São Paulo – Gissa Bicalho, a Brazilian entrepreneur, leads her small business and aims to expand her Gissa Bicalho Brand Joias internationally. Silvania Brigano, another Brazilian entrepreneur, is a partner at UnaPele Couros, which manufactures wallets, bags, and shoes from fish leather, with plans to take her products abroad.
Both are part of the 10.1 million women leading small businesses in Brazil, according to the 2024 Women Entrepreneurship survey Sebrae, which promotes the competitiveness of small businesses, based on data up to the third quarter of 2023. Despite the size of their businesses, some of these women are responsible not only for supplying the domestic market with their products but also for showcasing Brazil abroad through exports.
The number of women in leadership positions at small businesses in Brazil has grown by 33% over the past decade, according to a survey by Sebrae. Proportionally to the total number of entrepreneurs in the country, the data shows that women make up 42% of the total.
Compared to the rest of the world, Brazil also stands out in female entrepreneurship. According to data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the country ranks 7th among nations with the highest number of women business owners.
“All this data points to great opportunities for women. And to try to them after the pandemic, Sebrae created the DELAS program, where women entrepreneurs receive seminars, workshops, and consulting services,” says Sebrae’s foreign trade and internationalization consultant Márcio Guerra de Carvalho.
The consultant also points out that the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) launched the International Business and Woman Program in 2023 to those looking to export. Last year, nearly 20%—or 4,054—of the companies served by ApexBrasil were led by women, according to information from the agency’s website.
To stand out when exporting and compete with countless other businesses, women need to develop diverse products that meet higher relevance and stricter requirements, as well as comply with the necessary certifications and regulations of each country, according to Carvalho.
“At first, this entrepreneur may feel a bit discouraged due to the higher investments required to meet international standards, but in the medium term, this investment will pay off thanks to greater market recognition,” says Sebrae’s foreign trade and internationalization consultant.
For entrepreneurs looking to start exporting, Sebrae recommends beginning with closer markets, such as South American countries and/or Portuguese-speaking nations. “Even though they’re geographically distant, Arab countries should also be considered, since Brazil already has a strong and solid relationship with this market.”
If a businesswoman is interested in the Arab market and wants to start exporting to this region, Carvalho says it’s important to understand that these buyers place a high value on trustworthiness.
“It’s a market that values trust and wants to build a relationship with those they’re doing business with, and it is increasingly favoring sustainable companies—that is, businesses that care about and take action to protect the environment.
Earrings beyond borders
Already an exporter, Gissa Bicalho, owner of the contemporary jewelry brand Gissa Bicalho Brand Joias, is interested in establishing business ties with Arab countries.
Born in the state of Minas Gerais, the 54-year-old entrepreneur began working on the development of the pieces she now creates while she was still a teenager. While studying visual arts in college, her connection to the field grew as she participated in fairs with other artists to promote her products across the country.
After graduating, Bicalho had a jewelry business for a few years, but it didn’t work out. However, her desire to work with jewelry never faded, and her current brand was created in 2014.
“At the time, the opportunity arose for me to exhibit my products in Paris. I left my two young children in Brazil and took the earrings I managed to make. I sold everything there and haven’t stopped since,” recalls Bicalho.
In the following years, the Minas Gerais entrepreneur strengthened her brand by participating in events in other countries. Today, the colorful acrylic earrings with typically Brazilian stones have reached over 30 countries, including Hungary, Japan, the United States, and Turkey.
The Brazilian designer dreams of selling to the United Arab Emirates. “To enter this new market, I know I need the help of a business partner. I think I’m looking for a company that’s an expert in the materials that appeal to them. I know they like my designs, but they prefer flashier items.”
In Brazil, the brand sells through its website and the physical store located at the Inhotim Institute Museum in Minas Gerais. With a focus on retail sales, the business is concentrated in the state of São Paulo and the southern region of the country.
A destination for fish leather
Silvania Brigano, 54, from UnaPele Couros, is on a journey of training to reach the international market. “Since April 2023, when we founded the company, we have been in the process of training. We’ve already taken some courses by ApexBrasil focused on exports and participated in a business roundtable in Maranhão with entrepreneurs from China, Colombia, the U.S., and South Africa,” says Brigano.
“We also participated in the Elas Exportam program by ApexBrasil, and now we’re ready for our first export. From what we’ve seen so far, I can say that the Arab and North American markets seem very promising for our brand.”
Alongside her two partners, Brigano purchases hides from local producers, then transforms them into leather at the company’s factory. The material is then ed on to artisans who turn it into new products, which are resold on UnaPele Couros’ Instagram and website.
Born in the countryside of São Paulo, Brigano worked as a pharmacist for many years before deciding to change careers and become an entrepreneur. The idea of creating products using fish leather came when she met her partner, Katia Elizabeth Mastroto.
“As a postgraduate in Rural Health, I started teaching training courses at the National Rural Learning Service (Senar), and one of my students was Katia. At the time, she was filleting fish and had difficulty disposing of the skin. Then we thought, what can be done with this leather? And we went looking for ideas,” recalls the entrepreneur.
After finding various ways to reuse fish leather and taking a craft class, the two decided to hire artisans to create unique pieces and moved forward with the business.
Read more:
Award-winning Brazilian chocolates win over Arabs
Report by Rebecca Vettore, in collaboration with ANBA.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
