Femigrants.org was the domain name associated with the initial website created by Aytakin Aliyeva, a female entrepreneur in the Silicon Valley. You’ll see the clever play on word, combining Female and Immigrant to capture what the site was all about. Initially this was a personal project designed to inspire and bring together other immigrant women. However, as she developed it, and advanced in her career she was able to secure the resources to leave her employment and further develop her concept. It is now a paid membership platform, and moved to the .com TLD. You can find it here: https://femigrants.com.

Why:

We have an interest in preserving all things immigration on the web so that interested people can see how attitudes about immigration developed and changed in recent times. In theory, all web pages are captured and archived, and are therefore available as record. In practice it is hard to find websites that are abandoned. Reviving content on these abandoned domain names is one way that we can carry our our mission to preserve this record.

So, look for the old website content here soon. If you wish to, you can contact us.

The post Historical Record – On to Greater Things at the .com TLD first appeared on Femigrants.

Follow your passion, not the money. Money will always follow if you follow your dreams and passion…

Sandra was 13 when she arrived in US from Guatemala. The daughter of a single mother, Sandra was the youngest of 9 children. She helped as much as she could with her work cleaning houses in Del Mar, California. Sandra’s mother worked 16 hours a day to support her kids in this foriegn country now called home. Sandra learned what hard work meant from her mother. Seeing the effort she put in every day inspired Sandra to achieve the “American Dream”.

To her, that meant providing her children with everything she didn’t have. To bring them stability and comfort. She imaginged owning a new big house up on a hill. The house of her dreams had a pool and home theater. She dreamed that some day she could own her own business, and drive a new car. Sometimes she thought about carrying a wallet full of hundred dollar bills, a sum that was to her only of fantasy. She wanted to travel to Europe and the Pacific Rim, and see the rest of the world. Most of all she wanted to call this new country home. She wanted to become a US Citizen.

America gave me opportunity, but my mother gave me the strength and inspiration to get to where I am. Despite all her struggles, she would never give up and never show us she was tired. All the time my mom has been my inspiration and my example.

This all seemed so far away and almost impossible to an immigrant at the age 16. Her day largely consisted of contributing for her family, so it was very difficult to see a pathway to such success. In fact, she had hardly any examples others doing such a thing in her day to day life. The “American Dream” as it were, was for a very long time a bit of a mystery. However, whether by word of mouth or intuition, she knew that the only way to get what she wanted was with hard work. Thankfully, her mother was the greatest example of how to do this she could possibly have asked for. Sandra still highlights her mother as her the biggest factor in her success, “America gave me opportunity, but my mother gave me the strength and inspiration to get to where I am. Despite all her struggles, she would never give up and never show us she was tired. Despite her hard work she would spend time talking to me and every one of us. All the time my mom has been my inspiration and my example.” Sandra applied her mother’s relentless will to provide for her family, to her own will to achieve, for many years. In retrospect, she says, “It’s hard to imagine that sixteen year old’s perpective”. Sandra has attained all the lofty goals she set for herself by the age of 43.

Sandra started her career at construction company. In a man-dominated industry, she was one of the few women doing things that her men peers overtly considered her unfit for. It was a big struggle for her to keep her job where people did not accept a woman to be in that industry.

When I first began in the construction industry I was given a warning by the VP of our company, ‘You are entering this industry with your hands tied behind your back. Being a woman with an accent will present you with extra challenges’.

When I first began in the construction industry I was given a warning by the VP of our company, “You are entering this industry with your hands tied behind your back. Being a woman with an accent will present you with extra challenges. ” I understood the challenge but I have never been a quitter. Eager to prove him wrong, I set out to be the top sales rep at the company. Not only did I accomplish this goal—I went on to become the CEO of my own company.”

After several years of working in the Architectural Concrete Industry, she obtained her Concrete contractor license and opened her own business. The Concrete Group, Inc an Architectural Concrete Company. She became the CEO of a small business that employed 38 employees.

“What I’m most thankful for is my journey from maid to CEO. From earning $45 dollars a week to 6 figures a year. From riding the bus to driving a car of the year.” Says Sandra

The greatest challenge for any female entrepreneur is the balancing act of family and business. “If I could give one advice to women who are up for this journey is to strive for success and do all the great things, but at the same time, not forget to spend time with the family. Spend more time with your kids. The time when they are kids go by so fast. Times are different. It is me now who have the hardest time get their attention.”

She mentions that her biggest business failure was to grow too fast without the financial capital to sustain the growth. “If I had to start from scratch knowing what I know now, I would manage and control the growth of the business much more by not over extending the business resources. Or obtain more working capital to support the fast growth.”

