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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
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CreativityTranscript
00:00A 150% operation that has trained over 10,000 telemarketers across 25 years.
00:05The greatest pleasure in life is if you can build something on your own.
00:09What was going through your mind?
00:11Was it fear, excitement, or something entirely different?
00:15Two types of butterflies.
00:16You have one if you're standing on heights and you don't want to jump off a bridge.
00:20How did you build a culture that kept people motivated and genuinely proud of the work they are doing?
00:26If you have the desire to learn a second language, it bears the mark of higher education.
00:31It's not an easy job, telemarketing.
00:33When you invest an enormous amount of time training somebody,
00:37imagine if they leave you after the first paycheck or on a Friday.
00:40Walk us through the first 90 days.
00:42What was the hardest thing you had to figure out?
00:45That was the one thing that gave me the security to do this.
00:49What do founders need to understand about AI that they are probably getting wrong?
01:00What does it take to leave everything you know, move to a foreign country at 27,
01:06and build a thriving business from scratch?
01:08Today's guest did exactly that, and then some.
01:12Richard Blank traded Philadelphia for Costa Rica, followed a dream,
01:17and a vision most people would have called crazy,
01:20and turned it into Costa Rica's call center.
01:23A 150% operation that has trained over 10,000 telemarketers across 25 years.
01:29He's collected a record from American pinball machine and scholar donor,
01:34and a podcast veteran with over 300 appearances.
01:37Hi, Richard. Welcome to Founders Outlook.
01:39Hey, Julia. So happy to be with you and your audience today.
01:42Thank you so much for having me as a guest.
01:45And you were born and raised in Philadelphia.
01:47Then at 25, you packed up and moved to Costa Rica.
01:51Most people would have called us crazy.
01:52What was going through your mind?
01:55Was it fear, excitement, or something entirely different?
01:58Two types of butterflies.
02:00You have one if you're standing on heights and you don't want to jump off a bridge.
02:04But then there's other butterflies you have when you ask your crush to dance,
02:07and then you fall in love and have the greatest life you could ever have.
02:10And so this was a good butterfly.
02:12This was a thing that I knew that I was doing the right thing.
02:15But, Juliet, I was also working on a second language that I had as a backup for me.
02:23So when I moved to Costa Rica, Spanish was my major in college.
02:28So I was able to, I guess, blend a little bit better than some people do that might need extra
02:34assistance
02:35or not really being able to integrate into a society.
02:39But you find the areas in which you feel comfortable.
02:42You keep an open mind and you learn a culture.
02:46And then the next thing you know, your life becomes that much richer.
02:49And so it's a nice game to play.
02:52Yeah.
02:53And you described it as a spiritual vision quest that came true.
02:57Can you take us inside the moment?
02:59What did you see for your future and how did you know you had to go after it?
03:06When something is given to you, it's great.
03:09A home-cooked meal, someone might give you money or a job or whatever.
03:14But the greatest pleasure in life is if you can build something on your own.
03:20And so what I tried to do was to shed some skin.
03:25The Australians call it walkabouts.
03:27And so I was at a perfect age where I wasn't too old, too young.
03:31I was just where I needed to be.
03:34And I decided to test the waters a little bit and to see without any friends or family, can I
03:40begin again?
03:41And to see what it would be like to start from scratch.
03:44And so every day to me could have been the last.
03:47And I had more energy than I could possibly imagine.
03:52I was waking up early when I was on the go.
03:55And I was just trying to drink it and get it all in.
04:00And so imagine living life like that where all your senses are so heightened that you're just living on cloud
04:08nine.
04:09And I just didn't want that specific experience, high energy to end.
04:14And so I decided to see what I could do to make that a long play.
04:18And how long I could stay here.
04:22Yeah.
04:23So now to your founder story.
04:25You know, starting a call center in a foreign country in 2008.
04:30Walk us through the first 90 days.
04:33What was the hardest thing you had to figure out?
04:37For the entrepreneurs that watched your show, it's the uncertainty.
04:42Because I was just starting out like the entrepreneur compared to the seasoned pro.
04:47So I didn't see the repetition or the patterns.
04:50I couldn't see the tell signs.
04:52I mean, I worked in a call center.
04:54But it's different when you are leading the ship and having to make financial decisions.
05:00You plan ahead.
05:01And so for me, it was the uncertainty for the stability of the agent.
05:06When you invest an enormous amount of time training somebody.
05:10Imagine if they leave you after the first paycheck or on a Friday.
05:13And so you have to be extremely selective, Juliette, on who you choose to be part of these projects.
05:19So it's just not a one and a done.
