The Story Behind the Success with Tim Vieira

28.2.2022

Tim Vieira, owner of Special Edition Holding, returns to discuss his life and the mindset that fuels his global business success.

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OUR guest

Tim Vieira

Tim is a charismatic and ambitious South African entrepreneur who owns companies in several countries. Tim's success came about in nonconventional ways. He dropped out of a Business Management course to run his own business and has continually grown as an entrepreneur ever since. One of his companies, Special Edition Holding, now employs over 400 people. Tim has always been fascinated by alternative ways of educating individuals. So it's no surprise that he founded the Brave Generation Academy (BGA), which offers highly structured and hybrid programmes for learners over 12.

Tim Vieira

Tim is a charismatic and ambitious South African entrepreneur who owns companies in several countries. Tim's success came about in nonconventional ways. He dropped out of a Business Management course to run his own business and has continually grown as an entrepreneur ever since. One of his companies, Special Edition Holding, now employs over 400 people. Tim has always been fascinated by alternative ways of educating individuals. So it's no surprise that he founded the Brave Generation Academy (BGA), which offers highly structured and hybrid programmes for learners over 12.

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

[04:42] The hunger and drive needed to build your own path

[16:49] How Tim organises his time to manage all his companies

[33:57] Values that Tim follow that help him make tough business decisions

[58:51] The time Tim felt like losing hope


Brief

Content Warning: Nonconventional Show is created for adult audiences only. Our show notes include content references and other helpful info. Note: this episode contains discussions of death, euthanasia, and mental health. Listener discretion is advised.

Tim talks about the qualities he created by dropping out of school and starting his own business, the hunger and drive to build your own path, the motivation behind pushing out of your comfort zone, and how he organises his time to manage all the companies. He also shares some insights on his daily timetable, how he came up with the idea of the Mesbah trip, his connection with South Africa and the times he felt like losing hope.

Transcript

SPEAKERS

Ela Crain, Tim Vieira

 

Ela Crain  00:00

Welcome to Nonconventional. My name is Ela Crain and today we have Tim Vieira with us. Tim has been a guest here with us already. And we mentioned that he was born and raised in South Africa. And he dropped out of business school to establish his own business. And since then he's been growing nonstop. Currently, Tim is the CEO of Special Edition holding in Angola, which brings together several communication and marketing companies, his being the CEO of brave generation, which is a limited company investing in Shark Tank Portico projects. And he's the Executive Producer of two movies, Carga and Sombra, which focuses on human trafficking. Welcome, Tim.

 

Tim Vieira  00:46

Thank you. Great to be here.

 

Ela Crain  00:47

Tim, the first question, this is a very impressive and very shortened bio here, I could go on more.

 

Tim Vieira  00:53

Yeah, I think at the moment, I've got the luxury of being able to do things I enjoy. So I think my bio sometimes I'm also surprised when someone's reading it out, and I think is okay. But it's not like planned, you know, it's just, you meet good people, you get involved in good projects, then you just get going, you know, at the same time, I could say if you were doing a bio and everything that went wrong, it would be even longer. So, you know, I think, to try and get success, and to try and find the things you like, you go through a lot of things you don't like, and a lot of failures to get to the successes.

So I think at the moment, I'm in a really privileged spot in my life where I'm actually doing things I really enjoy. And I think that's great with people I enjoy. I'm super busy. Yes. And people say, I thought you said you're going to retire a little, you know, but actually, I enjoy being busy. And I enjoy this part of my life more than maybe just being on the golf course. And when I do get onto a golf course, which is a lot much and you can see that when I apply. I really enjoy it, you know, so the little things become big in my life, because I think I appreciate them more. So that's been really good. meeting interesting people, you know, the movies you spoke about. You meet great people, you find all these talented people, and sometimes you do a little pot to make things happen. I think that's what's really nice when you're in that position to make that happen. You know, so, yeah, I think it's just been trying, missing, hitting. And I think it's never been about this big plan that I want to just, you know, make more money or anything like that. It is that project. I think it's been about projects and people in my life.

 

Ela Crain  02:54

So if we were to look back at the Tim, the young man who just dropped out of business school, and what kind of qualities made created this team that we are seeing today?

 

Tim Vieira  03:06

Yeah, I think when I dropped out of university, I wasn't patient, you know, like, I really wanted to get going and I couldn't understand, you know, what I was learning? What was that going to help me do what I needed to do today that day. I think it was really that I was hungry, you know, I wanted to do things I wanted to get things done, I wanted to start using my talents in terms of setting up a business, building, like you know, becoming dependent, having financial stability that would allow me to actually then do the things I really wanted to do. And so I started looking at that. And then there were so many opportunities, and I looked at all these opportunities around me. And I thought and I'm stuck here learning about you know, other people's opportunities via some lectures, sometimes it didn't even themselves, do it, you know?

I thought, now it's time to almost write my own path here. How do I start writing my own story? How do I become really master of my destiny and also, take my own responsibility that when things go wrong, it would be me. Many times I thought, I should have finished the degree when I was doing it. I guess it wouldn't have hurt, but at the same time, you know, you get into this laughter degree. And the more I look at it now, the more I see that laughter degrees or very valuable, you know, so I think I've got no regrets, you know, and that's that's a good thing.

 

Ela Crain  04:42

Yeah. And talking about that hunger or that drive. Do you know where that was coming from? Like, did you always have it in you or is that something you developed.

 

Tim Vieira  04:55

Yeah, it really comes from you not having everything given to you. And I think we go through As a parent nowadays, you know, got three kids, like, you always want to give them everything they need to have more than you had, and they need to be, you know, better off than you were. And I think it's a bad thing. I think many times we take away the hunger of our kids. And by that, they never get to use their talents, you know, because they don't need to. I think that's where I didn't get that or, you know, it was actually a blessing or having everything, you know, because all of a sudden, I had to fight for it, I had to do it for myself, I had to find ways of being creative. And I had to get a network, I had to make friends I had to beg, borrow. I think we've gone into a very comfortable world, in a world where we give our kids everything, we want everything to be perfect. When we work for a company, well, you know, it's got to be like this, or I can't perform.

