From New Immigrant to Top Franchisee in Three Years How One Family Turned Crisis Into Opportunity and Built Their American Dream Through The Grout Doctor The Decision to Leave At 52 years old, Juan Boria stood at a crossroads. After managing a retail clothing business in Peru for four years, COVID-19 had devastated […]
Category: Success Stories
FilterShine USA: A Hidden Opportunity in Commercial Kitchen Safety
How one franchise is turning a hidden industry gap into a recession-resistant business model While most entrepreneurs chase trendy concepts or saturated markets, FilterShine USA has carved out something rare in franchising: a genuine niche that solves a universal problem most people never think about. The Hidden Gap in Every Commercial Kitchen Walk into any […]
From Communist Romania to Hawaiian Paradise: This Grout Doctor’s Unlikely Journey
How Remus Baesu escaped across borders, built a construction empire, and created a five- franchise family business spanning Arizona to Hawaii 1989: The Great Escape Just months before the Romanian Revolution would topple Nicolae Ceaușescu’s communist regime, Remus Baesu made a decision that would change his life forever. Born and raised in Arad, a city […]
Your Immigrant Background Is Your Business Advantage
As an immigrant, you possess unique advantages that can make you exceptionally successful in franchising. Here’s how to leverage your background for maximum business success. Franchisors across America are taking notice: immigrants are rapidly becoming the backbone of their franchise networks. From fast-food chains to service businesses, franchise brands are reporting that immigrant entrepreneurs now […]
Meet The Waffle Master of NYC
Immigrant Business Statistics: Name: Thomas DeGeest Country of Origin: Belgium Emigrated to the U.S.: 1997 Launched W&D: 2007 Annual Revenue: $5 million Jobs Created: 100 Thomas DeGeest traded in his six-figure IBM job, escaped PowerPoint hell and followed his dream of bringing authentic Belgian waffles to the streets of New York City. Thomas DeGeest had a six-figure job at IBM when […]
Immigrant Entrepreneur Finds Success with The UPS Store: ‘A Business That Won’t Go Away’
Name: Naresh Bhatt Country of Origin: India Immigrated to US: 1993 Franchise Name: The UPS Store Launched: 2007 Franchises Owned: 8 Estimated Annual Revenue: $4million U.S. Jobs Created: 40 Sometimes the worst thing that happens turns out to be one of the best. After 12 years with his employer, Naresh Bhatt lost his well-paying […]
Russian Immigrant Creates $130M Health Food Empire
Russian immigrant Michael Smolyansky found inspiration in a childhood drink. Today, his son Edward and daughter Julie (pictured above) lead a food empire with $130 million in annual revenue. Michael Smolyansky came to Chicago in the 1970s from the Soviet Union, a young man with a dream common to many immigrants coming to the U.S.—the chance […]
Nordic Naturals: How Supplement Giant Revamped It’s Sales Strategy
How Nordic Naturals founder Joar Opheim revamped his sales strategy—and what you can learn from his pivot. When Norwegian immigrant Joar Opheim, the founder of Nordic Naturals, started to market his fish-oil supplements in the 1990’s, health food stores and vitamin retailers seemed like the ideal target. So, he began pounding the pavement, talking up […]
Immigrants Create Billions For The US
By: Foulis Peacock Immigrants in the U.S. are 2x as likely to start businesses as their native counterparts generating at least $1 trillion in annual sales revenue, per the New American Economy (NAE). Driving the news: Immigration critics frequently assert that immigrants are more “likely to use public benefit programs” — positioning them as a burden on […]
Reema Khan: Fusing Cultures to Create Success
Immigrant entrepreneur Reema Khan explains how she combined her Indian culture with America’s to create a successful business. After getting an MBA and a good accounting job in America, Reema Khan was laid off in an economic downturn. Rather than look for something else, she started her own company, And what better business to target […]