Sandra is 53 now and she lives in Pasadena. She has chosen to work for a company in Glendale, CA and serve families as a Planning Advisor.

In the future, She plans to dedicate herself to the Real Estate market and eventually open another business as The Real Estate Group. “With the lessons learned from life and entrepreneurship I plan to succeed. Because failure is not an option!”

There were many difficult days throughout the journey she took, but bringing the relentless consistency every day is what got her through the bumpy parts. “The most important is always take steps of faith, and magnify the opportunities and not the obstacles.”

“If I was a Mentor”  Sandra says,  “I would recommend following your passion and not the money. Money will always follow if you follow your dreams and passion. Always support and help others. ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you’, as my favorite quote says”

The post From Riding the Bus to Driving a Car of the Year… first appeared on Femigrants.

Believe in yourself, in your power, and be ready to leave your comfort zone and accept new changes if you want to change your life.

Afag is a 37 years old single mom of two brilliant kids who have moved to the US from Azerbaijan four years ago. She graduated with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in International Relations and Law from Baku State University. She started her career as a Specialist at the Constitutional Court of Azerbaijan. However, a few years later she realized that this job does not suit her at all. “It doesn’t make a sense to work and improve your career at the Judicial System where there is no existence of fair judge and laws to fight for basic human rights. Witnessing such injustice where my presence won’t help change the corrupted system, I decided to quit from my ‘show off’ job and do what makes me happy.”

She decided to open an event planning and decorating company with her best friend in Baku, Azerbaijan. Her company made great success and she brought a new wave and style to the old tradition. However, she also had to leave her company because she realized that the cultural aspect limits her from her freedom. She felt that she was under pressure from the society. Being a divorced woman who wants to open new chapter in her life, she realizes her dreams and goals were a massive challenge in a masculine society — Azerbaijan. She has such great passion that she decided to make the hardest decision in her life and leave her country. It wasn’t just about the country, she also had to leave her comfort zone provided by her family, leaving all her beloved ones and start a new life from scratch in a new country where she doesn’t know anyone.

“I was so excited but at the same time I was afraid. It was a different environment and culture with new rules and role for me. I didn’t know where to start or how to provide a customer service at an international level”. Aiming to develop her knowledge and skills on business administration and customer service, she attended various leadership and business classes, even received training from mentors and personal life coaches. “My goal is to be a successful entrepreneur who provides high quality customer service for my clients, and can make them feel like a family member who also can offer them a way to be healthy and happy.”

Although it has only been a year since she opened her business, she has gained the love from her customers and became a successful business in San Francisco. “I love to communicate with new people, listen to their stories, learn more about different cultures and lifestyles while also motivate people. People like to talk with us, hangout at our cozy environment, and the most important thing is that they leave our place satisfied and happy. Mentally, I almost got what I wished for in my business.”

I used to be like a “princess” with blind eyes. Maybe not blind because I knew what is going on, but I didn’t have enough courage to fight for my dreams.

Afag regrets that she followed her dreams a little bit late. Nevertheless, it doesn’t discourage her to believe in herself. “I used to be like a “princess” with blind eyes. Maybe not blind because I knew what is going on, but I didn’t have enough courage to fight for my dreams. All the decisions that I’ve made, I had to share and get approval from my family members, relatives, friends, my husband and general society. Now, I see myself as a warrior, mom, dad, driver, cook, housekeeper and even time-to-time a man too.”

She acknowledges that being all of these characters is hard to handle for her emotionally and physically, as well as financially. But she is stronger now and is able to handle new challenges. “Sometimes I sat and cried in my car alone because I thought I couldn’t handle this anymore. But none of these is important as having your own freedom and independence. Being a strong and independent woman who has a voice for her rights is priceless.”

Her motivation is her kids. Her two sons have always been the light in the dark on hopeless days. Her goal is to raise them to be educated citizens with integrity, and can bring only good to this society. “I remember when my 13 years old son first met with Mark Zuckerberg, he cried. I asked him ‘Why are you crying?’ and I felt proud when I heard his response that he wants to change the world and be helpful for humanity like him. I hope he will make his dream happen.”

While sharing her amazing story, Afag doesn’t forget to thank her friends who supported her on this new challenging endeavor. She values the opportunity that US gave her to gain her confidence, build her business and make friends who supported her all the time.

“I personally believe in female power. Sometimes, it is true that I can feel so strong and tough that for a moment I forget I am woman.  I try not to lose the beauty of my femininity. I’m proud of being a gentle, sexy woman with my red lipstick J. I’m one of the greatest creations of the universe who can collect all strong and delicate characters in one body. I am a Woman who is aware of her own power. You see, I got my confidence back!”

