I am commonly asked what is the best way to get started in Brazil. Sometimes I wish there was a more sophisticated answer than the one I am about to give but I don’t think there is. So, if you are trying to find work in Brazil or thinking about starting a company here and you have never lived here, here are the first steps: 1) Network. Speak to anyone you know who is Brazilian …
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Top 12 tips to speed up opening a business in Brazil
The quickest way to open a limitada in Brazil is to buy a company off-the-shelf. Although I have not yet done this, I would recommend looking into it. You need to make sure the source is trusted and perform a complete due diligence. Ideally you buy a recently incorporated company. Here are the top 12 tips to speed up opening a limitada from scratch (learned the hard way): 1) Understand the legal risks of being an administrator …
Top 3 tips to manage the challenges of starting a business in Brazil
Brazil represents both opportunity and challenge. You have to manage the challenges to realize the opportunity, that’s the deal. So, how do foreign startups manage when the odds are stacked against them? In a couple of words: “jeitinho brasileiro”. I’d translate this as finding shortcuts. Brazil is bureaucratic, complication and sometimes very frustrating. Here is some practical advice for those thinking of starting businesses in Brazil from abroad: 1) Get good local partners. A good …
Finding a lawyer for your startup in Brazil
Finding lawyers in Brazil that have experience with startups is both incredibly difficult and critical to your success. Your local embassy will likely recommend expensive lawyers with international experience and not startup experience. Firstly, some general advice: 1) Remember, you are selecting the lawyer, not the law firm. Lousy lawyers can end up working for great firms. 2) Look for glowing recommendations in your network. Half-hearted recommendations do not count. 3) Look for experience with …
Top 6 things to look for in a resume in Brazil
I spend about 7 seconds looking at a resume. Not sure if this is above or below average. Since resumes are usually painfully low quality, I I apply a quick mental filter when reviewing a resume. Here are the 6 things I look for: 1) Did someone I know and trust recommend this candidate? This limits how much I trust the candidate and their CV. 2) Did they go to a top university? USP, UNICAMP, …
How to find a good apartment to rent in Rio de Janeiro
Finding a good apartment in Rio de Janeiro takes a lot of time, effort and patience. The Jornal Globo newspaper on Sundays still has the largest offering of apartments to rent and buy in Rio and its hit and miss. Online sites like zap.com.br and vivareal.com.br are a good source since many of the local estate agents advertise on these sites. Of course you can call estate agents directly to enquire but we warned they are …
How to learn a language in 17 days
I’ve learned several foreign languages as an adult. I was able to learn French to conversation fluency in 17 days using the following techniques. Note that I had previously learned Spanish to fluency so this was not my first foreign language. In summer of 2005 I stayed with a French friend in a tiny village in the Beaujolais region of France. No-one in the village spoke English and since my friend knew I had an …
9 tips to learn Brazilian Portuguese outside of Brazil
I would recommend starting to learn Brazilian Portuguese before you arrive in Brazil. It can be a daunting task and it does require focus and discipline. To help you out, here are my top 9 hacks to learning Portuguese. 1) Site and learn “ser” and “estar”. You need these verbs to describe things. The best way to learn verbs is to write out the verb tables by hand. Its tedious but writing things out by …
8 steps to make a great caipirinha
You can usually tell a gringo at parties in Brazil because they make some key errors when making a caipirinha. It’s really hard to find a good recipe online so here are the tips I learned from the Brazilian. 1) Wash limes (1-1.5 limes per caipirinha). 2) Cut the lime down the middle and remove the white pith. The white pith gives the caipirinha a sour taste. 3) Cut rest of lime into cubes and …
5 things to pack for a trip to Rio de Janeiro
A friend came to visit me recently in Rio de Janeiro and we spend some time discussing what she should bring. Coming to Rio you can travel really light but here are some items you shouldn’t forget: 1) Beach stuff. Don’t bother bringing anything warm for the evening because the evening are hot too. 2) Sunscreen. For some reason its crazy expensive here for some unknown reason. 3) A good book. It’s hard to find …
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