Why this persona fits the audience
He co-founded a São Paulo HR tech startup with exactly three people on the team: him, one product cofounder, and one engineer. They are working with a small set of Brazilian SMB clients, reviewing onboarding data, and iterating on payroll-adjacent workflows.
- Age: 39
- Location: São Paulo, Brazil
- Occupation: Co-founder & CEO, HR software startup
- Income: R$240k founder salary plus equity
- Education: MBA, B.A. in Business
- Company size: 3
- Years in role: 2.5
“In this business, trust isn't given; it's built line by line, transaction by transaction, until the numbers speak louder than any promise.”
Fabiano Macedo is a 39-year-old entrepreneur navigating the complexities of the Brazilian fintech landscape from the bustling heart of São Paulo. Holding both a B.A. in Business and an MBA, Fabiano transitioned from a corporate role to entrepreneurship four years ago, driven by a frustration with the inefficiencies plaguing small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in managing human resources. Two and a half years ago, he co-founded a specialized HR tech startup with exactly two others: a product visionary and a skilled engineer. The trio operates with lean precision, currently serving a select group of five Brazilian SMBs. Their core mission revolves around streamlining onboarding data and refining payroll-adjacent workflows, ensuring compliance with Brazil's notoriously intricate labor laws. Fabiano's leadership style is defined by high conscientiousness and practicality. He views the startup not just as a revenue generator but as a vehicle for sustainable growth and operational excellence. With a personal income of R$240,000 annually alongside significant equity stakes, he lives comfortably in Pinheiros but remains frugal, reinvesting profits into product development rather than lifestyle upgrades. His days are a mosaic of strategic foresight and tactical execution; he might spend the morning auditing payroll algorithms for a new client and the afternoon negotiating terms with a vendor. Despite the pressures of being the public face of the company, Fabiano maintains a grounded demeanor, anchored by his love for football, his running routine, and the supportive presence of his partner. He is acutely aware of the fragility of early-stage ventures, making every decision with a focus on long-term viability and the preservation of hard-earned trust.
Background & daily life
A day in their life
Fabiano wakes up at 5:30 AM for a 45-minute run along the Tietê River, using the time to mentally prepare for the day ahead. By 7:00 AM, he is at his favorite cafe in Pinheiros, sipping a double espresso while scanning email and checking the uptime dashboard of their platform. At 8:30 AM, he joins a stand-up meeting with his two co-founders to prioritize tasks for the day, focusing on resolving a specific bug reported by a client in Santos. Most of his morning is spent in deep work, modeling payroll scenarios for new regulations. Lunch is a quick sandwich eaten at his desk while reading industry updates. Afternoon meetings involve video calls with potential SMB clients, where he listens intently to their pain points regarding onboarding. He leaves the office around 7:00 PM, sometimes stopping for a gym session if energy permits, before returning home to spend quality time with his partner and unwind.
Lifestyle
Fabiano resides in Pinheiros, a neighborhood that balances urban energy with residential calm. His days start early with a run along the river, followed by a ritualistic coffee at a local roastery where he reviews overnight server logs. He is financially disciplined, prioritizing savings over luxury cars despite his comfortable income, viewing wealth as a tool for security rather than status. Socially, he anchors himself in his weekly futsal matches and monthly dinners with his partner's family, maintaining a tight circle of friends who understand the volatility of startup life. He avoids excessive partying, preferring quiet evenings reading financial reports or planning the next quarter's operational roadmap.
Work life
The office is essentially a corner of a co-working space in Vila Olímpia, dominated by two monitors and a whiteboard covered in flowcharts. Fabiano spends his mornings in deep work, analyzing churn data from their five pilot clients, while afternoons are reserved for client calls and strategic alignment with his product cofounder. The engineering lead handles the code, but Fabiano personally audits every payroll calculation to ensure compliance with Brazil's complex labor laws. He feels the constant pressure of being the face of the company while simultaneously wearing the hat of the chief support officer. There is no buffer between his personal time and business crises; a server outage at 8 PM requires an immediate response, blurring the lines of a traditional workday.
Relationships
Fabiano relies heavily on his partner for emotional stability, often debriefing her about the day's stresses over dinner. His closest professional influence is his product cofounder, with whom he shares a decade-long friendship forged in university. He maintains a network of mentors through his MBA cohort, seeking advice when facing major pivots. While he enjoys the camaraderie of the local startup scene, he keeps his inner circle small to avoid distractions, trusting only those who have proven their reliability during the early stages of his venture.
How they decide
Fabiano is a cautious, data-informed decision-maker who values speed but never at the expense of accuracy. He rarely makes impulsive choices, preferring to gather all available metrics before committing to a new direction. Peer validation is important; he often runs ideas by his cofounder or a trusted mentor before finalizing them. He dislikes ambiguity and seeks concrete evidence, whether it be a spreadsheet projection or a direct testimonial from a client, before altering course.
How they sound
Fabiano speaks with a clear, measured cadence, avoiding slang unless in casual settings with close friends. His tone is professional yet warm, reflecting his background in business and his desire to build trust. He tends to use precise language, favoring 'we' over 'I' when discussing team efforts, and avoids hyperbole or marketing fluff. When explaining technical constraints, he simplifies jargon for non-technical stakeholders. He pauses frequently to ensure clarity, valuing understanding over speed of speech. In disagreements, he remains diplomatic, framing counterpoints as shared problems to solve rather than conflicts to win.
Personality traits
- Methodical
- Grounded
- Diplomatic
- Data-driven
- Resilient
- Efficient
- Direct
- Pragmatic
- Community-oriented
- Strategic
Goals
- Achieve profitability within the next 18 months to secure long-term sustainability
- Expand the client base from 5 to 25 SMBs without compromising service quality
- Build a resilient management layer to eventually delegate daily operations
- Navigate the upcoming changes in Brazilian tax legislation regarding digital payroll
- Establish a strong brand reputation as a trusted partner for small businesses
Problems & frictions
- Time scarcity prevents deep strategic thinking amidst daily firefighting
- Difficulty scaling client support without hiring a dedicated customer success team
- Managing cash flow fluctuations due to delayed payments from traditional SMB clients
- Balancing the need for rapid feature iteration with strict regulatory compliance
- Isolation as a solo decision-maker in critical moments
- Recruiting high-quality talent willing to work in a three-person environment
Values
- practicality
- trust
- growth
- operational discipline
- local community
Interests
- football
- cafe culture
- finance
- data analytics
- marathon running
Media habits
- Bloomberg Línea for market news
- Local football podcasts (Futebol na Veia)
- LinkedIn deep dives into SaaS metrics
- Spotify playlists focused on bossa nova and indie rock
- Newsletter from 'Exame' on Brazilian startups
- WhatsApp groups with other founders in Vila Olímpia