Module 4 entrepreneurship for people in interface communities

Module 4:
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
for people in
Interface communities
"The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an
endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission
cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."

Who is this module for?
This module can be used by anyone (person or organisation)
who is passionate about doing something to change or
address interface challenges in their communities, towns,
cities or regions. It is also for existing enterprise agencies and
VET providers who want to learn more about supporting and
serving their diverse communities.
About this Module
Having come through Modules 1-3, you should be coming to
this module enthused and inspired, bursting with ideas of
how you can improve your Interface Community. In this
module and the next (Module 5) we will look at Enterprise
and Entrepreneurship in more detail as a key integration
and community development tool.
Module 4 works to foster a culture and deeper appreciation for
entrepreneurship among marginalised and minority groups in
Interface Communities. It looks at some of the specific barriers
these groups face and offers some inspiration by way of case
studies for how communities and organisations can work to
help these be overcome.

Learning Focus of Module 4
In this module you explore
 Why Entrepreneurship ?
 Benefits of Entrepreneurship in Interface Areas
 Barrier to Entrepreneurship for Marginalised Groups – migrants,
ethnic entrepreneurs etc.
 Case Studies of Successful Migrant, Ethnic and Marginalised
Entrepreneurs
 Best practice (and replicable!) EU projects and programmes
supporting Migrant, Ethnic and Marginalised Entrepreneurs
 Signposting to Enterprise Supports in the Netherlands

Practical Learning Focus
This module includes individual and group work
exercises with the following icons
Exercise Exercise Icon
Group Discussions
Written Exercise or Quiz
Video
Downloadable Resources
for extra reading

Why Entrepreneurship?
 Entrepreneurship is not only about new ventured and
creation, it is also about a way of thinking and behaving. It
is about people who see an opportunity, gather the
resources required, and then build a group of people about
them who will help fulfil the ambition identified.
 People with entrepreneurial characteristics are generally
positive in their mindset, individuals who look to make
things happen, rather than wait for others to lead the way
 It is recognised that the greater the participation rate in
entrepreneurial activities, the better the economic
growth, which is beneficial for a society as a whole. In this
way by embracing entrepreneurship and contributing to
society as whole, those that are from disadvantaged
interface areas and minority groups can "cross the divide"
and establish themselves as important contributors to
local economies and communities.

Why Entrepreneurship?
According to the economic growth theory,
entrepreneurial activity helps to further a level of
general welfare of a society where growing incomes
living standards and life quality also improve.
Individuals decide to engage in entrepreneurial
activity because of different motivations. For many
minority groups, self-employment and
entrepreneurship represent a very practical way to
enter the labour market.

As highlighted by Prof Thomas
Cooney, DIT, Ireland, minority
communities face additional
and distinctive challenges in
starting up their own business.
The benefits of training
around what it means to be
‘entrepreneurial’ can help them
in their social as well as their
working life. The benefits extend
to community level. Prof. Cooney
also highlights that policy
makers should not assume that
entrepreneurs from
underrepresented groups will
create low-value added,
single person firms.

Context to Minority Groups considering
Entrepreneurship
The majority of minority entrepreneurs are ‘push entrepreneurs’*, in
other words they are pushed into starting a business because of the
negative experiences that they have suffered. Prof. Thomas Cooney
summarises:
Travellers Highly entrepreneurial but traditional
industries have gone.
50+ Just 1-in-10 made unemployed will work again
Gay Highly entrepreneurial.
Immigrant Wonderful export potential, transnational
diaspora entrepreneurship.
Muslim Challenges in raising funding due to Islamic
Finance restrictions.
Prisoners Costs €90,000 pa to keep someone in prison.
People with DisabilitiesRates of employment and pay are shameful.

Many will also have
encountered issues such as
racism, ageism,
homophobia, or many of
the other forms of
prejudice that such groups
are expected to tolerate.
*(‘pull’ motivations for
entrepreneurship are the need for
achievement, the desire to be
independent and social development
possibilities)

Risks that Minority Groups typically face
• Risk of limited or no education.
• Risk of higher rates of morbidity and
mortality.
• Risk of extreme poverty.
• Risk of discrimination and political and
economic exclusion.
• Risk of being a source of future
conflict.

