How to Build a Brand in the Dominican Republic

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Welcome to the Grubernation Weekly Newsletter!

I share information, tactics and tips for moving abroad, living your dream and EVERYTHING in between.

In this week’s edition:

• How to Build a Brand in Dominican Republic

• A Cuban YouTubers View of DR

• Avoid Being SCAMMED On Your Real Estate Purchase

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How To Build a Brand in the Dominican Republic

I recently spoke to the Miami Ad School here in Punta Cana on the topic of brand building and social media strategy.

More specifically, I shared my perspective on how personal branding and marketing will impact businesses in the Dominican Republic over the next 3 years.

With permission from the school, I shared a large portion of that talk in a recent YouTube video.

In order to serve my YouTube audience, I cut the first 30 minutes which was more about general brand building and shared the parts most relevant to DR.

For anyone that wants to see the ENTIRE talk including the first 30 minutes I cut, CLICK HERE and you’ll get access to that video no strings attached.

You may be wondering how this is relevant to moving to or investing in Dominican Republic.

• Did you know that Yahoo Finance recently shared that the creator economy is the fastest growing small business category in the world?

• Did you also know that Goldman Sachs published a report showing how the creator economy will double in the next 3 years to over half a TRILLION dollars annually?

I’m an advocate of earning USD and spending them wherever you want to live. A concept call ‘geo-arbitrage’. 

Right or wrong, the US dollar is the strongest currency in the world and your dream expat life is WAY more likely if you’re able to earn them there while living here.

The beauty of social media marketing, personal branding and the creator economy is that it can be done from anywhere, it’s growing exponentially, there’s a TON of income potential in it and it doesn’t even require that you’re visible with the rise of AI and other ways of sharing content like audio or written.

That said, video and YouTube are THE future until they’re not .. and it’ll be a long time before they’re not!

Perhaps you’ve been thinking about ‘doing YouTube’, about starting your own brand or creating content in some way.

You’re not alone - you’re not unusual - you’re not unique.

TONS of people do and even moreso, businesses today that aren’t thinking about it are leaving a LOT of money and opportunity on the table.

That said, there’s a lot of fear around getting started.

I want to share 3 tips that I hope clarify the process, and/or make it feel less scary to get going. This is NOT in the video above - this is bonus content 😉.

#1: You Don’t Need ANY Money!

The current trend on YouTube is the more raw and authentic the more desireable. Light edits or none at all are the way of the world right now.

You can create videos, upload, give them great thumbnails without spending a dime and using items you have right now.

Here’s all you need:

• Your smartphone

• The YouTube app

• A Canva account (free is fine)

• Earbuds if you have them (optional)

That’s it!

Point the phone camera at you (landscape, not up and down like an instagram reel), hit record, give your thoughts on the topic your brand is based on (more on this in the video above) and voila! You have a vide.

Then, go over to Canva and make a thumbnail to the best of your ability and save it to your photo app.

Lastly, go to the YouTube app and upload the video, attach the thumbnail, give it a title and publish!

Do that about 100 times without worrying about views or reach and you’ll see the tremendous progress you can make.

(As an aside, if you use earbuds, the audio is often more clear. But you can also spend $30 on a plug in lapel microphone for your iphone and get top quality audio!)

#2: Use the Rule of 3’s

A common question is how to start or structure a video.

Ali Abdaal has a GREAT system for this that I’ll use sometimes.

I think he calls it the ‘rule of 3’s’ but whatever it is - i’ll explain it quickly.

Basically, come up with a video topic, and then break it into 3 steps or keys or essentials to support that topic.

Then, take those 3 and break each one down into 3 different steps.

Example: I’m going to make a video about how to buy a house in Punta Cana.

I’ll start by thinking of 3 top priorities for buying:

1- Identify Your Ideal Location

2- Hire a Realtor

3- Determine How You’ll Finance

Then I’ll break each of those down to 3 considerations/steps:

• Identify Your Ideal Location

  • Understand your budget

  • Determine your priorities

  • Consider your family dynamics

• Hire a Realtor

  • Only use full time realtors

  • Make sure they are local to the market

  • Follow the Gringo and get his recommendations 😄 

• Determine How You’ll Finance

  • Consider home equity

  • 401k loans

  • Getting a mortgage in DR

Now either script it competely out or start talking using these bullets as your guide. You can see how a minute spent on each bullet makes a 9 minute video that adds tremendous value.

