My dad showed me the computer when I was just four years old. I asked my dad if we could disassemble it to find out how it worked. I was hooked.I was 10 when I found out that Windows and Mac were both based in the United States. I've always wanted to start my own tech company since then.I did not realize that the first half my dream of coming to America would give me the necessary training for the second half, which was launching a business.It turns out that the attitudes, mindset, and behaviors required to cross the U.S. Immigration system are the same as those required to navigate the unknown waters of entrepreneurship.Many of the same behaviors, attitudes and mindsets required to cross the U.S. Immigration system are required to navigate the unpredictable waters of entrepreneurship.Preflight is a smart, fast and no-code web application automation software that I founded in 2019. The reason Preflight is still in existence is because I learned three important things in my journey to becoming an American asylee. They were accepting uncertainty, building resilience, and maintaining a positive mental attitude.They were all necessary to get Preflight on the ground.There are many routes to the U.S. (and starting a business)When I applied to college, I got my first chance at making my long-held dream a reality. I believed that if I could attend school in the United States, then I could stay there and start my own business.However, after doing extensive research, I discovered that American colleges are too expensive.However, I decided to leave Turkey, my country of origin, and start a new life. I searched for schools that were affordable and found many options in France. I decided to go to France.Even after three unsuccessful attempts, I was unable to obtain a student visa. I returned to Turkey to study and then went back to school. After graduating, I realized that I was eligible for a second chance at the U.S.A. with a masters degree. I applied for computer science programs and was accepted.My first time I arrived in Georgia was to get my TOEFL certificate. I then enrolled at Tennessee State University where I received a teaching assistantship.Remember, all of this was possible only if I had the right visas. For my masters degree I required a student visa, but I would need a work visa if I wanted work after graduation.However, the truth is that I didn't want to work in a job.There was also another factor: I was an undergraduate at Tennessee State from 2014 through 2016. This was in the time leading up to Donald Trump's election. In order to determine which visa I could afford, I also had to consider the possibility that visa rules could change over the next few months.These experiences are very similar to the ones many founders have to deal with daily when launching and managing a business.We don't know if the products will sell or if there will be a market for them. We don't know what the impact of changing regulations could be on our products. We don't know when something like a pandemic might sweep away everything we have built.We keep going. My experience shows that the most successful founders don't wait for everything to come together. They know it won't happen. They do what is possible with what they have. They have faith that they will be able adapt to changes as they occur.This brings me to the next lesson.Resilience: Hear no, but not yetIt's not fun to hear no, especially if it is about something you have wanted for over a decade.As one visa application after the other failed, I had to deal with a lot of no's in my immigration journey. I would not be here today, working for my own startup in the U.S. if I let any of those failures stop.My greatest lesson was to never say no.Example: I discovered Y Combinator in 2014 while I was in graduate program. I decided I wanted to be a part. I was rejected three times during grad school.My student visa was expiring quickly, so I changed my strategy. To learn more, I applied for jobs at Y Combinator-accredited companies.ShipBob was a Chicago-based company. I was part of the Y Combinators Summer 2014 batch. I was the first full-time developer to join the team and the first American. Things changed drastically from there.First, I learned a lot. ShipBob grew from 10 to over 400 people in just two-and-a-half years. I created two apps, applied twice to Y Combinator again and was rejected both times.In my role as a leader and grower of developers, I realized the need for a product that did not yet exist. It was a smart, fast, no code test automation tool.My team spent way too much time creating tests for ShipBobs' latest updates in order to ensure that existing functionalities worked when we deployed. Our tests became obsolete when the code changed so quickly. It was extremely frustrating.We then hired two quality assurance engineers, and it took them four years to achieve 10% automated test coverage.These issues led me to an epiphany moment: I could create a company to solve these problems. It is a tool that can quickly create tests and adapt to UI changes.Preflight is