Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
4 min of reading 
7 comments 
The Trajectory Behind The Empire In Balneário Camboriú Begins In The Interior Of Gaspar, Passes Through Barber Shops, Snack Bars, And Land, Until It Gains Scale And Becomes A Reference In Modern Construction.
In the midst of a relaxed conversation on the streets of the city, Francisco Graciola, known as Chico from FG, recalls how the empire in Balneário Camboriú was born far from the shore and long before the skyscrapers. He says he came from the countryside, worked in agriculture, and needed to change the course of his life when he was still young.
From that point on, the story turns into a sequence of work, reinvention, and business vision. From Farmer To Barber, then owning a barber shop, snack bar, and investing in land, Chico describes how each phase prepared the way to the construction industry that marks Balneário Camboriú today.
From The Countryside In Gaspar To The First Great Turning Point
Chico says he was born in the interior of Gaspar and grew up in the countryside with a large family, working early in agriculture. He reports that, as a boy, he had an accident that affected his eyesight and began to take better care of his health, which influenced important decisions.
-
A giant golden ball in the middle of gardens in India was assembled with 1,415 discs, took decades to be completed, and transforms sunlight into controlled central lighting.
-
Thailand abandoned plans to cut through the country with a canal and chose a $28 billion mega-project on land: the Southern Landbridge will have 90 km, two giant ports, a railway, a highway, and pipelines to connect two seas and challenge the Strait of Malacca without handing over the strategic route to China.
-
Mali wants to open a path to the ocean by digging a 900 km waterway through the Senegal River: an $800 million project promises to reduce logistics costs by up to 60%, create a direct route to the Atlantic, and transform gold exports from one of Africa’s most isolated countries without relying on roads or railways.
-
How much does plastering cost per square meter? Professionals quote an average between R$ 25 and R$ 30.
Even so, he continued working, including planting and harvesting rice, until an uncle came to teach him a trade. That’s When Life Started To Turn, because the proposal was clear: learn quickly, find direction, and build a new routine.
Barber At 14, Barbershop At 17, And The Discipline To Start Small
According to Chico himself, he learned to cut hair and shave while still a teenager, attending to clients and even going to sick people’s homes to earn some extra money. He proudly remembers his early achievements, like buying a bicycle with what he earned.
Shortly after, he says he opened his own barber shop in Blumenau at 17, and in the beginning, he didn’t have money to sleep outside of work, so he slept there. This Is The Part That Makes The Story More Raw And Real, because it shows the cost of starting out.
The Entrepreneur Who Did More Than One Thing At The Same Time
Chico describes that the barber shop became a busy spot, and he started adding other activities, like sewing and then a snack bar. The logic was simple: take advantage of the flow, create alternatives, and not depend on a single source of income.
He then shares that he had up to 12 snack bars, involving siblings and others with stakes in the business. What Remains He Turns Into An Asset, and that’s where the strategy that paved the empire comes in: buying land whenever possible.
From Land To The First Building And The Path To The Empire In Balneário Camboriú
The leap to construction appears when he recalls buying land and starting his first building, which he places decades ago, still with few floors.
From there, the story starts to gain scale, city by city, until it focuses strongly on the coastal region.
Over time, the focus consolidates on the empire in Balneário Camboriú, where he and partners begin to invest in larger towers and more modern projects.
In the conversation, examples of developments are mentioned as ambitious milestones, linked to the image of “giant buildings” that the city acquired.
National Reference, Obsession With Detail, And The Idea Of “Client As Heritage”
When talking about his routine, Chico is described as someone who takes care of details and maintains an intense work pace, reinforcing discipline and consistency. He also emphasizes the relationship with clients, stating that the client is an asset, and that the city becomes more valuable when there is care, organization, and continuous investment.
In the end, the trajectory turns into a message: Faith, Family, And Focus as the tripod of success, repeated as a personal signature of someone who came from the countryside, accumulated trades, built businesses, and transformed vision into action.
In your opinion, what weighs more for someone to build an empire in Balneário Camboriú coming from the countryside, daily discipline or long-term business vision?
Realmente merece tudo o que tem pois trabalhou para isso.
Só acho que Camboriú merecia ter uma avenida de 2 mãos a nível da Avenida Atlântica em Copacabana RJ,,, e ruas mais largas , Camboriú está meio Claustrofóbica !!!! Não vejo isso com bons olhos
tenho apartamento em Balneario, mas ainda não mora na cidade, mas creio que isso acontecerá aos poucos, veja que ja ampliaram a praia, ampliar um pouco mais e acomodar outra via, não ira demorar…
Eu conheci o Chico em Blumenau qdo ele tinha as lanchonetes eu negociei um versailes Guia pra ele fazer a coleta de dinheiro das lanchonetes todos os dias
Ele deve lembrar
Chico e um ser humano maravilhoso
Não está onde está por acaso
Toda sua família é fantástica
Abraço meu amigo não conversamos faz40 anos