05:21So my first 90 days was getting something to stick.
05:24To get an anchor.
05:26To get something that would be so strong that it might last.
05:30And so that was my big breath that I took in the beginning on those first 90 days.
05:35To see if I can have a foundation and grow from there.
05:39Yeah.
05:40And you grew to 150 employees and trained over 10,000 telemarketers in 25 years.
05:46What is that one thing you believe most business owners get completely wrong about managing a business?
05:54I know you mentioned you need to get the right ones and train them right so that they don't leave
06:00you maybe after the first week.
06:01What is that thing you've seen founders, the mistake they make when starting up a company?
06:09I understand that there's position and power and you may have leverage to hire and fire, but you're also dealing
06:15with the human being.
06:16And Juliette, you and I have gotten our first jobs.
06:19I don't know if you ever worked at a restaurant before.
06:21I mean, a lot of us have shared experiences where we built character, but it wasn't a long-term job.
06:26And so these are individuals that do go home to families that live and learn.
06:34And you could make an impression.
06:36You could be that individual to leave them with something that makes them better.
06:41And so when you and I have sat in certain meetings and been at certain companies and had to deal
06:48with many different types of bosses and partners, I always believe that the greatest way to begin a relationship was
06:56to treat somebody with respect.
06:58Because I mean, I have to agree with you.
07:00Now, I'm not going to buy from you.
07:02But I can respect you.
07:03And I cannot rush you.
07:05And so when you have a certain pace, Juliette, you get a certain rhythm.
07:11Yeah.
07:12And it seems to fit perfectly.
07:14Yes.
07:15Yeah.
07:16And your business, telemarketing, right?
07:18It has a reputation.
07:21How did you build a culture that kept people motivated and genuinely proud of the work they are doing?
07:28You know, it's not an easy job, telemarketing.
07:32No, but it makes it even tougher, my friend, when you choose a campaign that compromises your ethics, values, and
07:40morals.
07:41If you hate your job, your boss is terrible, they don't pay, your manager screams at you, why would you
07:47want to be there?
07:49And so I also can't give you a reclining chair, back massage, you know, call center environment either.
07:55I mean, it's a real job, but if you can separate yourself from the grind, because a lot of jobs
08:02have a grind.
08:03Imagine manual labor.
08:04And so if you look at it like the art of speech, like you do, being from beautiful Nigeria and
08:12all the different languages and cultures that you have on the continent,
08:15it's the kind of thing where you have a beauty mark, your accent, and if you have a desire to
08:23learn a second language, it bears the mark of higher education.
08:27And so I try to incorporate a renaissance, the art of speech, learning, I guess, very strategic vocabulary,
08:36going into the source and replacing words that could create a rabbit hole, maintain a positive tone.
08:45You might think it's simple and common sense, but a lot of people are lazy in their speech or they
08:49like to curse or they scream.
08:50And it's just, you wonder why individuals can save calls and manipulate in a way where you're not taking advantage
08:58of someone.
08:59And you're just extending time by asking certain questions, stacking questions, raking and repeating, and really just marinating it so
09:10nothing gets lost.
09:11It is a trait.
09:13It's a beautiful thing.
09:14It's almost like people that can draw your silhouette in the town square.
09:18They can draw.
09:19Some people can speak.
09:20And so with immense amount of practice, you become an expert at it.
09:24And so people can find their pace and their rhythm.
09:26The bad calls don't bother them.
09:29And when the numbers increase and they make more money, this is the interesting thing.
09:35It's like somebody in the gym that's got big muscles.
09:38They love sharing their skills and their experience with somebody else that has the desire.
09:45So if somebody wants to learn how to save a call, use a rebuttal, make an introduction, those aces and
09:54those strong players love to share.
09:56And so you're in an environment that gets a little bit higher than just money.
10:01It's really about something where people are, it's more of a learned environment, which is very interesting.
10:08Yeah, and, you know, you spoke about sharing, you know, and that draws me to when I was researching about
10:14you.
10:14You endow with scholarship every year for students who plan to study world languages at the university level.
10:22That's a very specific investment.
10:25What's the story behind it?
10:26Well, listen, I wasn't an athlete.
10:28I didn't get one of those scholarships, nor did I get an academic.
10:31I wasn't smart, but I love languages, and you and I both know we both speak multiple languages, how long
10:40it takes and the dedication.
10:43It's not something you can spin or just do overnight or be cute for five minutes.
10:46This is the kind of thing you might earn a living off of.
10:48And so when I sponsor the books for freshman year for a graduating senior at Abington High School, what I
10:58like to do is I put myself in their shoes.
