Lessons Learned: Higher Education & Interacting Factors of Success Among Latino Entrepreneurs

Abstract

There is little that encompasses the “American dream” so well as the journey of the entrepreneur - the individual who, by many definitions, possesses both a drive and passion to succeed. Becoming an entrepreneur, however, is no easy feat. Many minority entrepreneurs face myriad barriers to entry in business and lack the appropriate resources to help them overcome them. As one of the largest growing ethnic groups in the U.S., Latino entrepreneurs' spotlight has recently been placed as they continue to start and grow businesses. But what resources best bolster success among Latino entrepreneurs? This study explores what role higher education, a widely acknowledged determinant of financial success, plays in the Latino entrepreneur’s journey. As one of the most quickly growing cities in the U.S., Nashville has a fast-growing Latino population, and actively needs a system of support for those seeking to make a life for themselves and their families. This study will thus focus on the Nashville ecosystem to better support these actors. Ultimately, by using national datasets on Latino entrepreneurs and human-centered design principles to conduct qualitative analyses in Nashville, this study explores how higher education interacts with an entrepreneur’s self-determined version of success, or whether other outstanding factors better prepare Latinos in their entrepreneurial journey. Understanding this will inform how Nashville could accommodate these learnings to improve the ecosystem.