The theme of my life is “Balance”.

At 47 years old, I can finally understand it, but getting here was not an easy lesson. It took all those years of experiences, journeys, people, goals, ambitions, connections, excesses, countless roles, ideas and scribbles.

It took this entire mixture of ingredients that make up the cocktail I am made of.

Since childhood.
Since forever.

Balance, or, in this case, the lack of it.
I never knew where the middle was.
It was always either 8 or 80, never 36.

I wanted everything as a child.

I wanted everything as a teenager.

In my youth, I do not even remember wanting. I consumed.

At university I did everything: study, work, travel, enjoy myself, experiment. I was part of the Tuna group. I joined the theatre group. I carried out surveys for CESOP. I even joined the student association, where I did not rest until I became President. We did things. Many things. I enrolled in every optional subject I could. I attended talks, conferences and gatherings. At the same time, I worked at a rent-a-car company and also completed an unpaid internship at the Lisbon Congress Centre.

After university, I undertook a professional internship at the Oriente Foundation. Today, that internship alone would probably be enough material for an entire semester in one of these post-Bologna degrees. To be just another intern or not? To make a difference or not? To be recognised for the work, the dedication, the devotion — or not? For me, it was never even a question.

80!
Never 8.
Never 36.

And so it was.

In every job I have had up to this day: either it is, or it is not. Either I give everything, or I lose interest and find myself one step away from searching for another place. For me, my professional career is where everything begins. Without it, without the work I do, I cannot have anything else. It is there that I find my fundamental fulfilment. It is there that I recognise myself as “Me”. I understand many things now. I have read many books, done a great deal of therapy, experimented with many rituals of personal enlightenment. It is a debatable subject. But it is the foundation of my solidity as a human being. Everything starts there.

For me, it is inconceivable to work in something that does not fulfil me or make me happy. That does not mean that “sacrifice”, “blood”, “tears” or “sweat” are not an integral part of that happiness. They absolutely are. Undeniably so. And that is precisely why victories taste so good. And then there is the means-to-an-end factor. I have had several throughout my life, all temporary. The rent-a-car company where I worked was one of them. Not so much the city or intercity transfers, but especially washing the cars. Some of them were truly filthy and badly mistreated. Our job was to make them look “new” again. And after washing twenty cars in a row, having to wash a twenty-first one in a shocking state can become a little exhausting… But that is what we are made of. Men, not rodents.

Then came the Faro Municipal Theatre. A brand-new venue, opening for the first time, with a wonderful team, an incredible programme, a national capital of culture overflowing with people, events and unforgettable moments. Three and a half years of pure dedication. Days with 16 to 18 hours of work without stopping. Entire weeks of seven straight working days without rest. Idols, magic, love, passion. Total and absolute commitment. I have many memories from that time. Perhaps I will speak about them later. Perhaps not.

Then came the copy centre that went bankrupt.
Then Visualforma.
Then Releve Energia.

And then, Mozambique.

And then a whole range of places I passed through, projects I built, causes I embraced, where commitment became an integral part of the results. Where victories and defeats, surprises and disappointments, people with character and people without scruples, the highs and the lows, all shaped who I am today. 

And Balance, never at 36.
After all these years, it remains deficient.

Then came the episode with the imbecile from Faro City Council (not the Mayor, I repeat), and once again the lack of balance surrendered to energy and hurled me from the top of the tower into a steep nosedive straight into the catacombs of minus three (-3). I am made of fibre. Steel. Wounds, scratches, broken arms and legs, but all repairable. Tough as a “Penha lad”.

My Wife, the birth of our daughter, the “Content Factory” phase B16 was going through — all of it accumulative factors. I felt strong, fierce, daring. Capable of eating those “dragons, elephants, rhinoceroses and lions” for breakfast. I was ready for serious challenges.

Every reason, every pillar, every motive pushing me back towards a dangerous 80. Boiling point.

