Owning a business. Being an Immigrant.

I would like to invite all of you to look into owning a business. I believe this is the only way anyone in our situation can make a decent living. I worked in restaurants, banks, construction and all kind of cleaning jobs. I never really made much money plus I hate it myself for wasting my intellect. I started to work on my own and the money is a little better but my self-esteem has risen. I do construction but the added challenges of owning a business keeps my mind occupied and the pride of being a small business owner gives some direction to my life. I see a lot of people with more schooling and more useful degrees that mine in this forum. Why are you not using your degree or talent to create your own future. This came to me in a epiphany I had in a hot day outside in Arizona. My dad work for a pipe fitter company own and managed by a family. Dad and son where both high school drop-outs, not really business savvy and for the most part very close minded. Still they run a company that provided for a above middle class lifestyle. (new cars, a home and small disposable incomes) For years I study this two guys and I told myself I could do what they are doing ten times better. Now it took about five years for me to get the courage and money (mostly courage) to do it but here I'm celebrating one of my best months in earnings.

Now there are three things that where made my company possible.

Good partners. My family has made this company a reality. If I didn't had my Dad's knowledge and my brother support I wouldn't been able to start. For many years I look down on my Father's knowledge of home building. Now I see that knowledge is what set us apart from most of this construction companies in our market. I have a lot of bad days and sometimes I want to quit; that's when my brother comes up to push me to move forward. Find people that can help you, there is always people willing to do business.

Be willing to lose. I started to get the licenses, bond and insurance I need knowing I could loose everything at any point. Right now the law could change and I could lose everything but I'm ok with that. I prefer to play and lose that to not play at all. I'm ready everyday to lose everything and go back to getting a job waiting tables, the way I see it everyday I stay away from working those jobs is a good day. I live by something that a barista told me when I work for Starbucks. "Luck favors the bold."

Jumping the dam hops. There are a million things standing on your way but what are you going to do: curse your luck about not being able to land a safe government job (ask the people on Wisconsin how safe their government jobs are) go back to your country (yeah good luck making it in a third world society if you can't even get a job here), cry until the American people feel bad for you (ask the millions kill in Dafur how that work out for them). I wake up everyday knowing that I have to work 10 times harder that the hardest working American, I have to be 100 times smarter that the smartest American and I have to have 1000 times more luck that the luckiest American and I just confront the day with that in my mind. So when I hit a wall because I don't have a American passport I find a way to jump that wall(I find this funny since I didn't jump the wall I entered the US legally).

Why I'm saying all this to you because wanted or not we are all in the same ship. American society looks at us as a unit, not individuals. To them we are not Mexicans, Filipinos, Peruvians or Colombians we are immigrants and immigrants of the worst kind illegal. I know is hard to accepted but Joe Public does not care if you went to college or know how to read. Most of America will treat us all as a block and they will make laws against us as a block. So let's start acting as a block, let's get the ignorant immigrants educated, let's eliminated unemployment among the immigrants, let's create instead of waiting for the handout of the Gabacho. If we create value the ruling class will find a way to fix our situations or to ignore the law. I'm not American I been told that many times but I'm not Mexican either I cannot identify with Mexican ideals. I'm a Immigrant, a Pioneer and my people are the immigrants of the world. Those that don't conform to what situation they where given by birth but are always looking for a better future. Those are my people I don't care what race they are or what language they speak, if you are an immigrant you share more experiences with me in a day that any Mexican in Mexico ever will in a life time.

Well thanks for creating this forum that helps translated into words what I'm feeling and that helps me learn from the stories of my people.

I have never read anything more inspiring than this. I thought I w0uld never find such a thing. I am also an undocumented small business owner that is looking and struggling to expand. I agree with every word that you said. We should not beg for hand-outs, we should start building our own future and I also believe that starting businesses within our community would solve many of the problems we are faced with and would definitely change how Americans perceive us as a whole. It almost seems like every other immigrant group has realized this except us. Its time to come together and act!

I am really interested in forming a group of undocumented immigrant business owners to help each other. Please reply back at my email: [email protected]

You guys are awesome and an inspiration to us all. I, a student in college, have been thinking about this for a while. I have many skills that are needed in today's society. I'm currently studying Accounting, but my skills are really on the computer stuff. I am planning to make a business based on the platform of skills I have. I hope you guys succeed. GODSPEED

Hey guys I'm looking on starting a retail store you guys can email me I live in Texas, If you want to collaborate email me: [email protected]

I do a lot of web programming, and have my own clothing line. I'm trying to start LLC and would love to help out my fellow Latinos. If you need a site hosted I will help you out.

technes is my current project.

I'm also starting a business! I agree about forming a group of undocumented immigrant business owners. We could really help out each other with this idea.

this is a public forum thats scrutinized by many people not just migrants, you guys can more easily find support locally, the idea sounds risky

Anyone want to start a beer brewery?

I agree the only way to create a true helpful forum would be to ensure complete privacy for the members and different mechanisms to make sure only undocumented business owners get into it. It's great to think that we could do this only locally but the problem is that we do need to learn from each other in a national stage. PM if you are interested on disusing this ideas a little more.

Can you imagine a truly immigrant beer? The Modern Pioneer Ale. I know a small brewer in Washington State I could put you guys in contact with him so you get an idea on what would take to really open a Brewery.

I'm so happy this post got so much positive replies; I wrote it a night I could not sleep. I just wanted to express what I been feeling for the past couple of months. If you have a good story post it because we need some inspiring stories of people in our situation.