Just over 45% of early-stage ventures in Rio Grande do Sul can be characterized as belonging to "solo entrepreneurs," since the only occupation generated by the business is that of the entrepreneur himself. On the other hand, about 55% of early-stage entrepreneurs in the state were running businesses that created at least one job for another person.
The numbers are from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Survey conducted by the National Association of Studies and Research in Entrepreneurship (Anegepe) and were released at the end of 2024. According to the study data, 60.5% of the RS population agree that in the coming months there will be good opportunities to start a business in the city or region where they live.
According to businessman and behavioral change specialist, Italo Rickes, the data shows a shift in culture and even a change in the Brazilian's mental framework, who is beginning to see entrepreneurship clearly, demystifying the idea of owning a business and generating profit. Still, according to Rickes, much of this movement towards entrepreneurship is based on necessity.
“Maybe this will never change. It’s not wrong for people to feel the need and seek a way out, and entrepreneurship is one of them. However, it’s necessary to take the second step and accept this as something that will boost your life and not the other way around. What I see most in the consultancies and immersions we do is the ‘I-business’. It’s a joke we play with people. In other words, the hardest step, which is deciding to undertake and start from scratch, forming a structure, even if minimal, and going into the market with open arms, has already been taken. But entrepreneurs don’t always have all the tools and therefore need to seek knowledge to be able to structure financial planning, sales, cash flow and a whole series of tools that will be the basis for that business to grow and go beyond borders”, he explains.
Rickes is part of Gestão de Imapcto, an immersion program aimed at entrepreneurs that will bring together more than one hundred businesspeople in Gramado, in Serra Gaúcha, from February 23 to 24, with a focus on boosting business and achieving high performance through management strategies and tools.
“Entrepreneurship out of necessity, quite simply, has fewer chances of thriving. However, most entrepreneurs take this path because they saw an opportunity. But then you look at the scenario with the pandemic, floods, and the rollercoaster of the economy and it is undeniable that it is very challenging. However, we often say that rough seas make great sailors. In other words, entrepreneurs need to realize the importance of planning, cash flow, and what prepares them to face these drier periods and, above all, to grow,” he explains.
