I spent four years in Mozambique, each of them working on a different project.
In the first year, 2012, I was Marketing Director of the SOICO Group; in the second year, I became General Manager of Cloud Digital Arts, a company within the DDB Group; in the third, I worked for an airport advertising concession business in Mozambique called Sublime Media; and in the final year, together with my wife, I built the Reconstruir Moçambique project.
In each of these roles, the employment relationship was different: from a standard employment contract; to a contract with performance-based bonuses; to operating as a sole trader. There were various ways of being present – legally and financially – in what was my second home, which was (and still is) Mozambique.
During those years, I was also an entrepreneur in my own name. I even kept my activity open for some time after returning to Portugal. I eventually closed it later, with the help of some friends, although I no longer remember exactly how the process went.
Once back in Portugal, in 2016, I incorporated a company at the counter of the Faro Municipal Market, eight years after my first company (Copialternativa, Lda.) had declared bankruptcy and forced me to emigrate in order to settle outstanding debts.
Yes, that was largely the reason why I emigrated and why I was fortunate enough to have lived in Mozambique. I received an irresistible job offer — in terms of the challenge, the responsibilities, the objectives, the financial compensation and the benefits offered. At that stage of my life, it was impossible to say no.
I remember the day I returned from Mozambique to Portugal with a bundle of dollars hidden in my underwear (at the time, travelling with a certain amount of money was illegal – I no longer recall the exact limit). I went straight to the bank and sat in the waiting area. I sat there calmly, with no sense of urgency; quite the opposite – the longer I stayed, the more deserved the reward felt. When it was my turn, the gentleman at the counter asked how he could help, and I replied: I want to settle all the loans I have with you right now. I want to leave here lighter. And that is exactly what happened. I spent some time at the counter making a bank deposit and signing several documents which later resulted in automatic debits and the full settlement of all my outstanding credit. For anyone who has never experienced the feeling of “clearing debts” and starting again from zero, I can say this: it is one of the best sensations there is. It is beautiful. Such a good feeling. Since then, I have tried not to take out bank loans unless they can be automatically resolved through the sale of the assets to which they relate. It is a personal fear that does not sit comfortably with the life of an entrepreneur. But I am happy that way. Lessons learned over the years.
It was on 15 January 2016 that the incorporation of B16 was formally completed.
The origins of the company, the brand and the project date back to that moment.
That was the day I materialised the name, its meaning, its form and its concept.
The process was simple:
My name is Bruno. I have been a marketeer for over 20 years.
Throughout my life I have worked in branding, marketing, strategy, communication, advertising, public relations, project management, team management, consultancy, mentoring, production, analysis and evaluation. Branding is the sum of all that know-how. It encompasses all the knowledge and mastery I have accumulated.
I was born on the sixteenth of February. I have always had a strong fondness for the number 16. To this day, I maintain a special relationship with it. I cannot quite explain why. Perhaps because I am an Aquarius, and my star sign tells me how visionary, distinctive and “inside the bubble” I am.
One coincidence is that my name begins with the second letter of the alphabet.
Another coincidence is that February is the second month of the year.
2016 was the year the company was incorporated. It was obvious that it had to be tied into all the eloquent exercises I already had to “position myself as a brand”.
And then, “B16” can be written in several ways: b-sixteen, B16, B I 6, BIG…
Philip Kotler has a theory that I studied during my university years which argues that anyone can achieve their dreams once they reach that age milestone. From the age of 16 onwards, a young person realises that, if they work, they can materialise the means of transport, the journey, the dream. At its core, for me, B16 has always been about the desire to materialise dreams – in other words, to ensure that every project has that capacity. The verb to be, in English, associated with the number, can also be embodied in the name of the company I created: if you are sixteen, you can make your dreams come true. Be sixteen! Become it! Be!
Then came the form, the slogan, the brand.
Since 2008/09 I have worked with Senior Designer Marcelo Souto, better known as Maru – my friend, confidant, motivator, inspirer, travel companion, and partner in struggles and projects. Someone I admire deeply, who has done a great deal for me, and on whom I have always relied and fought alongside over the years. I interviewed Marcelo to join the Visualforma team, where I was working, around 2010 or thereabouts. That is where I met him. And after the interview, before saying goodbye, I asked him: “Shall we make history?” I think that is exactly what we have been doing – together. Each of us in our own moment, in our own life, facing our own challenges, but together. We have walked in parallel. It was Marcelo whom I asked for help in creating the brand. I knew the name, but not the form. I knew I identified with certain movements and cultures, but I did not know how to materialise them. And money was scarce. It had to be simple, direct, and accessible. It was him. My “brother” from Japan.
Marcelo was the one who came up with BIG.
He was the one who materialised “Let’s make something BI6.”
Because he knew me.
Because he knew where I came from and where I was going.
He was the one who understood the aesthetics. The potential.
And — modesty aside — having Marcelo say that everything I do is BIG is simply… brutal.
Perfect. Let’s go. It’s done.
We started by creating the brand and a mini presentation, a kind of Brand Book. Then we built a splash page with the logo, the slogan, contact details and a short welcome message. In parallel, we developed the email signature. Later, I produced stickers, business cards and digital stationery. I even tattooed the brand on my leg! But what gave me the greatest pleasure, honestly, was producing personalised invoice books and receipt books (yes, invoices were handwritten). I did this at Gráfica Comercial, a former supplier from past projects, and I felt important when I asked them to produce the invoice and receipt books for my own project. A meaningful milestone in my life. Believe me.
B16’s first office was on Travessa Rebelo da Silva. A small first-floor space – familiar, cosy, cold in winter and hot in summer. A magical place where we stayed for some time. The deal was made with José Dias, a former RTA employee and brother of Ângelo, the owner of Gardy pastry shop in Faro. José Dias, who has also since passed away, was a wonderful person – kind, attentive, and caring. I have great affection for him and his wife, Mirja. He was the one who made it possible to rent that small office and helped me establish myself in the centre of Faro – a strategic location.
Today, that office is the headquarters of the political party CHEGA. I have nothing to do with that party, nor with any other. Nothing at all. I am a voting, law-abiding and responsible citizen. I simply find it curious that it is there today. I will explain why later.
The truth is that that place was special and unforgettable. It was where everything began.
Company incorporated, headquarters rented, brand developed, communication materials ready for use, some old furniture I still had at home – and I was ready to work.
That is how it all began.
