SEARCHING WITH A FOREIGN NAME
Bit of a sensitive topic, but we live in a real world where I believe this could still be an issue. Thought I'd get people's opinions on this and hope this is not inappropriate. For those that are searching with a foreign name, have you encountered any unpleasant experiences in either US or Canada? Have any business owners shown reservations about dealing with or selling to a foreigner? Particularly if you have a name from certain countries that have high political tension with US/Canada (Russian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, etc)
A foreign name decreases your chances of finding a job in the US. Call it whatever, it's a brutal reality. The people who were hurt the most were my Asian friends. Yes, John Green has a much higher chance of landing a job that Vibhav Chuktarmapal or Xi-Chen Zu-Hauwen. But it also works for any name that is not familiar to the American ear. I'm a marketing guy, and I'm 100% sure same is even more true in SF world, where people need to trust you and people naturally trust sth familiar.
Many of my friends Americanized their names (for example, Stanislav to Stan, etc.) for this reason.
You might like it, you might hate it. It's real.
My 2 cents, written while in rural Alabama on a deal.
If you will feel insecure that maybe some owners are turning you away based on your name, then use a nickname to eliminate that insecurity. It's an easy way to remove a doubt from your mind and free you up to play your A game.
If you feel that using a nickname will be inauthentic and lower your confidence, then avoid it. Getting an extra 2% response rate is not worth lower confidence when trying to prove yourself as a capable buyer.