For several years Valdir Soares worked as a driver for two doctors in São Paulo. Then he had the chance to fulfil a dream: the shop where he bought motorcycle spares came up for sale, and he and his wife bought it.

But after just one year, he is driving again. “Business was good,” he says. “But the rent on the shop went up and we needed more income. That meant hiring a mechanic to do repairs. When we looked at all the taxes and other costs, we saw it was impossible.”