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Founders Outlook Podcast. Episode 25. Richard Blank Moved to Costa Rica at 27 and Built a 150-Person Company

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What happens when you leave everything familiar behind to build a life and business on your own terms?

In this episode of FoundersOutlook, Juliet Ochu sits down with Richard Blank, CEO of Costa Rica's Call Center, for a conversation about bold decisions, reinvention, and the courage to follow an unconventional path.

At 27, Richard left Philadelphia for Costa Rica with nothing but a vision. Today, he leads a 150-person company, has trained more than 10,000 telemarketers, and has spent nearly 25 years building a business centered on culture, human connection, and excellence.

But this conversation goes far beyond entrepreneurship

Richard shares the mindset that helped him overcome family expectations, societal pressure, and the fear that comes with choosing a different path. He opens up about building a thriving company in a foreign country, creating a workplace people are proud to be part of, and what founders often misunderstand about leadership, culture, and AI.

We also explore the personal side of his journey, from his passion for restoring American pinball machines and antique jukeboxes, to funding scholarships for language students, to the unforgettable story of producing a rock video with INXS bassist Garry Gary Beers.

https://youtu.be/C7OQ9JnkFZ8
Transcript
00:00Been from beautiful Nigeria and all the different languages and cultures that you have on that continent.
00:06It's the kind of thing where you have a beauty mark, your accent.
00:12And if you have a desire to learn a second language, it bears the mark of higher education.
00:17And so I try to incorporate a renaissance, the art of speech, learning, I guess, very strategic vocabulary,
00:27going into the source and replacing words that could create a rabbit hole, maintain a positive tone.
00:35You might think it's simple and common sense, but a lot of people are lazy in their speech.
00:39They like to curse or they scream.
00:41And it's just you wonder why individuals can save calls and manipulate in a way where you're not taking advantage
00:49of someone.
00:49And you're just extending time by asking certain questions, stacking questions, raking and repeating,
00:58and really just marinating it so nothing gets lost.
01:02It is a trade.
01:03It's a beautiful thing.
01:05It's almost like people that can draw your silhouette in the town square.
01:08They can draw.
01:09Some people can speak.
01:11And so with immense amount of practice, you become an expert at it.
01:14And so people can find their pace and their rhythm.
01:17The bad calls don't bother them.
01:20And when the numbers increase and they make more money, this is the interesting thing.
01:26It's like somebody in the gym that's got big muscles.
01:29They love sharing their skills and their experience with somebody else that has the desire.
01:36So if somebody wants to learn how to save a call, use a rebuttal, make an introduction, those aces and
01:44those strong players love to share.
01:46And so you're in an environment that gets a little bit higher than just money.
01:51It's really about something where people are, it's more of a learned environment, which is very interesting.
01:58Yeah, and, you know, you spoke about sharing, you know, and that draws me to when I was researching about
02:04you.
02:05You end up with scholarship every year for students who plan to study world languages at the university level.
02:12That's a very specific investment.
02:15That's a very specific investment.
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