I am planning in coming back here to live. I am looking for a small store front/small living area. I will do custom t-shirts and mabye cell phones. I am looking in sosua or surrounding areas. Like to be close to the beach (10 drive atleast). I am also a audio engineer. Jusr graduated. So i will probably do that also on the side.
- Thread starter Daud Wood
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Seeking cheap place to live and have store front business
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ohhh..three great choices for making money in the DR..
1...custom tee shirts..that should fly off the shelves in the DR.
2..cellphones. you might be on to something there. there might be only 20 cellphone stores on every block..
3..audio engineer. in the land that audio forgot.
go back to the drawing board and think this out more carefully.
You should plan to sell your first T-Shirt each year for $30K, or your first cell unlock job for $30K or your first sound system design for $30K. Everyone after that you can sell at a more reasonable price. Unless of course you have piles of money to support yourself month after month. Come on down, the water is fine...
Use audio engineering as your job, set up a reliable internet connection with power and work online.
If you want to survive here that's the way to go.
T-shirt and cell phone shop will be running at a loss forever. Not trying to kill your dream just letting you know the reality.
If you want to survive here that's the way to go.
T-shirt and cell phone shop will be running at a loss forever. Not trying to kill your dream just letting you know the reality.
Not exactly looking for this but something similar: anybody knows the lotto-numbers of this evening? (please PM me so the whole world doesn't win)
I have about $800 a month coming from a small biz in the states. I figure if i stay on a budget i can survive hear. I have dominican family in sosua and in santiago. I dont have to pay rent. Mabye like help out($200) a month. But i would like to get a little shack of my own in sosua. I figure s small buz that could make at least $1000 a month would be good enough for me. Something with minimum start up cost. Any ideas. If not, do you think i can make it here on $800 a month?
First, welcome to DR1!
Second, some variant of your plan is posted a few times a week here. People regularly fall "in love" with the place (and often, a person or the overly permissive lifestyle), and start making plans to move to DR while they're still on the flight home.
The reality is, it's extraordinarily difficult to make a living in DR, particularly in the touristy areas. Even if you successfully naviagate the challenges of doing business and find a niche where real demand exists, in the event you are successful, you have to deal with copycat businesses popping up within days. Next door.
Which means whatever you do must have a real barrier to entry. It has to be expensive (like purchasing property, boats, motorcycles, etc), have a clientele that is marketed to while they are still in their home countries, or be something that simply can't be replicated very easily.
Unfortunately, T-shirts and cell phones don't fit that description, and most tourists aren't looking to put together some tracks while on vacation, so you will likely have a very difficult time.
My advice is to build your business in the US, and develop online skills where you can work from anywhere. The fact you have family living in DR is very helpful, but I would also encourage you to read this thread, which will give you a sense of how much it costs to enjoy a NA-EU level lifestyle: http://dr1.com/forums/living/112283-living-costs-dominican-republic.html
Best of luck!
Second, some variant of your plan is posted a few times a week here. People regularly fall "in love" with the place (and often, a person or the overly permissive lifestyle), and start making plans to move to DR while they're still on the flight home.
The reality is, it's extraordinarily difficult to make a living in DR, particularly in the touristy areas. Even if you successfully naviagate the challenges of doing business and find a niche where real demand exists, in the event you are successful, you have to deal with copycat businesses popping up within days. Next door.
Which means whatever you do must have a real barrier to entry. It has to be expensive (like purchasing property, boats, motorcycles, etc), have a clientele that is marketed to while they are still in their home countries, or be something that simply can't be replicated very easily.
Unfortunately, T-shirts and cell phones don't fit that description, and most tourists aren't looking to put together some tracks while on vacation, so you will likely have a very difficult time.
My advice is to build your business in the US, and develop online skills where you can work from anywhere. The fact you have family living in DR is very helpful, but I would also encourage you to read this thread, which will give you a sense of how much it costs to enjoy a NA-EU level lifestyle: http://dr1.com/forums/living/112283-living-costs-dominican-republic.html
Best of luck!
