Opening your own business is a big dream for many Brazilians and, more than that, regardless of the chosen field of activity, being part of a group of successful entrepreneurs is a special objective for everyone who starts their own company.
This is a market that brings a lot of profitability to dedicated, strategic entrepreneurs who can count on investments to prosper — so strong is the business area that we are among the 10 most entrepreneurial nations in the world!
There are 90 million entrepreneurs who, every day, seek to make a difference in their region, promoting the local economy and strengthening the community.
To stand out in this market and see the business truly become a reference, there is a path to be taken that demands patience and resilience.
Furthermore, of course, having good partnerships is part of this recipe for successful entrepreneurship: and who better to offer support on the entrepreneurial journey than iFood?
The company, in addition to being a great showcase for many businesses that are starting, also offers support so that micro and small entrepreneurs can take their first steps with confidence and security — after all, before becoming big, we start there, very small.
Today, iFood celebrates stories of businesspeople who became successful entrepreneurs based on passion, a clear vision of their goals and a lot of innovation.
Follow the content below to learn about these businesses (and maybe even place your order on the app?).
Good reading!
Read too:
- With credit and data, iFood Pago makes restaurants grow
- Digital entrepreneurship: understand everything about this growing movement
- Entrepreneurship and innovation: understand how these two concepts relate
Discover 5 examples of successful entrepreneurs to inspire you
As we mentioned, being a successful entrepreneur is the dream of many, but achieving this goal requires more than just a good idea.
It takes dedication, resilience and, above all, learning from those who have already walked this path.
A strong distinguishing feature of Brazilians is their determination in business: this research here published by Poder 360 shows that 77% of Brazilian entrepreneurs are motivated by the desire to make a difference in the world — it's admirable!
Our CEO, Diego Barreto, talks about entrepreneurship on your Instagram profile and recently, he argued that “successful businesses are made from the solid construction of fundamental aspects that, ultimately, make your client love you”.
In fact, did you know? iFood has a new president now that Fabrício Bloisi is the new global CEO of Prosus: come here and find out who is Diego Barreto and the profile of the new foodtech leader.
To inspire those thinking about opening a business, iFood has selected some examples of entrepreneurship stories that saw their investments prosper — and iFood is proud to be part of their success journey!
Follow below:
From football player to successful businessman: Boali by Rodrigo Barros
Franchise of healthy eating 100% Brazilian and the largest in this segment in Brazil: Boali was created with the purpose of universalizing access to healthy food, transforming habits and doing good through food.
But it all started with a small dream and a different profile: Rodrigo Barros, CEO of the franchise network, was a football player and, after playing for clubs in Brazil, the United States and Germany, he retired in 2003 and decided he wanted test new possibilities.
After very varied professional experiences, but not all of them successful, Barros took a trip to Silicon Valley (the biggest hub of startups of the world), and met Victor Giansante and Fernando Bueno, who became his partners with Salad Creations.
The rights to operate the brand in Brazil were acquired and the team of entrepreneurs decided to bring the company with a more national proposal: these were the first steps for Boali, today a very well-established healthy food brand in the country.
Before becoming successful, Rodrigo Barros' company went through many challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic; This is a common stage in the world of entrepreneurship, where large companies go through complicated moments, but which tend to be a turning point in the history of the business.
In fact, this is a learning experience that CEO of Boali brought from football. He tells iFood:
“Define what position you play and focus your energy on that. People want to be good at everything and, at the end of the day, performance ends up being average, not extraordinary. You don’t need to know a little bit of everything, but rather deliver results very well in one thing and bring in people with skills that complement yours.”
Today, Boali has more than 80 units across Brazil, 40 operations being opened in the USA and more negotiations with an expansion to Portugal.
From Aircraft Mechanics to Entrepreneurs: The Story of The Rooster
Adriano and Marley are the partners behind The Rooster: the restaurant that serves breaded, dry and crunchy chicken in a bucket — the snack that has conquered the city of Indaiatuba.
From the beginning, when they left mechanics aside to start their own business, the friends knew they wanted to invest in the food industry, but nothing that was already very obvious, like hamburgers and pizza.
It was on a trip to Orlando, in the United States, that the duo began a study: tasting fried chicken from large local chains to evaluate the taste of the product, as well as the presentation and style of the restaurants.
In the same year, upon returning to Brazil, they adapted the discoveries into something more Brazilian, with drier chicken and local seasonings, and it was a success!
They are already thinking about working with franchise models due to the recognition that the restaurant has received — and highlight that the partnership with iFood made all the difference, with 75% of the establishment's sales coming from the app.