I think we need to be uncomfortable, we need to be hungry, we need to be challenged every day and not be in that comfort zone. So I think that was the big thing in my life. I wasn't in a comfort zone. And it took me a long time to get comfortable, then to lose it all again, to be uncomfortable again, and come back again. You know, and I think that's what's made me. Nowadays because I know that I don't actually give my kids everything. And I was a parent that one day at school, that they came to me and they said to your son was telling me that he didn't get anything for Christmas. And I thought about it. And I said, Yeah, you're right. And we didn't actually get it and he said, But don't you get him anything for Christmas. So if you had asked him, I've looked at it, and I thought he needed it, I would have got him but he didn't ask he didn't need it. So we just didn't even you know, it was my boys 17th birthday on the weekend. And on Monday, I realised and I told my wife, we didn't actually get him anything, she said yeah,but we did the lunch. That's all he wanted. No problem.

So I think it's actually good. Because when they do need something, they know how to fight for it and how to get it. But it's not expected. You know. So I think it's little things, but they make big differences. And I think we're in this world at the moment where it's always expected to just give, it's expected to not have to fight hard for it. And then when you do have to fight hard for it, you're not prepared, you're not ready for it. So, you know, I prefer to keep my kids hungry, I prefer to tell them, you know that what I want to give them is experience, I prefer to keep telling them that I don't want to leave money for them, you know, that I'm going to spend it all, constantly want to like tell them that they mustn't be comfortable, you know, because it's a bad thing for them. It's not a good thing. We think it's good, but long term, it's bad, you know them, they make the wrong friends, they make the wrong decisions there. They don't love, you know, they always just comfortable. And I think that's the one thing I can say, I don't want to be,

 

Ela Crain  08:03

What would you say one of your kids settle down for whatever he had, like, he didn't have everything. And he didn't want more?

 

Tim Vieira  08:10

I never ask him, what you want to be? I just said, Listen, you must be happy. It really is that you know, I see. Because you see all these like really rich people sometimes that are okay. But you see so many rich people that are super unhappy, and others that aren't rich, but are really happy, you know, and that, for me a big thing, some of the happiest periods of my life, I didn't have money. I was just doing a great project, I was working with good people, I was super enthralled by what I was doing. You know, I felt like I was doing something that was changing the world, you know what I'm saying? And the projects that I'm working on now they're not financially motivated, they're more like, a project that gives back. And that makes me super excited.

So for me, if I had one of my kids that said, look, I really don't want to do much. I just want to, you know, be happy if that makes him happy. I'm good. I'm really good with it. And, and at the same time, you know, trying to teach them being an example, you know, often think, you know, we always worry about who your kids going to marry, will it work out? Will they lock you in? So I always tell my wife, you know, just be an example. I'll be an example. Hopefully, my daughter will marry someone like me, which you already you know, can hopefully, boys will marry someone like you we turn the wish, you know, that's really what we can only hope for, you know, but yeah, laugh is everything.

 

Ela Crain  09:35

Yeah. So I want to examine your relationship with comfort a bit more, because you said in one of your blog posts that comfort is another form of death. And now hearing you say that you were in situations where you weren't very comfortable and then you tapped into this comfort zone but you pushed yourself out of that zone. Why was that? What was the motivation behind?

 

Tim Vieira  09:56

I think when you're comfortable, you really are going nowhere. You don't make those phone calls you should make you don't say that. The emails you should make, I don't do the email. But I have people that send out emails for me sometimes I say, contact someone, do something, you know, you don't try to do the sales, you sleep every night, but then you also sleep in the day, you know what I'm saying? You start spending more time, maybe watching series, instead of actually getting out there and pushing yourself and by pushing those people, you know, I meet amazing people, like every day virtually, I meet some people and I say that I would be great people like to spend time with those are good people to speak to my kids. Those are good people to speak a BGA.

That excites me. If I was just comfortable, you know, and I thought of that often, you know, I've got a house in the Alentejo maybe I should just stay there, you know, but I think I'll miss out on all those human things and those things that really drove me and make me excited. And those little things like meeting someone and we talking and he said, Oh, Tim, but I know, you know, someone, I know him as well. Okay, so that's how you did it. You built that? Yes, you know, and those little things are wonderful, you know what I'm saying? So, it's not monetary, but it just makes it great to be alive. You know, and we in this world, at the moment, we're now euthanasia will be allowed and this and that, this so many things that you actually have excuses not to live anymore, that living by doing little things and being excited, is a privilege, it really is a privilege.

I'm looking forward now starting to plan again, I'm going to do a road trip, you know, and for me, that's a big thing again, because I stopped thinking about it or getting involved, you know, and I don't plan it, like, where are we going? It's almost like day to day, you know, like, where will we go, etc. And you live, you go through it again, and you hit difficulties and you have to have an open mind. And when bad things happen, you're off on the positive and it becomes a habit of finding the positive in it. My kids even said, dad a new year, Ted, we're adding Queenborough this weekend, and we were coming back, mid not in we were there for a rugby match, coming back down our tire booths. So I'm telling my boys, this is a great opportunity for you to learn how to change the tire. And this is brilliant. And you know, it's so good. And you'll remember two knots. And that's it. Or we could have just complained and said how lucky we are etc, etc. But that would be the mindset we instal in the future.

 

Ela Crain  12:38

Yeah, that's true. The moments we remember are generally the most challenging moments now. So, I know you did a trip with your family 118 days around the world. Is this something similar? You're planning?

 

Tim Vieira  12:53

Yeah. So we were either going to, like, kill each other. During the 118 days or come out stronger, and you know each other and, you know, the first half an hour that my daughter wakes up. Maybe don't bagger. You know, because that's bad news. And, you know, which kid doesn't mind being bugged. You know, all of a sudden, and then also, you know, they start finding out that I'd like to wake up super early. And at five in the morning, I like to have a coffee when we're in the motorhome, I would come out, put my coffee, the kettle on, come outside, sit down. And then I started seeing first one of my sons also started to come in the other son was coming. And all of a sudden, you know, like six in the morning, we were there having coffee, them having our chocolate and we were having a discussion. And we started our day like that.

