Module 1 Know your customer and market 4 hAnalyse
Every sound business in internet companies begins with one clear customer and one clear problem. In São Paulo and the wider state, demand is real but crowded, so a small, well-described customer group wins before a broad one.
- In internet companies: Split users into buyers, sellers and browsers; measure each separately, since they leave for different reasons.
- Write the customer in one sentence: a user who finds, compares and buys online. Add the place, the moment of need and what they use today.
- List five rivals or substitutes within reach. For each, record price, strength, weakness and how people reach it.
- Interview at least eight real customers with open questions. Record exact words, not your summary.
- Count the market in units: how many orders could one area buy in a month? Use two public sources and your own count, then take the lower figure.
- Choose one first segment and say why the others wait.
Worked example. Weak: 'Everyone needs an online service or marketplace.' Strong: 'Our first customer is a user who finds, compares and buys online within 8 km of the centre, who today pays R$ 132 per order and complains about delay. We target 420 orders a month by month three.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: ten customers are interviewed for internet companies. Seven say price, two say speed, one says trust. Question: which first message do you write, and which interview record backs it? Model answer: lead with the order price and speed promise, keep trust proof as the second line, and cite the seven price answers by date.
Activity. Write the one-sentence customer, a five-row rival table and eight interview records. Share them with a peer for a challenge round.
Standard to meet. Define a specific customer, build a rival table with prices, and trace every claim to an interview or a source.
Module 2 Rules, registration and data duties in Brazil 4 hUnderstand
Brazil asks every trader to be visible and accountable. Know which register, tax regime and sector rules apply before the first sale, and check each against the current official text.
- In internet companies: Online sellers must show clear identity, price, delivery time and return rights; PIX is the main local payment method, so plan for it.
- Choose a legal form: micro-entrepreneur (MEI) only if your activity appears on the official MEI list, or a company registered with a CNPJ. Regulated activities need their sector authorisation first. Check the current limits and lists on the official portal.
- Learn the tax regime that fits your size and write down which taxes you will collect and pay, and when.
- Find the sector rules for internet companies: licences, inspections, professional registers. List each with the office that issues it and the renewal date.
- Personal data of customers falls under Brazil's data protection law (LGPD). Collect only what you need, say why, keep it safe, and name who answers questions.
- Consumer law gives buyers clear rights on information, returns and complaints. Put your terms in plain Portuguese.
Worked example. Checklist for a new internet companies trader: 1) legal form (CNPJ, or MEI only if your activity is on the official list); 2) city operating licence; 3) sector licence or register; 4) tax set-up; 5) privacy notice; 6) written terms. Each has an owner and a date.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a neighbour says registration can wait until the first R$ 600 of sales. Question: what do you do? Model answer: do not delay; write the compliance table first, confirm the register, tax and sector licence with the official office, and start only where the table shows no open blocker.
Activity. Build your own six-line compliance table for your first location. Mark what is done, what is pending and who confirms it.
Standard to meet. Cite an official source for every line, assume nothing, and date every pending item. Local law always wins over this course.
Module 3 Design the offer 4 hCreate
An offer states what the customer gets, how well, by when and at what price. For an online service or marketplace, the offer must make the quality visible and the next step easy.
- In internet companies: Make the first purchase possible in under 2 minutes on a mid-range phone with weak signal.
- Describe the core offer in three lines: what is delivered (an online service or marketplace), the standard it meets, and the time it takes.
- Add one proof for each promise: a sample, a test result, a guarantee or a customer record.
- Price from cost upward and from customer value downward, then pick a price inside both.
- Write a simple one-page terms sheet: what is included, what is extra, how to cancel.
- Create two options at most, so choice stays easy.
Worked example. Offer: 'An online service or marketplace, delivered within agreed time, checked against a written standard, price R$ 120 per order. Proof: a dated record the customer can check and sign. Changes or cancellation by written agreement before work begins.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a customer asks for a discount from R$ 120 to R$ 108 per order. Question: decide with numbers. Model answer: contribution falls from R$ 50 to R$ 38 per order; offer an extra of value (for example faster service) before cutting price, and accept only if the lower contribution still clears break-even.
Longer notes. Define the offer as one clear order: what the buyer receives, the delivery promise and the return rule, all written on the product page before a campaign starts. List every cost inside the order: the item bought from the supplier, packing material, courier and the cost of handling the payment. Keep rent, software and salaries apart as fixed cost. Test the page with ten real buyers from Sao Paulo and record where they stop. Publish prices only after the withdrawal right for distance sales and the personal-data rules are written into the product page.
