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Supporting Immigrant Entrepreneurs in the Heart of Boston’s Main Streets
To understand the role that immigrant business owners play in Boston’s small business ecosystem, you need only to walk through any Boston Main Streets district. In the Brighton Main Street district, you’ll hear Wanderleira Ribeiro’s Brazilian Portuguese as you walk by Daniel’s Bakery, known for her delicious cakes and pastries. Travel to East Boston, and you’ll be treated to Colombian Spanish, spoken by Lady Sepúlveda and Esteban Peña at their restaurant El Paisa, famous for their weekend brunch. In Roxbury’s Dudley Square Main Street district, you’ll hear Somali and Arabic as you peruse the wares of small business owners from the Middle East and North Africa offering coffee, clothing, health and beauty products, and more.
Boston’s Main Streets organizations are a key partner to the City of Boston as they offer these businesses one-on-one assistance, host merchant meetings, provide trainings, and facilitate these businesses’ connections to City resources. As a result, the City of Boston’s Office of Business Development, in partnership with key City agencies, local organizations and community leaders, is able to expand its work to support immigrant business owners in their efforts to start and grow their businesses.
Studying Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Boston
As part of this effort, Ksenia Kaladiouk, an intern through the Harvard University Rappaport Fellowship, worked in partnership with the Office of Business Development, the Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians, and the Boston Redevelopment Authority to conduct an analysis of the immigrant small business community in Boston.
As compiling data on small businesses can be complex, and given the importance of relationships as a tool for gathering information, the majority of the Ksenia’s research focused on first-person interviews with key business leaders, Main Streets organizations, business and technical assistance organizations, and surveys of business owners themselves. These interviews offered a wealth of insight into the opportunities and challenges faced by Boston’s immigrant entrepreneurs.
Results and Challenges
More than 100 business owners from 24 countries participated in this project, and the study discovered that immigrant entrepreneurs shared a strong commitment to creating businesses that elevate the community as a whole. Many reported choosing business ownership as a lifestyle -- albeit one with long hours -- not simply a means for making money, and many spoke of strong self-reliance.
“I do everything for myself. Sometimes I think this is a weakness for us business owners—wanting to do everything on our own. But it’s a point of pride, you know?”
The business owners surveyed represented a wide range of business sectors, from restaurants, clothing retailers and grocery stores, to plumbing companies and independent electricians. Many of the brick and mortar businesses surveyed are located in business districts with rents below the city market rate average and are often key businesses driving the revitalization of these districts.
Lady Sepúlveda and Esteban Peña stand in front of El Paisa, a restaurant located in the heart of the East Boston Main Street district famous for its weekend brunch.
The survey surfaced a few key challenges for immigrant entrepreneurs in Boston:
Business owners identified challenges around navigating a new culture, while also needing to learn the intricacies of city and federal regulations required to open and grow their businesses.
Many reported that their primary sources of information regarding available resources are often friends or family members, rather than resource providers or City staff themselves. This was reinforced by their reported need for increased, culturally-sensitive education about the many resources available to immigrants as they start and expand their businesses.
Entrepreneurs also identified differences in ethnicity, customs, and language as a challenge that could make it difficult to expand their customer base and reach new markets outside of their language or cultural community.
Opportunities and Next Steps
The City of Boston is currently undertaking its first ever Small Business Plan, which will shape how to best serve Boston's entrepreneurs and small businesses over the next 3-5 years. Informed by rigorous data collection methods, the plan will use data to show the current state of small business in Boston, assess how well the needs of Boston's entrepreneurs and small businesses are being met, and develop a set of recommendations and an implementation plan to better serve entrepreneurs and small businesses in Boston.
Built into this plan will be thoughtful recommendations about how to better serve immigrant entrepreneurs. Some potential ideas included:
One business owner spoke of a circle lending in his Somali community, through which each member of the community receives financial support on a rotating basis. This network has evolved based on their limited access to capital, and could potentially serve as a model for further research and potential replication.
Other business owners mentioned key community leaders who served as sources of information and connections to resources; as a result, we are currently working with the Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians to explore the formation of an immigrant entrepreneurship ambassador network made up of these key community leaders who can assist the City in serving immigrant entrepreneurs.
Given the variety of ways that information travels in Boston’s immigrant communities, the plan will also consider the use of varied communication channels to ensure that business owners have multiple access points to the resources they need. Such examples could include radio, phone (including text), TV and other media channels, and social media.
Owner of Daniel's Bakery, Wanderleira Ribeiro is known for her delicious cakes and pastries.