Then the next day, I said, Okay, tomorrow, I'm gonna drive early. One would wake up, be next to me. And those little things mean so much, you know, so you actually use those experiences to to come out stronger and bold. I had an amazing dad and mom, you know, like really amazing, with very little in financial, but just lots of time and love. Now see that what dad gave me I want to give more. So, I believe, you know, as a dad, I've got much more time for my kids and I'm busy, but I've got much more time for my kids and my dad ever had for me. My dad's still my best friend now we are always together. This time he wasn't in the car when the breakdown but he was the weekend before we had bad lack two weekends. But I look at it and I think if I'm going to be better to them, they're gonna even be better to their kids. It's, you know, that's how humanity gets better. You know, that's how we improve humans, you know?

So all I can do is my bit, you know, and then we'll see how it goes. Yeah, it's an interesting road. But we have our arguments and we have times where I've got to give them space and let them make their own mistakes. Because as a parent, you don't want to but I've learned how to You know, bite my lip and just say, Wait, we'll see in a week's time how that went, you know? And it’s good because they need to make mistakes they don't need you there all thetime and telling them, don't do it. And times have also changed, you know, sometimes things we think won't work, works. It just like in business, you know, sometimes we do things we think worn’t work. But a year later, it works. So I think, even for kids they are in that situation at the moment.

 

Ela Crain  15:29

How old were your kids when you did this trip?

 

Tim Vieira  15:32

They were 14,12 and 10.

 

Ela Crain  15:36

Okay, so did they take time off from school?

 

Tim Vieira  15:39

They just left school, it was good. They learned a lot more than at school. Three years before that, we had also done the US and we had done five months travelling. And again, they learned a lot, you know, and understood that experiences and all that kind of stuff are much more powerful sometimes than what we learn in books, and we've got to learn ourselves. Because when we do, smell, or cry, laugh, we remember it a lot better. And also, we need individuals in this world that have experiences and also become more interesting, in a way because of those experiences. Yes. Not everything we can do in the virtual world, there are things we need to do in the real world. So things like travelling experiences, being with people, lunches, you know, it's very, very important for us to have these experiences.

 

Ela Crain  16:36

I'm still struggling to put all this together Tim, all these companies that you're managing, plus you have these long holidays with your family. And I also know that just messaging me on WhatsApp, you almost immediately reply, I'm like, how do you organise your time in such an efficient way? What does your day look like?

 

Tim Vieira  16:56

So I don't have emails for the last seven years. I took out emails because I would get so many emails, and then I'd be on CC and BCC. And sometimes I was on emails for nothing, just to put my name there, just so it would say that I knew about it. So I removed emails. You know, I've got an assistant who's got emails for things that people need to really send me on emails, but I work on WhatsApp and phones, you know, like phone calls, I'm good at WhatsApp, I'm good at. By the time I finish my day, I've cleared out everything. So you get back. What's up people also normally, you know, more focused, they actually need a yes or no or something from you.

So great movies, the project on you know, my team, you slack. I'm on it. But I'm very bad with learning new technology. But I think those kind of things where you can make quick decisions are really positive, you know. So that's the first thing. I think I took away the technology I didn't really need every day. And I replaced it with you know, technology that quickly gets me moving forward. I also have really good people. I mean, that's a secret that everyone will tell you, you always told to surround yourself or better people in you. And in many areas, I've got that I've got people that are really good at operations, I've got really good admin people I've got, you know, people that are working already on the future of where we going, because I like to talk about it and send it out. But I don't like to do it. But they love to do it. And they can do it. And they and you know, that's great, because all I'm doing is almost like I have a vision and I trusted it but then I've got all these people in in Angola.

I've got you know, the best CEO in the world, like really a guy who started as a copywriter, incredible copywriter, and he grew and he took over a business, you know, that's got 400 people and it doesn't take much time for me. He tells me when we need somebody contacts me when we need something, we make quick decisions or do delegates you know, I really believe in them. I don't mind if I make a mistake. I just don't want them not to do nothing. And the same thing in Portugal, I started growing this team. It takes time. It's not every day and when a very challenging world where every day you can do staff members now and not rehire them that easily because it's really tough.

So I've really looked at empowering people, giving them ownership in our businesses. Yeah, most of, you know, key people get shares in the business. So they also aligned with it. In Angola, the same thing that we're also aligned with, it's also a chair, so it makes it more difficult just to give up. And if you keep them happy at their jobs, you know, they are good, you know, it's not like everyone is trying to leave their job,not everyone's trying to find something else. If they're happy I think you can keep a team that then allows you also to be a bit more relaxed

 

Ela Crain  20:00

It sounds like to manage such independent structures, several companies at a time, you have to have a lot of trust in people you hire, and also let go of that wanting to have control over things.

 

Tim Vieira  20:12

Yeah, you got to have trust, you also got to know that things will go wrong, and then you can't think about them forever, you got to know, it is what it is that happened. So you can't keep pushing and pointing at people saying you want to do this, you've got to move forward, you know what I'm saying? You also got to learn how to say no, to things that are no longer important or, or a waste of time, or are going to remove your focus, and I was very bad at that. Like saying, No, I always thought, Okay, let me try out, let me see. But I've actually learned that by saying no, I actually able to help more, because I keep the focus, and I'm happy. I'm not bitter to execute, you know, so it's very important that you say no.

 

Ela Crain  20:55

How do you filter what's important and what's not?

 

Tim Vieira  20:59

Experience, you got to learn. But once you know, like, now very focused on education, and maybe on development, you know, anything that's not involved in that that's not going to give a big occational project, any value. I say, No. Anything that comes and looks like a synergy that could give us potential and could be something interesting. I say yes. And listen to it, you know, and then also, I'm very transparent and clear, if it's not going to work, it's not going to work as it doesn't great idea, but not for us. Not at this moment, I think it's better not just for us, but even for people that we work with, because then they know, okay, it's not okay, but maybe one day, I have something great. And they also, you know, refocus themselves.

So I've learned to be a little bit more direct. And it's not easy, because you know, you don't want to hurt feelings. It's also on getting rid of people, I've learned that it's better to do it earlier than later. Not just for for us or the company. But even for them. If they're in the wrong place, they're doing their own thing they must move on. So I've learned how to make those tough decisions. And it's not always great. But I've learned, once you start saying it, then you're doing it. Once you start saying, Look, I'm going to let you go. You can't go back. We no longer going to be able to be partners or whatever it may be in and you learn. And then also, it makes you not want to have to do that again. So, you are more careful when you take the next step again, and so it's like a learning experience, you know, it goes around and around. You can't get everything from a person on LinkedIn, you can't get everything from a project on a business plan. It's still human, there's a lot of variables that might go wrong. There's a lot of things you think they'll execute, and then they don't. Do I ask to be more involved? Or do I just say, No, it's not for me. I think that's what I've also learned.

