Tucked away in Old Edwards Inn’s Hummingbird Lounge last year, small business strategist James Chittenden and immigration lawyer Renata Castro found inspiration for their recently published book, 99 Questions to Ask BEFORE Starting a Business in the U.S.
Last summer, Chittenden said the two were in the Hummingbird Lounge having bourbon, as all good stories start.
“Renata grabbed a book off of the bookshelf in the lounge, and the name of the book was 101 Questions to ask Before You Get Engaged,” Chittenden said. “We were thumbing through it, and we liked the way that it was written. It would ask a question, have a little bit of a discussion at the bottom and then you could put your answer in the blank space in between. We put the book down, but we came back again a month later.”
Castro said the unique thing about the book they found in the Hummingbird Lounge is the way that it invites the reader to have a conversation with the author.
“In reading the book, I was discussing with James how foreign entrepreneurs don’t really have a book like this to guide them on the path to starting a business,” Castro said. “In a more conceptual basis, there are plenty of books on starting a business plan, but none really asking people, that we know of, how does starting a business impact your life? What kind of business do you want to start and why? How does your family play into that? Helping the reader create a map of design of their life that he or she wants as a business owner. James and I realized that we could write a book that tended to both domestic and international audiences in a way that really invited the reader to be a part of the conversation. Of course, the beautiful setting that was provided by Old Edwards Inn and the great scotch selection helped.”
Sitting by a fire in Rabun Gap, the two started formulating the questions for their book.
“We started thinking about the different questions that we could ask in this book and two hours later, it turned out that we had more than enough questions to ask,” Castro said. “The spine of the book was really done. The book is structured as a question and commentary. The feedback is the same as the feedback James and I would provide our clients in our practices. We didn’t write the book in a day, but from idea to execution, it happened within 24 hours. It was quite interesting.”
With Castro specializing in helping people immigrate to the United States and Chittenden helping people start their own small business, he said the overlap between the two’s expertise helped them write the book.
“Renata helps people daily with entrepreneurship and investment visas,” Chittenden said. “With me, I was a small business banker and small business development consultant. So, I trained small business owners and I have a site called oneclickadvisor.com and that’s exactly what it does. It helps owners of start-ups and small businesses market, operate and finance small businesses.”
For Castro, when talking about entrepreneurship in the United States, she said it is the world’s most exciting economy.
“In my practice, I consult with thousands of people every year, and there is this misconception that foreign entrepreneurs are not ready to make business ownership apart of their American dream,” Castro said. “This book gives them a chance to make mistakes on paper, to give them the expertise of both essential experts in that path towards business ownership and a visa.”
Castro said she hopes that foreigners who come to the United States get an opportunity to live their version of the American dream.
“We want them to come, to contribute and generate jobs,” Castro said. “We want them to do all of the great things that this country awards all of us. We hope that they see there is a legal pathway for those who are willing to do the due diligence and that they listen to advice of professionals, instead of becoming, in the words of Jeff Bezos, ‘a complexifier.’ There should really be a way to streamline getting from dream to reality.”
In his experience, Chittenden said it is all about asking the right questions to get the right answers.
“I worked for one of the biggest banking companies in America and there wasn’t a single week where somebody didn’t call in and ask, ‘How much money can you get me?’” Chittenden said. “That is the wrong question. I have to have a conversation about the business first. What is the business? Who is going to buy from the business? Where will it be located? Where will your customer be? Those are the right questions. If you ask the right questions, you get the right answers. It may seem easy, but it is only easy after you have had the conversation a several thousand times.”
President of the Brazilian Business Group, Elizabeth Alderate said, “Being an entrepreneur in the world’s most exciting market is one step closer to being a reality for those who read this book.”
Florida Senator Janet Cruz also gave praise to the book saying, “Business ownership is the first step up and out of generational poverty. As a granddaughter of immigrants who rolled cigars in Ybor City, I watched them work to make others wealthy. Working ten-hour days is the easy part for many of us. It’s the business end that can be complicated. This book clearly defines the steps to a lifetime of financial freedom.”
99 Questions to Ask BEFORE Starting a Business in the U.S. is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback format.
Castro is an award-winning immigration attorney and founder of a national immigration practice based out of Coral Springs, Fla. A frequent fixture on T.V. and radio shows, Castro has spoken on the issue of immigration law and policy for outlets such as CNN Brasil, CBS12, Fox5, Black News Channel. An avid traveler, Castro’s happy place is in the Appalachian Mountains of Georgia, where she enjoys the views of blueberry fields in the back of her lodge in Clayton. Her son was just accepted to Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School.
Chittenden is a former U.S. Marine Corps officer, who parlayed the duress of military training and service into business resilience and success. This is the second published book Chittenden authored, along with dozens of articles and digital downloads, providing advice on small business challenges. He’s a public speaker who has been featured on all major television networks. He has written articles for Forbes, the Houston Chronicle and Preferred Magazine. He’s also an amateur boxing champion, who serves part-time as a professional boxing and MMA official.
- By Christopher Lugo