Spotlight on Disadvantaged Groups
What do we mean by disadvantaged?
Economically disadvantaged – those from lower-income backgrounds
who may suffer from social exclusion and have limited access to natural
resources and economic opportunities
Geographically disadvantaged – can be a neighbourhood or wider area
where there is a need to stimulate the physical, economic and social
regeneration

Spotlight on Minorities –More on Ethnic Minorities
We are all members of an ethnic group, this is a group that regards itself or
is regarded by others as a distinct community on the basis of shared
characteristics such as language, religion, nationality or traditions.
Minority Ethnic - refers to a culture or ethnicity that is identifiably
distinct from the ethnic majority. According to Pan and Pfeil (2002) there
are 87 distinct peoples of Europe, of which 33 form the majority
population in at least one sovereign state, while the remaining 54
constitute ethnic minorities. The total number of national minority
populations in Europe is estimated at 105 million people, or 14% of 770
million Europeans. Groups that have been identified as minority ethnic
include the Travelling Community in Ireland and the UK, Sami of northern
Scandinavia, the Basques of northern Spain and southern France, the
Bretons of western France.
Ethnic Majority - refers to the predominant ethnic group in society (e.g.
White, Irish, Celtic, Christian, and settled).

Spotlight on Minorities - Migrant/Immigrant
Migrant/Immigrant - refers to people who have themselves, or
through their parents, chosen and planned to live abroad in
order to work and/or study.
If they are residents of the European Union they can live in the
Netherlands without a visa. Migrants from outside the European
Economic Area must have a visa/permit to work, live or study in
the Netherlands.
Those who do not have a visa are called Undocumented Migrants
(sometimes referred to as Illegal Migrants).

Spotlight on Minorities - Refugees
Refugees have been compelled to leave
their country of origin because of a
well-founded fear of persecution.
They are granted rights similar to Dutch
residents i.e. the right to work, to social
welfare, to claim citizenship etc.
Refugees have not had the opportunity
to financially and psychologically
prepare for life in a new country.

Discrimination and the Law
In the Netherlands, in article 1 of the
Constitution all people in the Netherlands will
be treated equally in equal cases. Furthermore,
in this article it is stated that discrimination,
for religion, believe, political orientation, race,
gender or any other means, is not permitted.
Also incitement to hatred or discrimination will
not be tolerated.

Benefits of Entrepreneurship
in Interface Communities
Entrepreneurship brings many benefits at
individual level – such as self sufficiency,
flexibility, improved social status.
Businesses established by those from minority
backgrounds are an essential part of a society
in which personal initiative is encouraged and
in which opportunity is within the reach of all
citizens.

Benefits of
Entrepreneurship in
Interface Communities
• International benefits:
Entrepreneurial activities pursued
by minorities, particularly those
from other countries, can pave the
way for domestic and international
trade expansion’‘
• Regional benefits: Minority or
ethnic entrepreneurs have the
ability to prosper in their host
countries by capturing local market
niches.

Video Case Study – The Syrian
Barber of Bute
The tiny island of Bute in Scotland is one of the last places you'd
expect to find a Syrian hair salon. But for the past year the island
has been home to 15 Syrian families trying to rebuild their lives.
The BBC's Mohamed Madi went to Bute to meet one of them.
Click to watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G53K6H86-64
EXERCISE 1:
WATCH SYRIAN
BARBER VIDEO
Refer to Module
Learner Workbook.

“There are always risks with business, but for a
Traveller, these risks are even greater because
we face discrimination every day.”
Traveller entrepreneur

Meet Leanne McDonagh – Artist,
Teacher and Traveller
Leanne McDonagh, Artist, Teacher and Traveller who shares her
journey in education and training to better promote and
support minority entrepreneurs.
Click to watch: https://youtu.be/TM3P5lRIsnI
EXERCISE 2:
WATCH LEANNE’s
VIDEO & Download
CASE STUDY
Refer to Module
Learner Workbook.

