At 60, she abandoned CLT and decided to open a fitness lunchbox company

The pedagogue Isabel Rego turned around, turning her resignation into an opportunity to undertake

A trained pedagogue working for 30 years with the development of projects in the area of ​​social responsibility and sustainability for large companies in São Paulo, Isabel Rego was taken by surprise with her resignation in March 2021. Without being discouraged, she decided to keep her work card in the drawer and took the opportunity to unite passion and dream: to learn and undertake. “I love studying, I’m doing my second postgraduate degree. I took advantage of the free time to train myself. I took many courses at Sebrae-SP and opened my company last December,” she says.

The entrepreneur gave life to Casa 221 Marmitas Saudáveis, in Ilha Comprida, in the Ribeira Valley. She says that she always liked to cook and, because of breast cancer, she specialized in healthy foods ten years ago because she realized the importance for health. “Here in the region there are many young people who are overweight, eating poorly. So we were still able to find this market niche to act with this purpose, which is very strong for us”, she explains.

About to turn 60, the entrepreneur says she doesn’t feel the weight of age, nor does she think about retiring. During Empretec, a course taught by Sebrae-SP with UN methodology, she discovered that entrepreneurship would be a reality in her life. “I loved Empretec. Give us a shake, you know? It’s like you’re at the edge of the pool thinking about jumping. Jump or not jump? Empretec throws you!, jokes Isabel.

During Empretec, the participant is challenged in practical activities based on the ten characteristics of entrepreneurial behavior: search for opportunities and initiative; persistence; taking calculated risks; demand for quality and efficiency; commitment; information search; setting goals; systematic planning and monitoring; persuasion and networking; independence and self-confidence.

Isabel is extremely professional, always working to seek quality, chooses to use local ingredients and gives importance to the appreciation of the territory, obeys the strict standards of hygiene and handling of production. Because she was born and raised in São Paulo, she carries the criteria of excellence demanded by the big centers in what she does ”, comments business analyst at Sebrae-SP in Vale do Ribeira Regiane Rabelo.

In about four months of operation, Casa 221 Marmitas Saudáveis ​​started to work also with vegan broths and ice cream, all with local and natural ingredients that value the culture and small businesses of Vale do Ribeira. The company has been growing, on average, 30% per month and is already organizing itself to operate at other points of sale, such as emporiums, hortifrutis and gyms, in addition to preparing a scalable project to attract angel investors.

Source: Exam