11:01They are giving themselves a gift that separates themselves from so many.
11:05That was the one thing that gave me the security to do this compared to, let's say, a doctor, an
11:12attorney, an engineer, or somebody going into a family business.
11:15I was taking the risk of that second language to see what door that would open and where that would
11:21take me.
11:22And you talked about naysayers and great believers and people that say I'm crazy negativity.
11:29It's only because they never learned how to do a flip.
11:32They never learned how to do it.
11:34And until you understand where I'm coming from, it's very difficult to put that.
11:39And you know what it is, Julia?
11:41They're just, it's people that love you and care about you.
11:44They just want to protect your heart and make sure you don't get hurt.
11:48But if you keep you and I off of the roller coaster, that's the best.
11:52Imagine you and I got front row on that roller coaster.
11:54That's always the greatest thing when you're doing loop-to-loops.
11:57And so you should never deprive somebody of living a very full life.
12:02Yeah.
12:03And talking about living a very full life, it's like you're into music as well.
12:07Because you hired Gary Bess to produce a rock music, a rock song and music video filmed right at your
12:17call center.
12:19How did the conversation ever happen?
12:21What drew your interest?
12:23What made you start that?
12:25First, I got to ask you a question.
12:27You remember the band In Excess, don't you?
12:29Yep.
12:30Songs like Need You Tonight, New Sensation, Never Tears Apart, Suicide Blind.
12:35I mean, I could go through the whole library.
12:37My favorite band.
12:38And so a good friend of mine down here, Igney Farroki, wrote a song about my call center called Shot
12:42Like the Sun.
12:43And so you and I, we always follow people's podcasts.
12:46And I heard Gary Bess talking about his company in Los Angeles where he makes bass guitars and went on
12:53his website.
12:54And one section said, hire Gary.
12:56He says, yo, man, if you've got a song, send it to me.
12:58And if it passes, something I can do and I'll work with you.
13:02So you and I were like, yo, let's do this.
13:04So, you know, you would have been cool about it.
13:06Like, Gary, check it out.
13:07Let me know Juliet.
13:08Not me.
13:09I did like three pages.
13:11I took the hour of the day to write a book on how much I love that band.
13:15And the gentleman wrote me back the following day.
13:19I couldn't believe it.
13:21And so through the course of some correspondence, I had to make a video at his location in Los Angeles.
13:28It was a performance video, but it was playing to the music where he laid the bass track, helped us
13:35with some synthesizer, added a little bit of beats to it.
13:38And just his touch.
13:39And for anybody that believes in electromagnetic transfer of energy from individuals, that was a blast.
13:49And it's a gift that keeps on giving.
13:51And so, yeah, I respected the arts.
13:54I produced a project.
13:55We filmed a funny call center video with the locals here and combined it with his performance video.
14:00And there you go.
14:02Shine like the sun.
14:03Gary, Gary, there's a nickname for Rocky.
14:05Check it out.
14:07Okay, drawing you back into today's world.
14:11You listed AI as both a pro and a con in your world.
14:17From where you sit, running a call center built on human connection, what do founders need to understand about AI
14:26that they are probably getting wrong?
14:30Self-checkout at the grocery store, the kiosk at the airport, or even the ATM machine to get your cash.
14:38Because, Juliet, imagine if you and I had to wait in line to get it at the bank all the
14:41time.
14:41That'd be a pain.
14:42And so I can't force people to be inconvenient.
14:47And I also believe that when you have a level one support where you're just confirming information, where it's not
14:56too complicated, where you have to put in too many letters or speak too long where I can't catch it,
15:01it's an excellent way to gather and to organize for a second and third level individual.
15:07And so it will be reducing certain areas of my industry, but also kind of like a concierge or a
15:15first class service that will only be expanded for older individuals or those that didn't get a resolution, which is
15:23someone that wants to talk to somebody.
15:25But they haven't mastered it yet.
15:30I still receive calls, robocalls, and it might sound like Judy offering something, but the timing is off.
15:40There's something called the Uncanny Valley.
15:42As much as mannequins might look like humans, there's still something a little different in the store.
15:47And the same thing with the voice.
15:49It might sound just like me or you, but it's that human timing.
15:53They still haven't mastered it yet.
15:55And the one thing they're really not going to master, Julia, I mentioned it before, it's empathy.
16:01AI, a thousand years from now, could be the greatest thing in the world, but it will never replace human
16:06compassion between two people.
16:09There could be a thousand people at an event and I see you across the room and I wave my
16:15hand and you wave back at me.
16:16You can't hear me.
