By Escarlin Pozo
El Inmobiliario
SANTO DOMINGO. - Joselyn Torrealba's story began 10 years ago. When she arrived in the Dominican Republic from her native Venezuela, she never imagined her path would lead her to the real estate sector. Her entrepreneurial spirit, inherited from her grandparents and parents, along with her characteristic resilience, allowed her to let go of her past and embrace what she could become in this new land.
Thus begins the legacy of Joselyn, a 33-year-old woman who has wholeheartedly embraced the opportunities life has offered her. And not just any way, but with a visionary outlook, always ready to take action and solidify her goals over time.
Joselyn Torrealba, CEO of Punta Cana Solutions.
From a very young age, when she was only 10 years old, she was hired by her grandfather, Joaquín Docarmo Pinto, of Portuguese origin, in a family food business where they sold arepas.
From that age, the "entrepreneurial spirit" that characterizes his family began to flow strongly in his veins. Upon leaving school, he joined the family business, enthusiastically taking on different roles, whether in the kitchen, handling the cash register, or providing customer service.
That's where he began to accumulate his work experience. Three years later, when he was 13, he was working in three of his parents' stores. At noon, he would take off his uniform and work until seven o'clock at night.
From a very young age, Joselyn Torrealba joined the working world.
Despite this demanding schedule, her parents never allowed her to neglect her studies, which led her, years later, to graduate as a sociologist from the Central University of Venezuela.
“My parents aren’t professionals. Their dream was for their daughter to go to university. I was their first daughter to go to university, and out of my entire generation, I’m one of the few who achieved it,” she said, her heart on her sleeve.
Torrealba arrived in the Dominican Republic in 2015, at the age of 23, after receiving a job offer in the entertainment sector, an area in which he had previously ventured through a business he had established in his place of origin.
Joselyn Torrealba arrived in the country in 2015.
Although he was at one of the best moments of his professional career in his home country, he was not afraid to seize this opportunity and embark on this adventure that would last for a period of three months.
Two months after arriving in the Dominican Republic, he realized there was a world of opportunities and that he was ready to take advantage of them.
“That ceiling I had for how far I could dream rose exponentially. When I arrived in this country, I started meeting people who were successful, but successful internationally, and that's where I learned to dream bigger. When I learned to dream bigger, I set much higher goals and fell in love with the opportunities this country offers,” she said, filled with gratitude.
When he arrived in Punta Cana, which at that time "didn't have much life", he got bored very easily coming from a family culture that worked a lot, even though in his new job he worked 12 hours, from nine in the morning to nine at night.
At that precise moment, lacking many friends, he set himself a single mission: to save as much capital as possible to return to his country and develop businesses there.
But life had another goal in store for her. One day, while offering the services of an event company she had recently begun working with, a client approached her and remarked that she was an excellent salesperson. This came naturally to her; it was a skill she had practiced innately since childhood.
The client continued speaking to him enthusiastically and told him something that would change his destiny: "I think that if instead of selling this you sold houses you would do very well.".
That expression planted an idea in her that, although initially surprising, would soon become the starting point of a very successful career in the real estate world.
When she first started out in real estate, she embarked on her journey with great determination. While many worked nine-to-five jobs, she would start at seven in the morning and finish at eleven at night. She was determined to achieve great things. For that reason, she began to study marketing, sales, and business on her own, using YouTube videos.
“I didn’t see obstacles. I saw, for every thing that prevented me from reaching the goal, the opportunity to get closer. I understood that the one who had to grow was me because this business depended 100% on my abilities,” she emphasized.
What he had planned to raise in a year to return to Venezuela, which was $10,000, turned out to be an amount he could reach simply by selling a house valued at $300,000, taking a 3% commission.
That discovery changed her perspective and motivated her to work harder. Convinced she could succeed, she set about finding her first client, finding one in less than 15 days.
He managed to sell his first house to a Spaniard. Not wanting to miss out on that first opportunity, he used his commission to buy an air conditioner and a dishwasher to satisfy the client, keeping only $1,000 for himself. However, that sale marked the beginning of a career that would prove his audacity was key to achieving success.
After about four years, his outlook changed. He identified the need to build teams to meet the demand and needs of his numerous clients.
“I had to go through four years of transformation, between losing my old skin and accepting my new skin. Accepting it and facing the world head-on with that skin of a real estate businesswoman,” she revealed.
By the age of 29, she had already achieved significant milestones: she owned her first house and her first car. Despite having all this, and having attained financial stability, she felt that her purpose was not to accumulate possessions, but to leave a legacy, her own mark.
Leadership
That's when she began working in leadership within this market. There she discovered her purpose: "to transform other people," as it was something that transformed her. And she did this through her real estate company, Punta Cana Solutions, where she is CEO and founder.
Currently, the company has a team of around 40 people, comprised of 35 sales associates and a corporate core of more than six members. The company is known for its diversity and female leadership, with 70% of its staff being women.
This multicultural team includes collaborators from Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Russia, Argentina, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.
Joselyn announced that the company will soon take another leap forward, opening its first office in Santo Domingo, thus laying the foundation to expand its influence and continue providing real estate solutions.
What he is passionate about
Golf
After work, playing golf is what he enjoys most.
Paddle
She considers herself a sports lover. That's how she got started in paddle tennis.
Read
This is an activity that entertains her.
Travel
She loves exploring new places with her partner.
Family
She dreams of starting a family.
This article was originally published in the magazine Mujer de Concreto.
Photos: Fidel Pérez and Davitte.