Afag advices Femigrants to believe in ourselves, in our power, and be ready to leave your comfort zone and accept new changes if we want to change our life.  “Always try to keep your smile, try to help others and you will get it back. Don’t hesitate to be ridiculous, proud of your individuality, be a rebel and get what you wish. And don’t ever be afraid of Love. Be in love and be beloved!”

The post Freedom Dreams of Unhappy ‘Princess’ in a Golden Castle… first appeared on Femigrants.

I try not to look at challenges as issues, but as good lessons for me to develop myself and work on managing my business and keeping my family happy at the same time.

Sunitha Kumar CEO of @Laughing Buddha Games. Software industry veteran (EA, @Microsoft, PopCap Games)

Sunita, of South Indian descent, was born in Dubai. She spent a part of her childhood in Kerala, India and later moved to the United States. Determined to forge a path in medicine, she enrolled as an international student in a community college and began her courses for a BS in Biology major.

After realizing she could not afford the high cost of medical school in the US, Suni returned to Dubai to join a medical college in India instead, but the sheer volume of students applying for medical schools in India is staggering. Getting admission to the top rated schools is like winning the lottery.

Still, Suni was undeterred. After a short stint working in Dubai, Suni headed back to the States to complete her unfinished degree. She switched her major from Science to English Literature and applied for fall admission to a top-rated college. She realized that finding a job with an English major, as an International Student, meant that she had to gain key employable skills quickly.

Her passion for HTML (thanks to Post Modernism Concepts!) and speed reading helped define her path forward. She learned front-end software development and started doing contract work as a business analyst and applying her technical skills to solve business problems. Using software to engineer technological solutions to real-world problems fascinated Suni, and she returned to school to complete a Masters in Software Engineering at Golden Gate University. While there, she joined Electronic Arts as a Customer Service Representative and developed custom tools and solutions to optimize several business processes, which eventually led to a job at Microsoft.

Suni had an opportunity to take a break from corporate life during her pregnancy. She decided to use the time to focus on her passion: building casual games.

With nothing more than a few whiteboard sketches and a dream, she laid out a plan for her company, starting with a domain name, a GoDaddy account and a Wix website. In her search for funding, she came across a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Challenge post looking for unique concepts to raise awareness of global issues and Laughing Buddha Games was born, with a mission to build games that would effect positive social change.

Suni submitted a game concept to the contest and was encouraged by the reception. She reached out to Heifer International to see if their case studies could help inspire games to teach empathy and generosity while raising awareness for social issues and providing ways to help. She started with a simple prototype that eventually became StarSmasher*.

The alpha release of StarSmasher* led to a nomination at the Indie Showcase at Casual Connect Asia 2013, and the game was showcased on Singapore’s GameBox website. Suni won Female Indie of the Year at Casual Connect Asia that year. The studio relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, with a focus on getting a “complete” version out—better graphics, more puzzles, iAds and iAP—in Google Play and the AppStore. This was a key moment for Suni, and the journey she took to get there and the confidence she gained along the way was priceless in helping her realize her dream.

Today, Laughing Buddha Games is working on an arcade that will showcase games from indie developers around the world, partnering with Extra-Life.org, developing an AI chat bot, and working closely with educational and retail partners. A highlight? Their website has received 2.6 million visits to date.

What’s next for Suni? She wants to build a VR/AR story-driven world to promote values of global citizenry, empathy and social awareness. There are few story-driven video games for children that focus on teaching positive values, and Suni is driven to change that.

If you have passion for something, don’t let anybody stop you. Get started, keep going and don’t lose the sight of your goals.

Finding funding and building connections can be challenging, especially as the mother of two active boys, but maintaining a positive attitude is key. “I try not to look at challenges as issues, but as good lessons for me to develop myself and work on managing my business and keeping my family happy at the same time. I always remind myself that I am on my own journey, and that I have no deadline to meet. The best thing I can do for myself as a mother is to face things as they come, hope for the best and prepare for the worst because I have to be there for my family, no matter what..”

Suni encourages women to fight for their dream and see it through. “If you have passion for something, don’t let anybody stop you. Get started, keep going and don’t lose the sight of your goals. Review where you are and where you want to be: then, take steps to get there, as big or as little as you want. Sometimes you will get upset and discouraged, make time to take a break. We women excel in all situations, if we believe we can. We have the onus of modeling how for our kids and for society, so that we can finally get past the stereotypes that hold us back.”

