Barriers of starting the business faced to Turkish society 1.What difficulties did you encounter when you started?

- Language: I got a lot of difficulties in the beginning, but I speak English and some people here speak Arabic so it’s not a problem when you want to buy and sell. Language was difficult in the beginning to find the equipment I needed to start my company.

Follow up question: When for example you were looking for the shop you wanted to buy, how did you manage doing so not speaking the language? Did you bring a translator? Or a Syrian friend you met in Turkey who helped you?

It’s difficult, that’s right. Actually, I bought our company from Syrian people – so it was already ready when I bought it. You have to know for Syrian people they have solution - people or dynamic – you can live everywhere – you can make deals with everybody. You know, Turkey is neighbor country for us and in 2009 to 2011 we got the good relationship between Turkey and Syria. And that helped us.

- Culture shock: In the beginning it was difficult. In the beginning we were staying in small resort outside the city and we got maybe 15 Syrian families. Our children went to the school a couple of days after we got here. And because my wife used to be a teacher, she got a position too. And so they have no problem, they got school and a home. For us, it was easy leaving from Syria to Turkey because every is okay.

Follow up question: And the school in the beginning was it a Turkish school or an Arabic school?

In the beginning it was an Arabic school, and now my wife works in a Turkish school, then my son go to the Turkish school. So no cultural shock because I have a neighbor, I have a customer, I buy, I sell. I do everything here.

- Integration: Sometimes we could understand how we can behave with them. What makes them happy and what makes them mad…or how we are bothering them. And day by day we know how we can live with them. Because we are Syrian people, they have common sense, you know. They are feeling everything around us. I mean I know what I have to say to my neighbor and our visitor. And we are feeling luckily for everybody. So I have no problem, when moving to Mersin.

- Discrimination: Good, there is no racism.

- Knowledge of Turkish law: Our accountant usually does that. But I wonder for many accountants, he has no good idea for most of regulations regarding our business especially.

We have no idea for any law, like to make communication with our business. This is an important point that is a source to a lot of our problems and I have no solution for it. For example, when I pay high taxes, nobody tells me. Our accountant doesn’t pay attention to this. When I told the government, they just told me that I have to pay. Nobody helps, our accountant gets his salary and of any mistake is made, I have no information about it. And when I ask him, he says you have to pay. I have no solution.

Follow up question: And the accountant is he Turkish?

Yes. But he doesn’t speak Arabic. I noticed here in Mersin, especially here in Mersin, I don’t know about other cities, they have no experience in business and companies and you can say they started now or like military school. No professional, no have experience. We are suffering from this problem.

- Work permit situation: It is very easy to register the company especially when I pay I got my working permit.

- Did the status of being a refugee play any role?

4.1.1. Would you say that there is a difference between starting a business as a Syrian refugee and other groups? Why?

4.2.Did you seek help elsewhere? What about in terms of financial help? Did you apply for any financial help? Banks?

4.3.If not family, did any institution help you? If so, how?

4.4.Banking system

Usually, I am asking the bank for support but they didn’t help. And the Turk Bank don’t help because we are Syrian citizen. I don’t know why they do that. When I export the good to other places in the world, sometimes when I go to transfer the money they said that I could not transfer in USD and that I would have to transfer in Turkish Lira.

Follow up question: So they make it hard for you in the bank?

No, just for this transfer. From Turkey to Europe, or from Europe to… yes.

4.5.Role of the government in the process of starting up a business 4.6.Financial program access?

4.7.Barriers registering/starting the business due to your temporary status/the ‘risk of being sent back’

Very easy to register. You get document, you pay and some days later you get permission.

5. Current situation of your business?

5.1.Is your business facing any changes at the moment in your business?

5.2.Competition: Yes there is a lot of competition, but we got many items especially in Soli Sweets. Nobody can do them as we do. Turkish and Arabic people like them. And we do high quality for every type of items. The hardest is because you are working with food, with human. We are making deals with people, everything you have to do has to be fresh.

You have to follow around 60 items. The second problem for me I have no role for this store for anything. I have no idea to what difficulties the details. I have many customers – I have around 70% of Syrian customers and I have around 30% of Turkish customers. Now I have two branches in Mersin, and I export sweets for America and Europe and Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Palestine, Sweden, Germany.

5.3.Taxation: We have no idea about the law about Turkey – the taxes for example. And we have no idea for rent, for the sales, for everything…that’s the problem. Well for example with taxes. I have a Turkish friend. I often ask him for help but he doesn’t always have a solution.I worked in law so I have some knowledge, but most of it is regarding Syria. And Syrian people here in Mersin ask me for about the law but it’s different and I don’t know the details. Because I have a lot of information about Syrian law but I have no way to know Turkish law. When I get this information I have no idea about Turkish law, I can’t do many things for development for my work or business.

Follow up question: Travel situation. – Are you allowed to travel in Turkey? Can you go to other cities? Istanbul, Ankara..without permission?

No. We use permission. You can apply and make permission on internet.

Follow up question: And when you do these branches can you travel?

Yes, I can travel now and all the time. I can travel. But for me, I love Mersin because its quiet city and small city. I have no stress here. I don’t like big cities like New York, like Istanbul.

Follow up question:Corona

It has affected my business. Many people working in the streets and most of people now have a fear to buy anything from outside or from the markets. I closed the store last week for a couple of days, but now with Ramadan coming they told me we can open – but we can only make delivery.

5.4.What would you suggest should be changed/done better to facilitate refugee entrepreneurs open successful businesses?

I think when we have no support (money or anything) – I think less taxes or free taxes for us for many years (2-5 years) that would be very good. Also I think that among Syrian people there are a lot of skilled ones. I think if the government gives us more freedom in

work and business we can do a great job. And when the employees feel less threatened by law or government they can do more too. We love freedom. That is the reason we left Syria.

For it. Freedom. The freedom is the main aim for us.

You know when I came to Mersin in 2012, it was a small town, small industry. Now everything changed in Mersin. When I first came to Mersin not much was happening. Now, all industries have developed. All want to conduct business here. I remember in 2015, I visited Ankara where I’m looking for us to come back to Mersin. When I told them Mersin (the Turkish people) they didn’t know where it was.

6. (More personal information)

● Age

● Education: Judge

● Family situation: Married, 2 daughters (15 and 12) and one son (17)

● Family relationship

● Religion, spirituality

● Current knowledge of Turkish

Appendix 11: Interview Transcription with Mr. Houbaity, Gardenia