Mohamed Rahman is an inspiring example
of how immigrant entrepreneurs can make it in Ottawa.
The engineering graduate from Bangladesh arrived here in 1993,
and got a diploma in systems engineering at Algonquin College.
He was all set to start a computer systems support company, when
his work in a bathroom and kitchen design store gave him instead
an innovative idea for a lighting business.
Nearly two years after opening Exclusive Lighting and Electrical
Home in Orleans, Rahman has seen the sales of his store jump
from $73,000 in 2003 to $450,000 in 2005.
Now he is about to open a new showroom for his lighting business
on Industrial Avenue, and has just been nominated for a Best
Small Business Award by the Greater Ottawa Chamber of Commerce.
For every story like Rahman’s, there are many immigrant
entrepreneurs who don’t know how to start up their own businesses
in their new home countries, says Jack DeJong, project co-ordinator
for the Ottawa Community Economic Development (CED) Network.
This need, DeJong says, has fuelled a pilot program to help immigrant
entrepreneurs get a start in the local marketplace.
Many new entrepreneurs are unaware of the services available
to them to help them get started, like the Ottawa Community Loan
Fund’s “character-based lending” program.
The fund acts as an alternative to banks and credit unions, which
often provide lending based on credit history and net worth,
rather than on the strength of a person’s business plan.
“New Canadians may have problems obtaining financing because
of their lack of credit history,” says George Brown, managing
director of the Ottawa Community Loan Fund.
Brown says most new entrepreneurs also tend to skimp on the planning
as they are usually “get-up-and-go” people.
“The typical entrepreneur doesn’t want to do a business
plan, just wants to go ahead with his new business, and may do
a bit of running off without the planning,” he says, adding
that the discipline of a business plan is important in the management
of a new company.
DeJong says the immigrant entrepreneurship workshop aims to help
aspiring businesspeople work through these problems as they begin
their enterprises.
At the same time, the Ottawa CED Network is hoping to strengthen
community ties by uniting entrepreneurs with strong ideas with
seasoned professionals.
The expectation is these successful ethnic mentors, like Rahman,
will provide them with tools to build profitable companies within
their communities.
“There are lots of people who don’t know where to go,
what to do,” Rahman says. “I want to give them the
methods for success.”
DeJong explains that the Ottawa CED Network is trying to give
successful immigrant entrepreneurs a chance to help develop community
businesses.
“It’s all about community participation,” he says.
Brown agrees it’s important to have mentors for new business
owners.
“You need someone who’s been there, who understands
what you’re going through,” he says.
The program will involve a series of workshops in French and
English held once a month between December of this year and March
2006.
It will give entrepreneurs insights into creating a business
plan, building a customer base, and marketing their product.
The participants will also learn to manage their new businesses
successfully, obtain financing and keep their books in order.
In addition, the program will inform them about Canadian laws
and taxation.
Richard Edwin, the co-ordinator and co-operative developer of
the African Diaspora Community Co-operative, says small business
owners often lack information about these issues.
“It’s important to know how to access the market,”
Edwin says about the challenges of developing a marketing strategy.
He explains entrepreneurs often have to reach a specific audience
within a larger, scattered market with different needs.
Edwin, one of the mentors for the immigrant entrepreneurship
program, adds there are a lot of free resources business people
can tap into to.
He says he’s eager to share these with the participants
of the program.
“The experience you have gained over time is something you
can share,” he says.
Rahman says the program will be useful in getting new entrepreneurs
to explore business opportunities they might not otherwise know
about.
He adds that he believes there are a lot of talented people who
have come to Canada to find success, and he would like to help
them get it.
“There are a lot of possibilities for me to show them the
way,” he says. “I want to make a strong team of successful
entrepreneurs.” |