From Survival to Sustainable Business.

In this episode, Henry Lopez talks with Neri Kara Sillaman, author of Pioneers: Eight Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs, about what immigrant entrepreneurs can teach us about building businesses that endure.

Neri shares her remarkable journey from growing up in a Turkish minority family in communist Bulgaria, being forced to flee as refugees, and helping her family rebuild their lives and livelihoods in Turkey. She explains how those early experiences shaped her view of entrepreneurship, not as a career choice, but as a means of survival that later evolved into a powerful business philosophy.

Drawing from her family’s business experience and her formal business education, Neri discusses several of the core principles from her book, including resilience, authentic hospitality, cultural bridge-building, and a focus on long-term value rather than short-term profit. She explains how immigrant entrepreneurs often leverage past hardship, adaptability, and deep human connection to create businesses that last across generations.

Whether you are an immigrant entrepreneur or a small business owner looking to build something sustainable, this conversation offers practical insights on trust, perseverance, and designing a business for longevity.

Question: What can small business owners learn from immigrant entrepreneurs?
Answer: Immigrant entrepreneurs often focus on resilience, authentic relationships, adaptability, and long-term value creation. These are principles that help businesses survive uncertainty and grow sustainably over time.

Question: Are these principles only relevant to immigrant entrepreneurs?
Answer: No. While rooted in immigrant experiences, the principles apply to all entrepreneurs who want to build resilient, people-centered, and enduring businesses.