 

Ela Crain  22:59

Is there a specific structure to your day or to your week? How many hours do you sleep sleep? Are there certain things you do in the mornings only?

 

Tim Vieira  23:09

Yeah. So, my structure, go through phases. You know, sometimes I'll do lots of morning walks, now I've changed it to evening walks. I sleep little, I've always slept very little, five hours, it's enough for me. And I try to sometimes change it by even going to sleep earlier. And then all I do is wake up earlier, my body really doesn't need more than five hours, then it's it is what it is, you know, that's it. It's something that bugs my wife a lot, you know, because as soon as I'm awake, that's it. There's noise and things going on. But it's one of those painful things, but I don't like routine. So I don't like to actually have it always on the same day. And I love to wake up and see what my day is like, you know, so I've got this on, I've got that on. I've got a great assistant, plans and books in people that I want to see and all that. But I don't actually know that are next to on Friday, I've got this on Tuesday, I've got this, it just sort of happens.

I really just like to catch up with my team leaders. Before the end of the day, I normally speak to quite a few of them and I know where we are on a I like to keep like my finger on the pulse. But they are doing the work and I'm just trying to find out ways where could I help. Where could it move forward quicker? Or you know, sometimes my stepping back I actually see something they didn't see and say, you know, guys, we wasting our time with that. Look at this. Okay, great. Because, you know, I think that's maybe my strength is being able to see a bigger picture. And then, you know, taking everyone with innovation, okay, and then if it's wrong, I'm the first one to say it's wrong. You know, I don't need to be proved wrong. I actually love it when I'm wrong quickly, because that means we know wasting time. So yes, there's no real routines. I'm constantly thinking I'm going to get healthier, but it never happens. I keep trying to say that I only want to have a lunch or a dinner. But it also doesn't happen. It seems to always have two meals. So I'm still a work in progress. Put it that way.

 

Ela Crain  25:23

Yeah. What about stress? I mean, I don't see you're stressed dealing with so many things.

 

Tim Vieira  25:27

No, I've actually, you know, like, sometimes you're about a heart attack friend. I think I should have died a lot, many times because of the amount of stress that sometimes I do have, you know, with so many things going on. But I think I've learned to not stress about things that can't change, just accept them, breathe a bit and say, Okay, now how do we move forward? How do we make a plan to get out of this? The thing that stresses me the most is competency. You like when things aren't happening. And it makes us all look bad because of someone that's incompetent. But it's not what's happening. It’s not issue, it's not, you know, always believe tomorrow, we'll sort it out. Don't worry if it's bad news today, tomorrow, there'll be a phone call the day after, but we'll sort it out and if it's not through the highway, we'll go all the secondary and tertiary roads, but we'll get there.

I did a trip 13 days from the Skies to Prague on a Vespa, where you can only go max speed 80 with my boys and my dad. And we only used tertiary and secondary roads. And it's amazing, you know, we went the whole way without going on highways without going on all those things. You think you need to go. The distance is like 3100 kilometres. But on a Vespa, you know, you do 200 to 202, 150 kms a day.  You see amazing things, you see all these amazing olives, and cherries and elements and all that, but you go in the mountains, and you got parodies. And you see this and you understand that there's a lot of ways to get somewhere. And sometimes the highway is the fastest, but not the best. I think in life, we also have that, like, every time I've come up against something, I just think, Oh, don't worry, if this isn't the person I need to convince, I'm going to go around, I'm going to do this, we'll get there.

Then also, if you really believe in your project, and your project makes sense. And it's got this, why are we doing it and it's got, you know, reasons that it should succeed and that it can change things, you will find people that will help you to get there. And so, I really believe that as well. So yeah, I don't stress maybe as much as you know, as maybe others do. Because I've also gone through so many tough things that if I'm stressed every time I would you know be a wreck. But I look older than I am. So that maybe comes from stress, you know, all that kind of stuff at all. Maybe the stress is there and just don't show it.

 

Ela Crain  28:18

How did you come up with the idea about this Mesbah trip?

 

Tim Vieira  28:24

I was having lunch with my dad and it was the World Cup and he says, Are you going to go to the World Cup? I said, Yeah, but if we make that the trip, so then he said we wanted to go on the Vespa, he just made me a Vespa that he made. It's a Vespa from the young born 1975. And he fixed it all up and he gave it to me. And I said, great idea. Let's do it. And that was it. We went in the Vespa and no planning, nothing, my back office was my wife booking hotels and restaurants along the way. But there was it, you know, it was wonderful. It was wonderful to the point that you know, I want to do a trip now with my boys. They will come on a Vespa. I'll take a little sidecar are five and 5019 69 back and we will go again tertiary and secondary roads and go on a trip because it was amazing. I would never have known about it if my dad hadn't mentioned it and I hadn't said yes.

 

Ela Crain  29:21

Yeah. So there's like a real quality of listening to something even something so random saying why don't we do this with Vespa

 

Tim Vieira  29:29

The best thing that ever happened to me is because I've listened. Always. Our latest projects, about education. It's because I listened and I listened and listened and I thought then Okay, now it's time to execute. But it's because you listen to all the issues you listen to hear all the opportunities, what are the problems, what's happening around us, you know, listening is a huge thing. It really is. It's so underrated and nowadays sometimes we listen to too much noise. Okay? Sometimes on Netflix, there's so many documentaries, there's so many things. But if you spend a whole weekend listening to all those documentaries, you think you've come out better. But you've actually just lost a whole weekend of listening to someone and executing something. And sometimes you just need to listen to less and execute more. But, you know, make it happen, you know what I'm saying? So, I think we've got a lot of noise.

It's not just listening. It's like listening to the right things. It's listening and acting upon it and executing upon it. But yeah, listening is a big thing. We've got so many experts now. And it's so easy to get to know what you don't know. So it's great. And in listening nowadays, even sometimes just Googling Google, and you get a response. Then you see two, three videos, and actually understand what you need to not do to move forward. Listening is very important.

