Immigrants and entrepreneurs share similar personal characteristics – tenacity, a high tolerance for risk, an ability to cope with uncertainty, and a willingness to make the best of what's available.
"For many American immigrants entrepreneurship is an alternative to poverty and social isolation," says Aldis Jakubovskis, program specialist at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in downtown St. Louis. "The more hardships and frustrations immigrants experience in the mainstream economy, the more they seek alternatives in self-employment."
A classic illustration of this is Nellie Tsimerman, owner of the Forum Home Health Agency, LLC, which serves a broad ethnic clientele in St. Louis. Agency services include basic and advanced personal care, respite and advanced care, nurse respite care, skilled nursing and physical therapy. Sales in 2004 were $220,000 with a workforce of 24 full-or-part-time employees, most of them capable of communicating in the client's native language.
Nellie, a refugee from the former Soviet Union, arrived in the United States in 1996 with her son, Edward. They had no relatives or friends awaiting them. Their support came from the St. Louis International Institute, a non-profit organization helping immigrants and refugees with basic needs while they settle into their new country.
Fortunately, Nellie also found support for her desire to become a business owner from Mary Fischer-Gobble, the Institute's business development specialist.
"Along with the support, Nellie just needed time to assimilate to her new surroundings," explains Jakubovskis, who also is an immigrant, coming from Latvia to the U.S. in 1991.
"Nellie's experience is common among immigrants – no matter how high their entrepreneurial energy, they need time to acclimate to the community, to take care of basic needs and to cross the language barrier."
Fischer-Gobble referred Nellie to the SBDC and Jakubovskis in March 2002, through the Institute's Business Links program.
Nellie needed financing for her start-up business and wanted to learn about the lending process, developing a business plan and budgets. Jakubovskis collaborated with Resources for Missouri, Inc. (RMI), an SBA micro-lender, to help Nellie secure start-up funds. He also recommended she apply for office space at the downtown St. Louis business incubator on Washington Avenue.
Nellie followed the recommendations and has since approached SBDC with a multitude of requests.
The result is Nellie has reached a milestone in her business, recently closing on an SBA 504 loan to purchase commercial property in south St. Louis. The building is being remodeled by Edward, who holds an architecture degree from Washington University in St. Louis. When the remodeling is complete Nellie will leave the St. Louis Enterprise Center business incubator where Forum Home Health Agency was a tenant for more than two years and expand her business by opening a center for seniors.
The senior center, as is her in-home services business, will be a Medicaid provider with a focus on elderly from various ethnic backgrounds including Russians, Bosnians, Ukrainians, Somalis, Afghanis, Vietnamese and Chinese. With the new expansion Edward will manage the family business.
Nellie is very appreciative of the public assistance that has allowed her dream to come true.
"The road to establishing my agency has been a long one, both in distance and in time," says Nellie. "But it is the enterprising nature of this country and it's the help I've received along the way from people like Aldis and Mary that have paved the way for my business hopes. They really care about me and my business. I wouldn't be here without their help."
Forum Home Health Agency
3830 Washington Ave Suite 116
Saint Louis, MO 63108
Phone: 314-369-2056
Fax: 314-535-0105
slcec.com/SLEC/Midtown/ForumHomeHealth/ForumHome.htm
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