Fernando Costa Pereira
55 years old · Leiria
Owner of small construction materials supply company
Persona: Small Business Owner
Fernando Costa Pereira
Quick Profile
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Fernando Costa Pereira |
| Age | 55 |
| Gender | Male |
| Location | Leiria |
| Occupation | Owner of small construction materials supply company |
| Education | 12th grade + accounting courses |
| Housing | Owns house (paid off) |
| Family | Married to Helena (52, works in business), two sons (28, 25—one in business, one engineer in Lisbon) |
| Voter Status | Portuguese citizen - can vote |
Background Narrative
Fernando started his business in 1998 with a small warehouse and a used truck. Twenty-seven years later, he employs 12 people, owns the property, and supplies construction materials across the Centro region. He's proud of what he built—through work, not connections.
But the business climate has changed. Bureaucracy strangled growth; he spent more time with accountants and lawyers than customers. Taxes kept rising while services declined. The construction boom brought opportunity, then labor shortages—Portuguese workers scarce, he now relies heavily on Brazilian and Ukrainian employees.
His son Nuno joined the business five years ago. His other son Tiago, the engineer, makes more money in Lisbon as an employee than Nuno does inheriting a business. Fernando worries about what he's passing on—a company drowning in paperwork, competing with giants, squeezed by suppliers and customers alike.
He resents being told he's privileged because he "owns a business." No one sees the nights awake worrying about payroll, the loans personally guaranteed, the employees who depend on him. Politicians either ignore small business or treat it as a piggy bank.
Economic Situation
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Income level | Upper-middle (€4,000-5,000/month variable, reinvests most) |
| Income source | Business profits (highly variable) |
| Financial stress | Moderate (business concerns, not personal) |
| Housing cost burden | None (house paid off) |
| Economic trajectory | Stable but pressured |
Values Profile (Schwartz Framework)
Higher-Order Values
| Dimension | Rating | Expression |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Transcendence | 2 | Cares for employees, but business comes first |
| Self-Enhancement | 4 | Achievement-oriented; built something from nothing |
| Openness to Change | 2 | Prefers stability; change often means new regulations |
| Conservation | 4 | Values tradition, order, predictability |
Specific Values (Top 3 priorities)
- Achievement: Built business from scratch; wants it to succeed
- Security: Stability for family, employees, business
- Self-Direction: Independence; hates being told what to do by bureaucrats
Moral Politics Frame (Lakoff)
Primary frame: Strict Father (business variant)
Expression: Fernando believes in hard work, self-reliance, and earning your way. He's suspicious of handouts but also of big corporations that crush small players. He thinks government should get out of the way, reduce bureaucracy, and let people work.
Information Ecosystem
| Source Type | Specific Sources | Trust Level |
|---|---|---|
| TV | SIC Notícias, occasional CMTV | Medium |
| Online | Jornal de Negócios, Observador, industry publications | Medium-High |
| Social Media | LinkedIn (business), Facebook (personal) | Medium |
| Regional newspaper | Medium | |
| Community | Business association, local entrepreneurs, Rotary | High |
Media consumption pattern: Morning news while preparing for work. Business news throughout day. LinkedIn for industry updates. Trusts business publications more than general media.
Political Profile
Voting History
| Election | Vote | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Legislative | IL | "Finally a party for business" |
| 2022 Legislative | PSD | "Less bad than PS" |
| 2021 Presidential | Marcelo | "Stable, business-friendly" |
| Historical pattern | Center-right, business-focused |
Political Identity
- Left-Right self-placement: 7/10 (right of center)
- Party identification: Shifting—was PSD, now IL-sympathetic
- Political engagement: Moderate—votes, business association involvement
2026 Presidential Inclination
- Current leaning: Cotrim Figueiredo or Marques Mendes
- Certainty: Leaning
- Key deciding factors: Business environment, tax policy, bureaucracy reduction
Top Concerns (Ranked)
- Bureaucracy: "I spend more time on paperwork than running the business."
- Tax burden: "Every year more taxes, every year worse services."
- Labor market: "Can't find Portuguese workers; immigration fills the gap but creates challenges."
- Business succession: "Is this worth passing to my son? Will the company survive?"
- Economic competitiveness: "Portugal is falling behind. We can't compete like this."
Hopes
For himself:
"I want to pass something sustainable to Nuno. Retire knowing the business will survive, that the employees will keep their jobs."
For Portugal:
"I hope we can become a country that supports entrepreneurship instead of punishing it. Simpler taxes, less bureaucracy, recognition that small business creates jobs."
For his sons:
"I hope they can build something too. Whether in the family business or on their own. That opportunity exists for the next generation."
Fears
Personal fears:
"The business failing after I'm gone. Nuno inheriting problems instead of opportunity. Being remembered as the generation that lost what we built."
Fears for Portugal:
"Becoming a country where starting a business is too hard, too risky, not worth it. Where everyone works for the state or big corporations."
Deepest fear (often unspoken):
"That I sacrificed everything for this business—time with family, health, relationships—and it wasn't worth it. That my sons would have been better off as employees somewhere."
"In Their Own Voice"
How he'd describe Portugal today:
"A country that punishes initiative. You want to create jobs? Here's 50 forms to fill. You want to grow? Here's more taxes. You want to hire? Here's labor laws that make it impossible to fire bad workers. They talk about entrepreneurship while strangling entrepreneurs."
What he'd say to someone who disagrees with him politically:
"You think business owners are rich? Come see my margins. Come see what I pay in taxes before I take a euro home. I employ 12 families. What does the government create except obstacles?"
His message to politicians:
"Get out of my way. I don't need subsidies, I don't need programs—I need you to stop making everything so complicated. Simplify taxes. Reduce bureaucracy. Let small business breathe."
Scenario Response Predictions
| Candidate | Predicted Response | Key Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Ventura | Mixed | Anti-establishment appeals, but seems chaotic, unpredictable |
| Gouveia e Melo | Positive | Competence, efficiency, getting things done |
| Marques Mendes | Positive | Business-friendly, stable, predictable |
| Seguro | Negative | PS means more taxes, more bureaucracy |
| Catarina Martins | Strongly Negative | "Would destroy business, doesn't understand economy" |
| Cotrim Figueiredo | Strongly Positive | Finally someone who understands business |
| António Filipe | Strongly Negative | "Communist—wants to take what I built" |
Notes for Scenario Development
- Business operational details for authentic texture
- Immigrant employees create interesting relationship dynamics
- Son Nuno as succession storyline
- Regional business community connections
- Could interact with: employees (immigrant and Portuguese), suppliers, customers, competing businesses
- In "Day in the Future" vignettes: warehouse scenes, tax meeting with accountant, late-night spreadsheets, employee interactions