 

Ela Crain  31:04

How do you filter? How do you know what to listen to what not to listen to? Because there's so much noise like you said.

 

Tim Vieira  31:10

Yeah, I'll have to listen to things that are of good value too. So, people that I give value to channels, like media channels that I'm okay with, you know, that I don't feel like all one-sided, that is two-sided. It's much better for me to listen to that. And love listening to people that admire, I think it's, it's incredible, you know, you get to do that. Then obviously, even in your own team, there are people there, they're just relaxed, by listening to them, you actually just say, okay, they're in control. That's great. That means we are on the right track, and we move forward. And then I also like to listen to the people we actually do things for, you know, like, I love listening to our students. I do, like, I have a coffee and I invite them for an orange juice. And they sit there and they tell me things and they end when I'm listening. I'm thinking, Yeah, that's a good idea. You know, I never thought of it. No one's told us about it. There's so much input you can get if you just listen,but you start to find out where you listen. But you first have to listen to know that. Yeah.

 

Ela Crain  32:19

We get lost in these marketing research and hypothetical listening ideas know, like, what's our audience like? Let's guess what they want, instead of literally going out there and asking, what theywant.

 

Tim Vieira  32:33

I think we get lost a lot with all these metrics. And I think all these like polls, you know, in the end, by going onto the ground level, and listening just to those people that need something resolved, you get there, and I think we, we don't make tough decisions anymore, because we listen to polls, and we believe, okay, if we do, what the poll says, or what this matrix says, will give results and, we look at our leaders at the moment, even political leaders, very little of them are doing tough decisions, you know, and we actually look at them and we think, let's say, the bad ones are actually doing tough decisions, taking their people sometimes in the wrong way. But they making those decisions in little while the others just talk about it and think about it but do the comfortable decisions. And nothing happens, you know, and there is no future success guarantee. There's nothing you know, so it's a big empty. So I think we're gonna have to start, you know, once again, listen to people with values and ethics, and then acting with values and ethics. And then, you know, we'll be on the right track again, but at the moment, we're in a scary place, in a way. Still the best time to live in the world. For me, I believe, but at the same time, I think we're in a scary place because of what could come.

 

Ela Crain  33:57

Yeah. Other than listening, are there any other values and that you follow? That help you make decisions in business?

 

Tim Vieira  34:06

Yeah, I think I'm open minded. But I still have like, core values, but I'm open minded, you know, like, I always like to listen in a way that says, okay, that could be true, and there could be a market or let's look at that. But at the same time, I've got to stick to some of our ethics and some of our values you know, and it's difficult because now there is ethics and values can make you even look not open minded in so you've got it like try and find a balance between that. But I think going forwards it makes it like a more you more authentic. Because if you just do what everyone expects, you are nothing. And if you do what, what, even if it's hard calls and maybe people don't agree with you, they will give you the value saying yeah, at least you know, it is what it is. He knows who he is, or he knows what he believes in. And that's a big value these days in this world. So yeah, being open minded and sticking to your guns is a big thing.

 

Ela Crain  35:12

What are some of your core values?

 

Tim Vieira  35:16

I'm still very old school, I still believe that, you know, we've got to have trust in business, we've got to, like, you know, think about doing things that are going to give value for the future. And, you know, when I look at it, I would probably be a miracle. You know, I would make tough decisions like that, even when, you know, they maybe don't not seen as, right, you know, when she did the immigrants bringing them in, and all that, that was really tough. But you know, what, it was a core value of what she had, and she believed it. And overall, if you look at it in five years time, it was actually the rock. So, you know, it's super tough, those kinds of things. And, and I like to keep us on on those core values.

Nowadays, it's very difficult even in education, you know, we value our religions, and we don't promote any, it's tough to say that, you know, we value them, we respect them, but we can't promote them, you know, we don't take it, you've got LGTB t plus this, it's difficult, because you've got a lack respect everyone. But again, you know, even promoting one of those would be unfair to everyone, you know, so how do you not do it? But looking like you don't like any of them? And so it's a difficult one, a very difficult situation. And we go through, you know, racism and if you don't say something, or don't put up your hand, or go on your knee, it's almost like you're condemning not doing it or doing it means you on this side, and it's not, I think, overall, people aren't always just one way or the other, you know, but they're trying to be solid, they're trying to, at the same time, think for themselves, but you're not allowed to, you know, I think nowadays thinking for yourself is very dangerous.

But the only way we can have a future is if we do think for ourselves, you know, things that are happening nowadays. Everyone have got a vaccine, you don't have a vaccine, you know, it's like, respect these respect that don't respect these. It's scary, you know, the world at the moment, it's gonna be a little bit of a mess. On my side, try keep those in mind. But I do keep old-school values. I think there are things that we do need to know who we dealing with. Yeah. We can't just be today, it's left tomorrow, it's right in it's less than or whatever is easiest. No.

 

Ela Crain  37:46

What do you think Merkel’s core value was, that allowed her to make a decision about the immigrant situation?

 

Tim Vieira  37:54

I think she's a human. I think she put our country before her. I think, you know, when we look at people like that, you know, when we look at, not just her, we look at Churchill, Mandela, you know, those are people that put their vision, their country, everything above themselves, and we don't have leaders like that now, we got leaders, that lobby that does everything for themselves first, and then whatever comes afterward is, you know, what happened. And I think Merkel, you know, however difficult it was, and she lost power, because of it and all that she did what she believed was wright. And I think if we start doing that again we will have a much better future.

Also, we can't keep being like, how am I gonna say this in a nice way, but we can't be two-faced in a way, you know, we now arguing that India is the problem with global warming, and China's the problem with global warming. But if we look at this as individuals, just as in the Western world, we actually consume six times more than an Indian or Chinese. In global warming, we eat more we throw 40% of our food away, you know what I'm saying? So, there's going to be tough decisions that are going to be made, you know, but we've got to be understanding that they for the good, you know, but no one wants to make them now because as soon as you make them, you lose votes. And being in power is the first thing that anyone who wants to make something for himself needs.

 

Ela Crain  39:27

Yeah, so I guess the question is how they empower people to vote for such people or to have that awareness around.

