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The art of transformation as inspiration for growth
Inês is an artisan passionate about her craft and the good that comes from handmade work. The way she speaks about what she does is infectious and inspires others to keep moving forward. "I don't want anything marginalized, neither things nor people," she says. She sees new possibilities in scraps of paper, fabric, leather, and many other materials, just as she sees the human potential in everyone who joins Fiz de Contas, the production group she leads. And so she continues, scouting for people to train and materials to transform into products.
The leader of the Fiz de Contas group from Barra do Piraí, RJ, is one of the participants in the third cohort of the Entusiasta Business School, made possible by a partnership between Chevron and Rede Asta. At the opening class, she presented one of her products to artisans from 19 other production groups, highlighting upcyclingas the core feature of her craft:
"This product says that I don't believe things are trash. This product says that everything has its place. This product says that if I change my perspective, I can create something else. I can give a new life to something that was on the verge of being discarded. So, no one and nothing deserves to be left on the margins."
Inês saw the Entusiasta program as a way to grow her business: "We have a good product, and now we have the tools to be more strategic."
The cohort still has a few months of classes ahead, but the lessons are already being applied. After the Sales Channels class, the artisan saw an opportunity for the Fiz de Contas group to operate under the model store-in-store (store-in-store) developed a display for her pieces. When negotiating with stores, she presents an affordable and practical solution to organize and highlight her products.
Learn more about Inês and Fiz de Contas: