Insight: Entrepreneurship across cultures
Drawing inspiration from international entrepreneurship events I attended and my entrepreneurship courses, I decided that the best way to continue my experience with an interview an international entrepreneur. I interviewed Jim Emad, the owner of Bentley’s Restaurant in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jim's family immigrated from Iran when he was very young and he opened this upscale French restaurant with his family. My prior experience with Jim is working as a hostess at Bentley's, I learned a lot about how this business was run even before this interview. Although it may seem insignificant, one of the first things I noticed was that they were closed on Sundays to spend time with family, this is a norm across many cultures, but one that seems to be absent in America. I recall a conversation I had with Jim early on where he was telling me that it wasn’t even a thought for them to open on Sundays, despite almost everything else being open, he stated how important Sunday is and how each Sunday the family spends meaningful time together.
Learning that came directly from the interview included how resilient and adaptable he needed to be to create this successful business. Immigrant entrepreneurs face challenges such as language barriers and cultural differences. Jim told me he has always looked at these differences as a learning opportunity rather than a difficulty, I strongly believe that his mindset of these challenges contributes to how successful he is. Bentley’s Restaurant is also a French restaurant, where they serve authentic French meals and implement many traditions such as tableside cooking. This required much cultural learning into French culture, on top of all he was learning about America. When working internationally, even if you are not an entrepreneur, you must learn the culture of the country. Each country has different etiquette when it comes to business, but to truly be integrated into the country you must be motivated and ready to learn all parts of the culture available to you.
I was exceptionally invested in this interview because of my goal to become an international entrepreneur. Observing this family while working at the restaurant, along with this interview, has shown me that I want to prioritize my family and life while also doing what I love. My first question in our interview was “Why did you decide to become a business owner” his answer was that you do not have to report to anyone and you can choose what goes on in your business, and more importantly your life. My parents have always told me “Do what you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”, I believe that creating this work-life balance really adds to loving what you do, and further, I believe that for myself becoming an entrepreneur and owning a business I feel passionate about will also contribute to this. Jim and his family's passion for their restaurant comes through in every aspect, these results are just observed behind the scenes, they are also what contributes to their strong business reputation and many loyal customers. This interview motivated me to continue to seek out those who are where I want to be conduct more interviews and create more relationships with those people. I find that it is very important to find what inspires you and keep close contact with those things, personally, this interview brought me motivation to be more active in the entrepreneurship community.