16:17I can't hear you.
16:18But we connected.
16:19There was the smile.
16:20There was the what's up and everything like that.
16:22It spoke volumes.
16:26And so AI will never be able to do that between two humans.
16:30And so am I okay with it?
16:33It depends on what you want to do.
16:35I don't want to swim against the current.
16:37There was a movie called Zorba the Greek with Anthony Quinn.
16:40I'm willing to put my arms out on the beach, dance back and forth while the ship goes down.
16:44I mean, it's just how it goes.
16:45But I'm not done yet.
16:47That's why I always believe there are some individuals that do want that interpersonal high-class experience.
16:54And do you think AI has taken over the call center and telemarketing job?
16:59Or do you think there is still that opportunity or gap in the market?
17:06It's large enough to notice it.
17:08So it's not like a very special thing like when you go to the restaurant and they have the robot
17:13come out and bring you the food.
17:14I mean, that's a novelty.
17:16Not now.
17:18It's almost there.
17:20It's almost there.
17:22And as I say before, AI with their gathering and with the repetition, they'll get it.
17:29And some people might be willing to take a bland, robotic answer if it's the correct answer compared to someone
17:37giving you flowers and not the real answer.
17:39And so it really all depends on your sense of urgency, the question that you're asking, how it's being responded
17:46to you.
17:46That's all fine.
17:48I don't mind.
17:49But don't think, and I'm going to say it for the third time, that if somebody's calling for insurance, a
17:58law firm, a doctor's office, a psychiatrist's office, areas where there might be a heightened sense of emotion or instability,
18:09where your best friend might need to be that shoulder for you.
18:14It would be highly insulting to have a robot comfort me if I'm crying because I need to call the
18:19funeral parlor or I got in a car accident and I'm on the phone with my insurance company nervous because
18:25someone got hurt.
18:27That's the only thing that I get, I guess, passionate about, because I think it wouldn't be very respectful to
18:34somebody that would try to incorporate soothing vocabulary or something when it really would be, in my mind, just another
18:43additional question to get you off the phone.
18:46Yeah.
18:47And you've appeared in on over Tech 300 podcasts.
18:51What is that conversation you keep having that tells you most founders or business owners are missing something fundamental?
19:00Listen, I could be the one that's missing everything.
19:03All I'm doing is raising my hand.
19:05I'm saying, listen, my favorite color is mint.
19:08I don't know what yours is.
19:10So I'm just saying that I'm that one specific color, the crayon box.
19:15You mentioned my story being unique.
19:17There might be some that can relate.
19:19Most can't.
19:20But that's OK, because if I'm able to share something along the way about my composure, about something that I
19:27did.
19:29I guess the one thing, Julia, that I could share with your entire audience, the entrepreneur code, it's being able
19:37to live with oneself, removing mental weight so you can move forward, still being responsible, but also being assertive.
19:47Where if you think 40 hours, and I'm not saying it in a rude way, 40 hours is not full
19:54-time work.
19:55If you speak to a budding CEO or a business owner, they're not doing it to seem cool.
20:02They'd rather be on a golf course or on their boat or with their family.
20:05But in order to handle so many branches, it takes time, and each one has structure of supervisors, team leaders,
20:15agents, IT, and what else could go wrong?
20:18That takes time.
20:20And so I didn't realize that it's so labor-intensive.
20:26Is there a waste of time?
20:28OK, yeah.
20:29But if you need to press a button 100 times, and that's what makes you $2,000 that day, you're
20:35going to do it.
20:36But what happens if it takes you 14 hours to do that?
20:40What are you going to do?
20:42And so, I mean, these are certain questions you need to ask yourself.
20:45These are sacrifices that you need to make, but you also need to be responsible with your family and your
20:50bills and things like that.
20:51But listen, if you're able to juggle the two, my dear Juliet, be able to handle that, then the world
20:58is yours.
20:59Then you have that additional time.
21:01And you need to work out, because if you get sick, you're no good.
21:06You need consistent diet.
21:08You need to feel good.
21:08Yeah, McDonald's and Pringles are fine.
21:10I'm cool with that.
21:11Let's go get a pizza and a beer, right?
21:13Let's all definitely do that.
21:14But listen, buddy, if you don't have the go-go juice to put in those 8, 10, 12-hour days,
21:20you're done.
21:21And so I'm not trying to sound like a dad.
21:23I'm just letting you know.
21:24I mean, if you don't have this sort of stuff, you're not going to make it.
21:27And so just have structure and have discipline.
21:30Don't be hard on yourself.
21:31And at the end of the day, give yourself five and be proud of yourself.