Extra worked example. One order sells for R$ 120 and its own costs are R$ 70, so each order leaves R$ 50, a margin of 41,7%. At 700 orders a month, revenue is R$ 84.000 and the contribution is R$ 35.000. After the fixed cost of R$ 18.000, the month ends with R$ 17.000. At R$ 18.000 / R$ 50 = 360 orders the shop covers its fixed cost with about half the 700 orders it normally ships.
Activity. Write the offer card, the proof list and the terms sheet. Test them with three customers and note every point where they hesitated.
Standard to meet. Check that promise, proof and price are consistent, fit the terms on one page, and record three customer reactions.
Module 4 Run the work step by step 5 hApply
Good operations make results repeatable. For internet companies, write each step so a new person could follow it on their first day, and measure each step.
- In internet companies: Track the funnel: visit, search, cart, pay, deliver, review. Fix the step with the largest drop first.
- Map the process from first contact to paid and closed. Typical stages: enquiry, quote, preparation, delivery of the order, check, payment, follow-up.
- Name the key resource at each stage: a tested web platform. Note what happens if it is missing.
- Write a one-page standard procedure per stage: who, what, tool, time, record.
- Choose three measures: speed, quality (errors per 100) and customer rating. Review them every week.
- Fix the cause of a defect, not the symptom. Ask 'why' five times and record the answer.
Worked example. Stage record: 'Prepare. Owner: lead. Time: 30 min. Tool: checklist. Record: signed sheet. Defect found on 1 of 175 orders last week; cause: missing check on a tested web platform; fix: add check at start, review next Friday.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: of 700 orders last month, 42 had a defect traced to a tested web platform. Question: what is the defect rate and what is your first action? Model answer: about 6 defects per 100; stop the cause (add a check at the start), correct affected customers, log the cause, and re-measure next week.
Activity. Draw the process map and write procedures for the two riskiest stages. Run each once and time it.
Standard to meet. Write procedures a stranger can follow, record weekly numbers for each measure, and trace one defect to a root cause.
Module 5 Safety, quality and risk 4 hEvaluate
The most serious risk in this field is losing trust through slow service or leaked data. A calm, written risk routine protects people first and the business second.
- In internet companies: Protect accounts: strong sign-in, rate limits, and a tested breach-response plan with a named contact.
- List ten things that could go wrong. Score each for how likely (1 to 5) and how serious (1 to 5). Multiply and sort.
- For the top five, choose a control: remove the hazard, replace it, guard it, train people, or use protective gear, in that order of preference.
- Write who does what in an emergency, and rehearse it once a quarter.
- Keep an incident and near-miss log. Near-misses are free lessons.
- Check that insurance and legal duties match the risk you actually carry.
Worked example. Risk row: 'Hazard: losing trust through slow service or leaked data. Likelihood 3, severity 5, score 15. Control: written check before each order, trained staff, log sheet. Owner: site lead. Review monthly.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a near-miss occurs: losing trust through slow service or leaked data nearly happened but no one was hurt. Question: what do you do in the next 24 hours? Model answer: make safe, record the event, ask the five whys, add or tighten one control, brief the team, and set a review date; near-misses count as lessons, not blame.
Activity. Build a ten-row risk register and a one-page emergency plan. Run a ten-minute drill with a peer and note two improvements.
Standard to meet. Rank controls by preference for the top risks, run the drill, and start the log. Where a regulation applies, follow the official rule.
Module 6 People, skills and service 4 hApply
People deliver the promise. Define roles, train to a standard and give feedback in the open.
- In internet companies: Support in Portuguese with a reply promise (for example 4 working hours) and a written tone guide.
- Write a role card for each person: purpose, five tasks, the standard for each, and who to ask for help.
- Train by showing, doing with support, then doing alone with a check. Record sign-off per task.
- Set service rules for answering customers: reply times, tone, how to apologise and fix.
- Hold a ten-minute team check each day: yesterday's problem, today's plan, one risk.
- Build a growth path: what a new person can do in week 1, month 3 and month 12.
Worked example. Training record: 'Task: process a complaint. Shown 2 May; done with support 4 May; done alone 8 May, checked: apology, fix, follow-up call. Signed by lead.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a new hire completes training but a customer complaint shows a skipped step. Question: whose gap is it? Model answer: first the system: check the role card, the training sign-off and the checklist; then coach the person and fix the document so the step cannot be skipped.