Barriers to Ethnic, Migrant and Minority
Entrepreneurship
While all potential entrepreneurs are confronted with challenges
(financial constraints, uncertainty as to business potential, lack of
information/resources/skills) these problems are particularly
pronounced for minority groups and are often compounded by
problems that are very specific to minority groups such as:
 Lack of familiarity with the functioning of local labour markets
and with local business regulatory frameworks
 Language barriers & difficulties in accessing local business
networks
 Discrimination, vulnerability, isolation.
 Lack of information and trust in public support services.
 Limited business, management and marketing skills.
 Greater difficulties accessing finance.

Barriers to Ethnic, Migrant and
Minority Entrepreneurship
 Ethnic participation in terms of self-employment and ethnic
entrepreneurship is increasingly seen as a powerful economic
force and a contributor to solving structural labour market
imbalances in many western economies.
 Structural barriers to ethnic entrepreneurship include social
exclusion and discrimination, poor access to markets, and high
unemployment.
 Cultural barriers to ethnic entrepreneurship include specific
values, skills, and cultural features including internal
solidarity and loyalty, flexibility, personal motivation, strong
work ethics, informal network contacts with people from the
same ethnic group, and flexible financing arrangements.
 Entrepreneurs in fragile areas often lack the formal business
planning skills needed to access loans and grow their
businesses (Entrepreneurship in Postconflict Zones, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) 2012).
Source: http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=imerep

Barriers to Ethnic, Migrant and
 Structural and cultural factors identify that ethnic
entrepreneurs are more likely to be ‘pushed’ into
entrepreneurship rather then ‘pulled’ into
entrepreneurship, as economic and social circumstances
pushes them towards self-employment.
Minority entrepreneurs also face challenges that mainstream
entrepreneurs are less likely to have to shoulder.
 They are also less likely to have role models, an element
to entrepreneurship that is highly underestimated.
 Research in other countries has highlighted that minority
entrepreneurs also possess a greater lack of experience
in managerial capacities and lower levels of educational
achievement.

• The initial ‘outsider’ status of minorities inevitably
means that minority entrepreneurs lack business
connections in the mainstream business environment.
• Minority entrepreneurs can experience a level of
wariness and even hostility from the mainstream
business environment on account of their distinct
nationality, race and religion.
• A lack of information but also trust in public services
and a reluctance to use conventional sources of
business advice. Minority entrepreneurs don’t have
enough information about the role, services and
mission of the institutions that give support to
enterprise creation.
Barriers to Ethnic,
Migrant and
Marginalised
Entrepreneurship

Look deeper at Barriers for Minority
Entrepreneurs
• Language Barrier, having a good
grasp of the language is essential
in setting up a business and leads
to a better implantation and
adaption. However, for some
minority groups, language
difficulties can hinder integration
of the entrepreneurs and
enterprises, especially the micro
and small enterprises.
• For minorities, some research has
found a degree of distrust from
lenders towards the individual or
the minority in general.

Some entrepreneurs from ethnic
minority backgrounds argue that
the term ‘ethnic minority
entrepreneurs/ business’ itself is a
barrier to success. Dounne shares
this view. In an article in the
Sunday Times, she said,
‘In business, black people are
disadvantaged because they are
labelled as ethnic minority
businesses. Business has no
race, gender or colour divide’
‘Ethnic minority’ means we
don’t belong."
Dounne Alexander, founder and managing
director of Gramma’s International

Overcoming these Barriers
• Fostering a culture of entrepreneurship for
minority groups - The promotion of entrepreneurial
culture must be fostered in order to improve the
motivation of persons, the appetence towards risk,
the appropriate skills and knowledge, factors that
inhibit the creation of enterprises. It should be
recognised that businesses owned by minorities have
a significant impact on economic growth in Europe
and fostering these can have a hugely beneficial
effect.
• Role models must be visible and accessible in order
to give entrepreneurs an idea of the rewards and
benefits of enterprise creation and reduce the
stigma of failure.

Overcoming these Barriers –
Case Study of Empowering
Traveller Women Entrepreneurs
• Empowering Traveller Women Entrepreneurs (ETWE) sought to
identify the barriers Traveller women face in business and to
respond to these barriers.
• It recognised that Travellers have always had a preference for
self-employment, choosing income generation over wage labour.
Their adaptability and ability to spot gaps in the market often
enabled them to make a profit in what was considered by others
to be non-existent or non-viable areas.
• Traveller women have always played a vital (often hidden) role
in their family’s businesses. Galway Traveller Movement
contend that Government policy has failed miserably to support
Travellers in business.