A favorite quote that kept her motivated along the way as a Femigrant: “Anything you can, or dream you can: begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

The post How Medical School Graduate Won Game App Award first appeared on Femigrants.

The post I Went Door to Door Asking My Neighbors to Buy My ‘Beautiful’ Rocks When I Was 5 first appeared on Femigrants.

The attitude for gratitude always brings in positive results in achieving success in anything.

AN INTERVIEW WITH HEMALI ACHARYA ZAVERI, A FEMIGRANT FROM INDIA.

Tell us a little bit about yourself (where are you originally from? When did you come to the USA?)

I am from India, Born and Raised in Mumbai. I came to USA in 2003 to pursue my Career in Photography and get a Master Degree

How did you decide to open your business? Tell us about your business please.

When I came to study here, I discovered and learned about various artist, specially female successful photographer – that’s when I decided that I will have liberated voice as a Female Artist than in my own orthodox country.

What is the most difficult situation you have faced when you opened your business and how you solved it?

The most difficult situation I faced was to get commercial clients and have a trust that I can accomplish what others (photographer) can do, It took me years to realize that no business is “bed of roses” if you want to be successful entrepreneur as a sole proprietor – I was losing focus as an artist and became very competitive only to realize and start from square one. I went back to be an artist and find my vision …

Now I empower others through my art – I am working as an philanthropist and a photo therapist for women who face Cancer through Heaven’s Door Cancer foundation -I provide free high fashion photoshoot for women who lose their hair and body parts in Breast Cancer , I give voice to Transgender community and now my current project on Immigrant and donating 50% of net sales to ACLU

Reading is not only informed by what’s going on with us at that moment, but also governed by how our eyes and brains work to process information. What you see and what you’re experiencing as you read these words is quite different.

What’s an accomplishment that you are proudest of?

When I graduated – I was told that I can pick a genre of my style of photography and follow that.  My belief to not be a follower is my proudest moment – Today , I have won awards photographing People, Still life, Action,Landscape, Architecture and Aerial.

Describe one of your biggest failures. What lessons did you learn, and how did it contribute to a greater success?

My biggest failure was my over confidence after I graduated that I can have a great business module and follow the recipe of success from the books I read. As every person learn from their mistakes again and again – you just have to have a faith and repeat till you success.

‘Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently as’ Henry Ford said

How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated? 

 Read , learn and Manifest – The attitude for gratitude always brings in positive results in achieving success in anything.

Read – about the person who resonates your values, Read and Reread that makes you think twice anything from practical to spiritual.

Learn – Learn new skills, something new that you have never done ( I learnt how to swim at age 34)

Manifest – set a goal and write about it every night.

If you had to start over from scratch, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

 If I had to start over I will be more giving and more exploring – what matter today may not matter 3 months from now and that will make you a bigger person with larger vision at your success timeline.

What do you think is the most significant barrier to female immigrant entrepreneurs? 

I do
n’t think there is any barrier – It is in our head – once you take a stand and let others know you are here to stay and not quit : people will respect it !!! If you love what you do – and have a passion for it – No one can stop you.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge for the next generation of women?

The biggest challenge is experience

If you were a Mentor, what is one piece of advice that you would give to readers?

I will tell my readers to go out and try, follow your passion and don’t live in the cloud of judgments and assumptions

Do you have any favorite quote that you think might inspire Femigrants? 
“Instead of being your biggest critic, you need to be your own biggest fan.”

The post The Biggest Challenge Is Experience first appeared on Femigrants.

I had no business background but I jumped in anyway, and thankfully I have learned a lot along the way and the business is now growing.

An Interview with Aruna Lee, a Femigrant from South Korea. She owns a small business “Volcano Kimchi” and sells home made kimchi.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you originally from? When did you come to the USA? 

I grew up in South Korea, and was raised in a Buddhist temple by my teacher from the age of 6.  After high school I entered the monastic order and enrolled in one of the oldest all-female seminary schools in East Asia. I spent the next 10 years as a Buddhist nun, living mostly in the countryside and developing in my practice. I left the monastic order in 2000, and shortly after came to San Francisco. Apart from my husband, I did not know anyone here. However, I am happy to say that the time I am here I have made San Francisco my home.

How did the idea for your business come about?

I was working in media, for a non-profit here in San Francisco. In 2014 I left that position and spent the next year trying to figure out my next move. In that time, I began to see a growing interest in Korean food and especially in “kimchi”. I also began to really miss the kind of food that I grew up eating in the temple, which is vegetarian, of course, but also really fresh-tasting, clean and made from all-natural ingredients usually grown or harvested right at the temple. I guess sort of just occurred to me at some point to begin producing kimchi. I had no business background, but I jumped in anyway, and thankfully I have learned a lot along the way and the business is now growing.

