Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine female Chinese immigrant leaders in Southern California so as to understand the life experiences, leadership skills and training, cultural impact, and environmental factors that allowed them to become entrepreneurs and leaders in their community. Methodology: The methodology of this research was a qualitative study of in-depth interviews with 6 female Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs from the Southern California Chapter of the Global Federation of Chinese Business Women (GFCBW-SCC). These 6 individuals were honored by their association for their achievements as entrepreneurs, as recognized by the Golden Crow Award. Each woman was interviewed in a one-on-one setting—in both English and Chinese—with predesigned questions about their achievements as female Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs. Findings: Throughout this research, these interviewees all showcased that the common factors for success were that they were from families with parents who believed in education for girls, they were individuals who were able to view cross-cultural business practices as an advantage, and they were instilled with values on how critical it is to have to balance their lives between family and careers. Common barriers included breaking through the traditional role of what it means to be a woman in order to become an entrepreneur and their proficiency language skills in English. Conclusion: Every immigration experience creates a different transformation journey for each individual, just as for these interviewees. Like this group of businesswomen, they started with their dreams and found ways to achieve their goals once they were here. The difference between them and women in Asia is that they found self-worth, which they had not been taught about in Asian culture. They took challenges as opportunities to create a new future for themselves; and, furthermore, they created dreams and hope for others as well. Recommendations: Further study is advised. The further research should be conducted in various areas such as on all participants in the GFCBW on the questions surveyed, because the size of the sample for this particular study was small. Also, it is recommended that the study be replicated in a different geographical area where there are a high number of Asian Chinese populations.