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Minority business ownersPublished: February 01, 2010
Introduction, continued ...
It has made standing for long periods difficult all her life. So while
doing business for Victoria’s Secret in New York, she got the idea to
create her own line of shoe inserts, to ease the pressure on the balls
of the feet. Once back in California, she borrowed a friend’s computer
to do research. She found a company that manufactured a product she
believed might work. And to her surprise, its managers were interested
in doing business with her.
Today, Aldatz’s Foot Petals is a multimillion-dollar company, and business is booming.
“If
you have a good idea and determination, it doesn’t matter who you are,”
she says. “I think today even women are finding it easier to make it in
the business world.”
Click HERE for links to the five minority
business owners profiled by OC METRO.
But some still face serious obstacles – like those whose name happens to be Mohammad, for example.
Since
the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, business leaders with Persian
backgrounds have had to face deep suspicions from at least some
colleagues. Which is why Mohammad Honarkar, whose Orange County-based
business runs 80 Verizon 4G Wireless stores throughout California and
Nevada, has started using “Mo” Honarkar as his business handle.
“I
am Iranian,” he says. “With all the success I’ve had, all I got from
the bank was a credit card with a $50,000 limit; that was the best they
could do for me. The name ‘Mohammad’ is like a disease to them. If I
were Caucasian, they would probably give me half a million dollars just
to open another business. I had to hire people to go into the banks for
me.”
Some minorities rely on each other for their success.
Raj and Marta Bhathal started their Tustin-based Raj Manufacturing more
than 40 years ago with the goal of becoming a leading swimwear fashion
house. With customers like St. John, Guess, Hurley and Tommy Hilfiger,
their successes have exceeded their goals.
Ahmed and Aldatz say America is made for winners, whatever their background.
“This truly is the land of opportunity,” Aldatz says.
Here is a closer look at these five successful minority entrepreneurs.
5 Minority Business Owners:
| Minority business ownersPublished: February 01, 2010 |
It has made standing for long periods difficult all her life. So while doing business for Victoria’s Secret in New York, she got the idea to create her own line of shoe inserts, to ease the pressure on the balls of the feet. Once back in California, she borrowed a friend’s computer to do research. She found a company that manufactured a product she believed might work. And to her surprise, its managers were interested in doing business with her.
“If you have a good idea and determination, it doesn’t matter who you are,” she says. “I think today even women are finding it easier to make it in the business world.”
Click HERE for links to the five minority
business owners profiled by OC METRO.
business owners profiled by OC METRO.
But some still face serious obstacles – like those whose name happens to be Mohammad, for example.
Since the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, business leaders with Persian backgrounds have had to face deep suspicions from at least some colleagues. Which is why Mohammad Honarkar, whose Orange County-based business runs 80 Verizon 4G Wireless stores throughout California and Nevada, has started using “Mo” Honarkar as his business handle.
Some minorities rely on each other for their success. Raj and Marta Bhathal started their Tustin-based Raj Manufacturing more than 40 years ago with the goal of becoming a leading swimwear fashion house. With customers like St. John, Guess, Hurley and Tommy Hilfiger, their successes have exceeded their goals.
“This truly is the land of opportunity,” Aldatz says.
Here is a closer look at these five successful minority entrepreneurs.
5 Minority Business Owners:
