Biggest Success Factors

Carvalho emphasizes that the most critical factor for success is having a very clear idea of what you want to do and where you are headed. In the case of Mensagem, she also asserts that success lies in the nature of the idea itself—being in a space where "nobody is, nobody is interested, telling stories nobody is telling, talking to people nobody is talking to." This unique positioning made it easy for Mensagem to garner attention and build the network necessary to reach more people and create partnerships like the sponsorship from the Port of Lisbon.

Additionally, having someone on the team from the beginning who is skilled in working on the business side of things was crucial for Mensagem. Ideally, journalists themselves should have a business mindset and be open to devising creative ways to finance their work, as journalism alone won’t cover all expenses.

Mensagem started from a comfortable position with a significant amount of initial funding. This enabled them to expand their reach rapidly and raise further funding based on those activities. The team meticulously tracked their impact from day one, documenting every indicator of success, whether it was stories being picked up by other media outlets, changes to local politics, or feedback from readers.