The company where I worked saw fit to terminate my employment contract, so that I could dedicate myself full-time to the occupation of "student."
The course wasn’t fulfilling me, and an Occupational Plan (POC) at the Nursing School Library ended up serving as a bridge to something greater. I knew the POC would be temporary and, not feeling realized in my studies, I focused on searching for a "stable" job. I believed I needed a permanent contract, as that was the only way I could buy a house and start a family. It was in this pursuit that I worked in the times that followed.
Challenges and Discoveries
The year 2002 brought hope and disappointment in equal measure. I was hired by Betecna, in Rio Maior, for credit control - good salary, excellent conditions. Everything seemed to be falling into place, until Christmas brought a registered termination letter that shook my very foundations. With a wedding date set and in the process of buying my own home, a great sense of dread set in. I had to find a job urgently.
In the midst of this whirlwind, something seemed to clear in my mind: I wasn't "made" for closed offices or monotonous routines.
In my job search, I applied through a recruitment agency and was selected to work at a logistics distribution company. This was my shortest job ever. As soon as I started, I informed them I was getting married soon. I was immediately let go (f*#! it, I didn't even get the seat warm).
Yet another sign. The company was far from my home and, looking back, I had accepted it exclusively out of a need for money. It wasn't what was going to make me happy.
Unemployed, newly married, and with bills to pay, the first great opportunity of my life arose.
The Sales Revelation
The true epiphany came when I discovered sales. Yes, I know that to most people this might seem strange...
First, I worked as a representative for the footwear brand "Terrapura." It was a tough market with low penetration, but I can say it was a great school for me. Certainly, a school I needed.
Then came a job opportunity at an outsourcing company for insurance providers in Lisbon. Once again, I had fallen into the trap of financial necessity and a job that had nothing to do with me: something monotonous, even boring...
After all,
who am I?
I was born on a spring day, April 11, 1977, in Santarém, Portugal. Son of Fernando, a civil servant, and Ana, a manicurist, I grew up in the Vale de Estacas neighborhood, where traditions still beat strongly through the Cultural and Sports Association and the annual festivals that united the community.
First Steps
My childhood unfolded between the hallways of Escola do Salvador and afternoons at the Portas do Sol after-school center (ATL). I was often found at the Municipal Library, immersed in the pages of books I read or borrowed with curiosity.
Karate shaped my discipline for eight formative years, from age 10 to 18, before I transitioned to the gym.
After completing the 12th grade in the Economic-Social field, it was time to make a decision: instead of heading straight to higher education, I decided to enter the workforce.
First Experiences
In 1996, at the age of 19, I began my professional journey at a gas station (GALP). I started as a counter clerk and, after demonstrating further capabilities, I later took on administrative duties in the office. However, ambition called me toward broader horizons and in 1999, with a heart full of hope and a nearly empty wallet, I ventured to Lisbon. I was hired as a "paquete" (an errand boy, a role pompously designated as "External Services Employee") at the Sogefran Group (Il Caffè di Roma). What began as a humble job transformed into a valuable lesson in growth and perseverance. With dedication and time, following the company's own growth, I evolved into a stock manager, gaining responsibilities and precious experience.
Academic Awakening
Career progression required higher education.
Encouraged by colleagues and the company itself, I joined my friends Carlos Mota and Sancho Mesquita (a big shout-out to you, guys!) for an intensive summer of preparation. In 2000, I applied to the Santarém School of Management (ESGS). After an application filled with indecision between Business Management, Accounting, and Management Informatics, I ended up enrolling in what had been my third choice: the Public and Local Government Administration course.
But fate had other plans...
Each accumulated experience seemed to lead me toward commercial work, in one way or another, and in a certain way, it was molding a vocation that already lived within me.
My friend João Neto from Vodafone, to whom I am very grateful, was the mentor who guided me toward my true vocation. João had worked at Vodafone for a long time -back since the days when the brand was not even Vodafone - and he always encouraged me to pursue the sales field. He saw something in me that I couldn't yet identify.
I then joined the company that would become my "sales school": Vodafone.
Through a partner company in Alcobaça, and later with the Somitel Group in Figueira da Foz (2004-2010), I found my true training ground. Those were years of intense learning and professional happiness. From there, I moved directly to Vodafone.
Trials and Growth
The year 2009 left a deep mark on me: I lost my maternal grandmother - a fundamental pillar of my life, with whom I lived, along with my parents and an uncle, until the age of 8.
That was the same age I gained another very important person in my life: my brother André. I also lost my father-in-law (at the time), a crucial figure within the family.
These losses, along with the memory of my brother Ricardo, who died at birth, tempered my character with a special kind of resilience.
In 2010, a radical change. I embraced an opportunity presented by a friend, which consisted of selling bottling equipment across the country. Simultaneously, I returned to my studies, this time in Tourism Marketing at the School of Tourism and Maritime Technology in Peniche, a course that finally seemed to resonate with my aspirations.
Meeting My Passion
After graduating, I decided to look for a company closer to home. The disastrous professional experience that followed (in which I naively signed my resignation letter along with my employment contract) provided me with a bitter but valuable lesson. Selling something you don’t believe in is contrary to the very nature of sales work.
In my case, I can’t even say it was quite that. I was selling a service required by law for commercial establishments to be open to the public. I felt that the client only bought it because they were forced to, and not because of any actual benefit they might receive. For a salesperson who loves what they do, like me, this was not a fulfilling situation.
The result was a very short relationship, but one with a clear purpose: leading me to meet my great professional love: the real estate market.
Fulfillment
In mid-2014, fluent in languages and with a strong professional presence, I was invited to represent a real estate agency in the West region. It was the beginning of an extraordinary journey that continues to this day.
The first real estate sale - curiously closed during the TV show "A Place In The Sun" - awakened a unique feeling in me. Every house visited, every plot of land with or without a view, from the simplest to the most sophisticated, feeds this passion.
In December 2019, I transitioned from freelancer to entrepreneur, creating Keyon Unipessoal Lda. The name, though not the first choice, perfectly encapsulates the mission: "Key" + "On" (turned on/placed), to place as many keys in locks as possible and help clients achieve the home of their dreams.
Today, as the owner of Predimed Raínha in Caldas da Rainha, I live with the fulfillment of someone who has found not just a profession, but a true vocation. Every property sold represents more than just a business deal; it is the realization of someone else's dreams and, for me, that is priceless.
From my journey (so far), I have learned that the most direct path is not always the most rewarding. Sometimes, it is the detours, the stumbles, and the unexpected discoveries that lead us to our true destiny, while simultaneously allowing us to grow and learn everything we need to reach that very destination.
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