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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
00:00thank you and you were born and raised in philadelphia then at 25 you packed up and moved
00:05to costa rica most people would have called that crazy what was going through your mind
00:10was it fear excitement or something else entirely different two types of butterflies you have one
00:16if you're standing on heights and you don't want to jump off a bridge but then there's other
00:20butterflies you have when you ask your crush the dance and then you fall in love and have
00:24the greatest life you could ever have and so yeah this was a good butterfly this was a thing that
00:29i
00:29knew that i was doing the right thing but juliet i was also working on a second language that
00:36i had as as a backup for me so when i moved to costa rica spanish was my major in
00:42college
00:44so i was able to i guess blend a little bit better than some people do that might need extra
00:50assistance
00:50or not really being able to integrate into a society but you find the areas in which you feel
00:57comfortable you keep an open mind and you learn a culture and then the next thing you know your
01:03life becomes that much richer and so it's a it's a nice game to play yeah and you described it
01:09as a
01:09spiritual vision quests that came true
01:12you

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