And it was with that feeling that I embraced the challenge Miguel Anastácio gave me: helping to build the content for Sisgarbe’s new website. As I have already mentioned, it was Miguel Fernandes who introduced me to Miguel Anastácio. He was the one who mentioned the opportunity and connected the parties. It was through that recommendation that I enthusiastically went to meet Miguel Anastácio from Sisgarbe. I understood marketing and communication for information technology companies. I had done it before. I understood the dynamics. The needs. The positioning. The pains. And the opportunities. And the very first conversation we had took us into unimaginable worlds, without either of us realising where we were heading.

I met Miguel Fernandes at a political event. He was presenting his dream for Algarve Tech Hub at “The Castle” (that one) to the political party that was in power at the time. A project intended for the old Santo António Cinema building. Today, that is where the current 3HB Hotel Faro stands. But Miguel believed Algarve Tech Hub could exist there. Inside that abandoned giant overflowing with potential. And he presented his dream to politicians whose depth of thought did not extend beyond the reach of the next free rissole or pint. Miguel’s Vision, Ambition and Determination – which today operate internationally at cruising speed – were introduced to me during that summer evening presentation. I think Miguel was wearing Jordans. I cannot remember properly. But it was not that day that I spoke to him. Or perhaps I did and simply no longer remember. There were many other moments afterwards when we were together. And somehow, looking back, I cannot recall the exact day or moment when we became Friends. The truth is that I deeply admire Miguel. Not only for what he has already done for Faro, for the Algarve, for Portugal; not only for his gentleness as a person; not only for his positive, constructive and forward-thinking way of being; but for that spark that every great leader I have met throughout life possesses. That look. That posture. That determination. Miguel Fernandes is an inspiration. I draw inspiration from him. I wish him nothing but the very best in his personal, family and professional life. The world needs people like Miguel. The dream Miguel presented at that political event in 2016 is today a reality. It was built, implemented and is fully operational. It did not remain an empty promise. It happened. Miguel is one of those entrepreneurs who knows the entire world, who has friends everywhere, projects already implemented, projects in development and projects he does not yet know he has – but will soon. I love our conversations. I love the moments we have shared together. They are ours. Friendship is exactly like that. It cannot be transmitted. It must be lived.

Sisgarbe was preparing the launch of its new website. It needed refreshed content, a new face, a new look. B16 was recommended as the solution for the copywriting, photography, layout and information architecture. We sat down for what was meant to be a brief conversation and ended up spending consecutive days “breaking stones”.

Balance. 80!

Everything was an opportunity to me. I questioned everything relentlessly, searching for the best possible outcome. Because I became involved. Because Sisgarbe was based in Penha. Because Miguel was interesting, humble and kind. Because I felt the Sisgarbe cause from the very first day I encountered it. From the very first time I heard about it. From the moment I lifted the veil off that grey company and began understanding the lights, colours and opportunities hidden within it. There was so much to do. So much.

Balance.
Never 36.

Why Sisgarbe? Where does the name come from? How long has it existed? What services does it sell? The top five? The hardest ones to sell? What clients does it have? Turnover? Operations? Team? Number of employees? Why a new website? What opportunities? Which channels? Why this? Why that? And why not this? And why not that? And…

Lunch at Javali 1. Meeting at B16. Meeting at Sisgarbe. Phone calls. Lunch at Javali 2. Meeting at B16. Meeting at Sisgarbe. Let me introduce you to this person, and this one, and this one too. And suddenly I was completely immersed in that challenge, that cause, that team, that Vision for the company Miguel Anastácio was part of.

We signed a confidentiality agreement between the parties. I always sign one whenever justified with B16 clients. I have professional ethics and it is always better for both sides. Which means there is a great deal I cannot share in detail. But the technique I used naturally and spontaneously proved to be extremely useful for B16’s future. And Sisgarbe was only the beginning.

Balance. 80!