Overcoming these Barriers –
Case Study of Empowering
Traveller Women Entrepreneurs
Some key takeaways:
• ETWE provided a unique space for Traveller women and share
their hopes of setting up a business.
• Peer to peer support for each other gave them the encouragement
to name their fears and to take a risk in trying to overcome them.
• Flexible and understanding approach of the co-ordinator, trainers
and mentors played a major role in the success of the ETWE
project and was one of the main reasons that the Traveller women
stayed involved and engaged.
• Traveller women involved in ETWE were heartened by the genuine
commitment of the enterprise support agencies in Galway to
support their efforts to develop businesses

 The toolkit outlines the barriers
to entrepreneurship for Traveller
women in Ireland and how to
respond to them.
EXERCISE 3: DOWNLOAD THE
Empowering Traveller Women
Entrepreneurs Toolkit
Refer to Module Learner Workbook.

In terms of ethnic minorities,
the European Union tell us
there are at present roughly
13.6 million resident immigrants &
ethnic minorities & 26 million
when second & third generations
ethnic minorities are taken into
account.
The proportion of ethnic
minorities varies in the Member
States, from under 2% in Finland
to around 9% in Germany, France,
the Netherlands, Belgium &
Austria to 7% in the UK .
Finland2%
9%
Belgium9%
Netherlands9%
France 9%
Germany
Austria 9%
UK 7%
13.6MILLION
RESIDENT
IMMIGRANTS &
ETHNIC MINORITIES
26
MILLION
SECOND/THIRD
GENERATION
ETHNIC MINORITIES
Fostering a culture
of entrepreneurship

Profile of Ethnic Minority
Businesses
 The number of entrepreneurs has grown since 2000 and the share of
ethnic entrepreneurs has grown form 12 percent in 2000 to 14
percent in 2007.
 Ethnic minority businesses still tend to be concentrated in the
hospitality sector.
 Ethnic minority business owners earn on average less profit than
indigenous entrepreneurs, although this gap is narrowing. The ratio
of the profit of ethnic entrepreneurs in comparison with indigenous
entrepreneurs decreased from 0.90 to 0.85 from 2000 to 2009.
 Access to finance is a perennial issue for EMBs (and often for small
firms per se).
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/binaries/rijksoverheid/documenten/rapporten/2011/02/21/monitor
-vrouwelijk-en-etnisch-ondernemerschap-2010/definitief1912011-rapport-vrouwelijk-en-etnisch-
ondernemerschap.pdf etnische minderheden ondernemerschap

Video Case Study – Rafael dos
Santos
Overcoming barriers such as language and
integrating in to the culture are the first
steps in becoming a migrant entrepreneur
but the endless battles with your inner
voice to defeat you are part of every day
life of a migrant.
Rafael talks about the three main
barriers to entrepreneurship he faced:
FUNDING | NETWORK | KNOWLEDGE
He also talks about barriers as also being
driving forces – “because you are too
ashamed to go back home with your tail
between your legs.”
Click to watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwUn
Uiyh-8Q
EXERCISE 4: WATCH RAFAEL
DOS SANTOS VIDEO

 Difficulties in accessing funding from host countries’
credit institutions and lenders are among the most
stubborn obstacles that migrants face to start up or
expand a business in their host country
 The provision of guidance and training on how to
develop and present a bankable business plan, and,
when possible, loan guarantees, can increase the
opportunities for migrant entrepreneurs to receive
funding for their business ventures.
 Raising awareness among credit institutions about the
specific characteristics of migrant lenders is also a
promising approach
Barriers to Migrant Entrepreneurship
– Access to Funding

 Comprehensive and multidimensional support to migrant
entrepreneurs is the favoured approach and it requires a provided
that synergies and co-operation among different service providers
are stimulated.
 In the case of organisations operating in the same locality or region,
co-operation could take the form of a concrete pooling of resources –
be these specialised trainers and advisers, networks, or working
facilities, for instance – so as to allow the partner organisations
collectively to offer holistic support to their clients.
Addressing Barriers to Migrant
Entrepreneurship – Joined up Approaches
EXERCISE 5: Download and Review ENTER
Toolkit for a step by step guide to setting up a
Regional Alliance in your Region

