cherryCHERRY

Black Dragons’ expansion was the result of this success.  Gradually, Nicolle had her schedule taken by the executive and administrative tasks, and she no longer had time to create content for her channel, do her lives and even participate in training sessions, which were essential for the integration with the rest of the team. In the context of market creation and strengthening of championships, new obligations such as salaries, creating a company, accounting, etc., emerged.

As a consequence, her gameplay performance started to drop. And the other players suggested she should go to the bench. Nicolle realized that for the organization to grow, not just media-wise but from a title standpoint, it would be necessary to sacrifice her competitive spirit to develop the business side. "It was bad for me to get out of the competition, but it was a necessary process. I realized that I would earn more by focusing on my influencer and content creator career, thus drawing more brands’ attention," she reflects.

At the beginning of her career, Nicolle did a little bit of everything. She even made public artwork for the matches and took care of the registration for the championships, the receipt and distribution of prizes, and other bureaucratic tasks. "My mother always taught me that no one will do it for you if you don't roll up your sleeves. And that's how I turned up as an entrepreneur, based on supply and demand," she jokes.

Today, as CEO of Black Dragons and living in São Paulo since 2019, Nicolle does not have a strict routine - her day may start with a recording in the morning and ends with a conference in the evening. And despite overseeing virtually the entire operation of BD, she has been able to expand the team and delegate tasks. Today, her primary assignments are in the areas of Commercial and Marketing. She also works to build market connections and attract new investors.

She also contributes to the recruitment of new talents and knowledge transfer forward. "Because my name carries weight, it ends up tipping the scales," she justifies.

Black Dragons currently have an administrative team of 20 people. BD is home to several teams - including athletes, coaches, and other professionals - who have already won over 50 national and 15 international titles, including three world championships.

Recently, BD was acquired by Holding Dreamers, the owner of companies such as Rock in Rio, Artplan, GameXp, and many others. The new company will work under four pillars: Championships - identifying opportunities for brand exposure. Influencers - offering influencer marketing, building a squad of influencers for the partner brands to promote esports team and sponsors. Communication Agency - specialized in gaming and esports, creating strategies and planning for the brands. And Education - elaborating specific professional courses in the area.