What is Emerge Skillnet?
The concept of Emerge Skillnet grew form the very successful EMERGE Equal project which ended in December 2007. Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurs (EMEs) face many problems when starting up or growing a business in Ireland. Many of these problems are, of course, the same for any entrepreneur, but some problems are specific to ethnic minority entrepreneurs or effect EMEs more. Ethnic businesses, in general, are very small and only seldom grow into larger firms. They also often rely almost exclusively on co-ethnic social networks when starting their businesses. These networks provide access to markets, customers, finance, advice and labour, and thereby facilitate the start-up process for many EMEs The market reach can be limited in comparison to indigenous entrepreneurs, highlighting the need to develop networking skills among ethnic entrepreneurs. Ethnic entrepreneurs face obstacles in accessing mainstream markets due to differences in business culture and business language which would enable them to have a better understanding of the opportunities available.
EMES face a further problem in accessing finance for their ventures. Their businesses initiatives tend to be small, which makes them less attractive to mainstream banks. This can be further complicated by cultural inhibitions. Many ethnic minority businesses (EMBs) therefore rely on co-ethnic networks for initial financing but the level of finance available may be small. Furthermore, access to mainstream banking services is particularly important when EMES wish to break out from their co-ethnic groups and expand their businesses. (The Immigrant Micro-Entrepreneurs in Ireland Report 2007 commissioned by First Step Microfinance)