Vocalist of the band and music college student in the United States, at the time, Caito Maia He realized that on the beach where he used to go, an item was a hit: sunglasses not as eye protection, but as an accessory.
From what could be considered the failure of a project – the end of the band – to the success of being one of the biggest businesspeople in the country, it wasn’t quick or easy, but it’s definitely a journey worth experiencing. Privilege for guests 2º Black Meeting.
Caito Maia was the guest speaker on the second day of the event, at Brazil Housethis Tuesday (30). The energy is contagious, the trajectory is inspiring, the power of resilience is a lesson and the entrepreneurial vision is stimulating: ideal ingredients for a meeting of businesspeople and retailers of the highest standard in the design and architecture segment in Brazil.
“I went to a street vendor, bought 200 glasses, brought them to Brazil, paid all the taxes – at the time I didn’t even know what taxes were – I sold them to friends and thought about knocking on the doors of some companies. Then a friend of mine placed an order for 18,000 glasses, but I didn’t even have enough money for a thousand. He said he had gone with me and gave me the price. As a result, I opened an import company, I had 250 Brazilian fashion wholesale customers, two of them didn’t pay me and I went bankrupt. Either I would return to the band or I would learn the biggest lesson of my life, which is brand: what makes a customer buy a product and pay up to 200% more is the value they see in the brand”, Caito Maiaentrepreneur and founder of Chilli Beans.
Just share a little story to inspire new ideas and successful strategiesas the beginning of kiosks in shopping malls, for example. 30 years ago, only coffee and cheese bread were sold in these spaces, until the businessman risked this sales format and the results came. “Today, at Guarulhos International Airport there are 8 stores that sell R$2 million every month in sunglasses alone. The kiosk continues to be a gigantic opportunity to publicize, to sell, to communicate“, account.
And when necessary let go? Caito no longer considers himself a manufacturer or a retailer, but a brand manager. The 150 company-owned stores were sold and now earn 30% more in the hands of franchisees. A sign that keeping everything under your own control is not the solution. On the contrary, to share is one of the secrets revealed. And that’s what he does with the team, often trained not to focus on price or discounts, but to prioritize brand value and generate consumer desire.
“Time, insistence, training and enchantment. Speak the seller’s language, launch collections that delight my team, so the collection is already sold in the store”, explains the formula for first winning over the team itself and, consequently, reaching the customer.
Business strategies, entrepreneurial vision, sustainability, new ideas, creativity, courage and boldness. From a simple perception – sunglasses – to the top of success, Caito Maia showed that every obstacle is an opportunity in disguise for growthyou just need to be willing to face challenges, even in uncertain scenarios.
It was in this energy that the Black Meeting guests continued the day of the event. New insights and an even closer look at Decortiles’ launches for 2024 and Casa Brasil’s new environment, the Space B.