Longer notes. Organise the support work around the orders, not around the calendar. Write down how many customer contacts each hundred orders create, what each contact is about and how many minutes it takes to close. Train new agents on the ten most common questions using real, anonymised messages. Measure first response time and the share of contacts solved in one answer. Plan extra cover for the days after a campaign, when contacts rise. Record every data access in a log, and widen an agent's access to customer records only within the personal-data rules.
Extra worked example. With 700 orders a month, 35% raise a contact (contact rate, handling time and hourly cost here are worked-example figures, not market data), so 245 contacts arrive. At 12 minutes each, that is 2.940 minutes, or 49,0 hours a month, about 2,2 hours per working day. At R$ 30 an hour that handling time costs R$ 1.470 a month, 8,2% of the fixed cost, and a campaign adding 100 orders adds about 7 hours.
Activity. Write two role cards and a training plan for one new hire. Role-play a hard customer conversation twice and review.
Standard to meet. Write role cards with measurable standards, show the sign-off steps in training, and write the service rules in plain words.
Module 7 Money: cost, price and break-even 5 hAnalyse
A business lives or dies on a few numbers. Know your contribution per unit, your fixed costs and the volume you need.
- In internet companies: Watch customer acquisition cost against contribution per order; stop spend where payback exceeds 3 months.
- Contribution per order = price minus variable cost. Fixed costs are paid whether you sell or not.
- Break-even units = fixed cost divided by contribution. Plan to pass it by a safe margin.
- Make a 12-month cash plan. Cash timing matters as much as profit: customers may pay late, suppliers may want money first.
- Keep money for business and money for the owner apart.
- Test the plan: what if sales fall by a quarter, or cost rises by a tenth?
Worked example. Worked example, all figures in reais: price R$ 120, variable cost R$ 70, contribution R$ 50 per order. Fixed cost R$ 18.000 a month. Break-even = R$ 18.000 / R$ 50 = 360 orders a month. At 700 orders a month, profit = R$ 50 x 700 - R$ 18.000 = R$ 17.000. These are teaching figures that belong to this example only; later examples and the case study use their own figures. Use your own.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: sales fall to 525 orders a month. Question: what is the monthly result? Model answer: R$ 50 x 525 - R$ 18.000 = R$ 8.250; compare with break-even of 360 orders and decide whether to cut fixed cost or raise volume first. Teaching figures only.
Activity. Build your own table: price, variable cost, contribution, fixed cost, break-even and a downside case at 75% of sales. Show it to a peer or mentor.
Standard to meet. Calculate correctly, give every figure a source or mark it as an assumption, and show a downside case.
Module 8 Grow, measure and renew 4 hEvaluate
Growth should follow proof. Measure, learn, then add; and keep returning to the customer.
- In internet companies: Grow by repeat purchase: reminders, bundles and referrals before paid ads.
- Pick one growth lever at a time: new customers, a higher repeat rate, a better price, or a new offer.
- Set one measurable target for 90 days, such as 'raise repeat customers from 20% to 30%'.
- Ask each customer how they found you, and record it. Spend more where the record shows results.
- Review monthly: numbers, defects, complaints, cash. Write three decisions each time.
- Plan the renewal of licences, equipment and skills a year ahead.
Worked example. 90-day plan: 'Lever: repeat customers. Action: follow-up call after every order. Target: repeat rate from 20% to 30%. Check: weekly count. Review date: day 45 and day 90.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: you can add 140 orders a month by one of two levers: a follow-up call to past customers or a price rise of R$ 12 to R$ 132. Question: how do you choose? Model answer: test the cheaper reversible lever first (the call), measure for 30 days, and only then try the price change, so you can tell which one worked.
Longer notes. Grow by testing one channel at a time and keeping the numbers for each. For every campaign write down the money spent, the new buyers, the orders they place in the next 60 days and the returns. Compare channels by cost per new buyer, not by clicks. Keep a simple list of buyers who ordered twice and ask three of them each week why they came back. Stop a channel after two weak tests. Before the first campaign, make sure adverts and customer messages follow the advertising and consent rules.
Extra worked example. A test spends R$ 6.000 and brings 120 new buyers (worked-example campaign figures, not market data), so the cost per new buyer is R$ 50. Each first order contributes R$ 50, so 120 first orders return R$ 6.000 and the test pays for itself on the first order. If half of them order again, 60 more orders add R$ 3.000 of contribution. A channel costing R$ 80 per new buyer would need 1,6 orders from each buyer to pay back, which is why it gets only two tests.
Activity. Write a 90-day plan with one target, three actions and a review date. Present it in five minutes and take questions.
Standard to meet. Set a measurable, dated target, break the actions down small enough to start this week, and put the review date in the calendar.
