Episode 112

Neri Karra Sillaman: What immigrant entrepreneurs can teach us

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Immigrant entrepreneurs have an outsized impact in business and society.

80% of billion dollar start-ups have founders or senior executives who are first or second generation immigrants. So, what can we learn from them?

In this episode I am joined by Neri Karra Sillaman, author of Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs. Neri’s research shows that immigrant entrepreneurs have a unique ability to reframe failure. Something she has done herself as a refugee turned entrepreneur.

Neri shares how constraints can be turned into an advantage for entrepreneurs as they look to blend their home and new cultures in the services and products they create. She underscores the importance of quality, community, and a focus on impact rather than personal gain. Lessons many leaders could learn to improve their organisations.

How immigrant entrepreneurs reframe failure as fuel for growth
The role of community in building resilience and drive
Why a clear, long-term vision sustains entrepreneurial momentum
Why integrity and quality matter more than rapid scale
The personal sacrifices behind building a meaningful business
How cross-cultural identity becomes a strategic advantage
The mindset shifts needed for true business longevity

More about Neri

Neri Karra Sillaman is an author, advisor, and entrepreneur whose work focuses on business longevity, innovation, and impact. She is the author of Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs, recognised as one of Thinkers50’s Top 10 Best New Management Books in 2025. Neri was also named to the Thinkers50 Radar List as one of the 30 management thinkers shaping the future of work.

As the founder of her luxury leather goods brand, a company established more than 25 years ago, she combines entrepreneurial experience with research-driven insight. Neri is an Entrepreneurship Expert at the University of Oxford, and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

As a child refugee, she draws on her journey of resilience and adaptation to advise leaders on purpose, culture, and long-term success.

Neri’s website
Her book
Her LinkedIn profile
Neri on Instagram

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“Immigrant entrepreneurs don’t hear ‘no’ the way that you do.”

Neri Karra Sillaman — author, advisor and entrepreneur

VIEW RUNNING ORDER

03.23	Key principles to business longevity.
06.25	How immigrant entrepreneurs reframe failures.
11.56	Do all immigrant entrepreneurs fit the same mould?
14.50	Being true to themselves whilst overcoming cultural barriers.
18.49	It’s the quality that really matters.
26.56	Dealing with the sacrifices involved.
32.45	Neri’s message to people with more privilege.
35.54	The impact Neri wants to have on the world.