Pioneers

Thinkers50 Best New Management Book of 2025

Next Big Idea Club Must Read

Porchlight Business Bestseller

Financial Times Readers' Choice

2025 Best Book of the Year (So Far) — Financial Times & Next Big Idea Club

Featured on BBC, CNBC, CBS News, Fast Company, HBR IdeaCast, Financial Times

“The most profound, captivating, and unparalleled business advice you will find.”
—Mel Robbins, bestselling author and host of The Mel Robbins Podcast

Unlock the principles that drive the remarkable success stories of immigrant entrepreneurs from around the world

In Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity From Immigrant Entrepreneurs, academic, entrepreneur, and consultant, Neri Karra Sillaman, delivers a one-of-a-kind exploration of the remarkable success of immigrant entrepreneurs. The author writes about how immigrants, often starting with limited capital and connections, have built iconic and enduring businesses. Sillaman combines rigorous academic research with compelling case studies and personal experience and narrative to uncover the principles that drive these stunning achievements.

Pioneers offers a blueprint for business leaders seeking longevity, profitability, and sustainability in the contemporary marketplace. You'll find:

• Strategies for building resilient businesses that embrace diversity and inclusion
• Explanations of the power of community and how you can leverage it for business growth
• Stories of the importance of creating a legacy that goes beyond mere profit
• Techniques and actionable advice to turn past failures into future success

Exploring the dramatic immigrant success stories powering such well-known brands as Chobani, WhatsApp, and BioNTech, this book is a must-read for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone else interested in the dynamics of immigrant entrepreneurship. Pioneers is a transformative and inspiring business guide that will help you build a company that stands the test of time.

Preface: Entrepreneurs Will Change Your Life xi

Part I Departure 1

Chapter 1 The Myths and Reality of Business Longevity 3

Chapter 2 Immigrant Entrepreneurship and the American Dream 21

Chapter 3 Who Are Immigrant Entrepreneurs? 35

Part II Exploration: The 8 Principles 51

Chapter 4 Principle 1: Be a Bridge Across Cultures 53

Chapter 5 Principle 2: Build from the Past Forward and the Future Back 75

Chapter 6 Principle 3: Forge Connections Based on Identity and Authenticity 97

Chapter 7 Principle 4: Generate Profit the Right Way 117

Chapter 8 Principle 5: Build Community 133

Chapter 9 Principle 6: Reframe Rejection 151

Chapter 10 Principle 7: “Fry in Your Own Oil” 169

Chapter 11 Principle 8: Dare to Play Your Hand 185

Conclusion: Our Future, Together as One 201

Notes 209

Acknowledgments 223

About the Author 227

Index 229

NERI KARRA SILLAMAN, PHD, is a business consultant, public speaker, and academic specializing in entrepreneurship and business strategy. She is also a former refugee, immigrant entrepreneur, and founder of a multimillion-dollar global fashion brand. Karra Sillaman currently serves as an Adjunct Professor and Entrepreneurship Expert at the University of Oxford, where she mentors the next generation of business leaders.

Immigrants face significant obstacles when they arrive in their destination countries as they attempt to integrate themselves, and their families, into an entirely new economy. However, although immigrants and their children only make up 28% of the U.S. population, 80% of billion-dollar start-ups have founders or senior executives who are first- or second-generation immigrants. What are the secrets of immigrant entrepreneurs’ enormous success, and what can we learn from them?

In Pioneers: 8 Principles of Business Longevity from Immigrant Entrepreneurs, consultant, academic, and entrepreneur Neri Karra Sillaman delivers an inspiring discussion of how immigrants have overcome daunting challenges to create successful, enduring businesses. The author draws on her personal experiences as an immigrant and her academic expertise to dive deep into the unique qualities that make immigrant entrepreneurs so resilient, innovative, and impactful.

The book offers a detailed analysis of eight core principles that Karra Sillaman has identified as contributing to business longevity. She shares the real-life stories of successful immigrant entrepreneurs that highlight these principles and provide valuable insights for business leaders trying their best to navigate the complexities of contemporary markets and create legacies that last.