the company that got me accepted to Y Combinator's Winter 2019 batch. When I found out that we had been accepted, I was thrilled. Then I realized that Preflight was not something I could actually do full-time with my current visa status. If I ever wanted to make a living, this would be impossible.This brings me to the next point.Positive mental attitude is key to overcoming many challenges.Not only did my professional life change dramatically, but so was my personal life. My immigration status has also changed.ShipBob applied and obtained me an H-1B visa which allowed me to work in the U.S.When I was accepted to Y Combinator with my sixth application, it became clear to me that I needed another option. If I quit ShipBob to lead Preflight, my H-1B would be lost and I wouldn't be able to work in the U.S.Most startup founders are familiar with this dilemma: There is no new opportunity without new challenges.I did as any founder would: I concentrated on the positive. I had gotten into YC! I committed myself to finding a better way to stay in the United States.First, I attempted to apply for an EB-1 visa. However, the documentation required was too complicated. It is unlikely that any founder could apply for this visa without preparing for it for several months.Then, I tried the O-1. No luck.ShipBob asked me if I would be willing to take an unpaid sabbatical. This would allow me to keep my H-1B status and continue working on Preflight while I attended Y Combinator. They were open to it. My brothers, who both had moved to Chicago, started working at ShipBob (you're welcome guys! My brothers, who had both moved to Chicago and started working at ShipBob (you're welcome, guys!) agreed to support me. .I finally found a solution, but it was temporary. Preflight would be successful. I'd need to find another way to stay in the nation.Transferring my H-1B from Preflight would not work in part because I would have to give 70% to 80% ownership and agree to be fired at any moment.There was an alternative option that I wasn't willing to accept: the asylee status. 2016 saw an attempt at a coup in Turkey. That's the official story. Although I won't go into details about the political aspects, my family and I were both supporters of the movement that was accused of trying to overthrow the government. We were therefore at risk of being imprisoned if we stayed with Turkey and became eligible for asylum in the U.S.I applied but hoped to land a visa for work while I was waiting. This was partly due to the fact that it can take years for asylum status to be approved and partly because I didn't know if the current administration would alter the rules to make my status ineligible.My asylum status was pending when I was accepted to Y Combinator. It was still pending when my ShipBob initial sabbatical ended. I applied for an extension, and was granted it. Thank you ShipBob! I realized that I couldn't get the visa approved after a few months. I wanted to concentrate on my business and use the asylum-pending status which would allow me to work for two years. Preflight allowed me to continue working and I was able to take a salary.It all comes togetherFour years after I applied, my asylum was granted in the early part of this year. It was a huge win for me because I could finally realize my dream of owning a business here. In some ways I was at the end of my immigration journey, but I was only at the beginning my journey as founder.My first time applying all the lessons learned over the past six years was when I decided to fundraise our first round of funding. I could then start earning a salary with that funding.We approached over 100 VCs before getting a yes. We did manage to get a yes and raised $1.2 million in September 2019.Although it was a huge win for Preflight it did not have the transformative power that I hoped for. We didn't put enough emphasis on marketing and sales after we closed our round.After many months of frustration, I decided to consult my advisors about the best way forward. Their insight was obvious to me once I had it, but I might not have been able to get on my own. This included discussing all that is happening internally with investors. The result was that I became the CEO.Preflights revenue grew 600% in the first month and a quarter after I changed course based upon my vision. This was just two months after I made that adjustment.Change is the only constantThe entire startup philosophy of disrupting the status quo to improve people's lives is built on the idea that the world is always changing. COVID-19's global disruption has demonstrated this in a significant way.Founders who are open to change and embrace it, who have resilience and a positive attitude about the ups, downs, and the challenges of starting a startup, will be the ones who last.Since I was 10, I knew I wanted to start a business in the United States. If given the option, I would choose a smoother path to entrepreneurship. What I've found is that the difficult path to immigration I had to take was exactly what I needed to be a successful founder.
