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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
00:00Yeah. So now to your founder story, you know, starting a call center in a foreign country in 2008, walk
00:08us through the first 90 days.
00:11What was the hardest thing you had to figure out?
00:14For the entrepreneurs that watched your show, it's the uncertainty because I was just starting out like the entrepreneur compared
00:23to the seasoned pro.
00:25So I didn't see the repetition or the patterns. I couldn't see the tell signs.
00:30I mean, I worked in a call center, but it's different when you are leading the ship and having to
00:35make financial decisions and plan ahead.
00:38And so for me, it was the uncertainty for the stability of the agent.
00:44When you invest an enormous amount of time training somebody, imagine if they leave you after the first paycheck or
00:49on a Friday.
00:50And so you have to be extremely selective, Juliet, on who you choose to be part of these projects.
00:57So it's just not a one in a dime.
00:58And so my first 90 days was getting something to stick, to get an anchor, to get something that would
01:04be so strong that it might last.
01:08And so that was my big breath that I took in the beginning on those first 90 days to see
01:12if I can have a foundation and grow from there.
01:16Yeah. And you grew to 150 employees and trained over 10,000 telemarketers in 25 years.
01:24I don't know.
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