A podcast - seriously Isaac?!
What are you doing Isaac? Didn’t you just have a second kid? Don’t you have a startup? Aren’t there way too many podcasts now?
I get it! I did just have a kid, and yes there are way too many podcasts out there, but there isn’t much of anything about Brazil for non-Portuguese speakers. I mean, we are talking (or rather we are not talking) about one of the biggest countries and largest economies in the world. That doesn’t make any sense!
As someone based in Brazil, I regularly get asked about working and living here. People want to know more and I don’t have many resources I can recommend to them. I hope this podcast can help address that.
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Isaac. I am an American and long-suffering Jets fan (this year was supposed to be different… and it might be? But it won’t!) who has been living and working in Brazil for the better part of the last 10 years. I first came down to Brazil as a consultant, and am currently the co-founder of a startup called Teddy.
There is a famous quote from Tom Jobim (“The Girl from Ipanema”) that gets used a lot in business conversations down here, “Brazil is not for Beginners”. And frankly, Brazil is a unique place.
I talk to a lot of people about their businesses, the opportunities they see, the problems they are trying to solve, and what is unique about working in Brazil. The idea of this podcast is basically to record those conversations.
Specifically, I want to talk about what is unique about doing business and working in Brazil - the good and the bad. The idea isn't to offer hot takes, but to go deeper on specific topics and share insights that will hopefully still be valid a couple of months from now.
I'm not sure where this will go. This is not my day job, but it has been fun recording these initial episodes and I hope it will be fun for you to listen to! My plan is to post one episode (or so) a month and see where it goes.
Some conversations will be more specific/technical - like what f$@k is a FIDC and why it’s important in the credit market, while others will be more light and fun - like looking at the business of futebol or craft beer.
All that said, thanks for getting this far! I hope you’ll listen, share, and provide feedback!
Best, Isaac