Entrepreneurship

Innovation

Social Enterprise

ABOUT

Theme: Entrepreneurship

Cross-cutting themes covered: Tailored business support

Name of project: Entrepreneurs without Borders

City: Hamburg

What is it? ‘Entrepreneurs without Borders’ (launched in 2000) helps to promote entrepreneurship among migrants in Hamburg. A range of innovative methods are used to ensure that business support is made as accessible as possible to the target group.

Who is it? The project is run by Hamburg Department for Economy and Labour, and the State Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs.

Where is it? The work of Entrepreneurs without Borders is concentrated in deprived urban areas. An example of a typical area in which the project operates is Hamburg-Veddel, an area that suffers from high levels of social and economic deprivation , with a rate of unemployment over 30% and low skills levels. There are many empty commercial properties in the area and the neighbourhood has a very limited retail/service sector.

Who funds it?

• European Social Fund
• Hamburg Department for Economy and Labour
• State Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs

MAIN ACTIVITIES

How does it work? Ensuring business support is holistic: Entrepreneurs without Borders works in close co-operation with key local stakeholders, such as housing associations, neighbourhood renewal practitioners and leaders of social initiatives, to offer a tailored and holistic package of business support for migrant entrepreneurs. A range of practical issues must be addressed to ensure that self-employment is a real option for such communities. For example, the project works with housing companies, which allow migrant entrepreneurs to pay less rent while they get their businesses up and running. The initiative also works with local authorities to promote infrastructural developments to improve the quality of deprived areas as places to do business.

Specifically, Entrepreneurs without Borders works on-the-ground to help migrant entrepreneurs to start up and grow their businesses in Hamburg. Entrepreneurs receive support in a range of fields, including: accessing finance; working with clients; product presentation; human resources; time management; computer literacy; and improvement of German. Business support is delivered in one-to-one and group workshops. Events and seminars are also held regularly. Training is both in-house and external, depending on the subject matter.

Anything else? Tailoring business support to migrant groups: The Entrepreneurs without Borders initiative raises awareness of the option of self-employment among migrant communities in Hamburg, using a range of innovative and effective methods:

• Offering business advice ‘from migrants to migrants’ helps to promote better access and acceptance of business support services by migrant communities.
• Providing business support in a range of community languages also ensures that business support is as accessible as possible. The service employs seven business advisors from five countries.
• Ensuring that much of the support is offered on a one-to-one basis also helps to raise trust between potential entrepreneurs and business advisors.
• Providing opportunities for start-up entrepreneurs to network with each other helps to raise confidence levels among migrant entrepreneurs.
• Using migrant media channels to advertise services - such as community newspapers, and leaving promotional materials in venues frequented by particular communities – has been vital in raising awareness of the project.
• The leaflets, posters and newsletters that market the programme have been designed for and by the target group itself. - Linking business support with advice on childcare and benefits is also key.

WOULD THIS WORK IN YOUR AREA?

Is the model transferable ? The Entrepreneurs without Borders project is transferable to other areas, particularly where migrants are poorly integrated into the labour market. Both the content of support and the innovative methods used to make the support as accessible as possible to migrant communities could be replicable elsewhere.

Working closely with local partners to ensure that the business support on offer is holistic – i.e. dealing with the complete range of barriers faced by migrants in starting up businesses – is also transferable, where local stakeholders are co-operative.

Building on local competitive advantages? In Hamburg, there is a clear opportunity to promote the ethnic economy as a positive ’brand’, which will give better economic opportunities for ethnic minorities in the future. This may also be the case in other areas.

What are the barriers to transferability? Lack of co-operation from local partners constitutes the major barrier to transferability.

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