By Geraldo Campos, CEO of Sapienza, and Luciano Bitencourt, journalist.

For Canadian professor and researcher Louis Jacques Filion, an entrepreneur is someone who “imagines, develops and realizes visions”. This is how the Sales family sees the potential of Knowledge has Mata Mineira Zonethe region where the company’s first franchise operates.

Four partners, already experienced in business administration and franchise management, take on the challenge of promoting entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurship and innovation in a potentially promising, but still focused, business area in most municipalities , on self-consumption agriculture.

“In the past, the Zona da Mata Mineira was very strong in economic sectors such as agriculture, dairy farming and others. Today, these activities are still practiced, but they have lost their vigor. The region has great potential for the future», evaluates Gustavo Sales.

He has a degree in business administration and has followed the family business since a young age. His mother, Adriana Sales, is a business management specialist and partner in an accounting firm. She has taught technical management and entrepreneurship courses and participated in projects that stimulate entrepreneurial culture in public schools in Minas Gerais.

They add up to both, Julia It is Pedro Sales. A trained journalist, she has experience in support and customer relations. He has a degree in administration and acts as a facilitator in the interface between management systems.

“The desire to share knowledge and help transform people’s lives has always been on the family’s radar. Today, with Sapienza, we hope to continue this tradition and further strengthen this fundamental aspect of our history.“, he adds Rock.

The Zona da Mata Mineira is a region which today has, according to the 2022 census, approximately 2.2 million inhabitants distributed in 142 municipalities, or 49.6 thousand more than in 2010. Juiz de Fora, where the franchise of Knowledge is installed, it constitutes the economic center of a poor region, according to data from the IBGE and socio-economic studies.

“The city of Juiz de Fora already has an active entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem, with some actors developing relevant actions and projects that are already having a positive impact on the city and the region. In most of the Zona da Mata it is clear that there are actions in this direction, but in an isolated manner.“, strong points Adrien.

Most of the border municipalities in the Zona da Mata Mineira border Rio de Janeiro, where the Sales family also plans to operate, as it is a region facing similar challenges.

The proposal to develop Sapienza programs there aims to transform the local reality. With 100% online support and a methodology awarded by Endeavor Brasil and Sebrae Nacional, the franchise Knowledge joins the actors who are already developing the regional ecosystem to strengthen projects and actions that contribute to transforming the lives of people and organizations, by sharing knowledge, developing skills and promoting entrepreneurial culture.