If you're satisfied with just an additional $1000 p/m I'd suggest you work for awhile for a call center, you seem to be sufficient in English and do audio engineering or whatever in the off hours till you get a customer base.
Trying to setup shop with just $800 p/m you're not gonna make it, you'll get more headaches than you've ever wished for.
Trying to setup shop with just $800 p/m you're not gonna make it, you'll get more headaches than you've ever wished for.
If his "Dominican Family" consist of his "Quero's" family, they will soon pick his bones, and he'll be GONE!!!!
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Audio engineer. Move to Moca rent a storefront off the street(to minimize moto feedback), soundproof the premises, record books on tape, save them as wav files, upload them online.
Or be a freelance writer for audio journals, professional, technical or hobbyist.
His Royal Majesty, Lord Belly Button Kidney Bean, House of Donkey Kong
Or be a freelance writer for audio journals, professional, technical or hobbyist.
His Royal Majesty, Lord Belly Button Kidney Bean, House of Donkey Kong
best bet is doing it in santiago, could rent a house /storefront for $300-400 a month, build your own sound baffles with insulation, keep you home/business well guarded/secured, and get reliable electricity. you will need to think outside the box for this one, maybe you can build/set up speakers or sound systems,
stay away from the tourist area, that crowd isnt spending money much outside of the resort., except for sex and drugs.
Do you have any other skill, or could learn a new skill before you come to DR. That cellphone business are a dime a dozen
how is the flooring business in the DR , strip and wax business or staining and polishing concrete, power washing ?
or another business that can hit it big? whatever is needed in the DR , learn before you go! ask around.
stay away from the tourist area, that crowd isnt spending money much outside of the resort., except for sex and drugs.
Do you have any other skill, or could learn a new skill before you come to DR. That cellphone business are a dime a dozen
how is the flooring business in the DR , strip and wax business or staining and polishing concrete, power washing ?
or another business that can hit it big? whatever is needed in the DR , learn before you go! ask around.
Can you speak Spanish, if so, good start..... I have been planning on moving there for years and finally selling a piece of my land here, so looks like i'll be freed up a little, soon....... Wouldn't mind talking to you about business in Sosua........ PM me...
I want something like that too. Only a garage, maybe store front, with a little kitchenette. Houses here don't have basements or enclosed garages, and I miss having a 'man cave' and/or work shop.
I wanna little place away from the wife and kids where I can tinker with bamboo and get drunk with buddies. Be great.
I wanna little place away from the wife and kids where I can tinker with bamboo and get drunk with buddies. Be great.
With your skill set, I'd look into LED light systems for bars discos and bands, possibly renting for parties with onsite hired help to make sure nothing walks off or left in the rain.
If you're fluent in Spanish, just ask around when you get here. You could do your storefront in Los Charimocos until you get big enough for the overpriced El Batey side.
My local bar has their live sound system system owned and operated by a private contractor. They make as much as the bands and work three nights a week. If you can do DMX, you'll do fine.
I got one of these for a camp last spring. You could rent for parties easy. Hooks up with Bluetooth and responds to the music. $200.. Freakin AWESOME..
[video=youtube;chUUOzFaB5g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chUUOzFaB5g[/video]
But not optimistic about print or cell. Markets are saturated..Replacing broken screen will get you a trickle. Have at least six months savings, a year would be better.
If you're fluent in Spanish, just ask around when you get here. You could do your storefront in Los Charimocos until you get big enough for the overpriced El Batey side.
My local bar has their live sound system system owned and operated by a private contractor. They make as much as the bands and work three nights a week. If you can do DMX, you'll do fine.
I got one of these for a camp last spring. You could rent for parties easy. Hooks up with Bluetooth and responds to the music. $200.. Freakin AWESOME..
[video=youtube;chUUOzFaB5g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chUUOzFaB5g[/video]
But not optimistic about print or cell. Markets are saturated..Replacing broken screen will get you a trickle. Have at least six months savings, a year would be better.
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