What happens when your toughest challenges become your biggest opportunities?

On this episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, host Bill Sherman dives deep with Neri Karra Sillaman—an Entrepreneurship Expert, TEDx Speaker, and Professor at ESCP Business School—about how her early life as a refugee set her on a path to becoming a thought leader and entrepreneur.

Neri shares the story of her childhood, growing up as part of a Turkish minority in Bulgaria during the 1980s, facing forced assimilation, and eventually being expelled from the country. With only two suitcases, her family fled to Turkey. From those humble beginnings in refugee camps, Neri realized education was her key to changing her life. This powerful experience laid the foundation for her future work in entrepreneurship and academia.

But how does a life of survival translate into thought leadership? Neri discusses how her research took her on a journey to understand why immigrants create businesses—and more importantly, why some of those businesses endure. Her "ah-ha" moment came when she found that many studies focused on the why of immigrant entrepreneurship but few explored how these businesses achieve longevity. This insight sparked her upcoming book, which distills the strategies of immigrant founders that any entrepreneur can apply.

Her message is clear: business longevity isn’t just for immigrant entrepreneurs. It’s for anyone who wants to build something that lasts. Neri is working to bridge the gap between startup challenges and the principles that help businesses thrive over the long term.

When asked how she moved beyond academia to practice thought leadership, Neri explains how she transitioned from writing academic papers to producing content for HBR, Fast Company, and other platforms that directly impact business leaders. She challenges thought leaders to think about how they can make their work accessible and actionable.


Three Key Takeaways:

• Adversity can shape success – Neri’s experience as a refugee shaped her drive and resilience, which became the foundation for her entrepreneurial journey and thought leadership.

• Immigrant entrepreneurship holds key lessons for all – The principles that help immigrant businesses endure are applicable to any entrepreneur looking to achieve long-term success.

• Practical thought leadership matters – Moving beyond academic research, Neri emphasizes the importance of creating accessible, actionable content that resonates with business owners and drives real impact.

Neri has spent her life seeking success in academia and entrepreneurship. If you want to find that same success in Thought Leadership take a moment to watch this short video from Thought Leadership Leverage COO Bill Sherman on successfully launching a thought leadership team.