 Holistic measures which address the aforementioned
difficulties are best suited to support migrant
entrepreneurs and help their businesses to thrive.
 Ideally these measure should provide migrants with a
combined and integrated offer of
training and regulatory advice,
social capital,
facilitated access to business funding and
working spaces
Measures Addressing Barriers to
Migrant Entrepreneurship

Case Study- Entrepreneurs
Without Borders - Germany
 Entrepreneurs Without Borders was created as a bottom-up initiative
by immigrant entrepreneurs who had the idea to create an institution
which would act as a bridge between immigrants and business start-
ups through providing information, qualification, and education, and
establishing a wide network of contacts with national, regional, and
local policymakers.
 Entrepreneurs Without Borders focuses exclusively on entrepreneurs,
both start-ups and existing, of immigrant origin. This ensures that
services and network activities are tailored to specific needs of ethnic
origin.
 Due to the nature and character of the organisation, which was
established by entrepreneurs of different nationalities, language and
cultural sensitivity is an asset to the practice.
 Entrepreneurs Without Borders does not provide loans and credits but
informs entrepreneurs about their potential financing and funding
opportunities.

Entrepreneurs Without
Borders - Germany
 Predominantly, basic/general services are provided in the
language of the host country, German. If necessary, most of
the services are provided in the main languages of the target
group, mainly Turkish or Russian. This reduces
miscommunication and loss of relevant information due to
language problems.
 Employees of Entrepreneurs Without Borders are highly
qualified with a degree in business economics and
experienced in supporting persons of different cultural
backgrounds and due to the intercultural competences of the
employees, no cultural mediators are necessary.
 Many employees at Entrepreneurs Without Borders have an
immigrant background and it is a precondition to have
intercultural skills when working within the organisation.
Given their common backgrounds, the participants easily
identify with consultants and trust is built quickly.

Impact and Replicability of
Entrepreneurs Without Borders
 From 2000 up to 2016, Entrepreneurs Without Borders informed,
trained and advised more than 10,000 people from over 100
countries. In the period from July 2012 and December 2014, two
thirds of people who got start-up consultancy support created a
business.
 The success of Entrepreneurs Without Borders was highlighted in
2007 when the organisation was awarded the Good Practice award
by the European Commission in the field of promotion of ethnic
entrepreneurship.
 One prerequisite for reproducing this scheme is the creation of an
effective system of mutual assistance, in which experienced
migrant entrepreneurs support capacity building in potential
entrepreneurs and provide relevant services, such as counselling
and consulting. A final precondition is the availability of different
native speakers among the association workers, which allows for
good, immediate communication with the potential entrepreneurs
Contact details and website for the initiative Email: info@uog-ev.de
Website: www.unternehmer-ohne-grenzen.de

Assessing Needs
This section is particularly relevant to public bodies,
enterprise agencies and NGOs who design and manage
entrepreneurship programmes for those from minority
backgrounds

Minority Entrepreneurship –
Assessing Needs
Entrepreneurs from minority backgrounds are by no
means a homogeneous group. In determining the supports
they need to establish and become sustainable
entrepreneurs, a careful assessment of the professional
and personal needs of the potential entrepreneur should
be undertaken.
The results should be used to inform enterprise educators
and funders to develop highly specialised supports to
serve specific subgroups and any vulnerabilities that arise
through their unique circumstances.

Tips for designing sustainable
programmes of entrepreneurship
Migrant entrepreneurship support schemes need to be
outcome rather than process-focused. The provision of
training, mentoring, funding and other services is not a
goal in itself, but should translate into concrete results in
terms of:
 business creation and growth
 the economic and social integration of migrant
entrepreneurs in the host community
 and the benefits for the host communities
Personal relationship development between service
providers, trainers and beneficiaries can help build trust
between the migrants and institutions - see Module 2
Community Champion for more on this.