Outside of the Small Business Plan effort, the City has already launched several initiatives to streamline the licensing and permitting process for all businesses, including developing online licensing and permitting tools to increase access to information about opening and expanding businesses in the City. The City is also looking at national examples of language access initiatives to improve language access for all City departments. In addition, Mayor Walsh recently increased funding for the Office of Business Development’s On-Site Technical Assistance program, which matches businesses with consultants who are able to provide assistance in a variety of languages. These consultants are available to assist immigrant-owned businesses and others with financial management, customer experience consulting, marketing strategy, legal consulting, business strategy and in-depth business operations consulting. Research showed that 90 percent of the businesses participating in the Technical Assistance Program this past year are owned by immigrants, many of whom have a goal of expanding into new markets. For example, the owners of El Paisa Restaurant participated in the program and optimized their operations through a new pricing tool, Point of Sale system, a new menu and brand. The majority of the businesses that received comprehensive on-site assistance increased their revenues by an average of 50 percent in the six months following the engagement, and reported an increase in new customers from new customer segments.
The City of Boston looks forward to working with the Boston Main Streets organizations as they continue to roll out more offerings that are tailored to our immigrant entrepreneur community, recognizing that they cannot do this without them. Together, along with Boston’s business associations, community leaders, assistance providers, business owners and the customers of these small businesses, the next five years hold extraordinary promise for Boston’s small business community.
Betsy Cowan is the Program Lead for Business Technical Assistance with the goal of expanding access to technical assistance through City programs and partnerships with other agencies. She has a particular focus on Immigrant Entrepreneurship, and was formerly the director of Egleston Square Main Street in Boston.
Kara Miller is the Program Lead for the Women on Main Women's Entrepreneurship program, and is increasing the marketing capacity of our department through her work on social media and other channels. She was formerly the director of West Roxbury Main Street in Boston.
Steve Gilman is the Program Director for Boston Main Streets and has been involved with the Boston Main Streets program, the first multi-district urban Main Street program, since 1997 when he and a group of neighbors applied for Main Streets designation status and became the founding bound member of Washington Gateway Main Streets in Boston’s South End. A former small business owner, he went on to work for the City of Boston in neighborhood small business development.
Urban Impact Inc., harnesses strategic investments and collaborative efforts to foster a vibrant and sustainable future, from visionary adaptive reuse ventures to transformative development grants for small businesses and property owners in Birmingham, Alabama's historic 4th Avenue Black Business District.
In the last episode of season two of Main Street Business Insights, tune in as host Matt Wagner breaks down how to understand and synthesize local market data.
Sterling Main Street launched a brick and mortar retail incubator spaces. Executive Director Janna Groharing shares lessons they learned about organization, fundraising, and outreach.
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Glen Ellis, owner of Sycamore Education, Dominion Catalyst Services, and Milady Coffeehouse in Fremont, Nebraska.
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Jaime Courtney, President of Shoalwater Seafood, Derek King, Oyster Farm Director of Shoalwater Seafood, and Shane Thomas, Tribal Council Vice Chair of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe.
Sarah Cole, owner of Abadir’s in Greensboro, Ala., was a 2023 Backing Small Businesses grantee. Abadir’s is a pop-up eatery specializing in seasonal and wholesome baked goods influenced by Egyptian traditions and flavors combined with inspiration from true Southern cuisine.
In this episode of the Main Street Business Insights podcast, Matt sits down with Casey Woods, Executive Director of Emporia Main Street in Emporia, Kansas.
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Nicole Fleetwood and McKinzie Hodges, co-owners of Scratch Made Bakery in Amarillo, Texas.
Tylisya Gober, owner of Barbie Behavior Boutique in Oak Park, Mich., was a 2023 Backing Small Businesses grantee. Barbie Behavior is a women’s clothing boutique specializing in celebrity-inspired attire.
Tiffany Fixter, owner of Brewability in Englewood, Colorado, was a 2023 Backing Small Businesses grantee. Brewability is an inclusive brewery and pizzeria that employs adults with disabilities to brew craft beer.
We’re excited to announce that Main Street America will continue to offer virtual and on-demand small business training in 2024 through an evolved program, the Small Biz Digital Trainers program.
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Jennifer Jones, co-owner of Good Times Coal Fired Pizza and Pub in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Tiffany Fixter, owner of Brewability, an inclusive craft brewery and pizzeria that employs adults with disabilities based in Englewood,
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Bobby Boone, founder and Chief Strategist of &Access. Based in New Orleans, La., &Access creates data-driven and design-centric retail real estate solutions for historically excluded entrepreneurs and under-invested neighborhoods.
Tasha Sams, Manager of Education Programs, shares highlights of phase one of the Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (E3) in Rural Main Streets Program and the biggest takeaways from the workshop experiences.
In this video, learn more about the Williams’ family story, how the business is helping to revive downtown Helena, and the impact they’re having on a national level.
