Ethnic minorities can face specific challenges in setting up a business, writes John Downes.

Next time you are walking down your local high street, why not take a glance at the faces of the people passing you by? Chances are that the people will come from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds.

There is little doubt that recent years have seen a marked increase in the number of individuals from all over the world coming to live and work in Ireland.

Due in large part to the increased economic prosperity which Ireland has experienced over the past decade, leading to increased business and employment opportunities for immigrants, this growth looks set to continue.

It is estimated that in the years ahead, Ireland will need 50,000 immigrants annually to supplement our domestic labour supply.

But what is it like for an immigrant to set up and run a business here? When English is not your first language, what are the challenges and opportunities that come with being from a different ethnic background?

Mr Tariq Salahuddin, originally from Bangladesh, has lived here since 1982 and is the owner of seven restaurants in Belfast, Dublin and Naas.

Mr Salahuddin's first job here was in an Indian restaurant in Belfast. He was amazed at the demand for Indian cuisine in the city - and spied a business opportunity.

"There were only four or five such restaurants which you could go to, but there was a big demand for Indian food," he says. "But there is a lot of hard work involved in getting your business up and running. Business is hard. You just have to make the right choices."

One of the key considerations for any immigrant entering the catering trade is getting to grips with the rules and regulations it entails, he says. This is particularly difficult if you are struggling to overcome the language barrier.

"If somebody is new to the country and is trying to set up, they could find some difficulties," he says. "For somebody completely new, I would say get a good accountant and a good solicitor."

The fact that he was from Bangladesh did give him a "little bit of an advantage" in opening his restaurants, Mr Salahuddin acknowledges.

However, he says, this is not necessarily the case today.

"Indian food has become very, very popular. But now I don't think it really matters whether you are from Bangladesh or Ireland," he explains. "People are looking for a good restaurant, good food, and a well set up ambiance."

One of the other challenges of running a successful business is to be adaptable, believes Mr Moussa Bouguerra, president of the association for the Algerian community in Ireland.

Mr Bouguerra, who has a background in the aviation industry, originally came to Ireland to study engineering in UCD in 1976. But he has been adaptable in his career - he now runs a meat export business, three restaurants and a juice bar.

Having lived in Ireland since he was 20 years old, he says language is not a problem for him. But he has definitely witnessed changes to Ireland in the past decade.

"Nowadays, Dublin is very cosmopolitan - like London or Paris. There are lots of different nationalities around here," he says. "I call myself Irish too, having been here for 30 years. My kids live here and were born here."

Mr Bouguerra says he has never had any real problems with the administrative side of running a business.

"But you have to know how to deal with people too," he says. "Some people coming here lack experience. They are getting into a country where they don't know a lot about it people coming from my country or from Eastern European countries, they look at things a little differently."

Both Mr Salahuddin and Mr Bouguerra are examples of businessmen from ethnic minorities who have enjoyed real success here. But, according to Mr Chinedu Onyejelem, editor of multicultural newspaper Metroeireann, not all immigrants are so lucky.

One recent phenomenon is the need for ethnic entrepreneurs to hire Irish people to be the "face" of their businesses. Otherwise, Irish people can be slow to give them their business.

"When people ring your phone, you [ sometimes] need an Irish person or a Westerner if you want growth I think it has to do both with racism and people's mindsets," he explains.

While arguably the most visible ethnic enterprises here are in catering, Mr Onyejelem points out that ethnic entrepreneurs are involved in many industries. These range from ethnic foodstores, computer repairs and publishing, to building contracting, radio stations and childcare.

Some ethnic businesspeople encounter difficulties understanding some of the jargon which accompanies business - and sometimes can be slow to pay the minimum wage, partly as a result of confusion over the implications of not doing so, he says. Yet, he is in little doubt as to the benefits of encouraging ethnic entrepreneurship here.

"It brings more employment and more money to the economy. It also keeps the taxman very happy. When an ethnic entrepreneur sets up a business in Ireland, he or she is bringing capital from inside and also outside Ireland and more colour into business in Ireland."