- [Announcer] Live from your public media studios, W-V-I-A presents "Keystone Edition Business", a public affairs program that goes beyond the headlines to address issues in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania.

This is "Keystone Edition Business".

And now, moderator Steve Stumbris.

- Hi, I'm Steve Stumbris.

What do Uber, Peloton and Chobani Yogurt have in common?

They were all founded by immigrants.

In fact, more than half of the most highly valued tech companies were founded by people who weren't born in the U-S. Over time, they've created more than a billion jobs.

So, what is it like starting a business in the U-S as an immigrant?

If you have questions, you can email us at keystone@wvia.org, or tag us on social with the #keystonebusiness.

But first, Sarah Scinto explains how immigrants are vital to the U-S economy.

(whoosh and ambient music) - [Sarah] Business creation is vital to a healthy economy, and immigrants are a key part of that.

An immigrant is anyone who comes to live permanently in a foreign country, whether they're documented, undocumented, or refugees.

A study from M-I-T shows immigrants are 80% more likely to start a business, than people born in the U-S, and are creating more jobs in their individual communities nationwide.

Immigrants founded more than a quarter of the businesses in healthcare, construction, retail, hospitality, education services, and transportation.

The U-S Bureau of Labor and Statistics expects growth in all of those sectors.

According to the American Immigration Council, Pennsylvania's immigrant entrepreneurs have generated more than a billion dollars in business revenue.

In Pennsylvania, 1 in 10 entrepreneurs is an immigrant.

There are some barriers to entrepreneurship for immigrants, including the lack of the right kind of visa to stay in the U-S long-term, difficulty getting formal business loans, and general difficulty with local business regulations.

According to the New American Economy, there are more than 800,000 undocumented entrepreneurs in the U-S, but there's currently no law stating someone who's undocumented can't own a business.

For more information on immigrant led businesses, visit wvia.org.

For "Keystone Edition Business", I'm Sarah Scinto.

(whoosh and ambient music) - I'd like to introduce our panelists, here to share what they know on how business is changing.

First, I'd like to welcome Kendy Alvarz, the mayor of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Next, we have Anastaslia Romanova, the CEO and founder of Mosqitter, and she's an immigrant from Ukraine.

Finally, we have Lucy Singer, a business consultant, at the Small Business Development Center at Wilkes University, where she frequently helps immigrant entrepreneurs.

Thank you for joining us, everyone.

We're really looking forward to this conversation about the vitality of immigrants in business in Central and Northeast Pennsylvania.

And Anastaslia, I'd like to start with you.

Want to give you a chance to share your story, both as an immigrant, and a founder of a business, and how those things are related for you.

- Thank you.

Thank you so much for having me here today.

I'm grateful to share the story for Mosqitter.

So I will start a few words about Mosqitter itself.

Mosqitter is an engineering company to develop innovative products for pest insect control.

We target to shake up the traditional approaches to control pest insects, and we started from mosquitoes, and we introduced our first Mosqitter at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2020.

And since then, our route started for our company.

Now, I'm here already for nine months in the U-S, we, with our approach in our company, we targeted to present Mosqitter to U-S market in early 2023, but we did it earlier.

I was forced to move earlier, because of the war in Ukraine, and now, my team members also are joining me, and we also develop our team here in the U-S.

But our search and development team keeps working back in Ukraine.

And it's both a challenge, though it's also our strength, because we can show up and develop our product more and more to a better positioning in the world, and to bring it in the new markets.

- I am amazed to hear and learn more about you and Mosqitter, and how, well, like many immigrant owned businesses, immigrants leading businesses in the U-S, you're facing obstacles, overcoming challenges.

You have a truly unique one in that some members, many members of your team, are still operating, and the business is actually thriving despite the challenges they're facing in the war.

- And I believe this most important of how we do this is because of our team.

Because the people back in Ukraine, I should say they became even stronger, much stronger, because working from shelters, working under the scenarios, I haven't experienced this.

I have appeared outside of Ukraine when the war started, but the, I'm amazed about our team.

I keep talking to them, how strong are they, and they do a great job.

We conduct numerous Zoom calls out of French shelters, but they do their work, even in more energetic way than it was before.

They want to say that we can do this in any condition.

We can do this in any situation.

And our product is becoming even better every day.

I'm, first of all, I'm grateful for the team and it's about all Ukrainians now.

It's about all Ukrainians.

But for the U-S part of our work, it is great opportunities here.