 Leverage volunteering and corporate sponsorship –
including by successful migrant programme alumni – to
expand the resources (both financial and human)
available for each migrant entrepreneurship support
scheme;
 Diversify the sources of funding for each support
scheme as well as, when possible, the activities
carried out by the service provider (for instance by
blending not-for-profit and profitable activities), so as
to foster resilience of the scheme over time and
if/when one source of funding is discontinued;

 Make use of the most recent information technology
tools and social media to raise awareness about the
availability of migrant entrepreneurship support
measures, reduce the costs of service provision, while
reaching out to a broader pool of clients.
 Some training modules as well as general regulatory
and legal advice (for example, on business
registration, tax, and social security compliance etc.)
might also be offered through web-based tools,
provided that the materials are adapted to the
specific needs of the immigrant audience, for instance
by using simple plain language and/or translation
tools.

Language and cultural sensitivity
1. Take into consideration the national context and the migrant
reality when deciding what languages should be prioritised.
This decision will also depend on whether the service provider
targets a specific group. Service provision in additional
languages is helpful, but the languages should be relevant to
the target group;
2. In the case of host country language training, take into
consideration the national context. In countries where
language training is provided by other institutions (notably
integration authorities and municipalities in charge of
introduction programmes for newcomers), language training
could be limited to host-country-specific business language and
in some cases focused on a given sector of activity. In other
countries with less opportunities for language integration
courses, general language courses might provide an important
added value when provided in parallel with the business
training (or other support);
Eu Commission Guide Book - Evaluation and Analysis of Good Practices in Promoting and
Supporting Migrant Entrepreneurship

Language and cultural sensitivity
3. When hiring trainers or engaging with volunteers, it is
important to take into consideration their background and
whether they have any experience working with vulnerable
groups.
Such experience might be first-hand practical experience or
received through training.
Service providers with a migrant background seem to provide
an important added value. This is linked to language skills,
but more importantly, they might have a better understanding
of the specific needs of the beneficiaries, and the cultural
differences they encounter in the host country.

Individual business support
approaches
For individual business support interventions, the following
approaches should be taken into account:
1. The expertise and knowledge of the advisers, stemming either
from training or personal business experience, is key to the
success of this support and it’s outcome
Ensure a full coverage of relevant topics related to
entrepreneurship and the setting up of a business. This typically
includes drawing up a business plan, finance, law, accounting,
marketing, and design. Furthermore, specific advice related to
the national context and business environment should provide first
hand insight in an easily accessible manner.
The personal ability and circumstances of the migrant
entrepreneur will also be important to consider in the provision of
individual business support with the aim of preparing the person
for what to expect from each step of the enterprise start process.

2. Ensure that advisers have sufficient time to support each migrant
entrepreneur in a personalised way, including allowing for the
possibility of the beneficiary to exchange and discuss different
ideas to progress with the business plan.
The beneficiary should also be given the opportunity of receiving
an honest and constructive assessment on the feasibility of their
business plan, as well as an opportunity to re-work the plan
together with an adviser.
Individual business support
approaches

Group business training
For group business training, the following
suggestions may be considered:
1.The length of training may vary.
However, aim to organise one set of
training over a few months (between 3
and 4). Training should not be full-time
as the participants might work in
parallel, and should be provided with
schedules that take into account work
and family shifts.
The national context should be taken
into consideration, as some governments
provide economic assistance/benefits
for taking part in such training. In such
cases, a shorter but more intensive
training could be an alternative.

Group business training
2. Take into consideration the fact that this heterogeneous
target group may have different educational background and
preparation for this type of training. It is crucial to listen to
the needs of all participants and consult them in the
beginning of the course, to adapt the contents, means and
tools of training, and timetable.
Furthermore, the provision of easy to read didactic material
designed for non-native speakers enables the participants to
study from home if needed/wanted;
3. Where possible, provide desk/computer on the premises of
the training activities for the migrant entrepreneurs to
make use of. The presence of an assistant (volunteers for
example) for home work or individual studying outside of
the training hours is also helpful.

