Advancing U.S. Latino Entrepreneurship examines business formation and success among Latinos by identifying arrangements that enhance entrepreneurship and by understanding the sociopolitical contexts that shape entrepreneurial trajectories. While it is well known that Latinos make up one of the largest and fastest growing populations in the U.S., Latino-owned businesses are now outpacing this population growth and the startup business growth of all other demographic groups in the country. The institutional arrangements shaping business formation are no level playing field. Minority entrepreneurs face racism and sexism, but structural barriers are not the only obstacles that matter; there are agentic barriers and coethnics present challenges as well as support to each other. Yet minorities engage in business formation, and in doing so, change institutional arrangements by transforming the attitudes of society and the practices of policymakers. The economic future of the country is tied to the prospects of Latinos forming and growing business. The diversity of Latino experience constitutes an economic resource for those interested in forming businesses that appeal to native-born citizens and fellow immigrants alike, ranging from local to national to international markets. This book makes a substantial contribution to the literature on entrepreneurship and wealth creation by focusing on Latinos, a population vastly understudied on these topics, by describing processes and outcomes for Latino entrepreneurs. Unfairly, the dominant story of Latinos—especially Mexican Americans—is that of dispossession and its consequences. Advancing U.S. Latino Entrepreneurship makes clear the undiminished ambitions of Latinos as well as the transformative relationships among people, their practices, and the political context in which they operate. The reality of Latino entrepreneurs demands new attention and focus.

The Hispanic-Latino community is large, expanding, and an important contributor to the U.S. economy. Numbering over 50 million, Hispanic-Latinos currently represent about 16% of the population. Hispanic-Latinos engage in a diversity of jobs that help keep the American economic engine running. The practice of entrepreneurship has been on the rise with over 2.3 million business in the United States categorized as Hispanic-owned, generating over $345 billion in sales. This book examines the entrepreneurial mindset of Hispanic-Latinos in the United States. With limited literature on the subject, the authors created a pioneering book that captures the viewpoints of real-life Hispanic-Latino entrepreneurs. Using a 15-item questionnaire, the authors obtained information on entrepreneurial intent, goals, and business strategies utilized. This book highlights real world business experiences, inlcuding challenges relating to entrepreneurial pursuits, and the importance of hardwork, discipline, and a positive mindset in the success of an enterprise.

Drawing on surveys and in-depth interviews, this book examines the social and economic relations of first-generation Latino entrepreneurs. Verdaguer explores social patterns between and within groups, situating immigrant entrepreneurship within concrete geographical, demographic and historical spaces. Her study not only reveals that Latinos' strategies for access to business ownership and for business development are cut across class, ethnic and gender lines, but also that immigrants' options, practices, and social spaces remain largely shaped by patriarchal gender relations within the immigrant family, community and economy. This book is a necessary addition to the literature on immigration, class, gender relations, and the intersectionality of these issues.

Verdaguer examines first-generation Latino entrepreneurs, revealing not only that Latinos' strategies for access to business ownership and development are cut across class, ethnic and gender lines, but also that immigrants' options and practices remain shaped by patriarchal gender relations within the immigrant family, community and economy.

With a focus on a diverse group of Latino entrepreneurs in the Houston area, Valdez explores how class, gender, race, and ethnicity shape Latino entrepreneurs' capacity to succeed in business in the United States.

Describes what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, whether starting from scratch or buying an existing business, focusing on the unique experiences of Hispanic Americans through profiles of Latino business owners.

Hispanics account for more than half the population growth in the United States over the last decade. With this surge has come a dramatic spike in the number of Hispanic-owned businesses. Hispanic Entrepreneurs in the 2000s is a pioneering study of this nascent demographic. Drawing on rich quantitative data, authors Alberto Dávila and Marie T. Mora examine key economic issues facing Hispanic entrepreneurs, such as access to financial capital and the adoption and vitality of digital technology. They analyze the varying effects that these factors have on subsets of the Hispanic community, such as Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Salvadorans, while considering gender and immigrant status. This account highlights key policies to drive the success of Hispanic entrepreneurs, while drawing out strategies that entrepreneurs can use in order to cultivate their businesses. Far-reaching and nuanced, Hispanic Entrepreneurs in the 2000s is an important study of a population that is quickly becoming a vital component of American job creation.