 

Tim Vieira  39:34

We have to let people start thinking for themselves again, instead of having curriculums that tell you how to think, we have to have curriculums that teach you to think and we have to start teaching about the future. Instead of only discussing history. We need to discuss the future we have to discuss not just past wars, but potential future wars, not just about past work, but future work. Not about this what we used to eat But what we've learned and maybe, you know, all these kinds of things, get our youngsters and get our people to start thinking for themselves. You know, we are taught that whatever you see on TV is true. No, we've got it like, you know, stop thinking about it and understanding, is it true? Is it an advert behind it? You know, what I'm saying?

There is all these kinds of things, and I think, only by us once more, like taking control of our minds. Will we actually put in the right people? Also, do we just keep looking at politicians as those people that want to be politician? No, we need to start finding people that have causes that want to be politicians that want to really, you know, put those causes and put those countries ahead of just being a politician. I don't think we got the right people there. I think we need to get better people. They're people that can execute people that are more competent, people that are more accountable, you know, people that have done things before. And they've stayed awake at night, because they haven't paid a salary, and now need to make tough decisions. We don't have those people. And I think the world was once more starting to look for that. But when we do get those people, you know, they've got to make it count, because I think that will be the next wave of leadership, is people that have themselves in second place. Not first place. I think that will be coming starting. And Merkel was exactly that. Merkel she was in second place. It was Germany, you know, it was everything else. Except it was Germany, it was the world, it was a lot of things before her she was in fourth than second place.

 

Ela Crain  41:45

Yeah. Are you thinking of entering politics?

 

Tim Vieira  41:48

Maybe? I think, you know, how often think about it? Do I just look and complain and write a blog? Or do I do something about it one day, you know, but obviously, if I entered politics,it  would be in a different way, it wouldn't be going into a political party and all that because it is so difficult to change anything from within, that you almost need to come from without and just try and get support of new thinking, you know, and people that think, because it is a mess, it's so entrenched. And when we look at the US, and when we look at, you know, countries around the world, that it's so difficult to change it through the normal political system, that it's going to need breakthroughs out there. You know, just like, there were companies that were so big, they couldn't fail. And then they did. I think, because of a new technology or something, there's gonna have to be something similar to that in politics.

 

Ela Crain  42:46

And what would that look like if you entered politics?

 

Tim Vieira  42:49

No, I think I'll give it into politics, it would be me first supporting probably independence in certain areas, where we could say, you know, if you've got these values, we'll support you, if you do these things, you are art, and you've got to step down, because the problem is, we have so many people that shouldn't be there, but they don't step down, they don't do the honourable thing, you know. If we get those people those values and ethics, and they start getting support, you start creating a base, at least, where weird happens. And then, you know, I don't know, the FTC, I would come into that. I would hope that I could be just changing education, changing anything else, and not having to do that. But it gets to a point in your life, where you also look at a new thing, what are you going to leave for your kids, you know, or they're going to become immigrants themselves, because the opportunities here are becoming less or you look at it, and you think it is not a complicated place to change or, country to change or, world to change.

We've made it so complicated, you know, sometimes, in in business, I've learned about that, you know, the 80,20, rule, change 20% of stuff and get an 80% return. I think, even in our countries, we've got that, we know what we have to do quickly. We know a country with less bureaucracy will be more efficient. When a country with less bureaucracy will have less corruption, yet, you know, we still have the bureaucracy that creates the corruption. And we also know that you need a judiciary system that works. But when you have so much corruption that your judiciary hasn't got time to work, it makes it all difficult, so you know what steps you will have to change to improve it. And, and also, you know, by being out there, you start to know, there are really good people, competent people that could change the country, but they're not in politics, because they almost fear it, you know, and that will be interesting to see how you could get a melting pot of those people. And obviously getting the right votes those.

Look at it at the moment, you know, in Portugal, less than 50% of people vote. So this 50% of people that maybe would vote for their right melting pot. And not everyone is extreme right and extreme left, there's a lot of people that are just, in the middle super solid, actually just want things to be better, that would probably vote. So, yeah, you know, you'd have to look at it and all that. But I think we would definitely not want to only run things by Poles and matrix because it's a disaster. And there are some exciting things that are happening with youngsters, and I think once even voting becomes on your phone. I think that will also change the dynamics. And I think, you know, we've got lots of politicians that are dinosaurs that actually need to move on. And it's going to be interesting to see who takes the place.

 

Ela Crain  45:45

I guess it will be a similar move with what you've done with Brave generation Academy. Like the system was in ruins. And then you started a whole new system around that it, the way you think it should happen? And was politics would that be a similar move?

 

Tim Vieira  46:01

Very similar, very well put. Because, again, it's if we can do that with education, and we can use common sense today's technology and, and create some values and get people going in results are being driven, you can do that, in many things. I think the secret is not to reinvent everything, but it's just change a few small things that make big changes, you know, and if we can do just a few small changes, I think there'll be big results. Nowadays, you know, the results shouldn't just be for a certain demographic, a certain class, it needs to be for everyone. Because if it's not for everyone, even that demographic is not going to be successful in the future. Because we need everyone to get better. There has to be wealth creation from the bottom up, because those are your consumers, those are the people that are going to drive the country and do more with it. And excetera. You can't just be in a certain amount, or we're going to hit the end up again, with a french revolution with heads on the chopping block, you know, because some people have nothing to lose. And you can't have that.

 

Ela Crain  47:13

And would that be in Portugal?

 

Tim Vieira  47:15

Yeah, I think, you know, for me, sometimes I'm not so sad by the things that happen. And I've got friends that even tell me, Tim I don't know why you are still here. Maybe you should just go somewhere else. And all that effort you use would make a bigger difference somewhere else. But I love this place. You know, I love it. I love everything. I love the people, I love the lifestyle. I love everything about it. So instead of doing that, and you know, no, I think, time in your life country, you've got to be responsible, and you got to try and do something to better it. So I don't know, I think that time will come. Because the way I see it, as you said, if you can change education, and you could one day change, you know, policies and politics for the better great, you know, you need to do it.

 

Ela Crain  48:08

What's your connection with South Africa now?

