To those who decide to journey further into this project of mine, thank you. This pathway post covered themes that are near and dear to my heart and I proudly present it all to you here. This month I partnered with the Suazo Business Center and dove into research on migrant and latino entrepreneurs. I left these experiences feeling inspired and seen. On a personal note it reminded me of the strength I carry. Strength that was passed down to me by immigrant parents who gave me the greatest gifts of all, a hard work ethic and an innovative mindset. In this post you will learn about my student experience at the Suazo Center, hear from real life program participants, and explore the positive economic impact of migrant entrepreneurs. I hope you leave feeling inspired and ready to take the next step towards a better future. I know I did.
This section summarizes the student’s data-gathering process and key findings from survey, interview, or other inquiry methods.
For my data collection efforts, I decided to interview Suazo Center participants about their journey here at the Center. I spoke with two different participants, both are immigrants looking to build new lives and establish themselves in Utah. For their own privacy, their identities will remain anonymous. I wanted to ensure that everyone felt safe and comfortable, so my insights come from both the in person interview and my own follow-up notes.
My first participant was an immigrant woman from Venezuela whose background paralleled Gladys’. Before arriving in the U.S., she had over fifteen years of accounting experience but, when she arrived in the U.S., she wasn’t allowed to work in the same capacity. Even though she had a strong professional background, she still struggled with a lot of the same issues that immigrants have to adapt to, such as language and work authorization limits that forced her into manual labor roles where her subject matter expertise was not being capitalized on. “It was hard,” she said. “I came from a place where I was respected for what I knew. Here, I didn’t even know where to start.” Eventually, a close friend introduced her to the Suazo Center, and although she was hesitant at first, she quickly gained traction. “They helped me see my strengths again.”
Through the Center’s entrepreneurship courses, she successfully translated her financial expertise and efficiently navigated the systems that relentlessly tried to shut her out. She emphasized that the instructors here take a very personable approach to teaching and mentoring, holding a great depth of knowledge in everything from construction and cleaning to accounting and marketing. In my own experience, each class ends with a goal-setting exercise, which I loved because it teaches accountability. The next week, students bring back progress reports and any unforeseen barriers so that “We can learn from each other's challenges.”
The second participant was a former lawyer from Latin America who had to close his business due to the political climate and how unsafe it felt. He described the center as “a crutch—a safe place to rebuild.” Because of that crutch, the closure of his business was not the end, it was redirection. He gave a lot of praise to the center for how accessible they are. “The full course costs $100, and if you complete every session, they refund a portion of it. It’s one of the few places where people like us can actually afford to learn.”
Aside from the accessibility, he also spoke to the sense of community he found here at the Suazo Center. “You can always come back here. They’ll help you find your footing again.” Both stories reinforced my own findings. The Suazo Center doesn’t just teach business, it also helps restore confidence. I love the Center’s model because it shows that social entrepreneurship can thrive in community spaces. These stories of perseverance and resilience are a testament to the work being done here. It is clear that this center provides a viable path for the reclamation of hope.
This section shares insights from a community partner interview, connecting their perspective to the Pathway theme.
This month, I had the privilege of speaking with Tim Savage, Director of Programming at the Suazo Business Center. Since their founding in 2002, the Suazo Center has been a cornerstone of Latino entrepreneurship in Utah. But their story began five years prior in 1997, when Senator Pete Suazo helped Gladys Gonzales obtain a small loan to begin her first business in the United States, the bilingual magazine “Mundo Hispano.” Before arriving in Utah, Gladys held a high-level position at an international Colombian bank. That was until violence and drug wars tore her country apart, forcing her to flee for her family’s safety. But life was not much easier here for Gladys, so she decided to innovate and soon identified a new media venture. With her talent and skills, she uplifted the voices of her community. To this day, Gladys’ legacy continues to inspire young entrepreneurs to dream big, and that all happens here at the Suazo Center.
That process starts with the individual and their goals. From there, Suazo’s expert advisors take a strengths-based approach to entrepreneurship. This is what Tim had to say about the matter: “We realize that other people take more of a deficiency or trauma perspective, but people respond much better to their abilities, their capacity, and their strengths.” This is especially important when working with immigrant communities. That reframing is something that can carry them far because belief in themselves is the first step of their venture. Even though the Suazo Center’s services are available to all, they do tend to attract working-class immigrants. When asked about this, Tim highlighted some key findings from my own research. “Immigrants… have a higher appetite for risk-taking and a higher level of innovation because they’re bringing ideas from their home country.” Members of this community are also highly resilient and have learned to develop creative approaches when seeking stability. “Our clients are not looking for a handout or sympathy—they’re looking for an opportunity.” An opportunity that the Suazo Business Center can help materialize.