What we do there, what we create, we can put here to work to make it valid, and to make out of this real business.

And for us, it's great honor to start and develop this business here.

And for us, it's great to have the support from small business development centers, from the innovation center of East Stroudsburg University.

We are based in, now, SelectUSA, the program that supports a lot of companies in the U-S, and that helps to develop the company even in this situation.

- Thank you for sharing that.

An inspiring story of how the company's growing here, and overcoming the obstacles that it's facing back at home.

You spoke of the theme of pursuing opportunity in the United States.

And Kendy, I wanted to turn to you and build upon that.

I know from your background, you grew up inspired by entrepreneurs, grew up in a family business, an immigrant owned family business.

Can you tell us about that experience of yours, and how that informs your work today?

- Yes.

When we moved to the U-S, I was five, but my dad had gone back to school, gotten his degree at Bucknell, and after that, started working at the Bucknell Small Business Development Center.

And then from there, started his own consulting firm, focused primarily on helping minority business owners in the Williamsport region.

And so he was doing a lot of business consulting.

So I remember, I might have been like 12, 13 years old, and I was helping him with filing and paperwork, and things like that, in his office.

And so, a lot of that comes full circle into the work that I do now with the Chamber of Commerce.

We're supporting small businesses in the borough of Lewisburg.

I really think that small businesses are the vitality of, you know, rural communities.

Like, we would not survive.

It is not about, you know.

The big industry is good, the manufacturing, you know, but it is the family run, the small businesses, those, you know, those are the ones that donate to our nonprofits.

They donate their time, they donate their energy.

They're the ones that keep things like Little League going, you know.

All of the things that we love about our communities are, sometimes, those things that are funded, either financially, or, you know, in kind, by small businesses.

- You, yourself, are involved in many ways in the community.

How do you manage to balance that yourself, at times as a small business owners, as an elected official, as a representative of the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Tell us more about that, that passion that drives you.

- I wish that I had, you know, one answer as to, like, how this balance happens, and it's not balance, it's you figure out what you have to do and you do that.

What's most pressing.

As soon as I figure out how to balance, I will just add something to my plate.

(laughs) Something else comes up, I'm like, "Oh sure, I can do that, too".

So I don't have, necessarily, a balance, but I, what I do, what I lack in balance, I make up for in passion.

And it's really that I want all of these things to happen, and so I do them.

- Well, thank you for all you do.

And Lucy, I want to ask you, now in your experience as a business consultant at the Wilkes University Small Business Development Center, you've had a chance to work with many immigrant led, and immigrant started, businesses.

What are the types, what are some of the most common types of businesses that you have seen immigrants start, and why?

- I don't think there's a particular type of business.

I have seen everything from truck drivers, to accountant services, to restaurants.

So I don't think there's a particular industry that the immigrants are gravitating to it towards.

I believe that when they come to the United States, they bring a skill set with them, and then they capitalize on a skill set to create opportunities here, when they come here.

So I don't think there's a particular industry, because everybody's looking at what they can do, what problems they can solve, how they can earn a living, when they come here, and then they capitalize on that.

- So the skill sets that they bring, how do they put those together with say, resources here?

Are there challenges in, particular challenges that they have in connecting with resources here in the U-S?

- I think there are a lot of challenges for an immigrant that comes in, because coming from their own home country, they are so used to saying, "I'm in business, hang up a sign, and that's it".

And then when they get here, they have somebody knocking on their door saying, "You didn't fill out the paperwork.

You didn't go through zoning.

You have to meet with the Department of Agriculture."

And they're kind of taken off guard, and say, "Well, I didn't know I had to do all that".

So I think that is one of the biggest issues, and they, a lot of those, end up on our doorstep saying, "How do I fix this?"

So that's when we get involved, and say, "Okay, we have to get the proper paperwork, we have to contact the proper officials", and, you know, we go follow through with that.

- Well, thank you.

I appreciate the work, of course, that you do, and the SBDC does, to help business owners.

At this time, I'd like to share a video about one business owner from the region.

And starting a business is never easy.

Being an immigrant makes that even harder.

Tony Camacho shared his story with W-V-I-A, of why he chose to open El Buen Amigo, and what keeps him going every day.

(whoosh) - Thank you.

I'll see you.

(Tony speaking in foreign language) - My name is Tony Camacho, owner from El Buen Amigo mexican restaurant.

I came to America looking for a better future for myself and my family, because in Mexico, it was more complicated.

