Mistakes and how to avoid them, when establishing a presence in Florida

The American Dream is still alive, millions of foreigners dream of a better life in the United States, even if they never touched American soil, thanks to Movies, Television and the Internet, America is present all over the world and the image that is projected is of a country with unlimited possibilities, prosperity and freedom. A country build on the foundation of immigrants from all over the world, today America is considered quite hostile to immigrants, be it a consequence of the attacks on September 11^th, be it due to the overwhelming problem of illegal immigration from underdeveloped countries. The hurdles that an immigrant has to face today have never been as tough in the history of this nation. That makes it even more important to be seriously determined and prepared to go through the process of establishing a new life in the United States.

Establishing a new business in the US is pretty simple and straightforward, especially if compared to Europe, actually new business is strongly encouraged in America, and if the Business idea is a success the scale of the country allows for huge growth potential not achievable in any other market in the world. This draws investors from all over the world in pursuit of the fabled American Dream.

There are two big mistakes though that most immigrants make at the beginning, and being aware of these might already give you an edge for success.

“It worked back home, it will work here” There is a form of unhealthy chauvinism that many Europeans have, unfortunately many consider themselves to be better or smarter than Americans and this leads them to presume that their “ideas” will be a success. The Statistics though show that businesses led without adapting to the American market are most certainly doomed to failure. It hurts to admit, but when starting a new venture in this country, one has to be armed with humility and disregard what accomplishments might have led them to success abroad, because the only way to succeed in America is to do things the “American way”.

The only exception to this is actually if your target customer are your own fellow countrymen and immigrant peer group. Then, most likely, replicating a successful business or product from abroad is a safe bet because of a niche market that requires it. Which brings us to another mistake newcomers make.

Trusting your peer group.

It is a given that immigrants seek out their own countrymen when abroad, unfortunately this leads to a false sense of trust that is only warranted by the fact that they have similar origins, grew up in the same area and maybe share some memories from their hometowns. The new immigrant rather seeks advice from his own countrymen than from locals, but this can lead to excessive trusting and way less scrutiny that would have been applied in the home country instead.

Many fresh immigrants have been cheated, tricked and exploited by their own people because of this, and many scam artists make actually a living out of ripping off new immigrants.

That doesn’t mean you should not seek advice or set up business relationship with fellow countrymen abroad, just that you should use the same due diligence you would at home. Always check the background, verify their licenses, and ask for reputable references. There are very serious professionals and businesses out there which target newcomers, seek these out. They can help you establish your new life in America and put you on a fast track to success, grasping for the American Dream. Good Luck!