21:35And realize someone like Juliet is out there rooting for you and wants you to succeed.
21:40Yeah, sure.
21:41And that's why I'm here, my friend.
21:42It's just to share these ideas, not to sell a book, but just to let you know that you're not
21:48alone.
21:48And I've done this.
21:50And so you can do it as well.
21:52And what is it about Richard Blank or your business that I've not asked you that you want the audience
21:58to know about you?
22:00Oh, I'm a pimp on machine collector.
22:03I know you mentioned it a little bit earlier in the beginning.
22:06Yeah, yeah.
22:07Did they have arcades back in Nigeria back in the day?
22:10Yeah, they do.
22:11The back band and stuff?
22:12Yeah, yeah.
22:13Everyone loved it, didn't they?
22:15Yeah, I love it.
22:16That was like the fun place to hang out.
22:18And so your couple quarters or whatever money you had, had to last.
22:23I mean, I was a major luxury and a lot of money.
22:27But it's like a kid in a candy store.
22:29It's as much as you can eat.
22:31So the fact that I was able to find these machines and get them, I'm having the best time.
22:36It allows me to decompress.
22:38I love the restoration.
22:40I got a nice game room.
22:44And in this crazy life where you only have such limited time, if you don't like playing golf, don't do
22:49it.
22:50But if you love driving convertible cars, that's your gig, then do it.
22:54You should really spend time in what you enjoy.
22:57And it took me a lot of work to get this collection, but I'm so happy.
23:02I'm the happiest kid in the world.
23:05And if you can have that energy for one day, then you're the king for that day.
23:10And so I think it's a very nice way to live for your entrepreneurs.
23:14I'm going to give a football term.
23:16You're getting more first downs than you are touchdowns.
23:20And you have to grind out the yardage to get this.
23:24You'll get your long runs from time to time and your gifts, but you're going to have to earn it.
23:29It's almost like a prize fighter that has to go 12.
23:31I mean, these are things that, man, Juliet, you look left and right sometimes and you say, do I stop?
23:38Why am I even doing this?
23:42And there's that spark in you that tells you to keep going.
23:45And those are the legends.
23:48Those are the ones that can make it over the mountain and through the seas and the deserts, you know?
23:54And you've lived in Costa Rica for nearly 25 years.
23:59If you had to distill what Pura Vida, the Costa Rican way of life, has taught you about business and
24:06leadership, what would that be?
24:09A push in a pull.
24:11It is a completely different culture.
24:14In Costa Rica, they have an expression called Pura Vida, which translates to pure life.
24:20And that's nice.
24:21And so imagine if you're living in perfect weather, palm trees, beaches, you don't want to work.
24:27I'm not saying they don't work.
24:29They don't want to work.
24:31You know, maybe in Philadelphia, I'm a go, go, go kind of guy.
24:35And so, yeah, you can get them there.
24:36They're great with tourism and other sort of industries.
24:39And God bless them to put anybody, not just a Costa Rican Tico, but anybody on a phone for 160
24:47hours a month.
24:48You really need to have a strong back and heart for that.
24:52But for me, it was expectations.
24:57You literally can't expect someone to lift as much as you or run as fast as you.
25:02This was my native tongue.
25:03This was my wheelhouse.
25:04I'm an owner of a gall center.
25:06Sharpest knife in the set.
25:08And so if I expected somebody to be able to do that, then I'm selling everybody short.
25:14And so for me, what it was, I needed checkpoints with people, but I also needed commitment.
25:22If you can do dedicated practice outside the office, I'm not asking you to spend all of your time, but,
25:29you know, whistle while you work.
25:30And so if I can see people progressing, then that's a very good investment, my friend.
25:36That means that we're all growing together.
25:37And so you get an eye for those sort of things, kind of like a gardener.
25:43You can see the growth.
25:45And so that was it for me.
25:47I just wanted to make sure that the people were getting bigger and stronger while we were in each other's
25:52presence.
25:53Yep.
25:54Yep, Richard.
25:55This has been one of those conversations I know our audience is going to be talking about.
26:00You remind us that the biggest leaps across ocean, across industry are the ones worth taking.
26:08Thank you for bringing Pura Vida to Founders Outlook.
26:12Everyone found, yeah, you can find Richard, the Costa Rican Call Center through the link in the description below.
26:19And please make sure to like, share, and subscribe.
26:23Thank you so much, Richard.
26:25Juliette, you have a good one.
26:27Yeah.
26:28Until next time, I'm Juliette, and this is Founders Outlook.
26:31Bye.
26:33Bye.
26:35Bye.
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