Speaker Series – Instituto Itaviva

On November 28 and 29, Instituto Itaviva, in partnership with SEBRAE, held a Speaker Series featuring Fred Rocha and Mazé Doces for the Varejo+, Delas, and Gestão e Artesanato programs.

For the first day of talks, we welcomed Fred Rocha, a consultant and speaker specializing in retail and consumer behavior. Fred has more than 25 years of experience in sales and marketing and is on a mission to help small businesses.

Fred is from Minas Gerais, born in Montes Claros, and the son of shopkeepers. He was always passionate about business, and that never changed as he grew up. Fred graduated from college and began his adult life as an entrepreneur.

Passionate about sales, Fred travels the world seeking knowledge and experience to better serve Brazilian entrepreneurs.

Fred has traveled to 33 countries and has built up a wealth of knowledge, helping entrepreneurs across the country. In addition to his career in marketing, Fred is also the author of an important book on sales and business: O Novo Jeito de Vender (Mais e Melhor) (“The New Way to Sell, More and Better”).

Fred knows that a good salesperson doesn’t just sell products: they sell dreams, self-esteem, well-being, balance, and much more, and he makes a point of spreading that knowledge so that retailers across the country recognize their role as problem-solvers and achieve financial success. Amid all these achievements and activities, the author still finds time to travel the country giving talks and getting to know different businesses, always on a mission to turn every business into an amazing place!

Speaker Series – Fred Rocha

Maria José Lima, known as Mazé, started her career after losing her job as a housekeeper and decided to start her own business. She bought some ingredients on credit, made a recipe, and sold her entire batch. That’s how Mazé Doces was born.

After receiving some criticism for having no experience with crystallized candy, Mazé studied more about candy-making and invested in her kitchen. After her studies, she began regularly supplying crystallized candy to a client, while continuing to sell traditional sweets from home.

Mazé formally registered her company in 2005, bought a plot of land, and built the factory. Two years later, she opened her own store, and today she employs 16 people, sources supplies from 27 local producers, and has 78 points of sale across Brazil, in addition to producing more than 35 tons of candy per year.

Today, Mazé delivers candy throughout Brazil and gives talks about business success and her story of overcoming adversity.