In Brazil, around 24 million women are entrepreneurs, according to data from a study carried out by Sebrae. There are many cases in which female entrepreneurship is an alternative created by necessity.
Thus, in the country, 44% of the female public is betting on the creation of a business as an alternative to supplement income and even as the only source of income at home.
Therefore, in celebration of International Women's Day, which represents the victories achieved by women around the world, meet 11 Brazilian women who are Business Owners and helped the Brazilian economy by moving more than R$1,400,000 in 2019.
Renata Marcolino – A Thousand and One Shoes
With debts piling up, speech therapist Renata Marcolino had to resort to another source of income in order to help her husband during a time of financial difficulty. The then civil servant decided to invest in the sale of popular ballet flats to pay off the family debt. The business began with the sale of shoes from the trunk of the speech therapist's car, so she used the vehicle to go to her clients' homes.
The idea of bringing shoes to its customers gave rise to Mil e Uma Sapatilhas, which has already sold more than two million sneakers and became the first business focused on the emerging market with Disney-licensed products. With more than 140 units open, the brand earned R$60 million in 2019 from the sale of sneakers.
Danyelle Van Straten – Depyl Action
Namely, Danyelle Van Straten is the name behind Depyl Action, a franchise specialized in hair removal and hair care that had a turnover of more than R$122 million in 2019. The brand has more than 110 units in operation in Brazil and two in Venezuela.
Marcela Tarraf – Melting Burges
With a dream of returning to the countryside, Marcela Tarraf decided to change areas to bring something new to São José do Rio Preto.
Unit sales are made through co-franchising, a business model created by Cobiz. With five units, the business had a turnover of R$1.4T 7 million last year.
Rafaela Justino – Vox2You
Although born in Ribeirão Preto, Rafaela Justino discovered Vox2you, a public speaking school franchise, in 2017, to improve her patient care techniques when she was still a nurse.
In just one year of operation, the unit has more than 300 enrolled students and a turnover of R$1.5 million.
Sibele Vaz de Lima – Vazoli
An insurance saleswoman for a large bank in the city of Severínia, in the interior of São Paulo, Sibele Vaz de Lima saw an opportunity for extra income in 2008 when a property measuring just over 15m2 became available. But what was supposed to be a financial supplement to her entrepreneurship became her only source of income.
Sanaua Morais – Slimming Center
However, at the age of 16, Sanaua Morais left the city of Palmeira dos Índios, in the interior of Alagoas, to study biomedicine. After completing the first semester without paying the monthly fees, Sanaua currently earns more than R$3 million annually from its three units. With more than 40 employees in the clinics, the businesswoman hopes to expand her business to other states in the Northeast region in the future.
Poliana Ferraz – Super Internships
For Poliana Ferraz, the dissatisfaction she felt as an intern led her to create one of the largest internship franchise networks in Brazil. Finding a business opportunity for female entrepreneurship with the enactment of the law in 2009, Poliana created Super Estágios, a company that directs students to internship programs and manages them from the first to the last, ensuring that the experience is satisfactory for both the intern and the company where they work.
Flavia Aparecida Correa and Mirian Cristina Correa – Flamy
Although known for their artisanal cakes in the city of Hortolândia, Flávia Aparecida and her daughter Mirian Cristina decided to invest in a promising market for female entrepreneurship. After seeing that the demand for their product was only increasing, they combined the current market situation with their dream of becoming entrepreneurs and opened Flamy. With 15 units in the state of São Paulo, the chain had a turnover of more than R$5.5 million last year.
Raissa Diniz – Swap Club
Raissa Diniz, 41, has a degree in business administration and an MBA in marketing. She has been interested in issues related to female entrepreneurship since she was 16. That's when she started working in the business founded by her father, O Borrachão Revestimento. The businesswoman found in franchising a way to overcome the economic crisis that was hitting Brazil and, to date, has earned more than R$1.5 million.
Charlene Moraes – Otris Financial Solutions
So at 24 years old, with two young children and rent to pay, Charlene Moraes divided her days between interning at a law firm. With Ótris, Charlene helped recover more than R$5 million for SMEs. And she believes in the inclusion of women in entrepreneurship as a way of achieving gender equality. In 2019, the business had a turnover of R$1.5 million.
Thais Mezadri and Daniela Fogaça – Sigbol Fashion
So, at the beginning of 2019, Thais bought the store from her mother and, with her partner Daniela, implemented space optimization and marketing strategies. Within a year, the store's revenue doubled. From 85 students at the beginning of 2019, Thais started this year with 110 students.