Longer description of your proposed project

Millions of migrants come to the US every year – fleeing danger and persecution and going through horrific journeys to get here. They endure violence, rape, robbery, and terror in the hope that when they arrive they will be able to work hard, thrive, and contribute. But once they get here – too many of these energetic, high-potential people find the obstacles to advancing are impossible to overcome. They languish in low-paying, dead-end jobs and don’t find ways to thrive and contribute in the way they dreamed. It’s a tragic denouement to heroic journeys – and a true waste of human potential.

It doesn’t have to be that way though. With the right support, these folks can skip the years of “gray economy” subsistence and almost immediately start paying taxes, hiring, and contributing to their communities. Microbusiness – because it is accessible to any immigration status, requires little capital, and has unlimited growth potential – can be one of the most powerful tools for immigrants’ thriving. At Briico, we teach a method that allows anyone, of any immigration status, to legally start a profitable microbusiness in less than 30 days with less than $500.

For example, Omar and Muhammed fled Mauritania fearing for their lives, risking an overland journey through Latin America, and turning themselves in at the US border. Just three months after their arrival, they started their car detailing business with Briico’s help - profitably - in less than 10 days. They saw a 5x in their hourly income and finally were moving forward in real ways. The data supports the positive potential of immigrants in the US, too: immigrants commit crimes at rates of a quarter to half of those of native born people; they pay more in taxes than they receive in public benefits; and they’re more entrepreneurial than US born folks.

Over the last year, I’ve been working closely with new immigrants, iterating through models to find the most impactful ways of supporting them in starting businesses. Currently, our model includes free video training and case studies (showing what’s possible even with tiny investments and tenuous immigration statuses); a weekly contest to get a $500 microbusiness grant and training; and one-off services and bundles to help with the technical parts of getting set up and getting clients. Some of the things I think are most exciting about what we're doing:

-- Serving new immigrants in the way they need - for instance communicating entirely on WhatsApp, accepting payment in cash if needed, videos in their language, responding quickly and providing quick turnaround, etc.

-- Providing high-touch services (as you might with a busy executive) - just do the thing for them if helpful - rather than providing "advice" in many cases.

-- Developing bite-sized and "just in time" education and training videos that are just the tidbit folks need at the moment they need it, rather than a 12-week business course they sign up for 3 months in advance.

-- Rejecting this idea that "entrepreneurship is about having a great idea" and more focusing on the person and how to equip them to pursue a vibrant livelihood and show concrete paths forward.

-- Focusing on businesses that can be started with less than $500 in less than 30 days.

-- Tackling bureaucratic leverage points for people who are undocumented (for instance, an ITIN Number is a key to earning money and starting a business if you don't have a social security number -- so that’s often a key first step.)

We’ve been operating entirely from my own unpaid time and personal financial contributions. But we could impact many more people, more effectively, with this grant. The grant money would support two projects. First, it will go to hiring new immigrants on a freelance basis to help us produce our free training videos in more languages, with professional editors, featuring more concrete case studies from microbusinesses around the country. It will also cover “popup microbusiness incubators” – two day events at immigrants hubs and shelters around the country that can get folks started with their microbusinesses, for free, in just 48 hours.

Immigrants’ profound capacity and resilience are, I’m convinced, the foundation of the future of the United States. Just as has always been the case here, immigrants bring the strength, energy, and vision that citizens don’t always have. I believe we owe it to ourselves, if not to them, to lend partnership to new Americans getting established here – with microbusiness support being one of the most powerful ways to do just that. In my experience, the migrants don’t want freebies or donations. And they’re not hiding danger, ill will, or desperate dependence. What they bring to the US is in plain sight – themselves and their incredible potential to build and contribute to our country, to each other, and to themselves. They’ll take help in moving past some obstacles, certainly – but only so that they can turn around and pay that back tenfold.

Describe why you think you're qualified to work on this

I’m a mission-driven social entrepreneur that has focused extensively on immigrant and Latin American communities and entrepreneurship. I’m the founder at Wholesale In a Box and Briico. I was also Founder & CEO of Liga Masiva, a "global farmers' market" connecting organic farmers in Latin America directly to consumers in the US (and doubling farmer incomes in the process.) So I have a demonstrated ability to start and grow impactful social entreprises.

My approach to business has been featured by Fast Company, O: The Oprah Magazine, Forbes, Bloomberg, and Entrepreneur Magazine. I’m an Unreasonable Institute Fellow and was chosen as the Young Presidents' Organization's Top Four Young Social Innovators.

I also have both corporate and government experience to complement the entrepreneurial perspective. I ran Latin America Special projects for a financial services consulting firm and helped optimize operations at the largest low-income mortgage servicer in the world, based in Mexico. Finally, I’ve served as a Business Advisor to immigrant businesses at the US Small Business Development Center in New York City.

Probably most importantly, I’ve spent the decades working closely with new immigrants to understand their problems, vision, and experimenting toward a model that works.

Other ways I can learn about you

https://www.emilykerrfinell.com/

How much money do you need?

Here’s my ask, which certainly has flexibility in it:

$8,000. Immigrant-led video production (hiring new immigrants on a freelance basis to help us produce our free training videos in more languages, with professional editors, featuring more concrete case studies from microbusinesses around the country):

$12,000. “Popup microbusiness incubators” (two day events at immigrants hubs and shelters around the country that can get folks started with their microbusinesses, for free, in just 48 hours.)

Links to any supporting documents or information

The Briico website.

A recent news piece that was done on one aspect of our in-person work with local asylum-seekers.

Estimate your probability of succeeding if you get the amount of money you asked for

80%. I feel really committed to seeing this through and continuing to iterate until the model is both very effective and supporting millions of people. I honestly think biggest risk is that I'll run out of personal financial runway to keep investing in these iterations. So the money will help a lot in extending that runway and allowing us to move faster -- decreasing the likelihood of needing to drop the project before it becomes successful.