Why The US Is Better Than Europe For Unconventional Paths
I know talking about the US and Europe might make you think this is going to get political, but hold that thought—it’s really not!
Here’s my hot take: if you’re dreaming of doing something big or out of the ordinary in life, and especially in business, where you are can seriously change the game. And I believe for that, you better be in the US than in Europe!
For the first 30 years of my life, I lived in France.
I grew up in a small village in the South of France, in a middle-class family with both parents working regular jobs.
In my close circle, I never really saw anyone start anything out of the ordinary. Pretty much everyone led a regular life and worked a regular job.
I lived in a few places in France, including two metropolitan areas (Paris and Marseille). Even there, I met only a handful of people doing something that I would qualify as out of the ordinary and with a different mindset.
I’m aware that back then, I wasn’t looking for anything out of the ordinary, as I wasn’t even aware there was another side of the coin… I was attracting and seeing what I wanted to see.
At 30 years old, I moved to the US—to Miami, specifically, and lived there for three and a half years.
Had I moved somewhere else, my experience could have been completely different.
But in Miami, from 2017 to 2021, I met so many people living non-regular lives that it completely transformed my beliefs and who I was as a person.
Being surrounded by people doing things that were very different than what I was used to opened my mind:
on what was possible in life,
on the fact that life could be lived in many different ways,
on the fact that doing something different, out of the ordinary, wasn’t just for weirdos,
on the fact that undertaking different or even risky things could be very rewarding—no matter the outcome.
It might sound very basic and cliché, but that was life-changing for me.
But during three decades in France, I only observed people trying to be as normal as possible, being as regular and ordinary as possible to fit in and, in a way, be invisible.
In just a few months in Miami, I discovered more new job titles than I knew existed, met more people passionate about what they were doing than ever before, and met more people living “alternative” lifestyles than I knew was possible (I don’t think I even knew what an alternative lifestyle was, lol).
I’m going to give some personal examples to illustrate what I mean:
In 2018, there was some uncertainty around my position in the US within my company. Rosie and I had an agreement that if I was asked to go back to work in France, I would quit and we would go traveling while figuring something out. When I told this to my family (and at this point, it was just a hypothesis, everything ended up fine), the news was received very poorly and I received some vigorous criticism from some people that to this day has deteriorated our relationship… simply because I was making a choice out of the ordinary rather than saying yes to the job or looking for a new one. On the flip side, friends in the US were very supportive and excited for us and this chance to discover something completely new.
My wife Rosie has always been fascinated by YouTube and wanted to be a YouTuber for years before it was a cool thing. After a scrapped attempt around 2011/2012, she started vlogging and documenting our life in Miami in 2018. While on this side, people’s reaction was often “wow, that’s cool, what’s your channel so I can subscribe!” In Europe, she received laughter and was made fun of. That had a huge impact on her self-confidence. She was devastated. And because of a specific comment from a friend at a table during a gathering, she just stopped. It took her 2 years to build the confidence to get going again, especially after meeting some friends such as Carlos (aka
) who were openly and unapologetically trying to become a TikToker! Seeing people like him gave her a necessary boost of confidence!In 2019, we started doing dog boarding… when people were going away, they would bring their dogs to our place and we would look after them during their absence. At this time, Rosie was learning studio photography, and just for fun and to practice she photographed a couple of dogs we looked after. The owners LOVED the vibrant and professional photographs, and they were willing to pay for them! In no time, we started a dog photography business called Portraits of Poochies 🐶. I haven’t shared this story in my Entrepreneur Chronicles series because it was more Rosie’s thing than mine, but I was pretty involved, to be fair. It was honestly so much fun. People loved it. We quickly grew something that was making a nice little income, and we even built a community around it with dog owners and other dog businesses (we were organizing meetups called Pints and Poochies at local breweries all over Miami 🍻). Honestly, it was a blast! And again, our circle in Miami loved that we were doing this and were super supportive. In Europe, they thought it was amusing at best.
To nuance my argument a bit.
I think we were very lucky to find “the right” people and community that we needed there. It provided us with a great support system and encouraged us to take what some would consider risks (even though we didn’t have anything to lose).
I also think that too much enthusiasm and “everything is awesome” is not always helpful… there is probably a nice middle-ground to be found.
And by the way, as I think it’s true for individuals, I also think it’s true for startups and big companies… it’s not a coincidence if the vast majority of the biggest (especially tech) companies in the world are all American (see this article for example).
Overall, this experience made me realize that the environment you are in while planting seeds and nurturing them is key to growth… we all know it’s true for plants, but it’s also true for us humans. We can only thrive in the right conditions. When we want to make a change in your life and try to explore new ventures, having a positive supportive support system is vital… as skepticism and negativity can quickly discourage us.
Wrapping this up, I can’t help but think about how different my life could’ve been if I hadn’t had the opportunity to move across the Atlantic. Moving to Miami didn’t just change my scenery—it completely transformed my outlook on what’s possible. I met entrepreneurs and creatives who didn’t just dream big—they lived unapologetically meaningful and intentional lives. It’s this environment, this sense of endless possibility, that turned me from a skeptic into a believer in chasing the extraordinary.
The old American Dream might be dead, but there’s still something special there. If you’ve just finished your education (so you avoid the crazy student loans that studying there could entail), are healthy (since the healthcare system over there sucks), and have that itch to start something new—whether it’s becoming an entrepreneur or exploring something out of the ordinary—spending some time in the US, especially in a big metropolitan area, could really open up your world. Trust me, it’s worth exploring!
Disclaimer: I’m aware that the US I experienced from 2017 to 2021 may differ from the current situation. I also recognize that my perspective is influenced by my privilege as a white, straight man with a “good” passport and a job that provided a decent salary during my time there. My intention is not to spark a political debate but to simply share the differences in mindset and perspectives I observed between continents.
Wow, this is such a really interesting take, it’s so nice to read an article about someone’s experience in America that isn’t American, because I took all of that for granted. I became an entrepreneur at 18 years old and didn’t realize that wasn’t normal.
I LOVE YOU AND ROSIE SO MUCH 🥹🥹🥹🐲✨