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<div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">With just $20 in her pocket, Inson Byun came to the United States after a long journey from South Korea. This was in 1973. Byun was 23 years old and in search of opportunity. </span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">Byun thought she found it when she fell in love and got married a short time after her arrival. But fate had greater plans in store, and a few years later, Byun found herself reeling from a divorce. Suddenly a single mother living in Dallas with only a high school education and very limited English, Byun was in desperate need of work.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">Like many Korean women within Dallas&#8217; immigrant community, Byun&#8217;s solution was to go work for a sewing company as a seam-ripper. The hours were long for such trivial pay&#8212;she was making less than minimum wage, which was under $5 at the time. When she inquired how long it&#8217;d take to see any sort of raise, her manager gave her the answer she was afraid of hearing: It would take five years before she&#8217;d be able to even make minimum wage. His response was hard to swallow, but it gave Byun the clarity she needed&#8212;there was not future in a job like this. </span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">Byun turned to her friends, who did manicures and pedicures at nail salons. Following their lead, she began taking classes at a local beauty school, where she first learned how to do nails, then moved on to cutting hair. She eventually found a job working for a salon, and it was there that Byun&#8217;s diligent work ethic impressed management. She was promoted to shift leader, making around $2,000 a month. For that salary, she generated more than $9,000 worth of business a month. It was an important lesson.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">&#8220;That&#8217;s when I discovered, wow, there is a lot of money to be made in this industry,&#8221; Byun said. </span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">By 1996, Byun had saved up and borrowed enough money to open her first business&#8212;a <a href="http://www.greatclipsfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=for-many-immigrants-franchising-means-newfound-opportunity-4745" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Great Clips</a> franchise in Texas, the first-ever to hit the Lone Star state. Today, with the help of the brand&#8217;s training program, Byun is now the owner of 11 <a href="http://greatclips.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=for-many-immigrants-franchising-means-newfound-opportunity-4745" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Great Clips</a> franchises throughout Texas. She&#8217;s proud to say that she&#8217;s living comfortably and free of debt&#8212;thanks to franchising. </span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">&#8220;Great Clips taught me everything,&#8221; Byun said. &#8220;I knew I couldn&#8217;t compete in this country based on my education, and I didn&#8217;t speak the language fluently. So I realized that I would succeed through sheer hard work. My desire to succeed in this country pulled me through. I wanted to live a healthy, happy live. By buying a franchise and doing my best, I&#8217;ve been able to achieve that.&#8221; </span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">There are thousands of immigrants with stories just like Byun&#8217;s. According to the <a href="http://www.franchise.org/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=for-many-immigrants-franchising-means-newfound-opportunity-4745" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">International Franchise Association</a>, the role of immigrants in the business environment is increasing. One out of every six small-business owners&#8212;or 900,000 out of approximately 4.9 million&#8212;is an immigrant. In addition, according to the <a href="http://immigrationresearch.commons.gc.cuny.edu/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=for-many-immigrants-franchising-means-newfound-opportunity-4745" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Immigration Research Initiative</a>, immigrants employed 4.7 million individuals. </span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">For franchise systems with immigrant-friendly policies, the immigrant community represents a pool of qualified, entrepreneur-spirited individuals and a pathway to system growth.  And for immigrants looking to acquire a franchise from a franchisor with immigrant-friendly policies, it represents an attractive investment opportunity that maximizes chances for success and a pathway to legally reside in the United States without having to start from scratch. </span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">&#8220;Franchising is a great way for immigrants to start a new business because it offers a ready-made system. Built in marketing programs, extensive training and entry into a community of business owners are invaluable to immigrant franchisees, who typically are still learning the ins and outs of American culture,&#8221; said Foulis Peacock, publisher of ImmigrantBiz.org, a website created for immigrant entrepreneurs. </span></div><div style="  font-style: normal; normal;  normal;"></div>

1851 Franchise

In search of a career, immigrants are turning to the stability of franchise systems to make a life for themselves. 

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