A little prep goes a long way.

#3: You’ll Be Hated Until You’re Loved

This is the thing that stops most people in their tracks! The judgement and hatred of others.

When I first went viral for content related to living in DR, it wasn’t pretty.

Don’t believe me? I’ll show you.

Here’s the Video…

thejamiegruber

View more on Instagram

And here is just a small sample of comments (dip in and see some for yourself!)

There are PLENTY more!!

Imagine if I had just let this type of hate deter me?

I am blessed to hear tons of stories from people saying the content I share has helped them, given them a pathway to their dream, and more.

Eventually, you get to the other side.

Here’s a recording I did more recently that’s similar in topic .. and I would suggest you take a look at the comments just a year later

thejamiegruber

View more on Instagram

Between the video attached and the 3 keys above, my hope is it gives you a glimpse into getting started.

But I also want to share how this can create income by sharing how it’s starting to for me:

• Google adsense pays me for views now that I’m monetized on YouTube

• I get a referral fee when I connect you to a realtor or attorney (and you transact)

• Businesses in the United States are reaching out to sponsor videos

• YouTube/Tiktok shop is the next frontier that I’ll be tapping into in 2025

• Merchandise sales (something else coming in 2025)

• Establishing a community sharing exclusive content for a small monthly fee

• Pay-per-click advertising in newsletters (like when you click on the 1440 Media ad above 😉 )

There’s speaking fees, integrated videos, and so much more.

It’s not overnight, it’s not easy - but it’s an amazing way to build a business earning money remotely and allowing the location freedom you may crave.

If your desire is to have that brand associated to the Dominican Republic, definitely watch the video above .. it’ll shortern your learning curve by MONTHS!

A Cuban YouTubers View of DR

Many Dominican Americans watch content like mine and are seemingly compelled to remind me that DR isn’t as developed as the United States.

As my 11 year old self would say…”no doiiii”

So I found myself highly intrigued by The Waldi Show and his recent video(s) about his time in Dominican Republic.

His take provides massive perspective for the growth and development of DR and gives context about where it stands in the world NOT occupied by the US or Canada.

In short, he had the following to say:

• The Abundance of Food - in Cuba pork is very expensive and rarely able to be purchased, so he LOVED picalonga and was amazed at how easy and accessible food is in DR

• Internet Access - he was blown away by how accessible the internet is and the quality and speed as well (as a YouTuber, very important) and had this quote - “the ease that young Dominicans have to be able to undertake, to get ahead if they set their minds to it”

• Cleanliness and Beauty - he made a point specifically about Puerto Plata (he hasn’t visited Punta Cana yet 😉 ) being ‘blessed by nature’ and mentioned how clean the country is overall

• The Dominican People - no surprise here - the warmth of the people here was eye-opening for him. Goes to show you, saying that connectedness is a ‘Latin American thing’ undercuts the level of warmth there is in this country

Now of course, coming from Cuba, internet access and food availability is probably better in almost every other country.

But I think we forget sometimes that in the US we overlook ‘enough’ in pursuit of ‘everything’. 

We also lament the trash you see around DR which is legitimate, but imagine what it could be? Or even what it was 10 years ago?

Listening to him review his stops in DR gives me great pride in how far DR has come, gives me confidence in the progress still to come, and great appreciation for all we have both in DR and the US.

Avoid Being SCAMMED On Your Real Estate Purchase

This video has been out a while and is one of the LEAST VIEWED on my channel…

And that BLOWS my mind!

This is probably the most in depth, tactical and critical video to watch for anyone considering an investment in DR (or anywhere really).

It marries my experience as an investor in both the residential and commercial sectors in the United States with the experience of doing business and investing here in Dominican Republic and breaks down the ins and outs - everything I know to date - really well (if I say so myself!)

Check it out and take notes! And if you need a realtor to help you here, feel free to fill out this form and I’ll send you one I trust.

As the reach of my content has grown, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to be responsive. Stay tuned for some announcements soon on how I can provide you with even mor exclusive content in exchange for some support you can provide for this channel and brand. See you next week!!