Immigrant Plays to Her Strengths With Import Firm
Austrian native Karin Roberts arrived in the United States in 1992 with a marketing degree from the Vienna Economics University and sales management experience under her belt. In 1998, when the El Segundo semiconductor company she was working for closed its local operation, the logistics manager faced a dilemma: Should she return to Europe or follow her long-held dream of founding her own company? Though the process was especially daunting to a recent immigrant, Roberts decided to become an entrepreneur. She spoke to freelance writer Karen E. Klein about the process.
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It is a dream of every immigrant, no matter from which land one originates, to be her own boss, to make good money and to be able to write back home to say that you made it on your own. From the moment I entered the U.S., I knew I was going to do it--I was going to save enough money and establish my own small business based on what I was most familiar with: importing and selling products from my home country.
The big question was always “What would I sell?” I called my local consulate and asked for the Foreign Trade Office and found an extremely helpful source in the Office of the Austrian trade commissioner, which provided me with free names and addresses of export-eager companies, catalogs, exporting handbooks, Web addresses, informational material and customs regulations and even offered me a room in their office for the first personal contacts between myself and my suppliers. I went to their in-house library and researched the upcoming trade shows in the Los Angeles area.
I found that importing products from my native country has advantages: I speak the language and I know the mentality and the culture of my people. Even though many countries have adopted English as the international business language, when it comes to negotiating prices and terms and dealing with complaints, you can bet that I have an edge.
After much research, I finally found products that I liked and was convinced I could sell: Hand-painted clear glass Christmas ornaments and hand-painted Easter eggs from Vienna. I wanted to sell them on the Internet, so my husband agreed to create a Web site for me where I also provide cultural information about Christmas in Austria, cookie recipes and decoration tips.
I had saved my own funds to start the business, and I had a marketable product, but I wasn’t sure what to do next. My biggest concern was determining what kind of permits I had to obtain and regulations I had to follow to establish my own business.
The answer to this roadblock came when I received the semiannual course catalog from the UC Riverside extension program in the mail. I found that the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management offered a 10-week entrepreneurial course called the Right Start program for $399.
I am convinced that this is the best investment I have ever made. The course included classes in strategic planning, marketing and advertising, human resources, business law, accounting, financial planning and time management and a workshop on how to write a business plan. Accompanying each class were excellent reference materials and case studies, which still prove helpful.
Lecturers told us about the free consultation program offered by the Small Business Administration, so I decided to contact its Inland Empire office. My SBA counselor guided me through the painful process of creating a business plan. I say “painful” because my European-rooted ideas clashed quite often with her American realism. She told me right away that I could not rely 100% on the Internet and that I would need another distribution channel. We developed a marketing strategy that also included gift and craft shows and boutique sales.
When I completed the Right Start course, I filed my fictitious business name and obtained the necessary business license, then obtained a seller’s permit from the state Board of Equalization, got my employer identification number from my local IRS office, opened a business bank account and applied for a merchant account at my local bank. I rented a mailbox at the nearby Mailboxes Etc. outlet and got a referral for a good CPA from them. Within three days, my dream company had became a reality.
I started working holiday boutiques and craft sales right away. I asked my friend Gisela Moll, a German immigrant, for help decorating my display tables. I was fortunate that she worked for me for free during the last Christmas season.
Then we decided to combine our efforts. She provides the creative element and I do the number-crunching in our partnership. At the beginning of the year she joined my company, and we converted it into a limited liability corporation.
Gisela pushed for a wider product line so that we wouldn’t have to rely solely on seasonal products. We added beautiful evening purses, train cases and Art Deco jewelry to our line of seasonal gift items. The decision has paid off so quickly we can’t believe it.
My advice for immigrant entrepreneurs would be to learn English as fast as they can, to establish an immaculate credit history as soon as they set foot in this country and to save enough money for start-up costs and one-year operation, along with living costs and an emergency account. Don’t rely on loans right from the start and don’t believe in get-rich-quick scams.
If you want to import, contact your country’s foreign trade office and visit trade shows until you locate an unusual, marketable product from a reliable supplier. Take advantage of your language skills for negotiations. And even if you have an economics degree from your native land, take business-related classes at a local college or university. Trust me, everything is different compared to home.
Most of all, take advantage of the free help that is offered, and don’t be intimidated by the straight-talk strategy of Americans. Fulfill your dream, be flexible and don’t get scared.
If your business can provide a lesson to other entrepreneurs, contact Karen E. Klein at the Los Angeles Times, 1333 S. Mayflower Ave., Suite 100, Monrovia, CA 91016 or at kklein6349@aol.com. Include your name, address and telephone number.
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AT A GLANCE
Company: Moll & Roberts Enterprises
Owners: Karin Roberts and Gisela Moll
Nature of business: E-commerce and boutique sales
Location: 3870 La Sierra Ave., PMB 301, Riverside 92505
Web site: https://www.oldworldcraft .com
E-mail address: oldworldcraft@aol.com
Year founded: 1999
Employees: 0
Annual revenue: $60,000