What is an accomplishment that you are proudest of?

I’m proudest of the people who come every week to buy my kimchi, or some of the sauces or other products I sell at the farmers market. I have developed a real and meaningful friendship with a number of folks, and am happy to know that because of my kimchi they are able to enjoy a delicious product that is also good for them.

What is the most difficult situation you have faced when you opened your business and how did you solve it?

I think the hardest part has been figuring out how to scale up. Kimchi is labor intensive, and it also requires some skill. There’s an art and a science to fermentation, and if someone helps with production but does not understand that it can really affect the product. So for me, now that the business starts to expand a little, I am trying to figure out the right time and the right people to bring on board who can help move things further along. I do not know that I have solved it yet but I am confident I will.

When one door closes, another, better door opens. Everything has its own time.

How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?

Well, it is a kind of a family business. My son created the name and the logo, and my husband helps here and there with communications.  He also spends every Saturday with me at the market. In some ways, it is brought all of us closer together. We all want to see, it succeeds. But it is also meant less time with our son. Those Saturday morning breakfasts together are a thing of the past, though he does not spend Saturday mornings with his grandma. So that is nice.

What have some of your failures been, and what have you learned from them?  

Last year I tried to open a brick and motor store in San Francisco. An opportunity appeared that at first, it seemed like the perfect fit for me. After several weeks of preparation and some major purchases the whole thing fell through. The owners of the space changed plans for how they wanted to make use of it, shifting away from food and toward opening a book store. While I was disappointed, in the long run it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened, because not long after an opening at the Ferry Plaza farmers market came my way. Honestly, looking back, what seemed a good fit at the time actually was not? I guess the lesson for me here is that when one door closed, another — in this case, better — door opened. Everything has its own time.

How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated? 

I am constantly visualizing. I believe it is important to maintain a positive outlook, no matter what the challenges are. That is not always easy, and there are a lot of challenges. However, I work on it; I listen to motivational talks online or read books that offer simple ways to keep your spirits up.

What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?

I don’t have much fear in general… but I do have a fear of public speaking. I do not know if I have  managed it, but I have done some and people told me they liked it.

What do you feel whether there is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?

I think there is a reason that immigrants, and especially women immigrants, often become entrepreneurs. We come to a new country and often have to fend for ourselves. We struggle with language, with new cultures, but we also carry with us traditions that Americans are hungry for. So, it makes sense that we create businesses that use that capital and  allow us to dictate things on our terms.

What are your future plans and where do you see yourself and your business in 10 years?

My goal is  one day to open a small “banchan” café. Banchan in Korean refers to the many small dishes you get during a Korean meal. It can be all kinds of things, from pickled vegetables to meats, fish and eggs. You can buy banchan at a Korean market, but it is often not made very well. I would like to open a shop where people can buy a selection of different, quality banchan that they can either eat there or take home. I always say, with the fridge of banchan you always have a delicious and easy meal at your fingertips.

My biggest dream is to have Volcano Kimchi banchan stores in different major cities around the country. I would like lead “kimchi making’ classes and spread good bacteria far and wide.

What three pieces of advice would you give to Femigrants who want to become entrepreneurs?

Have a vision and do not compromise. Chances are there are others who share that vision and if you keep at it you will  eventually make connections.

• Be persistent
• Stay positive

Do you have any favorite quote that you think might inspire Femigrants? 

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can be achieved” Napoleon Hill

The post My Biggest Dream Is to Own ‘Volcano Kimchi’ Stores Around the Country first appeared on Femigrants.

It will take a couple more generations for women to be treated equally as men even in a progressive society such as the United States

An Interview with Uli Nasibova, a Femigrant from Azerbaijan. She is an owner of Gelateria Uli in LA

Tell us a little bit about yourself (where are you originally from? When did you come to the USA?)

I am originally from Baku, Azerbaijan. I started my undergraduate studies at the American University in Baku and upon its closure, I transferred to the Colorado College, a wonderful liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, CO. I was only 15 when I started college, so naturally, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after graduation. I double-majored in French Literature and Mathematical Economics, hoping one of the two would eventually be my calling in life.

How did you decide to open your business? Tell us about your business please.

