Immigrant Business Statistics Name: Bjorn Billhardt Country of Origin: Germany Immigrated: 1994 Founded Enspire: 2001 Jobs Created: 30 Annual Revenue: $5 million German exchange student falls in love with America, and returns to found a multi-million dollar company building innovative products for Fortune 500 companies. Overview Bjorn Billhardt’s first experience of America came as a teenager when he arrived from Germany as […]
Category: Success Stories
Selling Your Company to Prospective Buyers
Steven Aldrich In every sale of a company there must be both a buyer and a seller. This article is part one of a two-part series on Selling Your Company. In this article, we will be exploring the perspective of a buyer – someone who wants to buy a company, maybe your company. We’ll delve into […]
Making The All-American Hummus
Name: Javaneh Hemmat Country of Origin: United Arab Emirates Emigrated: 1998 Business: Hummus Chick Founded: 2012 Jobs Created: 3 Immigrant Java Hemmat lost her corporate job during the recession, but opened a bright new chapter in her life by putting an All-American twist on traditional Middle Eastern foods. Overview Java Hemmat came to America […]
Turning Your Idea into a Market-Ready Product
America still lags behind the rest of the world at soccer, and Aziz Makhani offers a solution. Here’s how he developed his idea into a product ready for sale. American kids aren’t great at soccer, but It’s not for lack of trying, says Aziz Makhani, a native of Burma and volunteer soccer referee. They work […]
Ricardo Rezk’s Advice for Immigrant Entrepreneurs
“I knew how to react quickly and live with a situation that was changing all the time.” Q. What are the advantages to being an entrepreneur in the U.S. rather than in Argentina? A. There’s much less bureaucracy. My sister runs a small business in Italy and she had to fill out dozens of forms […]
Six Reasons Why Immigrants Should Head To St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri wants to become “the fastest growing metropolitan area for immigrants by 2020.” How did this iconic American city come to choose immigration as the means of revitalizing its economy? Two short years ago, the city fathers of St. Louis realized their town was in trouble: it was losing population both to out-migration […]
From Colombian Hostage to American Success Story
The remarkable story of Luis Irragori, a Colombian refugee who escaped his kidnappers, came to the U.S. and built a thriving business from the ground up. It was on a sunny day in April 2000 that Luis Irragori realized he had to flee his native Colombia with his wife and two children—immediately. Just a few […]
BannaStrow’s Five Keys to Success
Bannastrow’s Luis Irragori explains the five key elements needed to create a successful food franchise. When Luis Irragori developed the concept for BannaStrow’s, he wanted to create a company that could easily become a franchisor. For one thing, it was a business model he understood well. For another, franchising had the potential to boost growth. […]
Evolve or Die: 6 Steps to Successfully Updating Your Business Plan
Don’t get trapped in an obsolete business plan. Business and market conditions evolve. To succeed, so must you. Six years ago, South African immigrant Gary Levitt started Mad Mimi, a New York City–based e-mail marketing company. A bass guitarist, he intended for the business to be aimed at musicians. But, over a period of several […]
Advice from Lowell Hawthorne, CEO of Golden Krust Bakery
Lowell Hawthorne and his siblings built a $100 million company from one small store in the Bronx. Read and watch his insights on how to be successful in America. Q. What advice do you have for immigrant entrepreneurs? A.Follow your dream and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do it. Keep focused. If […]