Startup Story
Birgite Armando John is the founder of Centro de Educação Sustentável, Lda. (CES), a specialist consulting and language business in Mozambique. She is an entrepreneurial woman, accountant, and also multilingual. Birgite began her journey as an entrepreneur teaching English to friends and colleagues while studying abroad. She is the recipient of a 3rd Place prize in the CapacitaMoz Bootcamp Award financed by TotalEnergies.
Birgite Armando John, fundadora do Centro de Educação Sustentável, Lda. (CES) e vencedora do 3o Lugar do Premio CapacitaMoz Bootcamp financiado pela TotalEnergies. Mulher empreendedora, Contabilista e poliglota. Começou o seu percurso como empreendedora ensinando Inglês para amigos e colegas enquanto estudava no estrangeiro.
LoA spoke to founder Birgite Armondo John about her entrepreneurial journey and her ambitions for the future of the business.
What does your company do?
Our company offers consultancy services to companies, training in public and private companies and non-governmental organizations, sworn translation and interpretation services in English, local languages, and Portuguese. We also offer short-term professional courses in Conversational English, English for Executives and Advanced Secretarial Practice.
A nossa empresa oferece serviços de Consultoria a empresas, capacitação em empresas publicas, privadas e Organizações não governamentais serviços de tradução e interpretação ajuramentada em inglês, línguas locais e português;
Oferecemos também cursos profissionalizantes de curta duração em Inglês para Conversação, Inglês para Executivos e Praticas Avançadas de Secretariado.
“I grew up in an environment where entrepreneurship and the love of teaching were always present. Furthermore, I also have a very strong entrepreneurial streak.”
What inspired you to start your company?
My inspiration was my family, an English teacher father and a small business training consultant mother. I grew up in an environment where entrepreneurship and the love of teaching were always present. Furthermore, I also have a very strong entrepreneurial streak, so much so that as a student, I promoted collective English courses for friends and colleagues, prepared CVs at a symbolic cost for colleagues at the University, and accompanied by training in Accounting and Auditing that helped to capitalize on my knowledge.
A minha inspiração foi a minha família, um pai professor de inglês e uma mãe consultora em capacitação de pequenos negócios, cresci num ambiente onde o empreendedorismo, o gosto por ensinar sempre esteve presente. Além disso, tenho também uma veia empreendedora muito forte, tanto que enquanto estudante, promovi cursos coletivos de inglês para amigos e colegas, elaborava CV's a custo simbólico a colegas da Universidade, e acompanhado pela formação em Contabilidade e Auditoria que ajudou a capitalizar o meu conhecimento.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
Our unique value proposition - CES offers the highest level of quality services, our conversational and executive English courses are personalized to each participant, they are language improvement courses to better serve and adapt to the current and increasingly demanding job market. The advanced secretarial practices course uses computer tools, so there is an additional aspect to the theoretical part. CES offers an internship at the company to the best student of the Advanced Secretarial Practices Course for a period of 3 months.
A nossa proposta de valor única - O CES oferece serviços do mais alto nível em questões de qualidade, os nossos cursos de inglês para conversação e para executivos são personalizados a cada um dos participantes, são cursos de aperfeiçoamento do idioma para melhor servir e adaptar no mercado de trabalho atual e cada vez mais exigente. O curso de praticas avançadas de secretariado são com recurso a instrumentos informáticos, pelo que há uma vertente adicional a parte teórica. O CES oferece um estagio na empresa ao melhor estudante do Curso de praticas avançadas de secretariado por um período de 3 meses.
“I believe that I have had this entrepreneurial spirit since I was a teenager. Before going to college, I sold clothing and accessories for women, then I opened an online store to buy and resell products.”
Tell us a little about your team:
Our team comprises:
General Director - English conversation trainer and English teacher for over 3 decades, experienced as a consultant in NGOs, specialist in social cohesion and education.
Program Manager - English trainer for Executives, with extensive experience in the corporate environment and as an English teacher/trainer for a long time.
Commercial & Financial Manager - graduated in Administrative Practices and Business Communication, with experience in the areas: commercial, administrative, financial, and programmatic.
A nossa equipa:
Diretor Geral - formador de Inglês para conversação, e professor de inglês há mais de 3 décadas, experiente como consultor em ONG's, especialista em coesão social e educação.
Gestor de Programas - formador de Inglês para Executivos, com vasta experiencia no ambiente corporativo e como professor/formador em inglês há bastante tempo.
Gestora Comercial & Financeira - formada em Práticas Administrativas e Comunicação Empresarial, com experiencia nas áreas: comercial, administrativa, financeira e programática.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I believe that I have had this entrepreneurial spirit since I was a teenager. Before going to college, I sold clothing and accessories for women, then I opened an online store to buy and resell products (Capulanas, sandals, bags, rugs, sheets, and other items).
Acredito que desde a minha adolescência que tenho este espírito empreendedor. Antes de entrar para faculdade, vendia vestuário e acessórios para mulheres, depois abri uma loja online para comprar e revender produtos (Capulanas, sandálias, bolsas, tapetes, lençóis, e outros artigos)
“Several things bring satisfaction as an entrepreneur, and one of them is the fact of being free and independent in my decisions, bringing results from ideas to fruition.”
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
We hope that CES will be a well-recognized company locally, nationally, and internationally. We intend to establish good partnerships with companies that already exist in the market. We want CES to be a place where people trust the direction of their futures and the futures of their companies.
Esperamos que o CES seja uma empresa bastante reconhecida a nível local, nacional e internacional. Pretendemos estabelecer boas parcerias com empresas que já existem no mercado Queremos que o CES seja um lugar onde as pessoas confiam o rumo dos seus futuros e os futuros das suas empresas.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Several things bring satisfaction as an entrepreneur, and one of them is the fact of being free and independent in my decisions, bringing results from ideas to fruition, creating synergies with different people and the ability to share the little knowledge I know and change lives.
Várias coisas trazem satisfação enquanto empreendedora, e uma delas é o facto de ser livre e independente nas minhas decisões, trazer resultados das ideias para a realização, criar sinergias com diferentes pessoas e a capacidade de partilhar o pouco conhecimento que sei e mudar vidas.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Find something you like and know how to do - then take a chance. In the entrepreneurial world we have to take risks, otherwise we will never know if it will work. Do what you love and love what you do.
Encontre algo que goste e saiba fazer - depois arrisque. No mundo empreendedor temos arriscar, senão nunca saberemos se vai dar certo. Faça o que ama e ame o que faz.
To find out more, send an email to: info@ces-moz.com or visit the company website and social media platforms:
Website: http://ces-moz.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/centro_de_educacao_sustentavel?igsh=MTZscTA3Z2l4Y3Y1eQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Why LoA loves it…
For many women entrepreneurs, their love for creating businesses starts early in life with the spark of an idea and seeing a gap in the market. For Birgite John, she saw the opportunity to follow her passion for language, translation, education, and consulting, turning all those much-needed skills and knowledge into a business opportunity. Today she is helping her clients to fill their language and skills training gaps, helping others to grow. Inspirational! — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa