Ricardo Teixeira, CEO of Compuworks, was the 95th guest on the podcast "What If It Goes Well?", an initiative by ECO presented by Diogo Agostinho. The entrepreneur revealed that the dream of being an entrepreneur was present since childhood, having at 13 set up a skate & surf shop with annual revenue of 25 thousand euros. Despite becoming a tetraplegic, he found refuge in technology and, only two years after discovering Windows, started working at Microsoft providing support for Windows 98, considering it an "extraordinary school".
During his time at Microsoft, Teixeira worked during the day remotely and, at night, dedicated himself to his own company with five employees. He eventually decided to leave Microsoft to focus on his project, moving to Lisbon, where he paid over four thousand euros for space and grew the team to 20 people. According to him, there were many months when he did not receive a salary, but never stopped paying employees' salaries.
In 2002, he founded Compuworks with the goal of computerizing Portuguese SMEs, a sector he identified as mostly non-computerized. Currently, the company remains active in the face of new technological challenges that managers face. However, Teixeira expressed criticism of the business environment in Portugal, stating: "I think this country doesn't treat any businessman well" and that, if he knew what he knows today, he would not have opened any company, noting that companies pay taxes even before receiving income and that positive results do not mean liquidity.
Despite the difficulties, Teixeira remains active at 67, working seven days a week without fixed hours, considering his greatest luxury being able to work at his own pace. He dedicates one day per week to finance and one day per month to having lunch with the team to discuss the company and connect with employees. He also argued that it is easier today to find investment than in his youth, due to the existence of business angels and the possibility of accessing other markets.
