Vancouver is a popular immigration destination for South and East Asia. BC Stats reports that 14 percent of economic class immigrants come from the region; however when we look at the business landscape of BC, this community does not have a big presence. Why? 

Of course it is a struggle for anyone to start a new business, especially in a new country; however one of the main things, this section of the population lack, is awareness of the Government funded programs which exist to help start their business.

In an interview with Business In Vancouver Ankit Sharma, founder of Kitply Industries explained, “A lot of immigrants come from countries where there isn’t a lot of support from the Government. So they don’t naturally think of the Canadian Government of being supportive of small businesses”.  

But Canada is ranked among the top five places in the world to start a business. Why? Because Government funded programs like Small Business BC and Provincial Nominee Program, provide entrepreneurial immigrants with the information and support they need.  Although there are many programs that provide business start-up support, not every program would be beneficial to every entrepreneurial immigrant because of language barriers and differences of business understanding in the new country. Because of these barriers, this niche group need the support from the community that understands their standpoint in order to efficiently integrate them into the Canadian economy. 

The strength of BIIS is targeting this niche group of entrepreneurial immigrants where English is not their first language and is not from Canada. BIIS has multi-lingual Business Case Councillors, who understands the immigrant’s culture, provides business support in their native language, and integrates their settlement process with their business directions.  

Finding Support for Your Small Business 

So, where should immigrants look for programs that suit both their specific need and accelerate their settlement and business integration in BC? Public libraries, community centres and neighbourhood houses are a good start. A wide range of organizations post flyers and advertisements of free orientations, workshops and seminars. Not only would these events be held in English, but would also include languages such as Chinese, Korean, Punjabi and Farsi. 

When you emigrate, you leave all your networks and professional relationships behind. Although you may speak good English, you may have an accent, so have to continue to repeat yourself. Communication can be hard and building relationships can be slow. It is important to understand, acknowledge and prepare for those social and cultural differences. Especially when starting a business. It is one thing to understand a culture for you to live in it. It is another for you to understand how to sell to it. And understanding your target market is one of the greatest contributors to the success of your business. After all, if you do not understand your market, how can you develop strong marketing and business strategies to maximize revenue?

Of course you could hire consultants, or attend local events and tradeshows for information, but one of the best routes for new immigrants is mentorship. Mentorships have proven result in providing short cuts to insider new in the industry that isn’t readily available online. Websites such as MentorshipBC.ca can provide help with directing you to organizations, which can match you with the right mentor for your business.

For Example:

Investors from China are looking to expand or start-up an exporting business in BC.  They’re looking for opportunities to export an abundance of supplies back to China such as agricultural foods, wines, and lumber.

However, there are many regulations, tariff guidelines, product certification, etc that they may not understand. Without a mentor assisting and providing industry knowledge of  the process of documentation, finding a trustworthy supplier would be a long confusing process.  

A Growing Community 

Things have changed a lot in the last decade. More real-time information is available online and there are more organizations ready and willing to provide the support that you need. 

With guidance, access to professional network, mentorship and more importantly, business dedication and passion, the business immigrant community will continue to grow stronger and establish a larger presence in the business community in BC. 

BC's Best Immigrant Entrepreneur

Are you an immigrant entrepreneur, who has been in Canada for less than 10 years, or do you know someone who is? We're looking to recognize an outstanding new Canadian who has started a successful business in BC. Who has overcome adversity, exhibits leadership both in their community and within their business, and has strong track record of business growth. Small Business BC's Best Immigrant Entrepreneur Award is open for nominations, so nominate your business, or a business you love today!