Before servers, data centers and artificial intelligence, ZoomHolding started as a small computer and stationery store in Greater Florianópolis, in Santa Catarina. The initial investment was R$14,000, practically everything the founders had available at that time.
“Esse valort [R$ 14 mil] It was basically what my sister and I managed to get started. We bought a stock of stationery, made some furniture, put up a sign, bought two computers… and then we ran out of money”, says Nilton Junior, founder and CEO of ZoomHolding.
The entrepreneurial journey began even earlier. At the age of 15, Nilton was already servicing computers for friends and acquaintances, at a time when technology was still beginning to reach Brazilian homes.
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In 2004, alongside his sister, he decided to officially open the business. The first major challenge was the lack of working capital.
“The company was newly opened, it didn’t have credit with banks or with suppliers. We managed to advance a post-dated check with the customer to buy the parts for the first computer sold”, recalled Junior in an interview with From Zero to Top, program that tells the story of successful entrepreneurs.
The change that saved the company
In the first years, the company grew based on computer retail. But the advance of large chains and department stores completely changed the market.
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“The big department stores started to enter the market paying in 10 interest-free installments. It was basically: either we changed or we wouldn’t be here today”, reveals the CEO.
It was then that the company abandoned its focus on the end consumer and began serving companies and public bodies. The change changed not only customers, but also the company’s positioning.
In 2013, another movement accelerated growth: the partnership with Huawei. “We visited them in China and invested in the size of their structure and portfolio. We ended up growing together with them in Brazil”, says Junior.
At the time, the company had around 30 employees. Today, it has transformed into a technology, innovation and governance group, with six business units.
With no experience in large companies and having started entrepreneurship early, Nilton Junior states that he needed to learn management while the business grew.
“Every step the company climbed, I had to learn everything again.” According to him, one of the biggest challenges was making room for new leaders. “Those who understand a lot about the business want to do everything. But there comes a time when you realize that you need to let people learn too.”
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Today, in addition to being CEO, he also serves as chairman of the board of ZoomHolding, a company that started with R$14,000 and now plans to close close to R$1 billion in revenue by 2026.
To find out more details about ZoomHolding, see the full episode on . The program is available in its podcast version on the main streaming platforms such as , , , and
About From Zero to Top
The Do Zero ao Topo podcast is a production of InfoMoney and brings, every week, the stories of prominent women and men in the Brazilian market to tell their story, sharing the biggest challenges faced along the way and the main strategies used in building the business.
