Their partnership was their greatest asset. When a shipment of high-end catering supplies was held up in customs forty-eight hours before a gala in Belo Horizonte, Mike used his burgeoning Portuguese and a few favors to track down a local alternative. Meanwhile, Sara managed the expectations of frustrated sponsors, turning a potential PR disaster into an intimate, "authentic" Brazilian experience that guests ended up preferring. They learned that in Brazil, the "jeitinho"—the art of finding an unconventional way to solve a problem—wasn't just a cultural quirk; it was a professional necessity.
Mike returned with a prioritized list of feature possibilities and two potential pilot partners for his company. The insights—especially about local payment preferences and the appetite for fan‑centric microservices—helped him refine a product roadmap that felt grounded in reality rather than conjecture.
The success of their projects relied entirely on the local Brazilian talent they hired. Trusting local experts is the most critical element of succeeding in a new country.
Their partnership was their greatest asset. When a shipment of high-end catering supplies was held up in customs forty-eight hours before a gala in Belo Horizonte, Mike used his burgeoning Portuguese and a few favors to track down a local alternative. Meanwhile, Sara managed the expectations of frustrated sponsors, turning a potential PR disaster into an intimate, "authentic" Brazilian experience that guests ended up preferring. They learned that in Brazil, the "jeitinho"—the art of finding an unconventional way to solve a problem—wasn't just a cultural quirk; it was a professional necessity.
Mike returned with a prioritized list of feature possibilities and two potential pilot partners for his company. The insights—especially about local payment preferences and the appetite for fan‑centric microservices—helped him refine a product roadmap that felt grounded in reality rather than conjecture.
The success of their projects relied entirely on the local Brazilian talent they hired. Trusting local experts is the most critical element of succeeding in a new country.