It wasn't an easy decision, because I got my mom and my sisters there in Mexico, spending all my life living with them, and then separate, and don't see them for a long time.

Yeah, that's, it wasn't easy.

Yeah.

(speaking in foreign language) When I came here, I worked for in an Italian restaurant for a long time doing the dishes, and then kitchen, and then I learned to make pizza, breakfast.

And I say, I can't stay like this for all my life.

I need to do something, something productive for me and my family, if I am in this country that it's very, everybody can be successful.

I don't wanna say one day, "Why I didn't do it?"

I wanna do it now.

So that's why I, I decide to start a tortilla bakery.

Here you can receive a lot of support, you can get insurance for the kids, for the doctor, and you can get some help, like buying, trying to buy some food.

Actually for the government, it's, sometimes it's complicated for me, that as immigrant.

For example, when it was the pandemic, I try to apply for some, I heard, sometimes people email me, "Oh, there is some help that government is going to give it to businesses, or if you have any problems to pay their bills or whatever".

It was a tough days.

And I try to apply, but I never get, I never get approved, I guess, for some reason.

So I got family to support.

My wife help me.

She comes, maybe, just couple hours, and then she go home with the kids.

I have to make this business successful, because I'm thinking in the future, try to give it to them the best I can.

- [Patron] We'll be back.

Thank you.

- Anytime.

Have a nice day.

My parents are very proud of me, because they don't, they never imagine that I can do all this right now.

It's not easy, but it's possible.

Yeah.

Because good or bad, it's good.

Maybe one day we can have two or three restaurants.

That would be great.

Yeah.

(laughs) (whoosh) - I love hearing about Tony's dream of the future, where he's going to go.

Very entrepreneurial, very future minded, and even when he's experiencing setbacks, he's looking to what he can do.

Really inspiring.

Lucy, I want to ask you to respond to an interesting fact.

We found in our research, in that 14% of the United States were born in another country, but those, but among immigrants, they represent one quarter of startup founders.

So this points to immigrants being highly entrepreneurial.

What are some reasons you think that's the case?

- I think the main reasons are, there's three main points that I have seen.

First, you have the people coming in as students, on a student visa, and they go to school here, and then they decide to stay, and they start their own businesses.

So that would be the first one.

The second one is what we applied to once before, is they come to this country with a certain skill set, and they may not have the education, or they may not be able to get a job, but they have this skill set, and then they turn that skill set into a business, whether it be landscaping, or cleaning business, or a restaurant.

They have that skill, and that's what they use to make a living.

But, I believe the third one is it's personality driven.

When you leave a country to go to a different country where the language is different, the topography is different, the geography you're not familiar with, and, in most cases, you're coming by yourself, that person is driven.

They are very focused on what they want to do.

They have a plan, and they take a risk.

And if you look at any business management book that says, you know, if you're gonna start a business, you have to be a risk taker, and you have to be driven.

And I think you are a prime example of this, because you are definitely a risk taker, and you're driven for everything you're doing with your company.

And it's very impressive.

- Thank you.

Thank you so much.

- Anastaslia, that sounds like that resonates with you.

Can you, can you expand on that?

Which of those points really hit home for you?

- Yeah, really like the third point, and I feel like this about many of entrepreneurs that I know.

They came here, in the U-S particularly, and for me personally, like Kendy, I'm also from entrepreneur family, and that's was grown in myself since the childhood.

And I think that's, particular, that gives this braveness, maybe, to start in new country, to face all of those things that you should do new for you, and take it not as it is, as it is in your country, and you understand more, in most cases, how to do it.

But again, knocking all the doors that, there are many of doors that you should knock on the way.

(laughs) And this certain, I think, really the third point is very important.

And that's what I see from another entrepreneurs, and that's what I feel personally.

And it's important to have this navigation here to do this.

For me and for our team, it's not the first time to bring the product to the new market.

We used to do this before to India, to Brazil, and we expanding our geography, but here it's a bit different.

We established the entity, legal entity here.

Other countries is about partnerships, and about, again, facing another culture.

But you shouldn't do all that way, like of knocking the doors again.

But here, when you put the legal entity here, you want to develop.

You have investors, U-S based investors, there's another level of obligations you should, you should do.

And you want to do it very good.

You want to perform in the most effective way.

And that's probably the tops, being risk takers, and having this internal strengths to do so.

- I'm really intrigued by the idea of innovation of, that immigrants seem well suited for, of taking a product, or service, from one market, and introducing it to a new place.

