Let’s talk about Robinson Shiba, from Shark Tank Brasil, who went from being the founder of China In Box to one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the country?
Did you know that Shark Tank Brasil’s Robinson Shiba was the one who founded China In Box?
And at the time, incredible as it may seem, in Brazil nobody even talked about ready-to-eat food bought in boxes, even more so from Chinese cuisine.
Despite the trajectory of years of study on this business and little money to invest, the boy thought of something quite simple: to bring a tendency that worked very well in the United States to make life easier for Brazilians.
And how nice that it did and opened doors to several other food markets ready for our reality.
Want to know more about this Robinson Shiba success story?
So stay here and read this text!
Who is Robinson Shiba?
Robinson Shiba, well known as one of the sharks of the Shark Tank Brasil program, was also the guy who had the brilliant idea of founding China In Box.
Student of Dentistry, in the 80’s he had never thought of opening a restaurant.
The gastronomy was so little one of his passions.
But it was when he decided to take a trip to the United States with his friends to improve English that something quite unusual happened.
What happened?
He was robbed and lost all the money he kept in his box.
Wow, that’s unlucky.
That’s where you make a mistake.
The boy obviously had financial difficulties, but he very much wanted to continue his studies in the United States.
To resolve the situation, he decided to get a job in the country to guarantee a fixed income.
He went to work in the kitchen of some restaurants as a dishwasher and then ventured into pizza and fast food delivery.
Glad he got what he wanted: stay in the United States.
And that was good for all of us, you know why?
Because while working in these restaurants, Shiba realized the success of ready food with the Americans.
And at the time, as incredible as it may seem, the Brazilians did not even dream of that possibility.
But it was obvious that we too would benefit greatly from the idea.
In 1986 Shiba then decided to study the fast food models that worked there and how they could be adapted in our country.
It was six years of meticulous analysis until he founded the first unit of China in Box here in the Moema district of São Paulo.
Do you think it was easy to open the company?
Not even a little.
He and his father had to sell an apartment for a third of the price to raise capital.
But to please the Brazilians would need something more.
In addition to bringing the idea inspired by the American fast food, the boy made essential improvements, such as the kitchen to show customers to accompany the process of preparation of food.
Although this is already a reality in Brazil, in the early 90’s the strategy was completely innovative.
Since then it was only growth. In 2000, for example, the company opened for franchising and began to create many other units.
Today, Robinson Shiba is the chairman of the Trendfoods Group, which manages not only China in Box but also Gendai, and has 160 franchised stores in 22 states.
He is also a very successful investor and one of the most admired of the Shark Tank Brasil program.
What can we learn from Robinson Shiba?
Once again let’s talk about the disruptive business in this text about Robinson Shiba?
Like Cristiana Arcangeli, also a participant in the Shark Tank Brasil, and once the subject of an article here on the blog, the successful entrepreneur created something that no one had created until then.
His only difference to Cris is that Shiba brought a US trend, which is also extremely clever, you know why?
Why there is already proof that the work really works and that the public adheres to it.
Of course, you have to be careful in choosing a business model that is successful in another country because cultures are not always the same.
But the sure bet was to bring something that would greatly improve people’s lives.
It is very difficult to make mistakes because it is independent of country and culture.
Everyone wants a simpler day to day life, does not it? And that’s what the ready food provided!
In addition to solving a problem, Robinson still applied smart enhancements that brought the public closer to China In Box, such as allowing customers to watch food preparation.
When they visualized a food smelling, clean and very well prepared, not only did they have more desire to eat it, but also created a relationship of trust with the brand.
Fantastic!
Did you like this text about the persistent Robinson Shiba?
We are increasingly convinced that disruptive business was, is and will always be the ball.
And you, have you thought of something that no one has yet thought of?