Immigrants, specifically those of Latin American origin, tend to have a collectivist approach to community building. Meaning that when we empower the individual, the individual will empower and care for others too. I’ve seen it firsthand, with the way that many family-owned restaurants have stepped up to provide for those affected by SNAP benefit cuts. With food service being one of the most popular ventures amongst Suazo clients, it’s safe to say that the majority of these restaurants are immigrant-owned and operated. For these families, entrepreneurship is more than just a means to an end. Tim believes that “Entrepreneurship is probably the preeminent way that people lift themselves out of poverty… It’s a transformational impact on intergenerational poverty.” These participants are breaking cycles and overcoming intergenerational trauma.
As a first-generation college student born to immigrant parents, I know firsthand what this pressure feels like. I saw my parents work relentlessly for years, sometimes juggling two to three jobs at a time. After decades of backbreaking labor, they knew it was time for something new. They pulled from their own work experience in operations and contracting and opened successful business ventures that have changed our lives for the better. So, I urge you, if you have even the slightest desire for something new, something better for you and your family, take that chance. As Tim shared, “The best time to make an investment is when everybody else is afraid to… Even if you can’t start with your dream, you can scale into it.” The door is open; you just have to walk through it.
This section summarizes readings and research related to a relevant topic within the student’s Pathway and connects them to larger patterns or themes.
With everything that I learned both through the Suazo Center and my interviews with the participants, I decided to look into what researchers say about migrant and Latino entrepreneurship. This process was both inspiring and slightly frustrating due to personal experience, of course. In a recently published Harvard research study by Chodavadia (2024), it was found that immigrants make up “roughly 23% of new business founders in the U.S., despite representing only 14% of the population,” a small but mighty force in the land of entrepreneurship.
Necessity is the greatest driver of innovation because you are forced to create your own lane when traditional success drivers are not accessible. Because of the psychological characteristics that immigrants carry, such as optimism and resilience, they “disproportionately operate in high-growth and high-innovation sectors” when given access to resources and mentorship Chodavadia (2024). Immigrants are not here to play catch-up, they are here to push things forward!
“Latinos comprise nine percent of all new business startups and operate nearly five million firms across the United States.” About “thirty percent of Latino entrepreneurs have started two or more enterprises” (Pisani, 2024). How cool is it to know that serial entrepreneurship is also accessible to the Latino community? Our people build for survival, yes, but also for legacy; all of this could not be possible without the culturally informed training programs that many organizations, like the Suazo Center, provide.
Garcia-Cabrera and Garcia-Soto (2024) helped verbalize the emotional and psychological components of migrant entrepreneurship. When things get hard, we fall back on learned behaviors and retreat to ourselves. In comparison to other communities, I have felt more prepared to face ambiguity and uncertainty because of the optimism and gratitude that have guided my family and community. With so many things seeming to be out of your locus of control, you can either give up or choose to reframe your outlook. Since giving up is not an option, we have to master our mindset.
Assimilation doesn’t always look the same for everyone; some may completely leave their country of origin, language, and culture behind, but others choose to live in the space between. People who embrace their dual identities and see themselves as both their native and adopted cultures tend to be more creative problem-solvers. Their diversity is deeper than what the eye can see. Their ideologies, customs, and upbringing are what truly contribute to a brighter future, one where we all “can transform perceived disadvantages into entrepreneurial assets” (Garcia-Cabrera and Garcia-Soto 2024).
The data is undeniable: Latino and migrant entrepreneurs hold immense potential. They are, without a doubt, today’s economic goldmine. The press can say otherwise, but as members of an interconnected community, we must take the chance to learn from these living experts. If you are looking to find your next big investment, I wouldn’t shy away from meeting with that immigrant community member who is equal parts strategist and dreamer. A lot of good can come from a small business loan, for families, for communities, and for our nation.
This section highlights helpful tools or guides that support real-world application of the Pathway.
After everything we covered today I hope you leave inspired to meet the team at the Suazo Center. Whether it be for you, a friend, or a loved one these services are unparalleled and their team is always ready to help! You can learn more about their support systems and class offerings here.