That's an interesting story.

Now Kendy, I wanted to ask you to build on that.

Entrepreneurs coming here, finding new opportunities, finding new opportunities, and what are some of the character traits that help them reach those opportunities?

- Well, I think it's about resilience and resourcefulness, you know.

Being able to overcome the obstacles that come your way, but also, being very resourceful in finding those opportunities.

It's about finding, not necessarily knowing that it's going to succeed, but choosing that failure isn't an option.

It may be that you have an idea for a product, and you launch it, and it might not work, initially, as you saw it, but you're gonna find a way to pivot, and find some way for that to succeed, if it's not that, in some future iteration of it.

- That pivot.

Yes, we've heard of that term, in particular, when entrepreneurs hit some sort of challenge, a wall, find a way to go around, or over, or- - [Kendy] Through.

- Through.

(guests laugh) Lucy, can you talk about some of the challenges you've seen immigrant entrepreneurs overcome?

What are some of the biggest hurdles they've jumped?

- You mentioned pivot, and one person in particular comes to mind.

She was a medical professional in her country, but, unfortunately, coming to the United States, the United States didn't recognize her educational background.

And if she wanted to continue in the medical field, she would have to do her schooling all over again.

And she said, "I'm not doing that".

So, we worked together, and she, eventually, ended up starting a medical supply wholesale business.

And she's doing exceptionally well, because she does have that medical background that she can speak to the doctors and representatives, and she speaks knowledgeably.

And this has created a very well performing business for her.

And that, to me, is like the prime idea of a pivot, to take something and just transform it into something else.

- Now, Anastaslia, I cannot think of a greater pivot, a greater ability to adapt, than you and Mosqitter have shown.

Can you tell us more about that change in the business plan, that brought you to the U-S?

- Yeah, there are multiple types of pivots that can be taken, and I think we did a lot recently.

So first of all, we really should look through our business model.

I think the, that was important for us, that we previously had those partnerships outside of our home country, because this helped us to adapt quite quickly, to live our core value, like research and development, engineering team back in Ukraine, and to keep going and developing that, but to put all those manufacturing things, and those types of distribution, selling, yes, to other markets, and having done those steps before, it helped us to make this pivot quite quickly.

So being prepared, and having backup plan, it was good idea for us.

And the, and definitely, as a startups, startups doing different types of pivots, yes, in, sometimes in the product, sometimes in the business model, in the approaches.

So for us, we did some of those, as an example, in the business model, but I know that lots of startups are doing that a lot now.

And not only those from Ukraine, but with economic situation worldwide, yes.

And with Covid, many companies, startups, did the pivot.

So I think it's very, very important skill set to have inside of the team, and also team members to adapt to this, and to be up to do this.

- What's the future hold for Mosqitter?

So starting in 2020, three years in now, what do you hope that the next three, to maybe five years, looks like?

Where are you then?

- I can talk a lot on that.

(laughs) And definitely, there are some sort of things that go into the product.

We really want to expand our product line for ecological products that face pest insects, and to help people to get less of chemicals in their life, but more ecological and smart products there.

We put a lot of efforts to get valuable data out of what we do.

So from mosquitoes, to know where the mosquitoes are there.

So we do a lot of things in terms of research and develop site for this aspect.

Definitely I want to see our team succeeding, growing professionally, and growing as a team, of course, making more jobs inside of it, raising, growing our capitalization on the market, working with amazing partners, with amazing distributors.

And those partnerships help us grow already, those we have now.

And I really would like to work with the companies that, already for some time, for a long time on the market, and to get this experience, and really to create the value with our product, to bring the impact to what we are doing in our field.

So in baby steps, to have our sports for a better world we live in.

- Well, thank you Anastaslia.

I wish you all the luck in bringing Mosqitter to where you want it to be, wherever in the world it is, and much success in the U-S. Lucy, thanks for all that you shared about how your experience at the Small Business Development Center.

You have helped immigrants start and grow businesses.

And Kendy, all that you do to empower entrepreneurs of the Greater Susquehanna Valley, downtown Lewisburg and beyond.

Thank you for being here.

Again, thank you all for participating tonight in W-V-I-A's "Keystone Edition Business".

And thank you to the viewers for joining us.

For more information on this topic, please visit wvia.org/keystone business.

And remember, you can re-watch this episode on demand, anytime online, or on the W-V-I-A app.

For "Keystone Edition Business", I'm Steve Stumbris.

Thank you for watching.

(slow techno music)