GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 52 - March 2021

GPWA AFFILIATE INTERVIEW SERIES João N. - Betarena On your GPWA profile page you explain that you began your career as a designer and launched your first business at the age of 25. Please tell us more. I always had the ambition to start my own business. I began selling computer games by cat- alog at school and created a partnership with my neighborhood computer store. Since I was 12, I had ideas and dreamed of building a franchise. Later, I abandoned these small projects and chose to pursue graphic design as it allowed me to work with a computer, which I always had since I was very young, and at the same time gave me a chance to apply my creativity. I always had some concern that if I didn’t have a typical work experience with other colleagues, I would be limited and have a diminished vision that would hinder me in managing my own business. I think that this perspective was correct. The work experiences were fundamental to create my first business in the web hosting area. This company, where I was involved as CEO for 15 years until it was acquired by one of the world’s largest web hosting groups, was where I learned and put into practice most of the knowledge I have today. In this company, I had the most remarkable successes and I had my biggest failures. These stages were fundamental in the way I currently manage Betarena. What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were 25 and launching a business? In fact, nothing. Looking back, the João of today would consider the 25-year-old João to be an arrogant young man who thought he knew everything. Still, this attitude allowed me to move forward without fear and experience many good and bad things. But they were all necessary experiences to shape my current personality, more humble, aware, relaxed and astute. So anything I could say to my past self could spoil everything that came to pass. What other jobs have you held or what other businesses have your owned over the years? After cre- ating my first web hosting business, all the initiatives originated within the same company, including two attempts at inter- nationalization to the U.K. and France, launching a game server business, and later, a marketing agency. In those 15 years, while managing the company, the various business areas and initiatives allowed me to practice various forms of management that I currently apply in the management of Betarena. When did you launch Betarena? I launched Betarena in 2016 and after two years, it failed. Despite the initial failure, it was a business area that I knew for sure had potential. I put the project on hold Entrepreneurial Spirt Sincehewas a youngboy , “Betarena” alwayshad the burningdesire to ownhisowncompany andheused that passion tobecomea successful affiliatewebmaster G P W A t i m e s . o r g 50