What Makes an Entrepreneur an Entrepreneur?
ACCION USA borrower Frederick at his emissions testing center.
“The driving need isn’t different, and the dreams aren’t different, and the final outcomes may be influenced by different factors, but in essence [U.S. and international borrowers] aren’t different,” said Gina Harman, ACCION USA’s CEO, shortly before the organization formed its groundbreaking partnership with Kiva, regarded primarily for its work in the developing world. She stressed the importance of conveying what a massive change small business ownership can mean for a client – “it’s about the human desire to provide, and the devotion to doing whatever has to be done to make it work.”
Her words describe exactly what I’ve been experiencing for the last few weeks, as I meet with clients and hear stories revealing their drive for success. I know if I had a business idea that my local bank didn’t seem to believe in enough to give me a loan, I would probably just resign myself to thinking it was harebrained in the first place and call it a day. ACCION USA borrowers do just the opposite—when they are turned down by a bank, they come to us instead.
Just last week I spoke with Frederick, an ACCION USA borrower who had tired of working for government agencies as a fire inspector and dreamed of starting his own emissions inspection business. After he told me he was turned down by a bank before he came to ACCION USA, I asked him why he was so devoted to starting his own business.
“What makes you happy?” I asked him.
“Giving others the best service I can,” he said. “I knew I couldn’t do that unless I was working for myself.”
How often do we complain about our lack of professional fulfillment without attempting to do something about it? When people like Frederick share their stories and express the devotion with which they tackle, as Gina said, “whatever has to be done,” it should make us all reflect on the choices we have to pursue our own ambitions.
Elise Tosun has a background in economics and has worked on designing financial products for farmers in India and for a microfinance investment fund in New York. She is currently the Kiva Program Intern at ACCION USA.
Tags: accion, accion usa, elise tosun, entrepreneurship, gina harman, kiva, kiva.org, us microfinance
Meet Microfinance Borrowers at 7/27 Event
I’ve always said that the best tellers of the ACCION USA story and the impact of microfinance in the United States are actual ACCION USA borrowers—the women and men who are putting their loan capital to work towards positive change.
That’s why, if you’re located in New York or fancy a trip here soon, I highly recommend popping into the next ACCION USA Microfinance Council event – a lively panel discussion on the challenges surrounding the domestic microfinance industry and the small business community in New York.
You’ll hear testimonial from an ACCION USA borrower whose family used their loan to realize their dream of owning their own Italian restaurant, Desy’s Clam Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I can guarantee that their success story is as inspiring as their cannolis are delicious (I ate nearly two at a recent visit, and haven’t stopped thinking about them since.)
The event will also include insights from top ACCION USA staff, including president and CEO Gina Harman and microfinance industry experts.
When? Monday July 27, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.
Where? The New School, 66 West 12th Street, 5th Floor, Wollman Hall, New York, NY
RSVP? Yes please, to rsvp.any@gmail.com
See you there!