Mentoring
For mentoring, the following
suggestions might be taken into
consideration:
1.Put in place a matching
procedure in order to enable
an effective mentorship taking
into consideration the
business sectors, interests,
backgrounds, and language, as
well as the personalities of
the prospective mentor and
mentee to achieve the best
matching possible.
Work to enlarge the pool of
mentors as far as possible, as
this will ensure a greater
variety of profiles and thus a
more customised and
successful matching;

Mentoring
2. While broadly defined timetables, plans of activities, and
goals are important to ensure a sufficient level of
commitment from both the mentor and the mentee, the
nature of the mentorship should be left flexible to enable
each mentoring couple to find the tools, means, and
frequency of the sessions to fit both of them.
Such agreement will ensure that the mentorship is
maintained. The same relates to objectives and success
indicators that might be set to measure the progress of the
mentee. Such objectives and indicators should be set
together, making sure that the objectives are feasible and
avoiding too much pressure;

Mentoring
3. For the mentorship to work, it should not imply a too
intensive set-up and the organisation of the activities should
acknowledge that participating in mentoring happens in
parallel with a number of other activities that the
entrepreneur is required to carry out, notably in the
intensive phase related to the business start-up.
4. Ensure a sufficiently long period of mentoring with the
possibility of extension. As a strong relationship between the
mentor and mentee is key for successful mentoring, sufficient
time must be guaranteed to enable such a relationship to
develop.
In the same vein, a follow-up procedure is recommended to
provide the beneficiary with access to the mentoring and
advice even after the completion of the official mentoring;

Mentoring
5. Assess the effectiveness of the mentoring process regularly
and allow for mismatched migrants to be re-matched to a
more suitable mentor if the relationship is not working.
The success of mentoring initiatives depends largely on the
quality of the matching between each migrant entrepreneur and
the mentor (along shared interests, prospected sector of activity,
background or location), as well as the mentor’s and mentee’s
regular availability.

Access to finance
In regard to access to finance,
the recommendations below
should be considered:
1.Make sure to combine the
information provided on
financing opportunities with
practical and concrete
assistance to write a bankable
business plan and prepare the
migrant entrepreneurs to
conduct meetings with
financial institutions;
2.In case of provision of finance
(both microcredit or grant),
take into consideration that
the sum should be according
to the needs of the migrant
entrepreneurs, and in
particular it should not be too
large for them to manage;

Access to finance
3. Where possible, establish a collaboration with financial
institutions to which migrant entrepreneurs can be referred,
and/or explore possibilities of setting up a microcredit system
in collaboration with such institutions;
4. Raise awareness among credit institutions about the special
needs and characteristics of migrant entrepreneurs and, when
possible, establish systems of loan guarantees that can help
compensate for migrants’ lack of collaterals to guarantee
lending.

Facilities provision
In regard to facilities provision, the suggestions below should
be considered:
1. Where possible, work space for the migrant entrepreneurs
should be made available. Based on available resources this
might vary from a temporary work desk a few days per
week, to a start-up centre or incubator. If temporary, this
should be combined with assistance to find a long term
solution;
2. Invite entities that work in this area (like start-up hubs or
co-working places) to events and try to establish a
partnership that would allow for preferential contracts for
the beneficiaries of the support scheme;

Facilities provision
3. Include information and advice on facilities and resources and
allow for a trained professional to guide the entrepreneur
through proposed contracts, either in the form of individual
business support, one-stop-shop or specialised workshops and
seminars.
4. Provide additional services that may be useful for the migrant
as this can be central to the success of their businesses.
Where facilities are provided, combine these with other forms
of support for example advice/training, but also more
practical services such as software, access to databases,
printers and copy machines.

Traveller’s Stories
Through Craft
EXERCISE 6: Download
Creative Spark case study

Ethnic Women’s Stories Through
Craft 2014

Ethnic Women’s Stories
Ceramics & Cooking 2015

Evaluating the Success of your
Migrant Entrepreneurship Supports -
EU Benchmarking Tool
 Interactive self-assessment tool with the aim of enabling service
providers to assess their own support initiatives, and to identify
areas of strengths, as well as areas for improvement.
 The benchmarking tool is structured along ten dimensions - eight of
these represent types of activities, while the remaining two
represent overarching dimensions (language and cultural sensitivity
and impact).
EXERCISE 7: Download the Benchmarking Tool and use
it to review your Supports. You can also use it to help
design your programmes, think about how you want
your supports to score.