I worked in the world of finance for eight years doing everything from investment banking to investment management research. At one point, I discovered my love for gelato and specifically for devising gelato recipes from scratch. I had a commercial gelato machine from Italy in my home kitchen where I would spend weekday nights and weekends experimenting with different flavors. Around the same time, my husband and I were living in downtown Los Angeles, a neighborhood that was changing rapidly from a desolate place at night to a vibrant city center. Young entrepreneurs were taking risks and opening new businesses in our neighborhood. The community needed a frozen dessert café, badly. I used my background in finance to write a business plan and opened the doors of my business in 2014, inspired by the infectiously dynamic atmosphere in my neighborhood.

What is the most difficult situation you have faced when you opened your business and how you solved it?

There was a myriad of difficult situations. I had never worked in a commercial kitchen before, let alone run one. I had never had employees or paid employer taxes. The best advice I can give anyone on my situation is to do your homework – our generation is very lucky with abundance of information online. I researched every aspect of the business I could. I talked to people who were more experienced than me. I hired and delegated to people who were better than me at those tasks. And I stayed humble and open-minded – you have to, so that you may learn from new experiences and get better.

What’s an accomplishment that you are proudest of?

I am proudest of our exceptional product – we make our gelato and sorbet from scratch, using best ingredients we can procure. It’s easy to sell something when you are 100% behind the quality and the workmanship. It also makes our team’s job easier – they are happy to represent something that has been made with so much attention to detail and love.

Describe one of your biggest failures. What lessons did you learn, and how did it contribute to a greater success?

I didn’t have the correct equipment when I first opened the shop – again, lack of experience in commercial kitchens. Our sales were very slow in the beginning, which was a blessing in disguise, because within the first six months I had to work up some magic to sell and/or trade in the equipment I had for the correct equipment, while not disrupting the day-to-day operations and running out of cash.

How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated?

I believe to stay motivated professionally you have to enjoy the people you interact with on a daily basis. I love our customers and I have the best team – my production assistants, scoopers, baristas, manager. They are my daily motivation.

If you had to start over from scratch, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

I would make some operational changes that are too cumbersome to describe here. There is always something that could be done better. I am applying these lessons learned to my second location, currently under construction.

What do you think is the most significant barrier to female immigrant entrepreneurs?

Being an immigrant is an advantage, in my opinion. Immigrants are known for hard work and drive. There is unspoken respect and recognition in a room once people learn I am a recent transplant to the US.

On the other hand, being a female and running a small business is much harder, solely because of how this and other societies have bred their men. Being assertive is sometimes mistaken for being “rude” or pushy” – big no-no’s for ladies. You have to rise above it and support others to do the same. I don’t ever let a negative experience ruin my day. I support other female entrepreneurs where I have the opportunity to do so.  I don’t work with vendors who are disrespectful towards anyone based on their gender, religion, race or sexual orientation.  I instill an atmosphere of mutual respect in my workplace. I also have a daughter who at one year old is already an independent, strong-willed force of nature.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge for the next generation of women?

I think it will take a couple more generations for women to be treated equally as men even in a progressive society such as the United States. Women are still being paid less than men for exact same jobs. The biggest challenge is, and will remain for some time, other people’s perception that women can’t do the job as well as men. But it’s only a perception, not truth. We prove these people wrong every single day at Gelateria Uli.

If you were a Mentor, what is one piece of advice that you would give to readers?

To never give up and to always be better prepared than the next person.

Do you have any favorite quote that you think might inspire femigrants?

“Actions speak louder than words.”

The post How Literature and Math Grad Founded the Famous Gelateria Brand first appeared on Femigrants.

IF YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS IDEA, AND YOU KEEP WORKING ON IT, YOU WILL EVENTUALLY SUCCEED

An Interview with Maisaa Hamadeh, Femigrant from Lebanon,

Founder of Horoof Arabic School

Tell us a little bit about yourself (where are you originally from? When did you come to the USA?)

My name is Maisaa Hamadeh and I’m originally from Beirut, Lebanon.

I graduated with a degree in Computer Science from Lebanon, and worked in the IT field (in the banking sector) for a couple of years before moving to the USA in 2006.

How did you decide to open your business? Tell us about your business please.

I have 2 girls (7 years, and 3 years old) and we live far away from my home country. So a friend of mine (also a mom in a similar situation) and I came up with the idea of starting an Arabic language school because we wanted our own kids to be exposed to their native language as much as possible.

Although we do speak to our children in Arabic at home, we wanted them to practice reading and writing the language in other environments.

We believe that interacting with other kids in a classroom setting has a much more powerful impact on their education.

Therefore, we started Horoof Arabic School to teach our own kids as well as the children of other parents who have the same passion.

Horoof means “letters” in Arabic.

