Vitamin and supplement sales in the United States have never been better. Online sales alone have grown 9.5% in 2021, according to IBISWorld.
People are taking better care of their health than ever before, propelling an online market that’s reached over $19 billion in size.
For someone like Graham Michael Byers, who owns more than fifty healthcare brands, that’s not only good news, but a statistic that he has helped build.
The first question we have for Graham Byers then, is just – how early does one need to enter the business world to be dubbed the “Prince of Puerto Rico” at such a young age?
“The whole ‘Prince of Puerto Rico’ thing doesn’t [actually] have that much to do with my business. I did, however, dip my toes into Amazon selling and branding early on – my first business venture was when I was around 22 years old.”
Was it a success from the start?
“It was, yes. It was an Amazon-based supplement brand that I grew for a couple of years with my business partner before selling it, and starting the business we run today, DB Media.”
What does DB Media do?
“The short answer is [that] we own and operate [many] consumer supplement brands.
The longer answer is that we use a variety of techniques that include leveraging direct response marketing, strategic brand partnership, and careful acquisition, to get a hold on our multi-million-dollar piece of the market.”
How difficult was it for you to get started?
“Not too difficult, for two reasons. One was [that I started] out of necessity. The Great Recession didn’t fly over me or my family, and times were tough. So, I had an incentive to succeed there.
The other [reason] was the fact that I was born right when the internet and home computers were starting to become heavily adopted. I was very comfortable with computers and the internet at a young age, and that gave me a good starting point for doing business online.”
How did Puerto Rico come into play?
“My business partner and I were living in Las Vegas when we started DB Media. After about a year there, I started getting interested in moving to Puerto Rico to [reap] the benefits of Act 60. When I got there, I also fell in love with it.”
Is that how the “Prince of Puerto Rico” was born?
“Well, I am doing well for myself, and I am deeply enamored with Puerto Rico.
The real reason I got the moniker is [because I advertise] moving to Puerto Rico, shamelessly, almost every chance I get.”
Is it true that you’re working on a book that will help others make the move to Puerto Rico?
“It is. I am working on my very first book that [will] describe my own experience with moving to Puerto Rico under Act 60, and it should help [readers] figure out whether they want to start the process and how to do it.”
Is there any parting advice you would like to offer to the readers?
“Sure – don’t knock an idea just because you’ve read about it on a blog.
My whole journey started with a blog post about selling on Amazon, and an $800 investment from a friend. I’ve come a long way since then, and there’s no reason why other people shouldn’t. Puerto Rico is welcoming to anyone.”