This EU Commission report showcases best practices
which relate to the area of Migrant Entrepreneurship -
the approaches, structures and learning however could
be applied to support programmes for ethnic and other
marginalised groups also, there is much to be learned...
EXERCISE 8: DOWNLOAD & REVIEW Good Practices in
Promoting and Supporting Migrant Entrepreneurship

Case Study - Muslim Entrepreneurship
Produced for a conference
on Muslim Entrepreneurship
in Ireland, this video
introduces Professor
Thomas Cooney, an
advocate of ethnic and
minority Muslim
entrepreneurship in
Ireland.
We also meet Dr Mazah Bari
a Muslim entrepreneur who
is making great waves in
Ireland and overseas.
Click to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-
rKNnd__y4

Signposting to Enterprise
Support in the Netherlands
 In Module 2,we explored how community champions can raise funds
to resource their projects. Supporting enterprise projects is a
different format and approach.
 For any start up business, the challenge of putting together the
financial investment package can be daunting, but research is very
clear, it is all the more challenging for those from a minority
background. Signposting and access to information and grants is
absolutely critical.
 In the Netherlands, we are fortunate to have a positive funding
environment with opportunities for all strands of the enterprise
sector. There are various organisations offering support for starting
entrepreneurs, some free, most of them demand fees.

WHERE TO GO TO? www.kvk.nl
The Chamber of Commerce is the First Stop Shop for anyone seeking information
and support on starting or growing a business in the Netherlands. There are 19
offices spread over the Netherlands, including 5 ‘Ondernemerspleinen’ (Plazas for
Entrepreneurs) in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Eindhoven, Groningen and Rotterdam.
Ondernemersplein is an initiative of several authorities where entrepreneurs can
find all information of (semi-) government needed to be an entrepreneur. You can
think of information about starting a business, but also about money issues, taxes,
personnel and so on. Take a look at www.ondernemersplein.nl for more
information.
Signposting to
Enterprise Support
in the Netherlands

ENTERPRISE ALLOWANCE
While not a grant, it is an important fund to allow those on
welfare that are embarking on self employment to retain some
existing welfare benefits while setting up a new
business. There are now 2 different Social Welfare backed
schemes. The amount you receive and length of time on
scheme will depend on which:-
• Starting a business from social assistance (vanuit de
bijstand):
If you the municipality thinks your company is viable, it is
possible to start your own business. As soon as the company
starts, the social assistance will be ended. Instead of the
social assistance you can receive an assistance via the Decision
on social assistance for self-employed (Bbz). This is
supplement to provide for your living and/or as working
capital/starters credit, both in the form of a loan without
rent.

ENTERPRISE ALLOWANCE
• Starting a business from unemployment benefits (vanuit een WW-
uitkering)
If you are on unemployment benefits, there are multiple ways to start
a business with retention of the unemployment benefits.
- with the unemployment benefits as safety net (the starting
period): if you’re utilizing the starting period, you can fully
concentrate on starting the business. You will not have the application
requirement for 26 weeks. You do get the unemployment benefits,
but these are 29% less.
- with settlement of hours: you will report every hour spent on
your company. For these hours you will not receive the
unemployment benefits, for the other hours you do.
For more requirements and information on these benefits, please
take a look at the website of the Institute for Employee Insurance
(UWV, Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen)

FIND IT HARD TO RAISE MATCH
FUNDING ? REJECTED BY THE
BANK?
• As (starting) entrepreneur you can apply for a loan at
Qredits of maximum of € 50.000 (microfinance) to €
250.000 (SME finance). The foundation also provides
coaching and advice for entrepreneurs.
• Conditions
– You are 18 years old or older;
– You are a starting entrepreneur or an existing entrepreneur with less
than 5 employees;
– Your company is active in the Netherlands;
– You have a detailed businessplan.

Based on business plan –everything comes back to the
business plan
• Max. € 50,000.00
• Term from 1 to 10 years
• Interest rate of 8.75% or 9.75%
• Possibility to extra redemption
• Including free e-learning
• Optional: 1 year coaching
• Useful loan calculator - qredits.nl
.
Qredits
microfinance

Module 4 entrepreneurship for people in interface communities

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