 

Tim Vieira  48:11

Tamasa, is always going to be my heart. You know, my heart is, like, really three big countries in my heart. It's a South Africa, Angola and Portugal. And I'm lucky that I've got a big heart that I can have all in there.  My kids are the same. And in South Africa see the same as in South Africa, a very complicated place to turn around now, as in South Africa, leaders that really do look after themselves before their people. Very sad story. You know, Nelson Mandela today. He came in here to look at the country today, he would be super sad by what's happened. He will see a movement that was so powerful, like the ANC that, you know, had its members in jail and killed and tortured, to get the vote today doing exactly what they were fighting against. And the country that's, you know, not being able to employ it to us not giving the future to its youth, where it's actually not becoming wealthier, but it's becoming poorer. It hurt, really, really hurt.

 And you see, you know, the brain drain happening, you see, United still 2% of the population basically pay 90% of the taxes. And they are leaving. And it's all been because we've almost said, you know, we need to destroy wealth, but not create it. So I look at that, and it really hurt. You know, it really hurts and you see the potential. I'm still hoping there can be some kind of a miracle there. But it's a tough one. And then again, it's always the people that are that suffering. You know, it's like always the most incredible people that country have and yet they're going to be the ones that are going to suffer the most. And it's unfair, but I don't know. Let,s see how it goes. So yeah, my link with South Africa is, I have got family there, friends there, lots of love there. And hope it turns around.

 

Ela Crain  50:11

Yeah. Because that's where everything started. You told me that it's all started with an microbrewery. Is that right? When was that?

 

Tim Vieira  50:21

South Africa everything started because South Africa was that kind of country where you had to be intrapreneurial you had to execute. You had to not wait to receive, but you had to go out there and get things done. You know. And I think it's been a big thing in South Africa, we didn't have a system that just if you did nothing you would earn, you know, we've always had to actually produce and help the system. And it was a country that went through sanctions, apartheid. A lot of hard stuff. So yeah, South Africa, I think it was like in the brewery when I started the breweries again, it was I thought we could make better beer, then what was available and what was available as a monopoly. It was a total monopoly, there's probably the strongest beer monopoly, alcohol monopoly in the world. I looked at how we can start drinking our own product, how can we produce it, etc, etc. And again, if you go there today, there's lots of micro breweries now, there's a lot of things, but it had to start somewhere, I can't say, I probably started three years ahead of what I should have. Because it was still really very protective market. Okay.

But nowadays, I think those first steps helped a lot to get things going. Same thing in Portugal, when I got there. And it you know, it was crisis period. And there was no one thinking about being intrapreneurial. It was survival. I tried to bring in a way to get people to think positively again, etc. And the one thing I can say about the programme Shark Tank, it was great timing. Because people were not giving loans, there was nothing. But there was still, you know, people that want to intrapreneurs, or just people want to better their lives or, and they don't have thought companies but they just need to do something that better something, they're even they can be intrapreneurs inside companies or just for their own lives. I think that was what was nice about.

I've been able to be in the change in in in South Africa, I've been able to be in the change in Portugal, we are going into the whole ecosystem of startups on all that. And in Angola, as well, I've been in there when the civil war finished, we've set up an incredible media group that has that employs people that has never failed the salary that has been able to get people right through even into education, the kids through education. And then alone has been amazing without being a state owned company, which is also great. And so and being independent in media, which is incredible, you know, and fighting so many obstacles, so many obstacles, like, every day, and today, we probably the most solid media company in the country. So it's always been hard markets. It's always been about, you know, not driven by the financial gain, but more about how can we change it? How can we play people? How can we grow people, we will we add some kind of value that is needed. So it's been a little bit like that.

 

Ela Crain  53:30

And it sounds like you're also a relentless optimist.

 

Tim Vieira  53:35

You have to be because it's the only thing that keeps me different from all those people that just accept, you know, and those people that just say, that's the way it is, you know, live with it. The day I'm not an optimist, I actually just want to go live in the Algarve. I mean, in the golf, you know, and drink wine. Because I won't have anything to give, you know, the only thing we we've got is to give is hope and hope comes from optimism. I think once you lose, you know, hope you finished. It's not losing all your money. It's losing hope. It's that that kills you, you know, that makes you pull the trigger.

I've always had faith that things can turn in so even when it's the worst, I can tell you I never lose hope. You know, when things might look really tough for whatever, hope is there. And the saddest thing I see in life is when you meet people that have lost hope. In Africa I hardly ever see it. It's amazing but in Africa and Southeast Asia, I've never met people that they've lost hope. But in the Western world, the Canada's, the US, Europe, I meet people now that don't have hope and become pessimists and actually almost feel like someone should press the button and blow the world, you know what I'm saying? So I think we are super worried about losing what we have, while everyone else thinks they can still have something, you know, it's like, they still believe things can get better. We believe things can are going to get worse. And we believe that, you know, we can't make a difference anymore. Because things are so big.

In Africa, no one cares about Google, Facebook, Amazon, I think is taking over the world. You know, everyone's still doing their thing. But watching the Western world, you start thinking, Oh, social media has got us, they telling us everything they running, there's a big brother, you know, so you start to lose hope that you can make a difference. And when you do that, you just conform to the world, you know, you conform to everything you're against. Instead of, like having hope you can change it, you just conform, and then it just goes more and more. And then you know, I think we start giving up and then you start finding vices, you've got up toys, you've got drugs, you've got so many other things, you've got stress, stress itself brings in depression. And once you don't have hope, you're gonna have a bit of laugh or stress can take over, it really can.

So, being an optimist, I think it's better for you mentally, it's better for you emotionally, it's better for you physically, and those are the three things you need, if you actually want to make a change that's positive, you need to be healthy physically. So you know, my little walks, it's really just to keep me physically, and obviously also to be able to eat this Portuguese bread and all these other things. But then, you know, emotionally, it's, I've hoped that, you know, I'm doing things that will be positive for my kids, you know, and emotionally, that makes me strong, it's a good thing for me. Mentally, my hope is that I'm learning every day, then I'm being better prepared to be able to do things that will change the world, it's said, and that makes me better. But the day you start losing that you're going backwards, the saddest thing in life is when you see people that have lost their hope. And it's in their eyes, it's in their body, it's in everything and they actually want to spread the disease, they actually want more people to become more like them.

