Why Most People FAIL To Make Money in the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴

In this episode of Grub with Gruber, I sit down with William Ramos, one of the top travel creators in the Dominican Republic, at Il Caminetto in Santo Domingo — ranked #1 pizza restaurant in the Dominican Republic and Top 50 in all of Latin America by 50 Top Pizza. William walked away from a stable engineering career with no plan, no business, and no backup. Thirteen years later he has built one of the most interesting success stories in Latin America — a travel agency, a content brand with tens of millions of views, and a growing real estate presence. And he did it without ever chasing money. If you are thinking about moving to, investing in, or building a business in the Dominican Republic — this conversation is required watching. 🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS 🇩🇴 Join the DR Inner Circle — 1,200+ members strong. Community, Q&A, market updates, attorney office hours, and more: 👉 https://www.jamiegruber.com 🤝 Looking for trusted referrals in DR — real estate agents, attorneys, mortgage brokers, and more: 👉 https://www.jamiegruber.com/referrals 🍕 Il Caminetto Santo Domingo — #1 Ranked Pizza in DR, Top 50 Latin America by 50 Top Pizza: 👉   / ilcaminettord   🌍 William Ramos on YouTube: 👉    / @williamramostv   🏔️ Book a tour with William's agency — Primer Creo: 👉 Search: Primer Creo DR 💪 Gobundance — The tribe for healthy, wealthy, generous men who choose to live epic lives: 👉 https://www.gobundance.com 📋 DISCLAIMER I am not a licensed financial advisor, attorney, or real estate professional. Everything shared in this episode is based on personal experience and opinion. Always do your own due diligence before making any financial or investment decisions. 🍽️ WHAT WE ATE AT IL CAMINETTO Il Caminetto serves authentic Neapolitan style pizza cooked in a wood fired oven in 60 to 90 seconds using imported Italian ingredients. Here is everything Franchesco brought to the table: Bread with house starter — William's favorite first course at Il Caminetto Three cheese pasta — A signature pasta from Franchesco's hometown in southern Italy Brussels sprouts pancetta pizza — Mascarpone, buffalo mozzarella, onions, pancetta, pepperoncino, and Brussels sprouts. Served with honey and special south Italian olive oil. The Franchesco — San Marzano fjord mozzarella, gorgonzola italiano, picante, atun (tuna), and truffle oil. Cut with scissors to prove proper dough fermentation. Tiramisù — Pasteurized egg tiramisù. Fried zeppole with pistachio cream — Hot fried dough served fresh from the kitchen. Moretti Cola — Italian mineral water cola. Caffè corretto — Italian espresso with sambuca. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 — The question that changed his life 03:07 — Walking away from a stable engineering career 04:20 — Hitchhiking Europe and finding himself 05:53 — Opening a YouTube channel in 2013 07:57 — Going viral for the first time in DR 08:24 — Showing the other side of Dominican Republic 09:30 — How the business revealed itself 13:34 — Is the travel agency still the model today 15:25 — Why families pay a premium just to have William there 17:45 — The impostor feeling of being recognized 18:45 — How to set boundaries as a public figure 24:29 — Sponsor break — Gobundance and DR Inner Circle 25:31 — Advice for the 42 year old who wants to quit his job 27:47 — The BB Surf Brothers — 22 million views in 30 days 30:49 — Stop chasing money. Chase this instead. 32:49 — The money is just a consequence 34:41 — How real estate revealed itself through content 44:10 — Behind the scenes at Il Caminetto — making pizza with Franchesco 46:51 — William's 30 trips to Haiti 47:29 — Haiti is a diamond in the rough 50:12 — What tourists get wrong about Haiti 54:04 — The Franchesco pizza — tuna, gorgonzola, truffle oil 56:40 — The two Haitian orphan boys in Punta Cana 59:29 — The real way to help Dominican Republic 1:01:08 — How social media changed travel in DR 1:02:47 — The checkbox traveler problem 1:04:01 — Travel as education not ego 1:07:04 — Jamie visits Cotui gold mine protests 1:09:00 — Why DR is frozen in the past in people's minds 1:09:40 — The negative content problem 1:13:24 — The Dominican mother who hadn't been back in 30 years 1:14:05 — Gringos creating content in DR — good or bad? 1:15:52 — The Dominican people are the real asset 1:16:15 — All inclusive vs boutique — the future of DR tourism 1:18:10 — 24 hotels coming to Pedernales — win or lose? 1:20:15 — Tropicalia and the Four Seasons in Miches 1:27:06 — The most remote beach in Dominican Republic 1:31:07 — Where William's business started in Miches 1:32:32 — Monte Cristi — DR's last untouched frontier 1:36:24 — Urban tours through Santo Domingo barrios 1:38:14 — His videos helped people build their homes 1:39:25 — What's next for William Ramos 1:41:00 — Going beyond travel content 1:44:53 — Creator burnout and protecting your private life 1:45:34 — Where to find William Ramos and book a tour