The area of Communication, Computers, and Electronics deserves attention when it comes to franchises. In the second quarter of 2019, the segment reached 1,377 million dollars, represented by the 8.5% exchange rate in revenues compared to the same period of 2018. The number of open units is also significant, reaching 5,165 projects between April and July.
Investing in franchises in Brazil is an increasingly attractive option for those who wish to undertake. According to data from the Brazilian Franchise Association (ABF), the franchise market is in full swing, counteracting the speed of the economy. In the second quarter of this year, sales grew around 5.9% during the same period last year, from $ 40.7 billion to $ 41.1 billion.
Analyzing this market, the engineer Rochester Rodrigues inaugurates in Limeira – Sao Paulo, the newest Hostnet unit, and is already considering the expansion of the business. The new franchise helps other companies achieve more and better results in the digital world.
The location
Limeira is a Brazilian municipality located in the center east of the state of São Paulo. It has an area of 581 km² and a population estimated in 2019 by the IBGE, has 306,114 inhabitants. It is part of the São Paulo metropolitan complex. It is an essential industrial center in the interior of São Paulo, which stands out in the areas of metallurgy, auto parts, clothing, food, ceramics, paper and pulp, packaging, machinery, and implements. Recently, the city (once a critical coffee-growing center in the 19th century) has focused on the production of jewelry, attracting the attention of people from all over the world.
Franchisee
Rochester da Costa Rodrigues, a resident of Araras, a neighboring city, chose Limeira to open the technology franchise due to the characteristics of the Internet services market in the region: the municipality is home to many companies and professionals looking for tools, technology, and digital marketing. Limeira offers a variety of agencies and experts focused on online solutions. However, they do not always provide web hosting with the security of the SSL digital certificate and the high quality that the client needs.
Graduated in electrical engineering, Rochester worked as an automation engineer for seven years and taught at a technical school of automation and mechatronics for four years. Outside the academic field, he worked for five years in the sale of several products as a representative in Embracon. Another professional aspect was having worked for Nestlé Refrigerados for ten years in the area of quality assurance.
DNA Entrepreneurship
The new franchisee says he was born in a family of entrepreneurs. The majority of their relatives are merchants and operate in the following areas: clothing, pharmacy, real estate, among others. His parents always had a shop, and Rochester had representation and sales of massage and physiotherapy products. More than having the profile of being entrepreneurs, being an entrepreneur is in the DNA of the Rodrigues family.
This is the first time that the entrepreneur adopts a franchise. The investor opted for this business model because it is already tested, validated in the market, and has the backing of the franchisor. Rochester was already studying and looking for a franchise business opportunity, and Hostnet appeared at a good time.
Brazilian economy and the market
Although the Brazilian economy is practically stagnant, the franchisee believes that the marketing area (in this case, digital marketing) develops more strongly at times like this that Brazil is going through. “It is in the crisis that the opportunities are. It is at this time when everything is stopped, that trade needs to invest more, “Rochester recalls and adds that Brazilians are doing very well with technology, and the Internet is a way of no return worldwide, and new ways of Use the web to do business. “I want to be part of this that will still grow a lot,” he adds.
Why a technology franchise?
It was a passion that motivated the entrepreneur to invest in technology. After all, after studying electronics, engineering with an emphasis on electronics, computer hardware programming, Arduino microcontroller, etc., it was time to turn knowledge into business. So, he looked for a company that combined web technology and sales.
When looking for the right franchise and analyzing the proposal, the entrepreneur was attracted by the possibility of growth and the diversity of products and services that would be commercialized. The initial cost of the franchise (R $ 25 thousand) allowed the acquisition of the Hostnet Limeira Unit – SP.
Rochester attended training for new franchisees in August during three days of immersion at the headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. According to him, it was essential to know the company, employees, and directors intimately. During this period, he was able to absorb relevant information to start his digital marketing activities. In addition to classroom training, the entrepreneur conducts several online pieces of training provided by the franchisor.
The Limeira franchisee has just opened its unit, is optimistic, and is already experiencing further expansion in the region. Its first objective is to make the business sustainable as quickly as possible; It intends to “link” income expenses as early as 2020. And within four years, he wants to open other units; in Rio Claro and Araras.