Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | November 12, 2018 | Worcester Business Journal 17 The Immigrant Entrepreneur in Worcester 6 picture of a foreign-born population that has higher rates of entrepreneurship than the native- born populace. Immigrant entrepreneurs in Worcester, matching results from national studies, tend to gravitate toward certain industries. According to U.S. Census figures tracking residents' occupations, around 28 percent of foreign-born incorporated business owners from Worcester reported working in a restaurant or other food service business. This accounted for 71 percent of the total restaurant and food service category run by Worcester residents, according to the census. An additional 28 percent of immigrant entrepreneurs work in administrative and support services, the most popular category of which is landscaping (another business category dominated by the foreign-born, at 78 percent of the Worcester total). Around 13 percent operated a retail business, 9 percent were in construction, and 6 percent were in transportation. On the native-born side, 21 percent of businesses were in the entertainment industry, 18 percent were in administrative and support services (the most common category of which was legal services), 14 percent were in finance, 12 percent were in retail, and 8 percent were in service industries. Surveying a Sample of Entrepreneurs In an attempt to get more specific data on local businesses, The Research Bureau distributed a survey seeking demographic and business information from local businesses. The survey was distributed in person on dense commercial corridors in the city and through community partners, who distributed it to business owners in their orbits. While most immigrant business owners contacted were unwilling or unable to complete the survey, there were still a few insights gleaned from the entrepreneurs who responded. Respondents were granted anonymity. Nearly half of the respondents operated a retail establishment, with restaurateur being the next most frequent business. They represented a broad spectrum of countries of origin. Around 20 percent reported English as a first language, while the rest spoke an array of languages, Spanish being the next most common. Respondents were evenly split between males and females. Around 80 percent had a high school diploma, and nearly half had a college degree. The sample did differ from the general immigrant population in key ways. Around 75 percent of those surveyed were more than 45 years old, and nearly all the business owners who responded had been in the United States for more than 10 years. This may have been due to older entrepreneurs' increased willingness to discuss their business, greater comprehension of the survey questions, or a reflection of the difficulties of starting a business, which may be even tougher for younger people who lack the work experience, skills, or capital of their older peers. Respondents were asked a number of questions about their business. One important consideration for any entrepreneur is timing, or when to start their business. For the immigrant businesspeople surveyed, nearly half started their current business between four and ten years after arriving in the United States, with the vast majority of the remainder taking longer. Respondents were also asked about their experience with the bureaucratic procedures of setting their business up with the City of Worcester. Most of the sentiment was positive (see chart 5), with a plurality reporting that it was at least somewhat easy to do, an encouraging sign for future growth of immigrant businesses. Chart 4: Immigrants as Percent of Business Owners Source: 2016 5-year American Community Survey

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