Banco do Brasil | Woman Entrepreneur: she does it, and so do you

Female entrepreneurship is on the rise in Brazil. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), there are more than 30 million female entrepreneurs spread throughout the country.

It is noteworthy that 26% of them opened their businesses during the pandemic. O

number is a testament that the challenges of recent years were not enough to diminish the willpower and resilience of these women.

The greater number of spaces occupied by women in entrepreneurship is also reflected in other segments. Today, they already represent a little more than a third of the leadership in companies, and this number should continue to grow.

The data show what every enterprising Brazilian woman already knows from her own experience: women show strength when it comes to conquering their goals.

And, on this International Women's Day, nothing better than to seek inspiration in the trajectory of one of them: Lívia Viana - creator of the startup Ela Faz.

Enterprising women are women who transform

There are many definitions of an entrepreneur, almost always linked to the possibility of turning one's projects into reality and of facing challenges and coming up with solutions.

But for women entrepreneurs, there are more challenges than simply starting and running a business. Although it is an old struggle, their battle to redraw the division of social roles between men and women is still going strong in society.

It may seem unreal to the younger generations, but until 1962 Brazilian women needed authorization from their father or husband to work, have a bank account, and open a business. And, even if authorized, the right could be revoked at any time by whoever had issued the permission.

The female struggle managed to break down this barrier, but the pioneers in the labor market still had to deal with the obstacles of gender inequality in several aspects, especially the wage gap. In fact, this is still an issue to be overcome.

According to the Gender Statistics - Social Indicators of Women in Brazil survey, conducted by the IBGE, only 37.4% of leadership positions are held by women. To make matters worse, the salary received is also lower. According to data from the agency Catho, women earn, on average, 34% less than men, even occupying the same positions and performing the same tasks.

Female entrepreneurship is one of the tools that women have used to combat these inequalities. Motivated to change their realities and those of other women, more than 70% of female entrepreneurs in Brazil employ only other women.

Today, they contribute more and more to the growth of the economy, and their success allows for an upgrade in market culture. By their example, they also stimulate more women to face difficulties and to become entrepreneurs, seeking, in the initiative, a place of protagonism in their own history.

She Does It: Meet Lívia Viana's startup

Ela Faz (@elafazoficial) is the name of the startup by Lívia Viana, from Maranhão. She is an engineer and administrator who has worked for 12 years in the construction industry, reconciling work with motherhood - she is a mother of two girls.

In 2020, Lívia founded Ela Faz, a startup that aims to train women to work in civil construction and to mediate the hiring of female labor.

The first training classes were held through partnerships. Courses were offered in bricklayers, electricians, painters, and furniture assemblers.

In one year, two hundred women were trained and one thousand families were directly impacted.

Lívia's dream is to see a great social transformation through female entrepreneurship and the change in the quality of life of countless women. For this, she has dedicated most of her time to making the business work, as she likes to emphasize.

"It's a personal challenge for me. I need to make it work. That's why I have so much dedication and energy", says Lívia.

Lívia Viana, creator of the startup Ela Faz

The women of Ela Faz

The company has catered to two profiles: young people between the ages of 18 and 29, and women over 40. The younger ones are looking to enter the job market. Lívia proudly points out that some end up being interested in the area and go on to graduate school.

"We have young people who, even after graduating, continue working with us (architects, engineers and designers), because they want to have a practical knowledge of reality," she highlights.

Women over 40, on the other hand, are looking for a new position in the job market and financial independence. Most of this group is in a vulnerable situation and is looking for an opportunity to improve themselves.

"Some are looking for the course to be able to build their own house, because many live in just one room and sometimes don't even have a bathroom at home," explains Lívia.

Lívia and the women of Ela Faz

A woman's place is wherever she wants

The area of civil construction is predominantly male. But that didn't stop Lívia from facing the challenge and providing other women with the opportunity to work in the area.

Lívia defines herself as a strong woman, "tough as nails". The entrepreneur says that her passion for civil construction was born when she and her husband opened a precast company, which required a search for technical knowledge. So she decided to study engineering and became the company's technical manager. "I like building too much, I like to see things taking shape," she says.

The entrepreneur recalls that the idea of offering courses in civil construction came from the women themselves. "I was already doing actions in some communities to support women. They suggested the civil construction area. They wanted different courses from what was being offered, such as manicure, crochet, etc.," recalls Lívia.

Students in the civil construction course

Civil construction and its challenges

According to the entrepreneur, the difficult insertion of women in the construction market was not only a question of training, but of creating conditions for them to be able to really perform.

"We realized the difficulty in inserting these women outside the Ela Faz environment, as in a construction company, for example. There was a need to solve basic structure issues."

To overcome this challenge, the startup started to do its own integration in the construction environment. All this to create more connection between the professionals and the clients.

Sorority, empathy, and alliance are elements that are part of Ela Faz's proposal, according to the creator. However, Lívia points out that it is still a challenge to teach support among women. "We need to teach a lot about holding each other's hand, supporting each other. Emphasize the need for synergy among us, that together we multiply, and our results are better."

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Dream and realize

Lívia assures that it is important to be, in equal measure, a dreamer and a doer. And she gives a hint about the ideal profile, according to her, to face these challenges:

"It is the courageous woman, resilient to withstand all challenges. She is humble enough to recognize that she needs to listen and learn, and that she doesn't know everything. Persistent in the face of difficulties, who understands and goes. That exhausts its possibilities and opens its mind to new opportunities. And, very important, to believe in yourself, to believe in your potential," she points out.

About turning dreams into achievements, the entrepreneur also says that, this year, the startup will launch a platform of EaD courses and the Ela Faz application.

Lívia says that another new feature, the Carreta do Conhecimento project, will offer courses in technology and innovation. "Our goal is to train ten times more women than in 2021, that is, 2 thousand women," she calculates.

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To do is to transform

The name of the company reflects, in practice, the history that the entrepreneur has been writing by transforming the reality of many women.

"I believe that there is still a lot to be done. I realize that people see the platform and what we do as something great, but I see that we still need to do a lot. It's still too little considering the reality we live in. I intend to do much more," says Lívia.

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BB pra Elas: incentive to realize dreams and projects

Stories like Lívia's change lives and inspire others. And it is with this feeling that BB launches, on this International Women's Day, BB pra Elas. It is a movement to support entrepreneurship based on three pillars:

* Financial Solutions: support for female entrepreneurs with credit, investments and cash flow management.

* Entrepreneurial Education: assistance for the development of competencies and skills that will help the business succeed.

* Health and Well-Being: discounts on medical and psychological exams, consultations, and services.

Want to know more? You can check out the benefits and advantages aimed at women in the BB for Women movement, right here.

In case Lívia's and Ela Faz's stories have inspired you to open your own business, find, here on the BB Blog, a complete guide to learn how to open your MEI, and give the kick-off to start your own business.

Do you know stories of women entrepreneurs who have transformed the lives of other women? Then share them here in the comments.