Entrepreneur's journey in Brazil: The first four months of 2022 saw the opening of more than 1.3 million companies in the country. The balance in the period was positive, with 808,243 companies open, minus the 541,884 companies closed in the first four months of the year. With this result, the total number of active companies in the country rose to 19,373,257. This information is part of the Mapa das Empresas bulletin, referring to the first four months of 2022. *Special Secretariat for Productivity and Competitiveness of the Ministry of Economy (Sepec/ME).

*By Vitor Torres @ Administrators

What do you want to be when you grow up? A difficult question to answer at any stage of life and one that surrounds us from an early age, in childhood. Like many Brazilian children, in the past I was also questioned by my parents about the future. I remember well that my answer was, to say the least, curious for the time: adventurous.

At that moment, I had no idea of what awaited me and no certainty about what I had said. It wasn't explicit or conscious, I didn't even know exactly what that word meant, but it was already an indication of what I expected on the horizon. In a way, thanks to a premature intuition, I was embarking on the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey.

Entrepreneur's journey: When adventure becomes real

Only after a long time did I understand what embarking on an adventure symbolized: being open to new things, taking advantage of opportunities, foreseeing challenges and dealing with unforeseen events that would appear at one time or another along the way. In the end, all of these were essential attributes for entrepreneurship, an activity that grows more every day in the country.

For example, according to a survey by the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae), the country moved from 13th place in the global entrepreneurship ranking to 7th place, with 43 million entrepreneurs. In 2021, 14 million people aged 18 to 64, or 9.9% of the adult population, led companies that were more than 3.5 years old. The percentage represents an increase of 1.2 percentage points compared to 2020.

In other words, despite the global health crisis and the macro and microeconomic scenarios, people are putting their ideas into practice and opening their businesses. However, the adverse scenario is the closure of other companies. According to data from the Business Map, carried out by the Ministry of Economy, more than 1.4 million companies closed in 2021, an increase of 34.6% compared to 2020.

When the entrepreneur's journey enters a crisis

Given this scenario, what can we do to reduce the rate of business closures in our country? There is no magic formula or just one direction, but the first essential step is to recalibrate your look at the market and understand it not only before, but during and after the opening of the CNPJ. Entrepreneurs need to know how their niche works and how their product or service solves pain in this context.

Choosing an innovative product or service can also increase the success of the would-be entrepreneur, but it is not a guarantee. After all, anyone who wants to undertake a business has to plan and adjust the route as many times as necessary. Knowing the demand and aligning the solution offered to the consumer will provide survival for the business in times of crisis.

In fact, this innovative solution is not only linked to technology or the creation of something new, but to purpose, management and continuous improvement. Nowadays it is essential to think about the values and mission that govern the business. The novelty is important, however the pillars are essential for sustainable and perennial growth.

Entrepreneurial talent

Therefore, it is worth keeping in mind some skills that are inherent to entrepreneurship and important for developing an entrepreneurial profile:

• Enjoy challenges and reach maximum potential;
• Become resilient and adjust to obstacles;
• Not be afraid to take unexpected or calculated risks;
• Be creative, visionary and generate differentiated solutions;
• Maintain a high sense of opportunity and threat radar;
• Position yourself responsibly in all situations.

O Brazilian entrepreneurship has advanced, and opening a company today is simpler than it was a decade ago. Focusing on the positive perspective: there are many opportunities and there is no longer an obligation to face endless bureaucracy, since countless alternatives are now available to simplify this path. This movement is transformational.

Finally, more mature and experienced after exploring several unknown paths, I repeat the question to those who want to open their own business: what do you want to be when you grow up? Regardless of the answer, anticipate and prepare for the unexpected that lies ahead, so you can be confident that you will be ready when the time comes.