Meaningful Business (MB:) Please tell us a bit about your background.
Nathalia Arcuri (NA): I am a Brazilian finance specialist trying to change people’s lives. I am the middle child and had a normal childhood – we didn’t have a lot of money, but weren’t extremely deprived either. Since I was very young, I understood that I couldn’t depend on my parents to achieve my most daring goals. At the age of seven, I didn’t get an allowance, but saved my lunch money when I had it. Instead of toys, I asked for money for my birthday and Christmas gifts. As a teenager, using creativity I created many small businesses. I went from tie-dye t-shirts and handmade bracelets to extras in advertisements for more!
Nathalia Arcuri, Founder & CEO of Me Poupe!
MB: Please introduce your business and the problems you’re trying to solve.
NA: About six years ago, I founded the world’s largest financial entertainment platform, Me Poupe! We are making it easier for people to understand difficult concepts involving finances and investments. Education is the first step for true financial freedom and I made it my mission to transform every debtor into an investor. It is possible to have money and a good quality of life, but many people don’t have the right knowledge or an easy way to understand it. How am I doing it? Through the internet, social media, books, radio programmes and reality shows. We are doing it all to get to the public!
MB: What is your biggest challenge right now and what support do you need?
NA: Our biggest challenge right now is to impact more and more people with our content each day, because it is life changing. We receive messages from hundreds of people on a daily basis telling us that Me Poupe! has changed their lives, their way of thinking and their connections.
We currently talk to 25 million people every month. But achieving is not a synonym for impacting. We want to effectively help people solve their financial problems and be able to measure it. It’s about getting the message further and relying on new technology too.
MB: What is your ambition for the future of your business?
NA: Me Poupe! is now becoming a technology company. We need to put financial education on the country’s agenda. This needs to be taught in schools and many other places that we haven’t yet reached. Me Poupe!´s goal isn’t only for the business, but for the over 200 million Brazilians out there that need more support.
MB: What is your advice to other leaders who want to combine profit and purpose?
NA: For those who are trying to do the same: be aware that it is not easy, but it is possible. The most important thing when starting a business like Me Poupe!, that combines profit and purpose, is to have a goal, a reason for doing this. What are your goals? What moves you? What do you want from this new business? And then, go after it. Learn, study, be the best you need to be. And if you make a mistake on the way, that’s fine! Don’t be afraid of errors, as long as you are learning from them, they also help shape you and your business. Think about who you are doing this for, that’s the most important thing.
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Quickfire Questions
MB – Tell us a mistake you’ve learned from:
NA – It took me a while to realise that I was the best person to be the CEO of Me Poupe! I didn’t want to take on this role for a while, until I realised that I was the best person for the job.
MB – How do you spend your time away from work?
NA – I love to spend time in nature. I enjoy my husband and dogs’ company out in the woods – every weekend if possible.
MB – What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
NA – Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. When needed, recalculate the route, enhance your abilities and try again.
MB – What is the one book everyone should read?
NA – ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’, by Daniel Kahneman, to understand our day to day behaviours.
MB – What is something you wish you were better at?
NA – I think we can all improve every single day. In my case, my focus now is learning how to scale my company to achieve even more people and lead my team in agile methodology.
MB – What’s one thing you want to achieve in 2022?
NA – I want to increase the number of investors in Brazil. And to use new technology in our business to be there for more people each day.
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Discover the other leaders recognised on the 2021 MB100, for their work combining profit and purpose to help achieve the United Nations Global Goals, here.
