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Acknowledgements
I got to know Jorge Paulo Lemann, personally, in January 2007, when I announced my intention of writing a book on his rise and that of his partners, Marcel Telles and Beto Sicupira. In his best low profile style, Jorge Paulo very courteously flinched a bit. “All we did was copy a little from Goldman Sachs and a bit from the Walmart. Nothing more than that. Anyway, I don’t really think this is the right time for a book.” I insisted on the issue with the three businessmen over the following four years. Nothing. I finally came to the conclusion that there would never be a “right time” for them. Jorge Paulo, Marcel and Beto simply did not want this kind of exposure. Therefore, I decided to run the risk myself.
To write a book under these conditions, I relied on the comments of almost 100 people (a number on the condition of anonymity). Warren Buffett is certainly the best known name on this list. We spoke for an hour in his office. The world’s fourth-richest man turned out to be a simple and curious person and asked me a number of questions about Brazil. His view of the rise of the three Brazilian businessmen was fundamental for this book.
I relied on the help of a number of people close to Jorge Paulo, Marcel and Beto. Some of those I interviewed were generous enough to receive me more than once and answer a large number of e-mails. I would particularly like to thank Fersen Lambranho, Alex Behring, Roberto Thompson, Paulo Aragão, José Carlos Ramos da Silva, Marcelo Barbará, José Olympio Pereira and Rogério Castro Maia. Milton Seligman and Alexandre Loures, the heads of Ambev’s communication area, made my work much easier in researching information about the company and interviewing its executives.
Jim Collins, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing several times when I worked for Exame magazine over almost 12 years, accepted the invitation to write the foreword. (Perhaps he thought it easier to agree than put up with my incessant requests.) Collins succinctly summed up the philosophy that guides the Brazilian businessmen in a few pages.
Taking the decision to write a book like this would have been more difficult without some advance conversations with a number of people, particularly Pedro Mello, Alfredo Ogawa and Carmen and Laurentino Gomes. Each guided me in their own way on how to make the fewest number of errors during the process. I cannot omit Eduardo Oinegue, who gave the courage to take on the project. Without his push, I might still be waiting for the “right time.”
I am also grateful to friends who read the first draft (in part or in whole), corrected mistakes, suggested changes and pointed out ways to make it a better read. These are Patrícia Hargreaves, Dimitri Abudi and my editors, Hélio Sussekind and Marcos da Veiga Pereira. The enormous dedication that Hélio and Marcos gave to the project was essential in giving me the confidence to go ahead with it.
I would never have completed this book (or anything else in my life) without the support and influence of my parents, Edinézia and Domingos.
About the author
CRISTIANE CORREA is a journalist and public speaker specializing in business and management. In almost 12 years as an executive editor with Brazil’s best-selling business magazine Exame, she produced and coordinated dozens of in-depth reports on some of the largest corporations in Brazil and abroad. Dream Big is her first book.
Contents
Credits
Foreword by Jim Collins
The building of an empire
The “invaders” of Anheuser-Busch
A surfer at Harvard
Looking for the “PSDs” – Poor, Smart, Deep Desire to Get Rich
Mission announced is mission accomplished
Deliver the goods, or you’re out
From bankers to businessmen
The formation of the triumvirate
The rib of Garantia
Why have a business plan?
“Like crazy people”
The seeds of self-destruction
One trick pony
Kill the competition through its cash
“São Paulo and Corinthians in the same team”
Paris, New York, London, São Paulo and 8,500 e-mails
The one billion dollar reward
The next launches
Photos
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
About the Author
DREAM BIG: How the Brazilian Trio behind 3G Capital - Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Beto Sicupira - acquired Anheuser-Busch, Burger King and Heinz Page 22