A talk with the author of international best-seller Zero Risk Startup
With a notable professional record, Paulo Andrez has become a world reference after the release of his first book, Zero Risk Startup, which topped sales in the startups and venture capital category on Amazon in the United States of America.
Published last May in New York, the book provides a practical guide for aspiring entrepreneurs and investors, explaining how to mitigate the risks of launching a new business and increase the chances of success, with over a hundred tips and recommendations that can be applied to any country.
A serial entrepreneur, Paulo Andrez is proud to be the first Portuguese published author backed by Forbes Books, the world’s largest business publisher.
The American edition of the book is already a best seller in 10 countries, namely the USA, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Spain, England, Italy, Holland, Sweden, and Germany.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese edition, published by Bertrand, was launched last October with the support of political commentator Marques Mendes.
Zero Risk Startup is currently being translated into at least three other languages besides Portuguese and English.
The book stands out for its unique focus: “Instead of suggesting that you think big and in an ambitious and aggressive way, it centres on the main problem in business creation, which relates to the fear of failure and the associated risks, both reputational – tied to the impact on your personal and professional life – and tangible – the money you might lose,” explained the investor.
In the US, “around 60% of Americans who are employed have a business idea that they would like to pursue, but 92% of those 60% don’t do anything about it”, stressed Paulo Andrez.
“Worldwide, 45% of the adult population have a project in mind, but only around 9% take the initiative,” he adds.
He believes that there are always solutions to potential adversities, regardless of the business in question.
As such, he recommends first assessing the need for the product or service on the market, talking to potential customers and, should these contacts result in positive prospects, that is when entrepreneurs should launch their business. Next, he argues that it is best to start with a small company and a small amount of money so that you can test the concept and gain experience.
Although he was born and raised in Lisbon, Paulo Andrez has always had a strong connection to the Algarve – his father was born in Monchique and his parents have lived in Alvor for over 20 years. The investor has thus spent many seasons in the region and even purchased properties in Loulé and Portimão. His sister also chose the south of Portugal to set up and develop her interior design studio, Andrez Andrez Interiors, currently working with various hotels and resorts in Portugal.
Paulo Andrez’s entrepreneurial streak began to show at an early age. At just 18 years old, whilst studying at university, he started his own business selling building and gardening materials in the UK, a project that went on for a decade.
“I wanted to be an entrepreneur and set up a company, but I didn’t want to make any big investments or stop studying,” he revealed.
A year later, whilst studying Computer Engineering at the Faculty of Science and Technology in Lisbon, he developed a business together with a partner, which employed classmates to provide computer training. Later, during his third year, he set up another company, this time providing human resources in the IT field to banks and insurance companies.
This last venture proved to be a success and was part of a consolidation movement that led to Paulo Andrez becoming a member of the Novabase Group’s core and promoting its listing on the Euronext stock exchange in July 2000, as well as investing in startups.
In 2006, he decided to sell his position at Novabase and focus on investing in startups.
A year later, he founded DNA Cascais with Cascais City Council, an “incubator of excellence in Cascais that supports entrepreneurship and commerce in the municipality”.
He also completed an MBA at Lisbon’s Universidade Nova and two postgraduate degrees, one in Real Estate Management and the other in Ecotourism in a partnership between the Biologists’ Association and the Polytechnic Institute of Management and Technology (ISLA).
Paulo Andrez currently serves as president emeritus of the European association of startup investors, the European Business Angels Network (EBAN), after having co-organised the EBAN European Congress in Portugal in 2007 and being elected president of the association in 2012.
In 2009, he co-organised the first world congress of startup investors in Beijing, and was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the National Federation of Business Angels Associations (individuals who invest in startups and business capital) in Portugal.
In 2011, he was one of the driving forces behind the Portuguese government’s Co-investment Fund with business angels, which had a major impact on the domestic market.
The following year, he received the European award for the best investment in startups thanks to his gamble on United Resins, in Figueira da Foz, “a fabulous project that made €24.5 million in its first year alone”, said the entrepreneur.
Although in 2019 he moved to Central London – the financial centre of England’s capital – he travels all over the world and shares his experience and knowledge at various events and conferences.
For more than 15 years, Paulo Andrez has been a frequently invited international speaker on topics such as entrepreneurship, investment, risk mitigation and innovation, and has given talks in more than 50 countries in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
For his role in mobilising the business angels movement in many European countries, he was recently honoured in Brussels with EBAN’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his dedication to the European community.
As for the Algarve, Paulo Andrez believes that “there is enormous potential to support companies on a global scale, taking advantage of the know-how and contacts of the foreign community present in the region”.
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