In this episode you learn about Jose Andres and the rise of his food and social impact ventures. I really enjoyed this episode because of the storytelling elements. Fair warning you’ll leave with great insights and maybe even a bit of hunger, those Paella cookouts sound divine!
This annual event celebrates the contributions of immigrant business owners across the U.S. Connecting entrepreneurs with investors, mentors, and advocates. You can watch the 20204 summit here.
This section reflects on a firsthand or immersive experience related to the Pathway topic.
For my immersive experience, I had the privilege of sitting in on the Suazo Center’s courses to learn more about the student experience. Going into it, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew I was excited to learn. I decided to sit in on their intermediate accounting and digital marketing class. I wanted a good mix of a familiar and unfamiliar subject to test my own knowledge and try something new. The environment was incredibly welcoming, and as I looked around, the students were engaged and ready to learn. This was a relief for me because I didn't want to be the one student who answered every question. Right off the bat, I could see the parallels between my own college courses at UVU and the Suazo Center’s method of teaching. Everything was based on real-world scenarios and placed the student in the mindset of an entrepreneur.
We began by covering the accounting equation and the role it plays in the balance sheet. We finished off with key terms such as tangible, intangible, liquidity, and solvency. Solvency is a company’s ability to meet its long-term financial obligations. This was a new term for me - unless you are my accounting professor and you indeed covered it in class, then I knew this term all along. Even though these were topics I was familiar with, I almost did not want to leave, but it was time to head to the next course.
In my college career, I have only ever taken one marketing course where I learned basic principles. This was going to be a completely new learning experience for me and I was excited. The course focused on digital tools within the Meta Business Suite. Everything about this course was experiential learning-based. Students followed along and created targeted marketing campaigns. They scheduled posts, read into their account insights, and sent push notifications to frequent visitors. It was so cool to see all of this happening in person. For us, it’s just social media, but to them, it’s a way to access and build new customer relationships.
We soon moved to conversations about current trends in social media and how to best engage with them. Short-form content has taken over the landscape ever since the introduction of TikTok and its rise to fame during the COVID-19 pandemic. I learned that this is known as TikTokification, and it has greatly influenced culture, music, language, and retail. Not only were we learning hard skills, but also tapping into current industry trends. We finished the class with an introduction to various directories such as Google My Business, Yelp, and Apple Maps. By the end of the class I felt like I could conduct some search engine optimization on my own. Everyone was sent home with one directive: find something you’d like to achieve with these new tools and bring it to class next time so that we may all learn how together. I really liked this because learning in groups also builds the soft communication skills needed in any professional environment.
It is without a doubt in my mind that the Suazo Center is preparing these future business leaders to step into rooms with great knowledge and confidence. I really enjoyed my time in these courses and would recommend them to anyone interested in entrepreneurship. The programming is comprehensive, affordable, and held within the most welcoming environment. I could not be more impressed with the work being done here. Be sure to look at the resources below if you want to get your entrepreneurial start with the Suazo Center.
This section offers closing reflections and invites readers to consider how they can apply the insights in their own lives and communities.
As I close this month's post I am filled with so much optimism and hope for the promise of what can be. If you take anything away from today, let it be that your mindset is your greatest asset. Focus on the things that are in your control and know that your lived experience is more than enough professional credibility. Traditional systems may not have been built with us in mind but that does not mean that we are powerless. Immigrants rarely ever come here with nothing, they bring creativity, resilience, a hard work ethic and a dream. These people are changing the narrative day by day, one sale at a time.
They have the innovative thought processes to build castles in the sky along with the talent and skills needed to create the foundation beneath them. You too can greatly contribute to this, and in many ways that are not monetary. We have to practice empathy and not allow ourselves to be swayed by the media headlines that are meant to strip others of their inherent worth. I am so grateful for the Suazo Center and the hardworking immigrant laborers that keep our country going.
If you felt inspired by any of this or if you’re looking to learn more then I would like to cordially invite you to our November 20th workshop in collaboration with the Suazo Business Center. In this workshop you can connect with advisors from the Suazo Center and reframe any perceived limitations. You will also learn about the history of migrant entrepreneurship, our relational care model, and your personal leadership style. I do hope you’ll consider joining us because the next chapter of economic equity will be written by people like you who are willing to take the first step.
