Mainebiz

O N T H E R E C O R D V O L . X X I I I N O. X X S E P T E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 7 32 B Y R E N E E C O R D E S T he center opened on July 31 at 24 Preble St., three years after Nahimana and Damas Rugaba, an immigrant from Rwanda, brainstormed the idea. It's a bright cheery space with works by local artists and posters depict- ing the history of Maine's immigrants. Mainebiz: What did you do before the welcome center? Alain Nahimana: After getting my work permit, I got my first job at a call center, but quit because people were not nice to me and got a job as a driver for a courier company. en in 2013, I got a job with the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition, where my first assign- ment was to go to a conference in D.C. about immigration reform at the federal level and my second assignment was to organize a rally in Portland. I quit last November and started working on this project on a daily basis in January. MB: A project that was three years in the making? AN: is was a dream of mine for a long time. If I as a newcomer hadn't had anyone to guide me, telling me where to go, how to do things, I wouldn't have made it. People in the immigrant com- munity were deprived of that support, and fundraising for any one community was difficult, so why not pool resources and build something we can share and be empowered from? MB: What are the biggest hurdles for new Mainers who want to start a business? AN: No. 1, people don't have access to information on how to do business, and No. 2, they don't have access to capital. Language barriers and inte- gration into the mindset of the U.S. marketplace are also challenges. MB: What's the first advice you give to an aspiring entrepreneur? AN: e first advice is about where to get accurate information. e center is here, we can give you informa- tion, we can connect you to people. I also tell them that the best attitude to have is to dream and to be bold. I encourage people to think big and be willing to try things, and then let's get connected with other people to share ideas and act as mentors. MB: How can you help with access to capital? AN: We're having a lot of conversations around that with lending institutions who will be willing to do some under- writing for equity loans as well as pro- viding micro-financing and allowing people without experience in business to have access to some level of capital. MB: Who uses the center so far? AN: So far, we have a photographer, a tax preparer and an interpreter. We also have someone who wants to start a transportation business and another who wants to start a catering business — people who don't necessarily work from here, but are incubating their business from here. MB: And what does that entail? AN: We connect them with people to help them move their business plan idea along, and then learn from them and see what other resources they need. Down the road we will connect them with a mentor to see how they're navigating their business and give them the support they need to thrive — not only to start a business, but to succeed and grow their business. MB: Long term, do you see other cities in Maine opening centers like this? AN: Absolutely. For me it's all about how we shift from the defensive on immigration issues and focus on build- ing our story, building our narrative and creating opportunities. It's fine to hold vigils and rallies, but down the road, it's about having successful black people and successful white people. Let's not only have a shared physical nation, let's share the prosperity. Join us for a FREE Seminar to see if equity crowdfunding is right for your small business. September 19, 2017, 5:30pm 29 Baxter Blvd, Portland, ME 04101 Space is limited. Reserve your spot at www.infinityfcu.com Raise capital. Grow your business. Turn customers into Brand Ambassadors. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Alain Nahimana, interim executive director of the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, talks with Antoni Bazia of Project Bazia, which brings African youth together through education and uses office space at the center. Alain Nahimana, a Burundi native who studied economics and speaks six languages, knows what it's like to arrive in this country and start over without a support network. As interim executive director of the new Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center business hub and incubator, he aims to help new Mainers find the resources needed to start a business.

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