Pioneers explores the inspiring career journeys of some of the immigrant entrepreneurs behind brands like Chobani, WhatsApp, and PayPal while offering practical advice on how to apply the entrepreneurial principles these men and women have relied on to your own ventures.

Perfect for entrepreneurs, managers, executives, founders, and other business leaders, Pioneers is an essential exploration of the dynamics of immigrant success. It’s a must-read for anyone looking to harness the entrepreneurial spirit and achieve sustainable growth and lasting impact in their current or next company.

Praise for PIONEERS

“The most profound, captivating, and unparalleled business advice you will find.”
— Mel Robbins, bestselling author and host of The Mel Robbins Podcast

“This book busts myths about what it takes to start and sustain a successful business. Karra Sillaman shares lessons from immigrant entrepreneurs that are both memorable and practical.”
— Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again, and host of the podcast Re:Thinking

“This astonishing book shows all of us how to thrive in imperfect conditions, the essential task of business and of life.”
— Frances Frei and Anne Morriss, bestselling authors of Move Fast & Fix Things and host of the hit podcast Fixable

“Entrepreneur and scholar Karra Sillaman sets out to answer the question of why immigrants are overrepresented in successful entrepreneurship, founding companies able to grow and survive over time. Her surprising answers offer timeless wisdom for business leaders that could not be more timely today.”
— Amy C. Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School; author of Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well

“Pioneers masterfully captures the spirit of immigrant entrepreneurship. A must-read for entrepreneurs looking to create lasting impact.”
— Dorie Clark, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game and executive education faculty, Columbia Business School

“Full of amazing, touching and inspiring stories, Pioneers is essential reading. In our intolerant and uncertain times, it teaches us the power of being open to others and of the indomitable entrepreneurial brilliance of so many people. We owe Neri thanks for sharing her own remarkable story and those of the other pioneers.”
— Stuart Crainer, Co-founder, Thinkers50

"The most profound, captivating, and unparalleled business advice you will find."
—Mel Robbins, bestselling author and host of "The Mel Robbins Podcast"

“This book busts myths about what it takes to start and sustain a successful business. Neri Karra shares lessons from immigrant entrepreneurs that are both memorable and practical.”
—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of HIDDEN POTENTIAL and THINK AGAIN, and host of the podcast "ReThinking"

“This astonishing book shows all of us how to thrive in imperfect conditions, the essential task of business and of life.”
—Frances Frei and Anne Morriss, bestselling authors of Move Fast & Fix Things and host of the hit podcast "Fixable"

"Entrepreneur and scholar Neri Karra sets out to answer the question of why immigrants are overrepresented in entrepreneurship, and especially overrepresented in successful entrepreneurship – founding companies able to grow and survive over time. Her surprising answers, found through compelling research and conveyed through gripping stories offer timeless wisdom for business leaders that could not be more timely today."
—Amy C Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School and Author of Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well

"Pioneers masterfully captures the spirit of immigrant entrepreneurship, offering rich insights into how their innovations are disrupting industries and building businesses that endure. A must-read for entrepreneurs looking to create lasting impact."
—Dorie Clark, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game and executive education faculty at Columbia Business School

“Full of amazing, touching and inspiring stories, Pioneers is essential reading. In our intolerant and uncertain times, it teaches us the power of being open to others and of the indomitable entrepreneurial brilliance of so many people. We owe Neri Karra Sillaman thanks for sharing her own remarkable story and those of the other pioneers.”
—Stuart Crainer, cofounder Thinkers50.

"In an era where we're all pioneers navigating unfamiliar territory, Neri Karra's Pioneers serves as an essential guidebook for thriving in our rapidly evolving world. Whether you're crossing geographical borders or adapting to seismic shifts in your industry, this book will show you how to design your own path in a world that's new to us all."
—Ayse Birsel, cofounder, Birsel + Seck, and author of Design the Life You Love

“At a time when immigrants are being viewed with suspicion in many parts of the world, Neri Karra’s book comes as a breath of fresh air. She has brought together inspirational stories of immigrant entrepreneurs from around the world shining a light on their tenacity, appetite for risk and capacity for hard work, and how it translates into success. This book is not just for immigrants though. All entrepreneurs would do well to read it."
—Kamal Munir, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Strategy and Policy, University of Cambridge