For the website to truly reflect the Sisgarbe company, it was necessary to investigate every department, every service, every client in detail, to understand the strengths of each area and bring an entire world of information to life through a narrative of history, legacy, innovation, transformation, growth, loyalty, support, availability, professionalism and quality. One of the initial processes was understanding how each person viewed their own work, in order to uncover the deeper purposes behind the company’s organisational culture. That culture needed to be reflected in the branding. That is what I did. I sat down with every employee and tried to understand them individually. What they did, how they did it, why they did it. Their greatest difficulties, their strengths, their goals. Around thirty people in individual meetings. Some lasting thirty minutes, others three hours. Some easier than others. It depended on the individual. The subject. The response. In some cases it was easy to understand; in others, not at all. But afterwards, I had formed a crystal-clear portrait in my mind of how that machine worked, how it was optimised, how it was divided. How it operated, with which tools, mechanisms, processes and procedures. In that very moment, the company stopped being grey. It gained colour. The rebranding proved it. The human resources within that organisation gave rise to a far warmer positioning; far more human; far more relational. The orange, purple and grey that emerged from it, the futurism, the aesthetics – they transformed that universe of hundreds of square metres.

Then, together with Miguel Anastácio, we began building the future. What started as a simple request for website content development became a strategic plan for the years ahead. It included the Operational Communication Plan, the Rebranding, the commercial strategy, multichannel advertising, the implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS, ISO 9001), and a specific policy focused on organisational culture and employee belonging. My newest “friends”. I grew fond of them. They listened to me speak about my daughter growing up. They followed that journey. There was no possible way for me not to become involved. The entire process revealed itself to be a business growth partnership. I even spent every morning, for more than six months, working from a desk assigned to me inside the company. Sisgarbe was a challenge, an undertaking, a labour of devotion and commitment. But it was also comfort. It was also home. Even today, I hold immense affection for that team. For those people.

80!

I have a great deal of material I could show or present: photographs, videos, results, numerous pieces, among countless interesting curiosities. The success case implemented at Sisgarbe is portrayed in the “Battles” section of our website. But this text is not about that path. It is about demonstrating that genuine involvement generates greater results. Miguel Anastácio knew how to activate that in me. He involved me, allowed me to participate, allowed me to connect. And my connection generated results that Miguel did not buy, but which emerged from my fascination with achieving the best possible outcome.

João Costa would remain alone at B16 during the mornings and I would join him at lunchtime. All our other clients continued with their challenges, projects, events and needs. And we always spoke extensively about what was underway, what was pending, whether we needed help, whether everything was alright, what needed to be done first, what could remain on standby, and so on. We were a solid team. Strong. We shared the quality of the final product through the very way we worked. We were aligned. Content that might appear amateurish often contained details that made it distinctive. We obsessed over those details. And that was how our way of working within the company grew.

Balance comes from experience, maturity and self-awareness. It is intrinsic to us. In my case, the lack of it is intrinsic too. It is part of me. This is the theme of my life: learning where the balance of “things” lies. And when I say “things”, I mean everything. The clients who know me are aware of it. The clients who know me understand that a motivated Bruno is worth more. And that is the path.

The subject of wars and guerrilla fighters has addressed the theme of additional motivation for centuries. The earliest records defend it. Military authors affirm it. Sun Tzu explains it. Myriad authors discuss the theme. And every one of us knows how true it is. The “guerrilla fighter” fights for something greater, for an ideology, for a consequence that drives him to risk more; whereas the regular soldier fights out of professional obligation, financial stability and, whether true or not, tends to risk less and behave more cautiously. Che Guevara used to say that “one guerrilla fighter is worth twenty soldiers”, while the Portuguese commander Pais de Ramos proclaimed: “Your name may be Milhais, but you are worth Millions!”. In war or in business, motivation always brings something extra.

Whenever I present a proposal for a service, the delivery of that service is 100% quality. No discussion. That is my minimum standard. It is unquestionable. However, when the level of involvement becomes greater for some reason and my lack of balance takes over, the outcome is usually simple: I lose money. Because I dedicate more hours, because I do more things, because I involve more people. But I do it because it makes sense to me. Because that is where I am. Because, for me, life is exactly that: giving the best we know in the things we do. At Sisgarbe, that is exactly what happened. And thankfully so.

80!