Latin American Entrepreneurs: Profiles and Viewpoints

The Hispanic-Latino community is large, expanding, and an important contributor to the U.S. economy. Numbering over 50 million, Hispanic-Latinos currently represent about 16% of the population. Hispanic-Latinos engage in a diversity of jobs that help keep the American economic engine running. The practice of entrepreneurship has been on the rise with over 2.3 million business in the United States categorized as Hispanic-owned, generating over $345 billion in sales. This book examines the entrepreneurial mindset of Hispanic-Latinos in the United States. With limited literature on the subject, the authors created a pioneering book that captures the viewpoints of real-life Hispanic-Latino entrepreneurs. Using a 15-item questionnaire, the authors obtained information on entrepreneurial intent, goals, and business strategies utilized. This book highlights real world business experiences, including challenges relating to entrepreneurial pursuits, and the importance of hard work, discipline, and a positive mindset in the success of an enterprise.

J. Mark Munoz is a professor of international business at Millikin University in Illinois, and a former visiting fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is a recipient of several awards including three Best Research Paper Awards, a literary award, an international book award, and the ACBSP Teaching Excellence Award among others. Aside from top-tier journal publications, he has authored/edited/co-edited nine books namely: Land of My Birth, Winning Across Borders, In Transition, A Salesman in Asia, Handbook of Business Plan Creation, International Social Entrepreneurship, Contemporary Microenterprises: Concepts and Cases, Handbook on the Geopolitics of Business and Hispanic-Latino Entrepreneurship. As chairman/CEO of international management consulting firm, Munoz and Associates International, he directs consulting projects worldwide in the areas of strategy formulation, business development, and international finance.

Dr. Michelle Ingram Spain is the director of the Deville School of Business Collaboration Center Scholar in Residence and associate professor at the Walsh University Deville School of Business, North Canton, Ohio. She is a certified small business counsellor, and small business loan intermediary. She was the former director of the David Myers University Small Business Assistance Center and Small Business Development undergraduate program. She is a graduate of Columbia University.