'' Bratten says . Watch small business owners describe how Demmellash has helped them '' Demmellash 's own struggle began in Addis Ababa , Ethiopia , amid instability and unrest . Thousands of Ethiopians -- including her aunt -- disappeared or were tortured and/or killed under the ruling military regime . When Demmellash was 2 , her mother fled the country , leaving the toddler in the care of her grandmother and aunt . Demmellash lived on less than a dollar a day but never considered herself poor . Watch Demmellash talk about her childhood '' Nearly a decade later , Demmellash and her mother reunited in Boston , Massachusetts . But Demmellash found her mother was n't living the American dream she 'd envisioned . `` I -LSB- thought -RSB- I would find my mom in a beautiful mansion with trees -LSB- and -RSB- gold everywhere , '' recalls Demmellash , now 29 . `` I was shocked when I found her in her tiny apartment ... working very , very hard . '' Her mother had worked as a waitress during the day and a seamstress at night to earn money to bring her daughter to the United
JERSEY CITY , New Jersey -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Alfa Demmellash grew up on less than a dollar a day , and against the backdrop of torture and murder . But these days she 's living the American dream and helping others do the same . Alfa Demmellash helps low-income entrepreneurs in New Jersey start or grow their businesses . `` Entrepreneurs are at the very heart of what the American dream is all about , '' says Demmellash , a native of Ethiopia . And from her small office in Jersey City , her nonprofit , Rising Tide Capital , is helping small businesses flourish . Robin Munn , who runs a flower shop in Jersey City , says the skills she learned through Demmellash helped her transform the way she operates her business . `` I was thinking about closing , but once I started taking the classes I found that the fire came back . '' Kim Bratten , a 39-year-old painter and mother of six , says she 's seen her yearly income increase by 50 percent since she started working with Demmellash and her team . `` They put hope back into the community ,