What is the most difficult situation you have faced when you opened your business and how you solved it?s

The most difficult situation for me was to establish a small business in a foreign country and to spread the word to market it. Trying to reach a specific niche was a bit hard especially because I was targeting Arabic families (and other families interested in learning the Arabic language) living in Boston. For this reason, Facebook helped me a lot in marketing my school especially that it has a great feature where you can specify your target market when advertising your business.

What’s an accomplishment that you are proudest of?

I think that starting with 2 classes (with around 12 students total) and growing to 7 classes (with around 55 students) in just one year was our greatest accomplishment. Horoof is now a well-known Arabic School and most of the Arab community in Boston is aware of it. We’re looking to grow even more next year. This makes me quite proud because my partner and I built something from scratch as entrepreneurs, and we’re giving back to the community by teaching kids the Arabic language.

How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated?

I motivate myself by constantly thinking about the end goal and the fact that we’re seeing tangible results.

Hearing about the parents’ satisfaction from our programs and seeing all our students coming to the school with a big smile and most importantly loving the language itself, is what keeps me motivated.

What do you think is the most significant barrier to female immigrant entrepreneurs?

I think the language barrier is the hardest to overcome if you didn’t speak English before arriving to the US. However, I did notice that the people in the US are very nice and welcoming, and are willing to help you if you ask for assistance.

If you were a Mentor, what is one piece of advice that you would give to readers?

If you are passionate about your business idea, and keep working on it, you will eventually succeed.

Do you have any favorite quote that you think might inspire femigrants?

“Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” – Guy Kawasaki

The post How Arab Businesswoman Contributed to Her Community With Her New Business Idea first appeared on Femigrants.

Being female may mean that you have to work harder than men as sexism exists even in the most so-called modern developed countries

An Interview with Suzan Helvaci, a Femigrant from Turkey,

Owner of Lale Restaurant

Tell us a little bit about yourself (where are you originally from? When did you come to the USA?)

Suzan Helvaci Sarikurt, 35, a Femigrant from Turkey. I came to the US in 2005 to study. After completing my masters in double majors, Organizational Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy, I worked in the non-profit sector as a mental health therapist.

How did you decide to open your business? Tell us about your business please.

I have always loved food, cooking and hosting guests at my house. My family are foodies in sense that they produced their own food: raising and butchering their own animals, growing their own vegetable and fruits. I grew up in an environment where we ate homemade sausages, the milk was fresh from our cows, the eggs were picked up every day from the barn and fruits were turned into homemade jams or fruit juices and jarred. So, I’ve always appreciated real food that’s made from scratch, fresh and clean. And I really really love Mediterranean cuisine: simple, flavorful and very healthy.

Eventually, I realized that I wanted to cook and serve for more people than the house parties at my home. So, opening a restaurant became an idea, which turned into a dream and stayed that way for at least 7-8 years. My menu was ready seven years before the restaurant was actually open J While I was doing my studies and working as a therapist, I always kept the light alive for my dream, and tried to stay positive that one day the dream would become a reality.

 I wanted people to have a clean and fresh experience in a restaurant setting, eating meals prepared from scratch. And, of course, prepared with love and warm hospitality. My restaurant is extension of my house and hospitality is as important as the food is.

“When we were preparing and tasting the menu, I remember entering the kitchen covering my nose, taking a bite from the dish and running to the bathroom. These symptoms lasted for a few months. The anxiety and stress of opening a business and being a first-time mom is something that I will never forget.”

My restaurant, LaLe, is not only a commercial space for me, but also my home where I spent 70-80 hours per week, like many small business owners.

We cook American Mediterranean-Turkish cuisine and serve daily brunch with Mediterranean-Turkish dinners. We prep and cook a lot from scratch and our customers are really happy when they are enjoying our homemade orange jam.

What’s an accomplishment that you are proudest of?

We were inexperienced: just normal people with no networking ties in the restaurant business in an expensive and competitive market such as San Francisco. We did not have big investors or venture capitalists to fund us and we did construction as rookies (which was eye-opening).

On top of everything, we learned that we were expecting just before the opening month, and the first few months of my pregnancy were very challenging. When we were preparing and tasting the menu, I remember entering the kitchen covering my nose, taking a bite from the dish and running to the bathroom. These symptoms lasted for a few months. The anxiety and stress of opening a business and being a first-time mom is something that I will never forget. If I endured those times, I can endure anything I guess J

Describe one of your biggest failures. What lessons did you learn, and how did it contribute to a greater success?

Budgeting is a very critical in every entrepreneurship journey. You should save and manage your funds very carefully when opening a business. If you plan to spend $1000 for project, it often ends up costing more.

