreneurs’ program – it was the first meeting, bringing together the 3 cohorts, to generate content. By chance I sat down at the same table as one of our mentors, Luiza Helena Trajano.
I arrived at the meeting. It was in a house located in Paraíso neighborhood (“PARADISE” - what a great start!). The meeting hadn't started yet and I was talking to “Jesus”
Dear MDBs: It is with great affection that I write this message to you! My coming to the MDB was guided by a good dose of courage (to challenge the status quo), a lot of will (to live something meaningful) and faith (trusting that something bigger was guiding my path).
Coming to Hong Kong was not easy. Adapting to a new culture, a new lifestyle, and a way of connecting that is VERY different from us Brazilians. On the one hand, it was great staying with the boys and having a 100% dedication to the family – some wishes I managed to fulfill: closely monitoring homework, playing in the afternoon after school, making cake together, among many others! But the hardest thing was losing my financial independence and my career - working since I was 18, I got used to having my own money and felt that I had lost my freedom.
The opportunities in Hong Kong weren't as clear to me. The day to day was getting a little more complicated, and sad. I decided to see what was making me feel that way: I didn't feel connected with the place we were living, I didn't have time to dedicate myself to studying and discovering new things. My routine was to help the children catch the bus to school, clean the house, do the grocery shopping, prepare dinner, and pick up the children from school. Months of many conversations with Daniel...!
For me, as interesting as discovering an impact business is also discovering the life story of the entrepreneur. Finding out that the business comes to solve a pain, an anguish. I can understand the essence, why the impact business exists, and its soul. Let's get to know John's story!
In my first year in Hong Kong, my sister Patrícia was living in Singapore and I went to spend the holidays with her to recharge my batteries, to be close to my family, my nephews.
Today we signed the contract for Somos Todos Marias! We made official our will and intention to create an impact business that was born to improve the lives of thousands (millions!) of female entrepreneurs in the beauty industry who live on the ghettos of large cities in Brazil (and in the world!).
May 8, 2023 (writing at Agnes B, a coffee shop in Central, HK)Today it was raining here in Hong Kong, and I went to the bank to open an account for my consultancy company. I registered the company two years ago, but the impossibility of receiving my fees from an international client (since, due to compliance, they could not make the payment in my pthe name of the natural person if they had hired a legal entity) led me to take this new step.
