The case follows the story of Brazilian business leader, Ricardo Semler, who took the family marine-pump business, Semco, to multi-national, multi-sector success. To do so, Ricardo Semler dramatically changed his own leadership style by relinquishing control and working less hard, and subsequently transformed the culture at Semco via a radical process of workplace democratisation. Finally, he applied the same leadership principles successfully to other industries: hotels, education, and banking.

Natura is a well recognized and highly regarded brand in Brazil: it enjoyed high brand loyalty among consumers and the highest retention rate among sales representatives in the cosmetics industry. Notwithstanding the triumphs in its home market, attempts at internationalization within Latin America, had thus far not been as successful as expected. The joint Presidents of Natura now wanted to take the leap and enter developed markets in which the Natura value proposition would resonate. The case raises issues related to how Natura should expand. Which market(s)? With what strategy? And what organizational structure should they adopt?