I’m Proof The American Dream Is Real

Mimi Reeder
Jul 28, 2017 · 3 min read

I’ve never thought of myself as a trendsetter. Or someone who is a leader, out in front. You know what I mean — the kind of person who makes a stand and says, “this is what I am going to do, no matter what”. Those are the people on TV, doing magazine interviews, living glamorous or “important” lives. But here I am, one of the newest, most fashionable people in America, an immigrant who owns a business.

Enjoying the beach at Stavros, Greece thanks to my entrepreneur life.

The facts speak for themselves:

  1. Immigrants, only about 15% of the U.S. population, launch more than 25% of new businesses.
  2. Immigrants today are more than twice as likely to become a business owner as a natural-born citizen.
  3. The business start-up rate by immigrants has improved by more than 50% since 1996.
  4. 6 million Americans are employed in immigrant-owned businesses.
  5. Immigrant owned businesses employ more than 1 out of every 10 workers
  6. And, generate almost $1 trillion annually

I don’t know if the saying, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know that counts”, is uniquely American, but I’ve found that it has a lot of truth. I’ve always been a pretty good student, an active learner and ambitious. But living in a new country, learning new ways, culture, language, laws and everything else that comes with being an immigrant offer additional challenges, especially once you get that bug, that desire, that passion to be a business owner. I definitely needed to get, “in the know”.

Social media definitely is a useful part of any strategy. Sites like LinkedIn are invaluable in making connections, sharing ideas, developing your own plan. But I still needed to make personal contacts have face-to-face meetings, encounters, and opportunities to sharpen my thinking and settle on a business and personal plan that I knew would succeed.

On Pace Franchising and Swartz & Reeder Advisors put me in the know. New people, new opportunities every day! Trendsetter? Me? Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But I am definitely riding a wave. And it is growing all the time. What about you?

Michael Reeder and I are enjoying a well deserved and much-needed family vacation in Bulgaria and Greece. This vacation is possible because we work really hard and took advantage of the opportunity to become entrepreneurs. We help people become entrepreneurs and our team is always available for free consultations. We would be glad to help you become the entrepreneur you always wanted to be. We brought our laptops with, so we can help clients all the way around the world. Visit us at OnPaceFranchising.com

Original Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/im-proof-american-dream-real-mimi-reeder?published=t

Mimi Reeder

Written by

Entrepreneur| Business Broker | Franchise Consultant | Accountant | Lover of Life, Martial Arts, Travel, Photography| Social: mi2reeder

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