In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Derrick Braziel, owner of Pata Roja Taqueria and co-founder of MORTAR, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Small Business Saturday is an important opportunity to show your support for local businesses. We asked business owners across the network what your support means to them.
Matt sits down with Jamie and Jerry Baker, co-owners and founders of Trendy Teachers, a teaching boutique and educational toy store located in downtown Rome, Georgia.
Middlesboro Main Street in Middlesboro, Ky., Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago, Ill., and Sugar Creek Business Association in Charlotte, N.C., have each been awarded $100,000 through The Hartford Small Business Accelerator Grant Program in partnership with Main Street America.
Matt sat down with Anette Soto Landeros, co-owner of Casa Azul Coffee and President and CEO of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Fort Worth, Texas.
Matt Wagner sat down with Danny Reynolds, president and owner of Stephenson's, an independently owned high-end fashion retailer in downtown Elkhart, Indiana.
Matt Wagner sat down with The Barbershop Conversation podcast team, co-hosts Kenneth Bentley and Davion Hampton along with executive producer Emory Green Jr., in Goldsboro, Florida.
This three-week live, online course will prepare local leaders to more effectively work with small business owners in their districts and create an environment that is supportive of entrepreneurship.
Meet the 2023 recipients for the Backing Small Businesses grant program, presented by American Express, to provide financial support to small business owners to address critical needs and make a positive impact in their local communities.
In partnership with Grow with Google, our digital coaches will work with businesses in their home states, with a focus on those that operate in small towns and rural communities.
Check out a deep dive into the results of our Spring 2023 Small Business Survey, plus insights to help inform the work of local leaders supporting entrepreneurs on Main Street.
Matt Wagner wrote an article for the OECD blog on how can small business owners can combine digital tools with the power of place to find sustainable success.
Inspired by a session at the 2022 Main Street Now Conference, Main Street Ottumwa has launched the Business Builder Academy, an entrepreneurship course to help aspiring business owners start their ventures.
Whether you are a seasoned American Express Small Business Saturday Neighborhood Champion or an entrepreneur joining this national movement for the first time, we’ve gathered a roundup of resources to support your “shop local” marketing efforts.
We spoke to three women who were awarded Inclusive Backing grants to learn more about their passions, their businesses, and their advice for other women.
From social media scavenger hunts to downtown passports, the Main Street network has used countless innovative ways to encourage their communities to Shop Small®—and had plenty of fun doing it.
#EquityRising, Old Algiers Main Street Corporation's new job training program, seeks to combat rising cost of living by helping residents train for careers that will allow them to stay in their neighborhood.
We spoke to three Black business owners who were awarded Backing Small Businesses grants from Main Street America and American Express to better understand their challenges, successes, and the kinds of support that have helped them the most.
Main Street Skowhegan opened their new Skowhegan Center for Entrepreneurship, a downtown space for co-working, meeting, entrepreneurial support, trainings, and education.
Main Street Charles City organizes their annual 'WonderFall' event, a business decorating contest designed to have some fun with the autumnal season as well as provide a reminder of the importance of curb appeal in attracting the public’s attention.
Leverage NC, a partnership between North Carolina Main Street and the North Carolina League of Municipalities, hosted a four-part webinar series titled Better Community Planning & Economic Development led by Ed McMahon, Chair Emeritus of Main Street America and a leading national authority on land use policy and economic development.
Main Street Arkansas has brewed a new engaging way for tourists and residents alike to explore local Arkansas commercial districts: the Main Street Arkansas Coffee Trail.
We spoke with two Black entrepreneurs in UrbanMain commercial districts: L. May Creations in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago and The Four Way in south Memphis, Tennessee.
We heard from organizations across the nation about the incredible impact their markets have had on community engagement, entrepreneur and small business support, and keeping their district vibrant.
The global pandemic gave us all a glimpse of a further dispersed future – a time when you don’t sit in a classroom at school, watch movies in a theater, or even go to the grocery store. Where do Main Streets fit in that model?
Being the only person in the know can be fun, exhilarating even. Except when you are the one person out of 600+ in a room and you know bad news is coming.
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Altavista On Track, the local Main Street organization, is working to cultivate and sustain local entrepreneurs with an educational business launch competition, Pop-Up Altavista 2.0.
The first rule of conducting business is “make it simple.” The easier it is to pay for merchandise, get entertainment or obtain a service, the more likely it is that people will take advantage of those options.
Main Street communities across the country are no stranger to seeking creative strategies to solve their most nagging issues – vacant buildings, marketing downtown, bolstering retail to name a few.
A lot of signs are necessary to make a downtown work well, but not every community knows what a good sign system looks like, or how instrumental it can be to the creation of a successful downtown.
Main Street Iowa, a program of the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center, created a one-of-a-kind three-year program to provide help for performance venues located in Main Street districts.