What We Can Learn from Jean-Marc Dedeyne

Never Forget Your Dream
Jean-Marc's dream to come to the United States began when he was 18 years old. One of his cousins gave him a brochure of a US College; he fell in love with it and decided he wanted to come here. He started researching the possibility of coming to study in the United States in 1993 but it was not affordable at the time. Therefore Jean-Marc opted for studying in France, where he attained a Masters degree in Sales and Infrastructure. He started his career in the software industry where he did infrastructure sales for various companies in France. All the while he tried to convince several employers to send him to the United States. This dream was not realized until 2006.


Turn Potential Disappointment into Victories
In 2006 HP France was going through a workforce reduction while Jean-Marc was working for them. He saw this as an opportunity to take the severance package and pursue his dream. By this time the dream had grown from coming to study to starting a business in the United States.


Take Charge of your Journey
In helping his dream to become a reality, he decided to network with Americans in France. He finally connected with an education agent who helped him find and apply to UCLA. Jean-Marc says he spent his first two years on a mission to learn two things; the language which would enable him to understand the culture; and the system which would enable him to thrive in business.


Sometimes the Dream is Veiled by Challenges
Jean-Marc experienced many challenges on his journey to the USA. The most difficult being

• The Immigration process
• The language barrier
• Finding a program and school

The greatest challenge was starting over and proving himself. He had to lay down all his preconceived notions and past experiences and retool based on his new set of circumstances. He realized the fact that nobody cared about his background until he could prove that he could add value.

Everyone Needs Cheerleaders

Jean-Marc spent a lot of time with his teachers and classmates his first year as he learned English. He also credits his Filipino-American friend and his American roommate for teaching him how things work in the US and also helping him learn how to get around. Jean-Marc joined organizations that students do not typically join to network with other expatriates and the business community. He says, "What helped me the most was living off-campus surrounded by a wider community of people who had similar experiences."

You Can Realize your Dreams

Jean-Marc started U in the USA while he was still in school. Realizing that he was surrounded by people who faced similar challenges, his goal was to provide foreign students and expatriates a service to help them adjust to life in America and also provide opportunities to interact with Americans. He wanted to inspire a global mindset and simplify life for them. For some of the services offered by his company visit U in the USA.


Sometimes the Stars line up
Jean-Marc started the process of applying for an investor visa because he was determined to stay in the US and run his business. While he was still working with his lawyer, he applied for the DV lottery and got the green card. Until then he was running his business on his temporary work visa (OPT). In order to increase his chances of success, he pursued more than one avenue to reach his goal.

Jean-Marc's Nuggets for People who want to Immigrate to the USA

• Visit the US before making a permanent move if you can
• Start making connections and reach out
• Spend some time as a student. It will help you learn the culture
• Understand why Americans do things the way they do
• Spend some time researching your market if you want to start a business and work on a business plan
• Have a year of savings
• Do not be afraid to lose yourself in the culture
• Visit different places
• Go beyond the conventional
• Above all---BE VERY CURIOUS!

Jean-Marc Dedeyne is the President and CEO of U in the USA. Originally from Martinique, a French island in the Caribbean, he is also an accomplished International Sales Professional with an outstanding record of success selling enterprise solutions with $43 million of revenues generated at SAS France and HP France. He also has expertise in international business with an aptitude for transitioning foreigners to the United States. He acquired international experience by working and traveling in 25 countries around the world. He has a Masters Degree in Sales & Infrastructure Technology Services from Euridis Ecole and a Certificate in General Business Studies - Entrepreneurship from UCLA.