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  • 3 days ago
Scale Tales From the Ground Up. The Business Infrastructure show Podcast Episode #213 Richard Blank

Curing back office blues. Growth is not a bad thing. But too much growth, too fast presents a set of challenges often overlooked when discussing small businesses. The emphasis tends to center on the marketing and promotion necessary to grow your business, and not on the operations and business infrastructure needed to scale your business in a sustainable manner. These back office operations can make or break your business. The Business Infrastructure show provides solutions and real life stories to owners and operators of fast growing small businesses seeking practical tips for dealing with growth spurts.

A few years after graduating from university, he accepted an offer to conduct training at a call center in Costa Rica. At 27 years old he decided to call Costa Rica home. That was over 20 years ago. And he never looked back. In this episode, Richard takes us on his journey as he leverages his advanced Spanish-speaking skills, business prowess, and emotional intelligence to build and scale Costa Rica s Call Center from a one-seat to a 300-seat operation.

While his friends pursued careers in fields like law, medicine, and technology, Richard Blank went in a completely different direction language. In fact, his love of language and communications led him to study abroad for one semester in Spain. That experience changed the trajectory of his life.

Discover how Richard used a cash-only approach to invest in the business infrastructure required to lay a foundation for sustainable growth, his tips for reducing attrition, and why he urges entrepreneurs to act their wage. Growth is not a bad thing. But too much growth, too fast presents a set of challenges often overlooked when discussing small businesses. The emphasis tends to center on the marketing and promotion necessary to grow your business, and not on the operations and business infrastructure needed to scale your business in a sustainable manner. These back office operations can make or break your business.


https://youtu.be/qw09sFl1DZU
https://youtu.be/Gpq-w_WWdn8
https://youtu.be/Cf1PDpZu67M
https://youtu.be/It9x2zUkxC8
https://youtu.be/TYSM3A8Wlx0
https://youtu.be/DG1TJ9JcS0k
https://youtu.be/Kg_qKh-mqxU
https://youtu.be/rBmgKSYfl7A
https://youtu.be/yYqbU9t9wm8
https://youtu.be/7MS_otvgGT4
https://youtu.be/nHvXMgWDlBA

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Transcript
00:00We're back, and before the break, we learned about the humble beginnings of Costa Rica's call center
00:05and how Richard Blank, as founder and CEO, scaled his operations without outside investments.
00:13But how? Well, one thing he did in the beginning was buying used. That is, he strategically
00:20purchased either brand new or gently used furniture and computers from other call centers
00:26that were going out of business. Here's Richard.

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