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Advancing U.S. Latino Entrepreneurship

April 7th, 2020

While it is well known that Latinos make up one of the largest and fastest growing populations in the U.S., new Latino-owned businesses are now outpacing this population growth and the startup business growth of all other demographic groups in the country.

Out April 15, Advancing U.S. Latino Entrepreneurship: A New National Economic Imperative edited by Marlene Orozco, Alfonso Morales, Michael J. Pisani, and Jerry I. Porras examines business formation and success among Latinos by identifying arrangements that enhance entrepreneurship and by understanding the sociopolitical contexts that shape entrepreneurial trajectories.

Latinos are a population that has been vastly understudied in the fields of entrepreneurship and wealth creation. Unfairly, the dominant story of Latinos—especially Mexican Americans—is that of dispossession and its consequences, but the economic future of the country is tied to the prospects of Latinos forming and growing business. The authors in this volume make clear the undiminished ambitions of Latinos as well as the transformative relationships among people, their practices, and the political context in which they operate. The reality of Latino entrepreneurs demands new attention and focus.

“The Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative has assembled a dream team of scholars who research the vital importance of Latinos to American entrepreneurship and to American society as a whole. These authors show us how across industries, the Latino business is vital to the U.S. economy, to job creation, and to accelerating innovation, confirming how these entrepreneurs are taking a leading role in business and industry around the country. This work will be an essential reference in understanding the contribution of Latinos to a prosperous America.”

—Jose L. Prado, Evans Food Vice Chairman and former Chairman and CEO; former President of Quaker Oats North America

Advancing U.S. Latino Entrepreneurship: A New National Economic Imperative

edited Marlene Orozco, Alfonso Morales, Michael J. Pisani, and Jerry I. Porras

ISBN: 9781557539373, Paperback, $34.99, 378 pages

Table of Contents:

PREFACE: Latino Entrepreneurs: Challenges and Opportunities by Paul Oyer

PART 1: An Introduction to Latino Entrepreneurship— Historical Perspectives and Data Sources

CHAPTER 1: Introduction: Advancing U.S. Latino Entrepreneurship by Marlene Orozco, Alfonso Morales, Michael J. Pisani, and Jerry I. Porras

CHAPTER 2: Entrepreneurs from the Beginning: Latino Business and Commerce since the Sixteenth Century by Geraldo L. Cadava

CHAPTER 3: Latino Business and Commerce: A Contemporary View by Michael J. Pisani and Iliana Perez

CHAPTER 4: The Economic Contributions of Latino Entrepreneurs by Robert W. Fairlie, Zulema Valdez, and Jody Agius Vallejo

CHAPTER 5: The State of Latino Entrepreneurship: SLEI Research and Findings by Marlene Orozco and Iliana Perez

PART II: Macro Perspectives: A Regional Approach

CHAPTER 6: Latino Farm Entrepreneurship in Rural America by Barbara Robles, Alfonso Morales, and Michael J. Pisani

CHAPTER 7: Shaping Success: Exploring the Evolution of Latino Businesses in Three Major U.S. Counties by Edna Ledesma and Cristina Cruz

CHAPTER 8: Mexican American Founder Narratives at High-Growth Firms on the South Texas–Mexican Border by John Sargent and Linda Matthews

PART III: Micro Perspectives: Individual and Group-Level Analysis

CHAPTER 9: Social Network Utilization among Latino-Owned Business by Elsie L. Echeverri-Carroll and Marie T. Mora

CHAPTER 10: Acculturation and Latino-Owned Business Success: Patterns and Connections by Michael J. Pisani and Joseph M. Guzman

CHAPTER 11: The Business of Language: Latino Entrepreneurs, Language Use, and Firm Performance by Alberto Dávila, Michael J. Pisani, and Gerardo Miranda

CHAPTER 12: How Can Entrepreneurship Serve as a Pathway to Reduce Income Inequality among Hispanic Women? by Ruth E. Zambrana, Leticia C. Lara, Bea Stotzer, and Kathleen Stewart

PART IV: Practice and Policy

CHAPTER 13: SLEI-Education Scaling Program: A Business Program of “National Economic Imperative” by Marlene Orozco

CHAPTER 14: The G.R.E.A.T. Gacela Theory: Increasing Capital and Conditions for Success for High-Potential Latino Entrepreneurs Capable of Transforming Our Economy and Our Country by Monika Mantilla

CONCLUSION: A New National Economic Imperative by Marlene Orozco, Alfonso Morales, Michael J. Pisani, and Jerry I. Porras

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