In many self-help resources, they advise that you save a few months’ worth of expenses on the side, and this is hugely important advice. You don’t get thousands of people lined up at your door on the first day of the business, so you have to be prepared for the ups and downs. Even as your business picks up over time, don’t become complacent and snobby. Restaurant businesses can be very fragile and sensitive to different factors. One week you may have people waiting in line to be seated; another week, you may have the space half empty. Too much rain, too much sunshine, the time of the month, etc. can have a negative impact on your business. For me, the lesson is always to stay humble and grateful. I have seen the very difficult times, so I know that carefully managing finances is critical.  It is always a huge benefit to have support from friends and family, if possible. For me, having supportive people around me was a blessing for which I am grateful.

How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated?

When you love what you are doing, it makes it easier to stay motivated for sure. Keeping myself fresh and curious about what else we can do, what new dishes we can prepare and serve, etc. keeps me active and engaged.

Engaging with our customers is very motivating as many would comment on their satisfaction with our cooking. I have heard great stories where people would praise a dish for reminding them of their childhood and grandmother’s cooking and share memories as they are enjoyed our tender lamb shank with okra dish. Or someone would say that our homemade orange jam took them to their mothers’ cooking and jam-making at their house. And I take great pleasure when I hear people comment that dishes taste clean and fresh, or when they ask for an ingredients list because they are watching out for certain foods. We can answer these requests promptly and accommodate our customers’ needs since we cook from scratch as much as possible.

Sometimes, when I am tired and overwhelmed, a customer’s’ positive comment is enough to give me the boost I need to wake up at 4 am and start cookingJ

If you had to start over from scratch, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

I would manage the funds better during the renovation and opening stage. Prioritizing your needs and allocating the funds frugally is very important.

Running a business has many tenets nowadays, so it is not enough just to have good food. Having an active social media presence is an important factor for new businesses, so I would have put more energy and emphasis on social media exposure, but it’s not that easy when you are already running 10-15 hours daily shift and trying to manage hundreds of tasks: kitchen, customers, a clogged bathroom, a catering proposal, bills to pay, bookkeeping, payroll, filling taxes, dealing with a leaking roof, etc.

What do you think is the most significant barrier to female immigrant entrepreneurs?

In my experience, as an immigrant, you are already starting the game 1-0 disadvantaged compared to natives. And I have this experience in my family, where we have been immigrants before, too. On top of this, being female may mean that you have to work harder than men as sexism exists even in the most so-called modern developed countries. Working hard and being persistent is very important to bring the game to 1-1 as an immigrant.  

For many women, especially single moms, this process can be very difficult. Having a supportive network of family and friends is vital for Femigrants. I have seen women immigrants who closed their restaurant business after six months because they were tired and worn out with a lack of support. In my case, I am very lucky that I have a devoted husband who is by my side every single step of the way, whether it’s a challenge or a victory, and a loving family who has helped with raising our baby.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge for the next generation of women?

Nowadays, life is more complex in all dimensions in my view. Running a business is more complex compared to the old days, too. It is competitive, which has its own pros and cons, and everything is more and more expensive.

If you were a Mentor, what is one piece of advice that you would give to readers?

Entrepreneurship starts as a dream and, hopefully, transforms into a plan and real project. Dreaming about it, planning it, outlining it and actualizing it can be very demanding, stressful, nerve-wracking and consuming. And when we actually do it (when I opened the doors of my restaurant, in my case), the task of actualizing the dream is not completed, but just beginning. We can get into a falsified sense of “yay done” mode, but this does not mean that we shouldn’t celebrate and pat ourselves on the back for our achievements, of course.

What I am trying to say is that in this stage, you are just about to begin the real deal. You need to have an informed understanding that you will be working very hard, with no days off, for months and months.  You will be there on the premises no matter what and you don’t have the luxury to slack, pause, etc. (at least I didn’t). Patience, working hard and gratitude for what you have are three golden rules for success. And of course, knowing your main motive is highly important, especially in the early stages. In my case, I did not expect to become rich in six months, and if monetary gain were my main motive, I would have given up a long time ago. Enjoying what you are doing is the key and that keeps you going every day.

Do you have any favorite quote that you think might inspire Femigrants?

I try to practice gratitude every day, and to remember yesterday, learn from it and be positive for tomorrow. I like to be a realistic dreamer who is not afraid to get my hands dirty in order to get the job done. Staying humble and grounded helps me maintain my focus and balance my work and personal life.

The post 13 Years of Life Fighting for Dreams first appeared on Femigrants.