The talent for making soups led to a successful business
Caldos da Bah, a company owned by Barbara Toscano, arose from the success of the soups that the businesswoman made at home, for family and friends: the flavor was so special that it became a business.
She left her position as administrative assistant to move to the kitchen, which now produces 50 to 100 meals a day, and sees its sales grow especially during the cold season.
During the pandemic, she saw sales increase even more, a phase that was a major milestone in Barbara's entrepreneurial history: she had to move to a house with a bigger kitchen, expand the menu and invest in equipment to keep up with demand.
Furthermore, the businesswoman highlights that the iFood was a partner of Caldos da Bah mainly at the request of customers. “People had been asking me for a while, they were looking for me on the platform and I wasn't there,” she says.
She also states that the iFood guarantees a lot of visibility for the business, in addition to being a great support in the strategic definition of sales.
Family tradition at the most famous parmigiana in São Paulo
Born in Itu and with the tastiest filet a parmigiana in the city, Alemão SP started with a family business that was already a tradition: Bar do Alemão, which began in 1902 as a bakery, evolving into a restaurant and bar, and today is one of the most famous places in the city.
The business has been passed down from generation to generation and is currently run by Joubert Steiner, great-grandson of Max Steiner, the founder of Bar do Alemão and responsible for the first steps of the business.
With changes in the way we consume and offer the best experience to customers, the place has undergone a rebranding and today it is Alemão SP, with the same excellent menu and attracting more and more loyal customers — tradition is tradition, right?
The partner highlights that the iFood was a partner fundamental in the expansion of the restaurant to other cities in São Paulo, including the capital. “This partnership was fundamental for the opening of two new delivery units”, says Joubert Steiner.
Northeastern food that is a hit in Rio de Janeiro
It was with the proposal of a kitchen specializing in food from the northeast that Casa da Severina was born: the largest delivery of northeastern dishes in the capital of Rio de Janeiro, which has already been released in article from the newspaper O Globo!
The partners say that, at the beginning, the business did not take off well: one of the main bottlenecks in ordering was the many options that ended up confusing the customer, who abandoned the order.
Offering specific dishes already prepared was the starting point for the restaurant to grow — which, according to the managers, had a partnership with iFood.
“We joined iFood in 2018, but we weren’t getting any results. We decided to strictly follow iFood’s guidelines; We provide photos of the products and proceed to participate in campaigns carried out through the application”, explains Felipe Helvio, one of the partners.
Now, Casa da Severina is one of the most famous restaurants at Feira de São Cristóvão, in addition to having units in Pilares, one under construction in ParkJacarepaguá, and a delivery unit in Botafogo!
The partners also highlight the advantages that iFood offers to the business: “On peak days, we use the Easy Delivery so as not to delay orders”, says Felipe.
How does iFood help restaurants grow?
To help entrepreneurs from all over Brazil expand their businesses, the company created the iFood Paid, a bank specialized in restaurant operations that offers digital accounts, payment methods and easy access to credit.
Furthermore, iFood Pago has Maquinona, which in addition to integrating payments with iFood delivery, uses artificial intelligence to help establishments to strengthen relationships with your customers and create marketing campaigns.
Luana Ozemela, Vice President of Impact and Sustainability at iFood, reinforces that the company continually invests in actions to encourage the development of restaurants.
To this end, the company provides partners with new technologies and education in initiatives such as:
- Anota AI: automates sales for those who operate via WhatsApp.
- iFood Believe: incentive program for black entrepreneurs.
- iFood Decola: offers free management, logistics and sales courses.
- My High School Diploma: preparatory course for the Encceja exam, a test that entitles you to a high school completion certificate.
“Restaurants are part of our social impact strategy”, says Luana. “We reinforce our commitment to these partners by officially launching iFood Pago, our 100% digital bank focused on restaurants.
know more about how iFood has contributed to the success of our partners’ businesses All over Brazil
iFood supports companies from all over Brazil!
Becoming a successful entrepreneur is a path full of challenges, but also of immense rewards: and learning from the examples of successful entrepreneurs is, in addition to being important, very inspiring!
Making your business prosper revolves around adopting best practices and maintaining passion and resilience: fundamental steps on this journey, along with a series of other strategies.
iFood is here to support small entrepreneurs who are just starting out, offering a digital showcase for your business and helping your company get off the ground.
We offer you simple and easy management, as well as presence in more than 1200 cities, so your restaurant can increase its reach: find out more in our partners page.
