We had the good fortune of connecting with Renato Lage and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Renato, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Taking risks is part of the game. We would love to make all decisions knowing the outcome in advance, but unfortunately it is not a reality. From the creation of a business, when you do not know whether customers will be interested on your product/service or not, to daily operations, like every time you purchase additional inventory, there is always some level of risk involved. Of course, there are tools that can be used to minimize it, but the risk is still there. For example, every time we host an event in an open space there is a concern regarding the weather. Mainly because events are planned months in advance while weather forecasts are only accurate from three to five days in advance. We may choose dry season months and monitor the forecast repeatedly – and we do it insistently on the days that precede the event, but there is always a risk of rain that may ruin our plans.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
SAMBA USA (DBA SAMBA HOUSTON) is a Nonprofit Organization 501(c)(3) that aims to promote the Brazilian music, dance, and culture through classes, workshops and live performances. As a nonprofit – specially a nonprofit that offers FREE classes to the community – it is hard to succeed for several reasons. First, and most obvious, lack of resources. By resources I mean not only funds, but also other things that are somehow related to it, like a proper space to rehearse and qualified people to work for the organization. Fortunately, thanks to our passion and the hard work of few volunteers who are genuinely interested in promoting the cause, we have been able to get to where we are today.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We have recently had this experience when some artists from Brazil came to Houston to attend our first Carnival Parade. Some of the activities were proposed by us, like a visit to Post Houston, Buffalo Bayou and a traditional Texas BBQ. Some others were requested by them, like a visit to NASA and an outlet mall – yes, Brazilians love shopping! 🙂

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people that come to my mind that I feel bad for not mentioning all of them. However, today I will dedicate my shoutout to both, Kleber Komka, founder and CEO of Batuque Digital, and Mariana Leme, my wife and main supporter. Kleber has been partnering with us since the beginning of the project. He has over 30 years of experience in the Brazilian Carnival, shares the same dream of promoting the Brazilian culture abroad, and makes every effort to bring the Brazilian samba to the next level.
On the other hand, Mari plays a key role on the success of the project. Besides encouraging, supporting, and sharing the workload with me, she also participates on strategic decisions, acting as a counselor of the organization.

Website: www.sambahouston.org

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sambahouston

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sambahouston

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2oP8MpS2OhQmiiGYBNFstQ

Image Credits
Leo Queiroz

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