My mother is not only an immigrant to the US but when she was an under-aged teenager (either 16 or 17), she escaped East Germany with forged papers, with her infant niece in tow to return the child to it's rightful mother who had been denied the right to take the baby home after a visit. She claimed the baby was hers. I have heard that the only reason it worked is because the baby threw up on one of the border guards while they were checking her crappy forged papers.

My mom was also self-employed for many years (something people here would call a "lifestyle business", not a "start up"). I definitely think my family background is part of why I have a fairly high tolerance for risk while being routinely misread and not really seen that way. Time will tell whether or not that will lead to successfully developing an independent income so I can leave my day job.