Visa & More: Mr. and Mrs. Schiller/Ludwig talk about their life in Texas

Usually, this is where we present you with frequently asked questions of our customers, answered by our experts.

Today, you will find an interview with two of our customers instead, Mr. Thomas Schiller and his wife Manuela Ludwig, who went into business with a fashion store in Texas in 2007 after obtaining the E-2 Investor Visa with the help of The American Dream.

As a government approved consultancy service with profound knowledge of current visa regulations for the US and several years of experience, the American Dream will be happy to help you as well, for example if you are interested in going into franchise with our customers (see For Our Customers in the newsletter overview). Any questions concerning our service and prices can be asked via our homepage at any time.

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TAD: What was your motivation for moving to the US?

MR. AND MRS. SCHILLER/LUDWIG: The US as always been our favorite holiday destination. Over the years we traveled through 25 states and saw beautiful sceneries and fascinating cities. We especially noticed how friendly the people here were. We never seriously considered immigrating. However, the development in Germany made us feel like our quality of life was constantly decreasing, we felt increasingly dependent, restricted, and politics had an increasingly negative impact on life in Germany. Therefore, we gradually arrived at the decision to leave Germany. Because of our holiday experiences and our close American friends, the US were the only option we considered.

TAD: How long did it take after you made the decision, until you actually moved to the US?

MR. AND MRS. SCHILLER/LUDWIG: We finalized our decision to move to the US in March of 2006. In October of 2006 we actually pulled up stakes here, even though we only had a B-visa as Prospective Investors for our first step towards immigration. In March 2007 we finally received our E-2 Investor Visa from the US consulate in Frankfurt.

TAD: What difficulties did you encounter during the organizing phase of your move to the US?

MR. AND MRS. SCHILLER/LUDWIG: The main problem was that Manuela first had to undergo an FBI name check and thus couldn’t come along to the US in October 2006. That was also the reason for the delay of our E-2 Investor Visa. The name check was necessary, because someone by the same name and with the same birthday was involved in a criminal activity. Sop the FBI had to compare more data from Manuela’s resume with their own data. That was not an easy time for us, Manuela was stuck in Germany and couldn’t really do anything, while I was in the US and had so much work, I didn’t know where to start. But the time passed and nothing could keep us from moving to the US. A lot of things were very difficult to handle since we didn’t have the “right” visa.

TAD: What are your experiences with US authorities?

MR. AND MRS. SCHILLER/LUDWIG: American authorities aren’t better or worse than authorities elsewhere. Some things are handled quickly, some take a long time. But one thing we did notice: all employees at the authorities we came into contact with were definitely nicer than the ones we were used to in Germany. And when the officials found out we were from Germany, they often spontaneously started making small talk, which, of course, often had a positive impact on whatever we were there for.

TAD: What were the decisive factors in your choice of Texas as the location for your business?

MR. AND MRS. SCHILLER/LUDWIG: Our first choice was, of course, Florida, needless to say! However, after we had been to San Antonio, Texas, for the first time, there was no doubt in our minds that this was going to be our new home. There are many reasons for that. The climate is more pleasant than that in Florida, it is warm, but not as humid. The scenery is beautiful, we have mountains, lakes, canyons, deserts, everything nature has to offer. The city itself is, to us, one of the most beautiful in the US. Downtown San Antonio is “alive” with numerous stores and restaurants along the Riverwalk, which makes you believe your in Venice (without the smell), if your traveling by boat on the San Antonio River. And apart from “The Alamo,” San Antonio offers countless other attractions, for example Sea World (10 minutes from our house), Six Flaggs Fun Park, Safari Park, stalactite caves, museums and a lot more! Any tourist could be busy for several weeks if he wanted to see everything!

In and around San Antonio you can find the traces of the German settlers who came to this place in greater numbers than anywhere else. Places like New Braunfels and Fredericksburg still cultivate their German tradition with countless folk festivals such as the “wurstfest.” And then, of course, their were the economic considerations. San Antonio has been constantly growing over the past years, new industrial settlements develop and the service sector keeps growing along with that. For example Toyota built a large plant here, the supply industry, of course, followed. Unemployment isn’t a problem in this region. On the contrary, it is really difficult to find employees, because there are jobs in abundance! Living expenses are also lower than elsewhere and we hardly feel the effects of the real estate crisis here!

TAD: What advice could you give other people who have similar plans?

MR. AND MRS. SCHILLER/LUDWIG: First off: anyone who thinks he or she would really be moving to paradise should think twice. Realizing the American dream is hard work and far from romantic! Dreamers don’t have a chance, if they’re not willing to work for their dreams! First of all, you have to carefully decide what visa you will need to go to the US. For many people, the only option will remain the green card lottery, which we still participate in regularly, unfortunately without any success so far. It is also vitally important to look at the region you choose for yourself from the point of view of someone actually living there. Some people merely judge from the point of view of a tourist, but you should have some background information in order to decide whether the living conditions correspond with your needs or not! Knowing English is a must, but don’t be afraid, you don’t have to be fluent right at the beginning. The American people are very tolerant and willing to help and you don’t have to worry about embarrassing yourself if you mispronounce something or phrase something awkwardly.

TAD: You went into business with a fashion store in the US. What differences did you observe between German and American business routine?

MR. AND MRS. SCHILLER/LUDWIG: One big difference to the German business routine are the customers. People here are friendly, less fussy and more open for everything new and extraordinary than people in Germany are. We had to get used to customers thanking us after we sold them something. Of course, the customers also expect a completely different level of service. An angry-looking, grumpy person behind the counter doesn’t have a chance, no one will buy anything from him!

The most important aspect, however, is that with an idea and the appropriate commitment, you can still realize the American dream. While in Germany many traditional stores are disappearing from the city centers, here there’s still the possibility to expand. We are in the process of proving that with our franchise program! In Germany, this would be impossible under the current circumstances!

TAD: How important is marketing and advertising to run a successful business?

MR. AND MRS. SCHILLER/LUDWIG: Competition is great, even here in the US. That’s why it is important to develop special strategies to survive against the competition and to be better than the others, in order to be successful. So we developed marketing strategies that make us distinctly different from our biggest competitor, “Hot Topic.”

For example, we buy used band T-shirts and have them professionally cleaned, and then re-sell them for $5. That way, even teenagers who don’t have much allowance can buy T-shirts of their favorite bands. At our competition, they could maybe look at them! We organize concerts with local bands in our store on a regular basis, which means, of course, that the bands sometimes bring friends who didn’t know our store before.

With that concept, we have by now become scene store number one in San Antonio and outside San Antonio. That way, our first franchise store was set up, because some of our customers come from really far away, some drive four hours to go to a concert and while they’re here, buy the things they can’t find anywhere else.

TAD: If you could go back to planning your new life in the US, what would you do differently?

MR. AND MRS. SCHILLER/LUDWIG: Basically, we wouldn’t do anything differently. The emigration process was very well prepared, not least because of the help by TAD. Certainly, some things would have easier if Manuela hadn’t had to undergo that name check, but we didn’t have any influence on that.