By Max Milano (Tech Writer)
The first thing you learn when you move your online business to Puerto Rico as a Stateside Entrepreneur is that the Wi-Fi can vanish faster than your bartender on a smoke break. One minute you’re uploading a product video. The next minute, the upload fails, your Zoom call freezes, and you are staring at your own reflection in a black screen. Welcome to paradise.
But the good news is that thousands of Stateside Entrepreneurs have figured out how to make it work. They are building SaaS companies, running e-commerce shops, and coaching clients in New York while living in Condado, Dorado, or Rincón. You can too.
Here are the top tips for running your online business from Puerto Rico without losing your sanity.
Get Your Internet And Generator Sorted Early
Island life is beautiful. Island internet and electricity are less reliable. If you are serious about running an online business from Puerto Rico, you cannot depend on whatever came bundled with your apartment. You also need a generator. Pay for the highest-tier fiber connection you can get and do it as soon as possible. Liberty and Claro both offer solid packages in urban areas, but even then, outages happen. A mobile hotspot will save you when power flickers, and the pro move is to run two separate internet providers in your home for true redundancy. It costs more, but the peace of mind is priceless when you are delivering to U.S. clients who expect you to be online without excuses. A generator is a non-negotiable if you want to be available to your online customers at all times.
Master The Time Zone Shuffle
Puerto Rico runs on Atlantic Standard Time with no daylight savings. That means sometimes you are aligned with New York and other times you are an hour ahead. The shift is small, but it can throw off calls and client meetings. Use a shared calendar system like Calendly or HubSpot so the software handles conversions for you. And when you speak with clients, always state times in EST to keep communication clear. It sounds simple, but it is one of the easiest ways to avoid friction with U.S. customers and partners.
Banking And Payments Need Foresight
Most online entrepreneurs keep their U.S. bank accounts and payment processors, and that is smart. Stripe, PayPal, and U.S. banks are still the backbone of most remote businesses. Puerto Rican banks have their uses, especially for paying local expenses and taxes, but they can be slower and less optimized for online transactions. The best practice is to maintain your U.S. financial infrastructure before you move, because opening new accounts remotely is a headache you do not want. Once you are here, supplement with a local account so you can manage the practical day-to-day of living on the island.
Taxes Are An Opportunity, Not A Shortcut
Act 60 is the reason many stateside entrepreneurs move here. The tax incentives are real, but they are also complex. Do not treat them as a shortcut. Hire a tax advisor who understands both Act 60 compliance and U.S. tax rules. A single mistake can erase the advantage you moved here for. The incentives help you keep more of your money, but they do not create growth. That still depends on the strength of your business model and your marketing strategy.
Build A Reliable Workspace
The romantic vision of working from the beach rarely matches reality. Sand in the keyboard and glare on the screen are not good for productivity. Every successful stateside entrepreneur I have met in Puerto Rico has a dedicated workspace. Some build a home office with surge protection and battery backup. Others join coworking spaces in San Juan or Dorado where they plug into community and infrastructure. However you set it up, treat your workspace as seriously as you treat your online business.
Market To The U.S. Mainland While Living in Puerto Rico
This is where many stateside entrepreneurs get tripped up. They move to Puerto Rico and start hearing pitches from local marketing agencies. Those agencies do excellent work for restaurants, boutiques, and real estate, but they are not designed to scale SaaS platforms or e-commerce shops into the U.S. market. The key is to keep your marketing firmly aimed at the States. Your customers are there, and your campaigns should target them directly. Build content in English, optimize for U.S. keywords, and run ads in U.S. time zones. You can test Spanish campaigns too, but never at the expense of your core U.S. growth engine.
Community Is Currency
Running a business remotely can feel isolating, which is why Puerto Rico’s expat community is such an asset. Act 60 groups are full of entrepreneurs swapping tax tips, internet fixes, and growth hacks. You will find Slack channels, Facebook groups, and in-person meetups in San Juan and Dorado. The value goes beyond camaraderie. Collaboration and referrals flow naturally, and being part of this network often leads to new U.S. clients. Shared experience builds trust, and trust builds business.
Keep Growth Systems Lean
Running a U.S. business from Puerto Rico means you need to stay lean and efficient. Automation is your friend. A good CRM like HubSpot can keep your leads warm and your sales pipeline organized while you are offline. Automate your emails, measure your lead sources, and know your metrics cold. Paid ads can be a growth engine, but tie them to real conversions in your U.S. markets. Do not burn your budget chasing vanity impressions that do not pay the bills.
Remember Why You Came
It is easy to get caught up in analytics, client calls, and the occasional internet outage. But remember why you came to Puerto Rico. You came for the lifestyle, and the balance between freedom and growth (and the tax incentives help). Protect that balance. Work hard, but build your schedule around the life you wanted when you made the move. Puerto Rico rewards those who actually take the time to enjoy it.
Where CalienteContent Fits In
You can figure out your internet. You can handle banking, taxes, and time zones. You can find community and create your workspace. But the hardest part remains: how to grow your online business from Puerto Rico without wasting money or slowing down. That is where CalienteContent comes in.
We are the digital marketing agency built for entrepreneurs like you. We understand the dual life. We know your clients live in the U.S. while you live in paradise. We’re English speakers and experts in creating digital marketing strategies that perform in the States. We also know the value of bilingual (English-Spanish) expansion if you want to test the Puerto Rican or Latin American market.
CalienteContent delivers U.S.-style performance marketing to stateside entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico. We craft SEO strategies that rank for U.S. buyers. We run ad campaigns that turn clicks into customers. We also build automated marketing funnels (HubSpot) that work while you live your island life. And we do it all with clear reporting, so you always know what is driving growth.
CalienteContent Starter Packages
Our packages are designed with you in mind.
These entry packages are designed to give stateside entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico a fast track to better marketing. Each one is lean, powerful, and built to deliver results fast.
Website Redesign + SEO & Social Strategy $750 one-time fee
Refresh your online presence and kick off with a clear strategy.
Website redesign (up to 5 pages) with SEO optimization
SEO & Social media audit and 30-day content strategy
Four Content pieces (Blogs, white papers, case studies) to deliver your top benefits and help connect with U.S. clients.
White Label Digital Marketing Department
$599/month 10 Hours. $999/Month 20 hours.
Your business, our team. We become your full-service marketing department. We do the heavy lifting behind the scenes so you can focus on your business.
Campaign setup and management (ads, SEO, email)
Marketing Funnel design and reporting dashboard (Hubspot)
Dedicated account manager
Scales up or down with your business needs
Perfect for Act 60 entrepreneurs seeking an instant marketing team without the need for in-house hiring.
Social Media Boost $495/month
Quick wins and fast visibility for your brand.
10 professional posts per month (bilingual captions included)
Targeted growth push on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
Branded graphics and a consistent posting schedule
Perfect for: Entrepreneurs who want to stay visible online while running their business
These packages are not long-term crutches. They are on-ramps designed to give you traction quickly, prove ROI, and show the power of a partner that understands the U.S. market.
Ready To Get Started?
Running an online business from Puerto Rico is not about surviving. It is about thriving.
But if you want to scale your U.S. business while living in paradise, you need a marketing partner that speaks both your languages and understands your world.
Book your free strategy call today, and let’s pick the right starter package for your business.