Because again, you know, you feel comfortable in numbers, you know what I am saying? If you watch, you know, media, the news, in a way, they want you to lose hope that how many good news or anything good, you see very little, you know, it's all about her everything, we destroyed the plastic, the fish. Well, you know, if we could have more hope maybe we would turn things around. And we could say this is where we are achieving and this is what we're doing. We've been programmed to, especially in the Western world, we like really, really are and and it's sad, because we are the ones that could drive the change better than anyone else. yet. We're the ones like, you know, being most effective and think it's only us that are suffering. And so it's always about us, you know, while the rest of the world it's, you know, the problem and they are actually the ones that are more positive about the world today.

 

Ela Crain  58:19

Yeah, so hopelessness can be like a societal control mechanism.

 

Tim Vieira  58:25

Yeah,, even when we look at it, even when things really get bad in the world, you control people's future. And if you tell them, and if you break them up, and if you give them a lot of fear, you take away their hope you take away everything, and you control. You finish. And then you get people controlling others, you know, it's like a, it's a scary thing in the history repeats itself. And it's a scary thing.

 

Ela Crain  58:51

Are there any times that you were close to losing hope, but I'm asking because I want to find out.

 

Tim Vieira  58:59

I'm not like a perfect person. So when I, when I feel like I'm weak, I pray and I say Listen, I need help. I'm a Christian. So I trust God and I say, Listen, I need help. I can't do this alone. Hopefully, you're going to support me in this, maybe not today or tomorrow, but I'm getting, you know, pass it on to you. And I think just doing that gives me hope that I'm going to my faith gives me hope you understand I'm saying that's why I said the two things go intertwined. And you've got to have some kind of faith. And I'm not saying everyone needs to be it's your own choice. If it's a God, though, if it's a religion, or if it's a friend, I don't know, you know, but what I can say is that, you've got to have some kind of faith that you can turn things around. When you lose that it's when you really have nothing left. You have nothing left and that's the sadness. So I've prayed many times, I've got no problem in asking my grandmother, look, I'm going through a tough period, it's time to pray for me, you know, and I just feel like, okay, that's the first step in sorting out the problem, and then it's also making those tough decisions, you know, if you make the tough decisions, you've got hope that you're going in the right direction, I see so many people that all they do is in a hole. Instead of like, you know, the first thing they should do is stop digging, they still digging the hole bigger. And you're almost saying, Stop, don't keep digging. No I'm digging.

You can see, you know, and whatever the situation is that they actually needed to stop. And then they can plan how to get out of the hole. But they don't, you know, it's very tough. But yeah, my hope didn't comes from my faith. It's when I'm at my worst 100%. And then also being open minded. I remember when I went through a really tough period in the Serbian it took a venia was on and I switched on the TV. And I saw that, and I saw my laugh, this is nothing compared to what these people are going through. And every time you see migrants, and you see people being played as pawns, that's a real problem, you know, you should always get up and, and the worst thing you can do is lose everything and just start again, and sometimes losing everything is a good thing, you're actually more free by having less than by having all these things you think are yours, and they're not.

I often speak about this thing called, you know, we go through three stages in life, you go through the need where you really need a few things, you need food, you need accommodation, you need those things, you know, education, you need it, then you somehow get into this thing that you don't know why. But you get into this greed, where you now need to have more than your neighbour, you need to have more things more latest phones and a bigger car, three rooms, when you're only two people, four TVs, and etc. And you get into this greed. And some people never leave the greed, they stay there for a long time, forever sometimes. One thing you actually need to get to is the freed. Because only when you freed, you understand that you don't have to impress anyone where you don't have to have more than anyone where having less is more, you actually get into this amazing period where it's like freed, where we use your time to walk with a dog, you use your time to have a coffee with a friend. And that's a great period, and your thinking becomes better. And your purpose becomes a lot better.

Once you get into freed, and you need that to happen. And also, you only get into freed when you have to other things. You have to learn how to love and to forgive. If you can't love, you never forgive. And if you never forgive, you never move on. So you never get to fried. Because there's a lot of people I meet and I still upset with people that did something ex husbands or 10 years ago, and this and that, and my dad once did this to me, You know what, you got to let go, you've got to let go if you actually want to move forward. So, these stages in life and learning about love and love isn't a weakness. I think a lot of our leaders will never speak about love of war, or forgiveness because it looks like a weakness, but it's the most powerful thing.

Again, bringing up Nelson Mandela, you know, about, if he couldn't love humans, it could never have forgiven. And if he had never forgiven, he would have never put the country you know, we were there was going to be a civil war, you understand. But if it wasn't for that kind of leadership, Gandhi, him all these kinds of leaders, you know Martin Luther King, all these amazing people that have come through the world, and I've said, You know what, it's time to forget the past and move to the forward, you know, let's move forward. But we can't do that. Everything's about you wants to do this to me, or you want to do that to me,and we look at it even in discrimination. I'm the first person to say yes, the world is unfair. There's been discrimination on all fronts. But do we keep bringing those up? Or do we hopefully get our kids to be better than us and move forward? And it doesn't become an issue anymore? So, it is tough to make it happen. But we should have a plan at least and stop moving forward.

 

Ela Crain  1:04:35

Yeah. Tim, your ability to zoom out and zoom in and zoom out again is really impressive. I'm just listening to you at different level individual level societal level is really impressive. Thank you so much for sharing this wisdom you have and for your time and for doing business with such a big heart. I can really feel that. For our audience, if you haven't seen the previous interview with Tim please go to nonconventional.show and watch that.

 

Tim Vieira  1:05:05

Thank you. Thank you for having me on Nonconventional one more time. It is really pleasing . Thank you.

 

Ela Crain  1:05:09

Thank you

 


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INSPIRING TAKE-AWAYS

We need to be uncomfortable, we need to be hungry, we need to be challenged every day and not be in that comfort zone.

We have to let people start thinking for themselves again. Instead of having curriculums that tell you how to think, we need to have curriculums that teach you to think.

You have to love and forgive. If you can’t love, you can’t forgive. If you can never forgive, you can never move on.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a review, and share this podcast with friends and family who may need some nonconventional inspiration.

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The Power of Jewellery - Empowerment, Ethics, & Sustainability with Olga Kassian

Selma Uamusse, a versatile singer-songwriter from Mozambique, discusses the social and spiritual side of music.

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The Spiritual Side of Music with Selma Uamusse

Tim Vieira, founder of the Brave Generation Academy, discusses alternative forms of education and how they will impact students, schools, and universities in the future.

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The Education Revolution with Tim Vieira