be more like an immigrant When he was 24, Cruz came to America, with $250 in his pocket and the promise of a $10 an hour job. But the job he’d been promised fell through. “So I started mowing lawns,” he says. “Then I learned to do snow removal. Then I got a job cleaning restaurants. I was going to school to learn English during the day. Then I’d go home, change clothes and mow lawns. At night, I’d shower and change and go clean restaurants. The next day, I’d do it all over again.” That’s the immigrant mentality: “You do whatever it takes,” Cruz says. “Working two or three jobs, 20 hours a day if necessary. And that mentality never really goes away – it becomes your competitive advantage.”
“You do whatever it takes. Working two or three jobs, 20 hours a day if necessary. And that immigrant mentality never really goes away – it becomes your competitive advantage.”
Fernando Cruz credits “the immigrant mentality” – along with his mother – for turning him into a successful entrepreneur.
make money. And if you don’t make money, you go back to the favela.”
EIGHT CORE TRAITS OF AN ENTREPRENEURIAL BEING AN IMMIGRANT IS LIKE IMMIGRANT MENTALITY Many of the attributes that help an BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR Immigrants thrive in business because of the many skills they pick up navigating a new world. Many successful immigrants, like Cruz, arrive in their new home full of promise and dreams about a new life – and not much else. It’s not always easy. Whether they are fleeing dangerous conditions at home or just looking for new opportunities, immigrants often leave behind friends, family, and support networks. They then enter unfamiliar territory in a nation full of complex bureaucracy, discrimination, and uncertainty. As a result, top of the list of attributes that come along with the immigrant mentality are assertiveness and creative thinking. Cruz also cites fear of failure as a great motivator. He was a skilled salesman, but never forgot what he faced if he failed: “If you don’t sell it, you don’t thunderbird magazine
immigrant succeed are the same as those that make a successful entrepreneur. In addition to assertiveness, creative thinking, and fear of failure, the following attributes may help immigrants – and entrepreneurs – succeed. (Roll over the photos for more detail.)
WANTED: PEOPLE WHO GET THINGS DONE Because immigrants are particularly likely to have those eight traits – they have to in order to survive and thrive – and because those eight traits are exactly the kinds of traits that entrepreneurs need to succeed, the conclusion is that the immigrant experience is particularly good training for entrepreneurial success. But, even if you’re not an immigrant, you can adopt the eight core traits of the immigrant mentality.
If you’re an employer: As you interview new candidates and work to develop talent within your organization, think about the eight traits described above. Just as those characteristics make for successful entrepreneurs, they make for successful employees as well. And while immigrants come by those traits by virtue of their experience, you can inculcate those traits within your employees as well, through training. If you’re an entrepreneur: Of course, it’s possible to be a successful native-born entrepreneur. But all entrepreneurs can benefit from developing in themselves the eight traits described above. If you’re a global leader: Many of the traits that make for successful immigrants and entrepreneurs make for successful global leaders as well. Seek out the kind of cross-cultural experiences that make you feel just a bit uncomfortable. It’s going outside of your comfort zone that builds the kind of resilience you’ll need as a global leader. Bottom line: To succeed as an entrepreneur, or employee, or leader – be more like an immigrant.
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