Intermediation market will see the end of the “occult businesses”, says CEO of a company in the sector

The logic of charging commissions on sales, even without generating direct value in the production chain, is in check. This is the vision of Andre Cruz, co-founder and CEO of Guru Digital Manager, Complete online checkout and sales management platform, and book author '''Politically Incorrect Guide for Digital Entrepreneurs. “We are living the end of the era of hidden businesses’.The market no longer tolerates intermediaries who enrich at the expense of the effort of others”, he says.

The criticism refers to the dominant pattern of large marketplaces, such as apps and intermediation platforms, which retain up to 30% of the value transacted in the name of access and visibility. According to Cruz, this creates a structural imbalance, penalizing precisely those who create, sell or deliver real value.

“Since 2017, we have bet on a contrary approach: charging a fixed monthly fee, without commissions on sales. At the time, we were told that it would not work. Today, we see giants like iFood, AppStore and even 99Food reviewing their models, pressured by competition, rejection and need for financial sustainability.Our strategy proved effective.In 2024, our customers saved R$ 75 million that, on other platforms, would be destined to rates. The cycle is turning around”, highlights the CEO.“With the increase in efficiency and uncertainties in the interest rates and the real value scenario, it has led to get more value, the value in the money, the cost and cost more.

Operating in Brazil, the United States and Europe, the company serves recurring businesses, content creators, events and sellers of simple physical products, offering checkout, integration with marketing tools, after-sales and real-time metrics. Pioneer in fixed monthly, last year moved R$ 3 billion only in Brazil and projects to exceed R$ 6 billion in transactions by the end of 2025.

In his book, Andre presents practical ways to undertake with freedom in the virtual world, but moving away from platforms that explore business and do not generate rewards. With a direct approach, he denounces how the sales systems “only-pay-sell” make its users hostage to abusive fees and lack of autonomy.

“It is a dynamic that favors the digital stelionate, especially with the proliferation of courses to sell’. A market has been created that profits from dreams and empty promises, aimed at those who seek shortcuts and ends up getting carried away by illusions. Without autonomy, many professionals work for third party interests, while seeing their own committed gains. We are following a clear migration to solutions that prioritize the entrepreneur, and Guru has taken the lead in this movement, with ethics, efficiency and purpose. We continue growing in a sustainable way, with margin and long-term vision concludes. And now, more than ever, we seek partners who share this same CEO philosophy, we have.